ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on some psychological and physical concerns and the modifications for them that may be helpful or necessary. The fear- and mood-alleviating powers of Sensate Focus can be remarkable for psychological issues that have little or nothing to do with sexual responsiveness but that, when alleviated, can help with the sexuality concerns. The chances are high that clinicians will have clients presenting for sex therapy who are experiencing diagnosable Anxiety, Depressive, Bipolar, or Psychotic Disorders. However, clients with diagnosable psychological disorders can also be trained to use cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) outside of the bedroom to manage their non-sexual concerns in the more traditional way. Clients who come to sexual therapist for lack of desire or other sexual concerns may have experienced past sexual trauma including child sexual abuse, rape, or multiple incidents of non-consensual sex that they may not even have labeled as such.
