Is your sex life is not satisfying or frequent enough? Do you have questions about how to pleasure your partner sexually? Feeling like your sex drive has decreased and you now have a low libido? Wishing your partner initiates sex more, and often feeling sexually rejected when you come on to your partner? Do you need intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy In Mercer Island, Washington and help overcoming infidelity and cheating in your relationship? Needing help with erectile dysfunction issues and staying hard during sexual activities? Do you or your spouse struggle with complex post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, such as panic and fear that arise during sexual activities preventing pleasure? Wishing you had a safe space to talk about your sexuality, turn ons, fantasies, desires, and sexual orientation? The team of intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists in Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling specialize in these areas.
Has sex become boring and dull for you?
For one, sex can become dull and boring for a number of reasons. There are many pieces to this pie. You or your partner may be overly stressed out at work. Being burnt out emotionally from work leads to dull and boring sex. One of you seems half asleep. And, sex for you, isn’t as engaging as it once was. Deep down, you feel very sad about the state of your sex life in your marriage. Notably, being stressed out at work can lead to adrenaline fatigue. Your body may be overstressed during the day. Therefore, you have no energy left to become sexually aroused in the evening. Having a healthy sex life means being mentally, emotionally, and physically present for yourself and your partner.
At Wisdom Within Counseling, our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists on Mercer Island, Washington help you talk about and manage work stress.
Laying the stress out can then help you find positive ways to reduce work and family stress. At Wisdom Within Counseling, our intimacy and sex focused couples counselors on Mercer Island, Washington offer holistic coping strategies to help you refocus on self-care. This way, you can return to your marriage refreshed and rejuvenated from self-care tools, rather than bringing the burnt out version of yourself to your marriage. Reducing work stress and practicing good self-care are important ways to make sex more playful, meaningful, and fun.
Did you know that pregnancy, infertility, IVF, and wanting to have a baby can change your sex life?
As well, trying to have a child and trying to get pregnant can put a lot of pressure on what were once playful sexual activities. Prior to trying to have a baby, sex was fun and energized you. You used to look forward to sexy time together. Now, with a focus on trying to get pregnant, you feel sadness and fear of possibly not getting pregnant. And, you feel a lot of sexual pressure and anxiety around sex now. Trying to have a baby can make sex feel like work, dull, and take the fun out of it. Having a newborn at home and parenting can make your sex drive fall to the back burner.
Arguments, conflicts, and different parenting values can lead to sex life and intimacy issues that our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help remedy
Differing parenting values, unresolved conflicts, interrupting, name-calling, and the silent treatment can all lead to issues with your sex life. These are harmful, dangerous, and negative ways to talk to one another. They hinder emotional safety and emotional intimacy. When you and your partner are either ignoring each other, avoiding each other, using the silent treatment, or getting into high conflict arguments, couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling can be very helpful.
Emotional safety is essential part of how pleasurable your sex life is.
Using negative communication tactics like interrupting, yelling, screaming, and the silent treatment, can make your sex life much worse. These negative communication tactics push your spouse farther away emotionally. Essentially, emotional safety is a huge component of having a pleasurable, secure, and regular sex life.
As well, you and your partner may be having conflicts regarding your parenting values and parenting styles. Talking about getting on the same page and feeling emotionally close in couples counseling is a key part of rebuilding your sex life.
Do you and your partner avoid talking about sex all together?
All of your conversations may be focus on parenting, caring for your children, bills, work, in-law’s, and paying your mortgage. With our sex and intimacy focused couples therapists on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can have a safe place to start prioritizing conversations about sex.
In general, you and your spouse can feel comfortable talk about your sexuality, fantasies, and your sex life. Often times, couples don’t talk about sex at all. In couples counseling with our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists, you can talk about why you may feel uncomfortable talking about sex.
