ABSTRACT
Sensate focus was introduced by Masters and Johnson (1970) and refined by Kaplan (1974). At the time, it was an innovative psychological approach to the treatment of sexual problems. We now appreciate that sexual functioning, to a large extent, is more complex and precarious than previously understood, yet this primarily behavioral method continues to be a fundamental element of most sex therapy treatments. Sexual problems are affected by the interaction of numerous biopsychosocial systems; consequently, prevailing treatments now merge physiological (medical) and psychological approaches (Lieblum, 2007). Thus, current therapies, while incorporating sensate focus techniques, are more comprehensive than originally stipulated by Masters and Johnson and Kaplan.
