Why Sex Therapy Is Better Than It's Ever Been

Contemporary sex therapy is a comprehensive set of therapeutic techniques originally pioneered in the 1960s by William Masters and Virginia Johnson, two researchers who understood that sexual dysfunction, relationship issues and feelings of shame about intimate expression were creating significant psychological challenges—not only for patients, but also for medical professionals providing treatment.

Masters and Johnson wanted to cultivate a method that would help people in therapy improve their sex life and achieve a broader understanding of their sensual experiences. They also sought to help couples explore tactics to improve their intimate relationships.

Even though the groundwork laid out by Masters and Johnson almost 60 years ago set the stage for contemporary sex therapy, recent developments and shifts in public perception of sexuality and the benefits of therapy have spurred new innovations in the field of sex therapy. This makes it a better choice than ever, for anyone.

Changing views about sex

Contemporary sex therapy assists in recalibrating a client's perspective about sex, which could be a contributing factor toward a less-than-satisfying sex life. A number of people, for whatever reason, feel a pang of guilt with regard to "doing the deed," especially if they have underlying performance issues. By establishing a safe space for patients to express confusion, frustration or anxiety, sex therapists help couples and singles understand their sexuality without guilt, and with a realistic perspective.

Assignments to be completed outside of a therapy setting—homework, to put it another way—are an integral part of the process. These tasks may take the form of experimenting with sex toys, practicing mindfulness during an intimate moment, or perhaps absorbing educational videos and literature. The purpose of these assignments is to loosen any association of discomfort with sexual expression, in hopes of improving experiences for an individual or couple.

Sex therapy becoming more inclusive

As public perceptions of gender and relationships have shifted, sex therapy has grown to include a more realistic swath of the general public. To put it simply, people who are nonbinary, transgender, a racial minority or female will have their identities respected throughout the therapy process.

Sex therapy has also evolved to consider factors outside the bedroom that affect sexual experience and performance. For groups that have been historically pushed to the fringes of societal acceptance, variables that lead them to seek sex therapy can be fundamentally different than the factors that lead heterosexual or white patients and couples there.

Less emphasis on prescriptions

One of the most dynamic improvements with regard to sex therapy is the equal footing it now receives with prescription medication. Patients, especially women and people assigned the female gender at birth, who seek medical guidance for a form of sexual dysfunction today are being advised to seek treatment through therapy with greater frequency than before, whether it's standalone or accompanied by prescription medication. By putting an emphasis on person-to-person interaction, therapy helps treat psychological catalysts for many forms of sexual dysfunction in ways medication cannot.

Sex therapy was created as a comprehensive approach to how we interact with and understand our sexual experiences. As it continues its transition from a radically new practice in the 1960s to a contemporary norm in relationship and sex counseling, sex therapy's evolution will carry on.