We often grow up in concert conservative, strict, and religious homes where talking about sex is “dirty,” or “taboo.” You may have even been punished for wanting to talk about sex or asking a question. Growing up, your parents never gave you proper or positive sexual health education. You may have been taught fear-based messages around sex and masturbation.
Learning to talk about sex is a a great part of intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
You might feel uncomfortable talking about sex to your religious, conservative, or strict upbringing. Learning to have a positive view of sex and your sexuality is a benefit of intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling . Having a safe space in our counseling offices to talk about sex and sexuality and help improve the intimacy in your relationship.
Plus, physical touch is important for bonding and closeness. Deep down, we all crave healthy, safe touch. Often, we need to be touched to feel loved. Being able to talk about the pressure, the type of touch, and where on your body you like to be touched can be beautiful parts of couples counseling. You get to have a voice when it comes to your body. Our intimacy and sex focused marriage counselors encourage you both to speak up about what you like and don’t like sexually. When you and your partner find sex uncomfortable, dull and boring, you may stop having sex all together.
Are you having sex infrequently because you feel obligated or like it is a chore?
As well, a strict religious upbringing can make you feel like you have to or are obligated to have sex with your partner every time they ask. Sex might be physically uncomfortable or even painful. You say, “yes,” because sex feels like a chore to check off the list. Instead, couples therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington can help you have a voice. Our intimacy specialists can help you talk to your partner about what you enjoy sexually.
Why doesn’t your partner touch you the right way?
Your partner may not understand what types of touch you like because you haven’t told them. They may just be doing what they think you like, or what worked for their past partners. You deserve to enjoy sexual pleasure and enjoy sexual experiences. Speaking up around what you like sexually helps in power your partner to do more of what you like. In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can talk with your partner about what you like more of sexually.
Meeting with our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling helps you keep the sexual passion alive.
You can learn to turn sex from something you have to do, into some thing you want to do and enjoy. Overall, intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you learn to enjoy sex for your own personal pleasure.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Are you stuck in the same boring routine sexually?
As well, with your long-term partner, you may be stuck in the same sexual routine. Working with our team of intimacy and sex specialists on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you build sexual diversity.
You might need a safe space to talk about having sex in a new position. Or, you might need encouragement to try new sex toys. Using sex toys can enhance your sexual experience and bring a sense of diversity. We all want a sense of novelty, spontaneity, and mystery sexually. Talking about sex and bringing in a sense of diversity can be a wonderful way to improve your sex life.
As well, in intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling you can talk about having sex on a different time of day. You might enjoy having sex around lunch time, rather than at night when you are tired, like you usually do. Or, you might like to have sex first thing on a Saturday morning while you are still relaxed and in bed. The time of day that you have sex and engage in sexual activities makes a huge difference. Changing the time of day of sex can help you have more mental and emotional presence.
Sadly, many couples get stuck having sex in a very rigid routine. As well, sexual activities not just be long enough for a female partner to orgasm. Many couples don’t have enough time for foreplay, which builds sexual desire. Unfortunately, an average sexual experience from start to finish is 5 to 7 minutes and that’s it.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Is your foreplay too short?
So often, long-term couples get stuck having short, boring, dull, and less and less exciting sex because there isn’t enough foreplay time. Foreplay is the key to having sexual excitement. For instance, foreplay could be texting sexual messages back-and-forth to each other during the day. This helps your partner feel wanted, sexually desired, and like a priority to you.
As well, foreplay could be caressing and massaging each other before even making out. Making out, French kissing, and even scratching your partner’s head during a passionate kiss can be forms of foreplay. Foreplay is all about building the desire, and building excitement. Sadly, many couples don’t have foreplay at all.
Furthermore, in intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, we discuss the importance of 45 to 90 minutes of foreplay.
Foreplay is key in building and maintaining sexual arousal. Often, in intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, low desire and low libido issues can be helped through lengthening foreplay.
Many females in particular have a disinterest in sex, don’t want to have sex, and find sex painful because four plays too short.
