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Sex therapy
This section adapted from Sex Therapy with Survivors of Sexual Abuse by sex therapist Wendy Maltz.
Survivors require an entirely different style and program of sex therapy.
Sex education, self-awareness exercises, and a series of behavioral techniques can cure many standard sexual problems within a matter of months. As people learn more about the sexual workings of their bodies and gain confidence with their sexual expressions, they feel better about themselves in other areas of their lives. However clients with a history of childhood sexual abuse are often slow to respond to standard therapeutic techniques.
It seems that many survivors seem ambivalent or neutral about their sexual problems. Survivors often enter counseling because of a partner's frustration with the sexual problems, and are more disturbed by the consequences of sexual problems than by their existence. Many survivors have histories of persistent problems that seem immune to standard treatments. In addition to sexual functioning problems, survivors can present with the issues below:
Avoiding or being afraid of sex.
Approaching sex as an obligation.
Feeling intense negative emotions when touched, such as fear, guilt, or nausea.
Having difficulty with arousal and feeling sensation.
Feeling emotionally distant or not present during sex.
Having disturbing and intrusive sexual thoughts and fantasies.
Engaging in compulsive or inappropriate sexual behaviors.
Having difficulty establishing or maintaining an intimate relationship.
For more information:
http://incestabuse.about.com/cs/sexuality/

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