Foreplay allows the vaginal area to become lubricated and wet. As well, foreplay allows a female’s mind to become sexually engaged and sexually aroused. In school, we learn about math and science, but we never learn about their sexual arousal system. In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can learn about how to build sexual desire, and how to make your partner feel wanted sexually.
To add, foreplay helps females get in the mood, and often needs to be 45 to 90 minutes for a female to even orgasm. Males often learn what they know about sex from pornography, which doesn’t show an accurate length of foreplay.
In general, foreplay should be at least 45 to 90 minutes before penetrative sex is even considered, if considered.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
What does female sexual anatomy have to do with foreplay when it comes to having a passionate, regular sex life anyway?
Forty-five to 90 minutes of foreplay allows a females clitoris and vulva area to become engorged with blood. Just like a male’s penis becomes erect because blood circulates in that area when sexually aroused, a female’s clitoris becomes engorged too. However, a female’s clitoris has about 8000 nerve endings. A female’s clitoris is much smaller than a male’s penis in comparison. It is also more sensitive to touch.
So, a female needs about 45 to 90 minutes to become sexually aroused during foreplay. During this time, her clitoris becomes engorged as she becomes more sexually turned on and aroused.
And, during sexual arousal, she can feel a throbbing and heat in her vulva. These are also signs of sexual arousal in a female. On the other hand, a male’s penis has about 3000 nerve endings and only takes about 5 to 6 minutes to become engorged or erect.
Need help understanding the female and male orgasmic systems?
Another key component for sexual pleasure is masturbation. However, masturbation can become addictive when done too much. Masturbation is helpful in sone sense because it helps you understand what you like. From masturbation, you can see what pressure and type of touch you like. As well, you can learn wear on your body like to be touched to feel sexually open. Sometimes, you may feel anxious, fearful, shame, and guilt around masturbation. If you grew up with a strict, religious and conservative upbringing, you may fear masturbation. You might avoid masturbation if you feel like it is a sinful behavior.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Part of intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling includes talking about masturbation.
Our intimacy and sex focused marriage counselors on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling help you develop a healthy, holistic view of masturbation.
Masturbation can be stress relieving. But, more than anything, it gives you information on what touch you like and don’t like. As a female, if you have low sexual desire and low libido issues, increasing how much you masturbate can be helpful. You can get more in touch with your physical body, sexual pleasure, and erotic side.
If you don’t masturbate at all whatsoever, masturbating one hour per day, 2 to 3 days a week, can be helpful. Masturbation, in moderation, can help you to to learn about yourself sexually. As well, masturbation, in moderation, can build your sexual confidence and improve your sex life.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
If you have never orgasmed before, in intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can talk about masturbation as a stepping stone.
Orgasming feels different for everyone. However, learning to touch your body and explore your erogenous zones can help you feel sexually open. From this state of exploration and relaxation, you can notice what it’s like to be sexually excited.
You may notice heat, throbbing, and wonderful, pleasurable sensations in your genitals. Some people feel these wonderful sensations throughout their entire body after orgasming.
Orgasming releases oxytocin and endorphins in your bloodstream too. So, orgasming can be mood-lifting and positive for your mental health. To add, the release of these chemicals make you feel relaxed, peaceful, and content. From experiencing one if not multiple orgasms during masturbation by yourself, you can communicate to your partner how to help you experience orgasms when you are together.
Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you overcome shame, guilt, and fear around masturbation and orgasming
Often times, growing up with a strict, conservative, religious upbringing, can make you feel shame about your body image and weight. Body image issues and negative views about your body can make you feel upset and distant from yourself.
More so, learning how to orgasm and learning what type of touch you like are benefits of masturbation. You can then communicate more confidently during partner sexual activities. Essentially, you need to know yourself sexually in order to tell your partner what type of touch you like and prefer. Overall, masturbation can help you understand how you like to touch yourself and verbalize that to you partner more clearly.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
However, if you are masturbating multiple times a day, this can unfortunately lead to challenges with your real life partner.
More so, masturbation and pornography addiction behaviors can become compulsive. If you masturbate and sexually stimulate yourself multiple times a day, you may be withdrawing from your marriage to touch yourself. When you have a masturbation pornography addiction, you may become irritable, moody, or angry when you are not able to watch porn or masturbate.
And, masturbation and pornography addictions take your focus away from your real life partnership. When you have a masturbation and pornography addiction, you may find real life partner sex dull, boring, or disinteresting.
Also, when you have a masturbation and pornography addiction, you condition yourself to only be sexually aroused from pornography videos. When addicted, you may also need to watch more and more pornography and masturbate for longer and longer to get the same high, or to orgasm.
Working with our intimacy and sex focused marriage counselors on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you talk with your partner about your pornography and masturbation addiction.
Instead of turning to pornography and masturbation, and isolating, couples counseling can help you seek a connection from your real life partner.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can understand your personal triggers for your addiction.
As well, you can learn about why you use pornography and masturbation compulsively.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can learn to talk openly with your spouse about how they can support you emotionally as you learn new coping strategies.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
How can intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy In Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling help improve your libido and build sexual desire?
Many times, you may experience low libido because there is no sexual excitement. Sex becomes this thing that you do to please your partner. And, you end up forfeiting your pleasure in the process.
But, sex does not have to be this way. As well, sex does not just have to mean vaginal and penis penetration. In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, we talk about improving our libido and building sexual desire.
Lengthening foreplay is one way to become more attuned and mindful of the changes in your partner’s body during sexual arousal.
By lengthening foreplay, you can build sexual arousal in yourself and in your partner. Sadly, many couples go much too quickly and sex is not that enjoyable. Instead, slowing down can build excitement and increase sexual arousal. Essentially, slowing down and lengthening foreplay helps you become more mindful of both your own and your partner’s body. For example, you can become more perceptive about which muscles are twitching or spasming.
When you gently bite your partner’s lip, what happens? Do you feel them kiss you back? Can you feel their finger press into your back or neck? Notice your partner’s legs, their lips, their eyelids, and even their fingertips during sexual arousal. During foreplay, become aware of how your touch effects your spouse. See how your hot breath on their neck, ears, wrist, or nipples makes them moan or their eye lids flutter. As well, as you caress your partner with your fingertips, become aware of the changes in their physical body.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Are you facing sexual rejection and feeling lonely in your marriage?
In general, facing sexual rejection in your marriage can be one of the hardest things to deal with. Every time you go to hug your partner, you feel them pull away. You feel sad, hurt, and rejected.
When you reach out to hold your partner’s hand as you are walking into a store together, they pulled their hand away. When you go to kiss your partner, they turn their cheek further causing you to feel hopeless and alone about your sex life. You want to have sex, but your spouse never seems in the mood. Furthermore, feeling lonely in your marriage due to sexual rejection can be incredibly devastating. It’s normal to feel defeated, upset, and sexually frustrated when you are constantly rejected. At Wisdom Within Counseling, on Mercer Island, Washington, our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists can help assess the gaps here.
When dealing with sexual rejection, there are many pieces to the pie. There are emotional aspects, physical, and educational aspects. If there has been infidelity, cheating, or betrayal of any kind, these can make your partner hesitant to embrace you. You may be experiencing physical and sexual rejection from your partner because they feel unsafe emotionally.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help rebuild trust, meaningful connection, and emotional intimacy.
When there has been a trust wound, a betrayal, and cheating, your partner may be hesitant to receive your touch. Couples counseling on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help address the emotional trust wounds. Our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists help you rebuild trust. Essentially, emotional safety is a key component to having a healthy sex life.
In couples counseling at Wisdom Within Counseling, instead of just pulling away and staying silent, your partner can learn to speak up. Your partner can learn to have a voice and talk about their emotions. As well, you spouse can vocalize what they need from you, such as reassurance.
Building a sense of emotional security means talking about vulnerable emotions. For instance, you and your spouse may need professional help talking about fears of rejection, fears of not being good enough, fears of not being attractive enough, ect.
Deep down, behind your partner’s avoidance of touch are emotions they need to share with you. Our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling give you a safe place to vocalize these emotional fears can help improve the emotional intimacy. Rebuilding trust in your marriage can create a secure foundation for your partner to feel emotionally safe.
By talking about core motions together, your partner can feel more emotionally safe with you, and learn to receive your touch more.
Has there been infidelity, cheating, and even pornography addiction that has hurt your sexual connection?
Now, any type of betrayal wound can lead to sexual issues. You or your partner may have problems experiencing orgasms due to trust issues in your relationship. Learning to repair and rebuild trust takes time. But, doing so as well worth the effort. We all grow up with a different understanding of what trust is. But, when a betrayal occurs, and emotional wound also occurs.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, we look at the function of lying behaviors.
For example, lying may have been some thing that was normalized growing up. You or your partner may have seen your parents lie and they normalized lying. As well, couples counseling is a place to understand the fears underneath lying behaviors.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
What does it mean to develop emotional vulnerability skills in intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington?
To note, talking about vulnerabilities and fears is a key part of building trust and emotional antically. In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, we teach you emotional intimacy skills.
For instance, your partner may fear that you will leave them if they are honest with you. Or, you may fear that your partner will abandon you or reject you, or even humiliate you, if you are honest. Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling is a safe place to be your authentic self. Hiding away a part of yourself is no way to have an authentic marriage.
Therefore, having these vulnerable conversations as a part of intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington. From talking about the function of lying behaviors, you and your partner can build a sense of emotional intimacy.
As well, the partner who cheated can learn to apologize, and verbalize how they understand they have hurt their partner. And, this partner can learn to verbalize more of their emotional needs instead of turning to someone outside their marriage.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling helps you understand the function of cheating, to prevent it.
Cheating often occurs when emotional needs in a relationship are not met. One or both people begin turning to someone else outside of the relationship to get these emotional needs met. Emotional needs are just as important as sexual needs.
We all want to be significant, important, special, and feel wanted. When your partner doesn’t help you feel important, special, or wanted, there is a human void. Then, someone else fills that void.
This is especially important to learn about when the person who cheated did so because they felt unwanted, hurt, alone, and insignificant in their marriage.
When someone outside your marriage meets your emotional needs, it feels so good. Over time, meeting emotional needs often turn into meeting sexual needs too.
When there has been infidelity, intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling helps the person who cheated take responsibility.
Even though they felt alone, insignificant, and pushed away, they need to apologize. Then, the person who was cheated on needs to learn how to be more curious about their partner’s emotional needs and physical needs. This partner can learn from couples counseling how meet their partner’s needs moving forward, preventing future instances of cheating.
When all touch must lead to penetrative sex, this can add pressure and tension to receiving touch.
In addition to infidelity being one of the roots of sexual rejection, anxiety about sexual performance can also play a role. If you fear that all touch has to lead to penetrative sex, you may avoid your partner’s touch altogether. On the other hand, if you are reaching for your partner’s low back or for a kiss, and they know that all you want is to have penetrative sex, they may push your touch away.
When all touch has to lead to penetrative sex as an outcome, this leads to pressure around sex. Sexual avoidant behaviors may develop in your marriage as a result. Next, you might plan more outings with social friends to avoid being alone in the bedroom with your partner.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Sexual performance anxiety is some thing that our team at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington helps couples with.
Taking the focus off vagina and penis penetrative sex is key. Diversifying the touch in your relationship can help lower sexual performance anxiety. For instance, you may just French kiss or make out on the couch for 30 minutes, and not have to have it lead to going into your bedroom.
Or, you may end a sexual experience with oral sex, not going onto penetrative sex. As well, you may caress each other and give each other back massages. Give each other back rubs without that touch having to lead directly to penetrative sex at the end.
Essentially, you are training each other to stay excited, rather than knowing what is coming at the end. If you always end with penetrative sex, your partner will not be able to stay present mentally. Instead of being mindful of your touch, their mind will be in the future. They will be thinking about the end, the sex, right when kissing, caressing, massaging, or touching begins.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
When you and your partner always end with penetrative sex, unfortunately, this can make sex boring, dull, and less exciting.
It can give both of. you performance anxiety around sex too. Essentially, ending your sexual activities and a variety of different ways can lead to increased sexual desire and help with low libido issues. You can talk about your sexual fantasies in intimacy and sex focused marriage counseling.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can talk about various ways to end sexual activities beyond penetrative sex.
Is erectile dysfunction causing you to feel anxious about your performance during sexual activities?
As a male, you may experience erectile dysfunction issues and lose your erection, due to feeling like you have to stay hard. When you are worried about stying hard, this performance oriented mindset can make it almost impossible to stay erect. The emotional anxiety around having to stay hard can lead to a loss in erection. In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you can talk about how to learn mindfulness practices to stay more mentally present.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Erectile dysfunction is a common and complex issue that can affect men for various reasons, both physical and emotional.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you get a safe place to talk about erectile issues.
Poor health can lead to erectile dysfunction issues. Hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol are also contributing factors. To add, these can damage blood vessels and nerves, disrupting the normal physiological processes required for a healthy erection.
Additionally, psychological and emotional factors, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues, can contribute to erectile dysfunction.
More so, mental health plays a crucial role in sexual function, as the brain plays a key role in initiating and maintaining the physiological processes that support an erection.
Stress and anxiety can trigger a cascade of responses in your body. When your brain releases stress and adrenaline hormones that interfere with your sex hormones. It is impossible for your body to make and release sex hormones along with and at the same time as adrenaline.
Being over stressed and struggling with sexual performance anxiety can lead to erectile dysfunction.
Likewise, lifestyle choices also play a role in erectile function. Smoking, excessive alcoholism, and drug use can all contribute to erectile dysfunction.
Smoking, for example, damages blood vessels and reduces blood flow, while excessive alcohol consumption can depress the central nervous system. Alcoholism, drugs, and smoking decreases your ability to achieve and sustain an erection.
Certain medications may also contribute to erectile dysfunction as a side effect. Antidepressants (SSRI’s), antihypertensive drugs, and medications for conditions like prostate cancer can interfere with achieving and maintaining an erection.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Erectile dysfunction can lead to relationship issues and your partner internalizing this issue
As well, when you struggle with erectile dysfunction, your partner may develop insecurities about their body. Also, anxiety about sexual performance can contribute to erectile dysfunction. Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can be beneficial here.
For one, you might be anxious about disappointing your partner sexually. The fear creates a negative feedback loop leading to loss of your erection. You might fear that if you can’t maintain an erection, your partner might find a better sexual partner elsewhere. Perhaps, you fear that you won’t be able to live up to your partner’s expectations of what they want from you, sexually.
When you lose your erection during a sexual activity, you partner may accuse you of cheating. They might think you are turned on by someone else, and not them.
And, your partner may even fear that you no longer find them attractive sexually due to your loss of erection.
Due to erectile dysfunction, your partner may develop self consciousness, body image issues, and even put more pressure on you to perform unintentionally.
Your partner might tell you to ejaculate on demand. To note, telling you to ejaculate on demand actually puts more pressure on you. So, on Mercer Island, couples counseling can help you verbalize what you need from your partner.
Without realizing it, your spouse may be putting more performance anxiety and sexual pressure on you by the things they are saying during different sexual activities. To note, talking about what triggers your anxiety is a part of intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Couples counseling also includes talking about lowering anxiety and becoming more mindful of the present moment together.
Lowering sexual performance anxiety is a team approach in couples counseling.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, your partner can also have a safe place to process and release any feelings of self consciousness. They can talk about their body image insecurities due to your erectile dysfunction issues. And, they can realize how to support mindfulness skills for present moment awareness. Erectile dysfunction can lead to relationship conflicts.
Our intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling provides a comprehensive assessment of the root causes of erectile dysfunction.
Addressing the root causes of erectile dysfunction in couples counseling means learning about and gaining an understanding for the multifaceted nature of erectile dysfunction.
Have you struggled with panic, fear, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder coming up during sexual activities?
Now, when you are a survivor of sexual trauma, unwanted touch, and non-consensual touch, you may experience panic and anxiety during your sexual present day experiences. If as was a child, you experienced sexual abuse, this can leave a profound and lingering impact on you.
Into your adult years, you may still have fear and anxiety responses in your body when being sexually active. Even though you are with a trusted partner that you feel safe with sexually, you may experience clenching in your pelvic floor. Due to past sexual trauma, your body may respond with fear, pain, and be tense.
As well, your mind may also go back to the memory of sexual abuse when that same part of your physical body is touched. When your romantic partner touches you a certain part of your body, the shadow of that traumatic memory resurfaces.
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington, you can verbalize what has happened to you. Your partner may have no idea why you are experiencing panic, anxiety, and pulling away during sexual activities. Being vulnerable and sharing about your past experiences can help your partner understand your current needs.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
How can having a safe word be supportive for survivors of sexual abuse and trauma?
In intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington, you can talk together to come up with a safe word.
For instance, coming up with a safe word, that means all touch will stop. Having a safe word can support you in feeling safe sexually after sexual abuse.
To note, the concept of a safe word foster a consensual and respectful sexual environment, which is key for survivors of sexual trauma. A safe word is a powerful communication tools and helps you feel a sense of empowerment within your intimate relationship.
Survivors of sexual trauma may experience triggers and sensitivities that occur unexpectedly during intimate moments. Having a safe word can help you signal discomfort and distress. This safe word allows you to assert control over your boundaries and well-being, perhaps for the first time.
For survivors of sexual trauma, the ability to halt all sexual activity instantly through a safe word is key in regaining a sense of control. To note, sexual trauma survivors struggle with heightened sensitivity to certain sexual stimuli. And, unexpected triggers can bring up panic, tearfulness, and intense emotional reactions. So, having a safe word helps you and your partner be on the same space communication wise.
With our intimacy and sex focused marriage counselors on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling, you get to talk about how you want to create a sexual environment of trust and understanding after surviving sexual abuse.
Moreover, the use of a safe word helps you tell you partner when you feel uncomfortable or wish to pause or stop sexual activity. The safe word acts as a mutual agreement. A safe word becomes a tool for promoting open communication, trust, and emotional safety after sexual abuse.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
How can doing a, “Yes, No, Maybe,” list in couples counseling be empowering after sexual abuse?
As well, our intimacy and sex focused marriage counselors on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can give you other tools for empowerment. In couples therapy, you can talk about which sexual acts feel safe and which feel outside your sexual boundaries.
You can both talk in intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington about a, “Yes, No, Maybe,” List. Going through a, “Yes, No, Maybe,” like this in couples therapy can help you both vocalize which sexual acts feel good and which ones are off limits. Before being in the moment of sexual activity, you can have a discussion about sexual acts. Doing so can promote sexual consent, respect, and safety, which are important after surviving sexual abuse and sexual trauma.
Couples counseling can help your partner understand how to reassure and emotionally support you.
Your mind replays the negative flashback, which prevents you from being able to fully enjoy a sexual experience with your current partner.
As a survivor of sexual trauma, you may often experience pain during certain sexual experiences. Sexual pain can be a reminder of the trauma you survived.
Your body and mind may be going into fight, flight, and freeze responses during sexual activities due to past sexual abuse. Fight, flight, and freeze are symptoms of complex post traumatic stress disorder. You might even have a panic or anxiety attack after sexual activities or during sexual activities.
During a sexual experience with your current partner, negative memories of sexual trauma may surface in your mind. To note, these negative memories may interfere with your ability to relax with your current partner, even though they have not harmed you.
Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling can help you process unresolved past sexual trauma.
To begin, click below for your phone consult for intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy on Mercer Island, Washington at Wisdom Within Counseling.
Looking for a safe place to talk about your kinks, power dynamics, you sexuality, turn ons, fantasies, desires, and sexual orientation?
Intimacy and sex focused marriage therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington is a safe place to talk about expressing your sexual self, power dynamics, you sexuality, turn ons, fantasies, desires, and sexual orientation. We don’t get to talk about sex anywhere else in our life. It isn’t okay to talk to friends, family, and loved ones about sex. But, it is okay and totally welcome to talk about sex at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington.
Our team of couples counselors encourage you to talk about sex, share your fantasies, and sexual desires openly with your partner in marriage therapy.
Intimacy therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington provides a safe and non-judgmental space for you and your spouse to explore and discuss various aspects of your sexuality, including kinks, power dynamics, and desires.
Our LGBTQIA+ affirming therapeutic approach recognizes the importance of open communication when it comes to intimate matters. Our Wisdom Within Counseling team of counselors give you an environment where you can express yourself without fear of sexual stigma.
Discussing kinks, BDSM, and power dynamics in couples counseling and intimacy therapy help you better understand your desires and preferences. Talking about your sexuality openly together promotes a healthier and more fulfilling sexual connection in your marriage.
In intimacy therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling on Mercer Island, Washington, you can talk about your sexuality, turn-ons, and fantasies. Our intimacy counselors guide you and your partner through conversations to explore these aspects of your sexual identity. To add, this exploration helps you understand your personal preferences.
With meeting with Wisdom Within Counseling couples therapy team, you get a safe space for to share and connect on a deeper, more intimate level.
By openly discussing and acknowledging desires and sexual fantasies, you and your spouse can work towards aligning your sexual needs within your relationship, leading to increased intimacy and satisfaction.
Furthermore, intimacy therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling embraces the diverse spectrum of sexual orientations. You can discuss your sexual identity and preferences in a supportive and affirming environment. Talking about your sexuality at Wisdom Within Counseling helps break down societal taboos around sex being “dirty,” or “shameful.”
At Wisdom Within Counseling, our couples therapists foster a sense of acceptance, allowing you and your spouse to embrace and celebrate your unique sexual orientations.
In essence, intimacy therapy at Wisdom Within Counseling is a safe space for self-discovery, improved communication, and a better sex life. You and your partner can create a more authentic, genuine, sexually confident, and fulfilling sexual connection where you both feel loved, wanted, desired, and important.
At Wisdom Within Counseling, couples therapy and intimacy therapy can be a safe place to talk about you libido issues, sexual rejection, erectile dysfunction, how to rebuild sexual desire, kinks, power dynamics, you sexuality, turn ons, fantasies, desires, and sexual orientation.
Where in Washington State, do the Wisdom Within Counseling intimacy and sex focused marriage therapists help sexually frustrated couples?
Wisdom Within Counseling help couples improve their sex life and intimacy in Mercer Island in Lake Washington, Hunts Point, Bellevue, Clyde Hill, Medina, Seattle, Yarrow Point, Sammamish, Woodway, Redmond, Issaquah in King County, Bainbridge Island, Kirkland, Enatai, West Bellevue, Houghton, Carnation, Broadmoor, Madison Park, Novelty Hill-Union Hill, Duvall, Queen Anne, West of Market, Juanita, Snoqualmie Ridge, Bridle Trails, Innis Arden, Clyde Beach, View Ridge, Lake Forest Park, Washington.
