Better Your Connection, Better Your Life
When you’re in a partnership, it begins passionate and full of life, but over time, the spark can fade. You both no longer communicate about your needs or feelings, or when you do, neither of you feel heard or understood. The sex? It used to be great, but now it feels like a chore or even nonexistent. What happened? The person you fell in love with feels like a stranger and you’re beginning to resent each other. Resentment builds up leading to a lack of passion and a reduced sex life.
Having resentment can also stem from the lack of intimacy due to focusing on your careers where there is little time for each other, leading to feelings of neglect and disconnection. This can also happen with children in the picture. Often, their needs take priority and leave little energy or time for intimacy. Your partner may also be watching porn and you feel unattractive or even cheated on. The resentment may be eating away at you and causing more problems in the relationship.
Or Maybe, You’ve Never Had the Opportunity to Explore Your Sexuality.
You’re unsure of what you like or even what turns you on. Maybe you feel embarrassed and uncomfortable discussing sex, so your partner is left in the dark, leaving both of you dissatisfied. As a woman, you’ve been told that sexuality shouldn’t exist outside of a partnership, so you’ve never taken the time to discover what your sexuality looks like outside of that. As a man, your sexual exploration is often ignored as there is the idea of “At least I had sex” or “If I have sex, that’s all that matters.” But the truth is, your sexual satisfaction and exploration matter just as much as anyone else’s. What about what you want? Or what about what you need? When your sexual needs are ignored or pushed aside, it can lead to wonder if you are desired or if you are enough.
It’s not uncommon for couples to experience difficulties in their sex lives. And it’s also not uncommon for individuals to struggle with discovering and expressing their own sexuality. At Simi Psychological Group, we understand that when your mind is consumed with these thoughts and feelings, it can be too loud to focus on anything else.
What is Sex Therapy?
Sex therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on improving your sexual and intimate relationships. You grow up hearing messages from your family, society, and media about what it means to be a sexual being. These messages can shape how you view sex, intimacy, sexual exploration, and yourself. Sex therapy helps you uncover these messages and beliefs while providing tools to create positive change in your sexual experiences.
So what does that mean for you? It means that you have a safe and non-judgmental space to discuss your sexual concerns, desires, and needs. You will have an opportunity to explore your own sexuality and learn how to communicate effectively with a partner about sex. With the guidance of a sex therapist in Simi Valley, CA, you can work toward better understanding, more satisfying sexual experiences, and a deeper connection with your partner or yourself.
Your Mind is Louder Than Your or Your Partner’s Voice
Couples often struggle with communicating their sexual needs and desires to each other. They seek out couples therapy to improve their relationships, but this often does not address the topic of sex. This neglects part of the work that needs to be done to fully understand and connect. Sex therapy focuses specifically on improving sexual communication, increasing sexual knowledge and understanding, and exploring individual and relational patterns that may be impacting your sex life.
Individuals also struggle with expressing their sexuality, whether it’s due to shame, embarrassment, or lack of knowledge. Women are often taught that their sexuality should only be explored within the boundaries of a relationship, leading to difficulty in exploring and understanding their own desires. Masturbation is foreign and often something to be ashamed of. Men may feel pressure to perform or prioritize their partner’s pleasure over their own, causing them to push aside their own needs and desires. Sex therapy is a place where you can learn to quiet your mind and focus on being present in your body, allowing you to explore and express yourself freely.
Causes of Intimacy Issues Couples and Individuals Face
A sexless relationship, difficulties in one’s sex life, or lack of sexual satisfaction can be caused by a variety of factors. It can be outside factors such as stress, illness, or medication. Or it can also be related to past trauma, mental health concerns, or relationship dynamics. Regardless of the cause, sex therapy can help address these underlying issues and provide support and guidance for healing and growth. Some causes of intimacy issues may include:
Cultural or religious beliefs
Lack of communication about desires and needs
Difficulty achieving orgasm or reaching sexual satisfaction
Lack of sex education or understanding
Past sexual trauma or abuse
Stress or mental health concerns
Lack of sexual exploration and understanding of one’s own sexuality
At Simi Psychological Group, we believe that your sexuality is an integral part of your overall well-being and happiness. Our team is here to help you reconnect with yourself and your partner, improve communication, and create a fulfilling sex life. Don’t let intimacy issues continue to cause strain in your relationship or hinder your sexual satisfaction.
Learning How to Increase Self-Love and Quiet the Mind
Self-love is an important aspect of sexual exploration and satisfaction. It’s about accepting yourself and your desires without judgment or shame. Through sex therapy, you can learn how to prioritize self-care, understand your own needs and desires, and practice self-compassion. Whether that is learning how to explore fantasies with a partner or masturbating, it’s about discovering what pleases you and allowing yourself to indulge in it. Additionally, sex therapy can help you quiet your mind during sexual experiences, allowing for a deeper connection with yourself or your partner. It’s about letting go of negative thoughts and focusing on the present moment.
The Sex Therapy Process
Sex therapy is an opportunity to work on exploring your needs, desires, and concerns in a safe, confidential environment. Whether that is as an individual or with your partner, sex therapy is intended to support you in examining and addressing any obstacles that may be affecting your sexual satisfaction.
The process may include talking about your past experiences, exploring how you view sex and intimacy, learning communication skills, and setting goals for growth and improvement within yourself or your relationship. You, your partner, and your therapist will work together to help break down communication barriers, increase understanding and pleasure in your sexual experiences, and ultimately create a more fulfilling sex life.
Learning to Connect on a Deeper Level
During your session, you will be encouraged to explore your and each other’s boundaries, experiment with different techniques, and find ways to connect on a deeper level. Then, you and your therapist will meet together weekly for 50-minute sessions. Typically, sex therapy continues for a minimum of 12 sessions, but this is dependent upon you, your partner, and your therapist’s assessment of progress made.
HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT IN SEX THERAPY IN SIMI VALLEY, CA:
WEEK ONE: INTAKE
During this initial sex therapy session, your therapist will gather information about your concerns, what you hope to gain from therapy, and your relationship history. This is an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have and get a feel for how therapy will work. If you’re attending with a partner, your therapist may ask about you and your partner’s history and dynamics. This session is also an opportunity for your therapist to assess your goals and create a plan tailored to you.
WEEK TWO AND BEYOND: SEX THERAPY & COUPLES COUNSELING
Our therapists at Simi Psychological Group work with individuals and couples to identify where the disconnect is happening and address it. Here we will explore barriers, trauma, and messages received growing up around intimacy and sex to support you and your partner. For an individual, you and your therapist will delve into the roots of the disconnect with your body and sexuality and how to cultivate a healthier relationship with yourself.
For couples, your therapist will assist in recognizing patterns impacting intimacy and provide tools for better communication and connection. The aim is to explore sexuality freely and without judgment, fostering a more fulfilling sex life and overall relationship satisfaction. Together, the goal is to create a mutually satisfying and stronger intimate relationship and satisfying sexual experience.
WEEK TWO AND BEYOND: SEX THERAPY & COUPLES COUNSELING
Our therapists at Simi Psychological Group work with individuals and couples to identify where the disconnect is happening and address it. Here we will explore barriers, trauma, messages received growing up around intimacy and sex to support you and your partner. For an individual, you and your therapist will delve into the roots of the disconnect with your body and sexuality and how to cultivate a healthier relationship with yourself. For couples, your therapist will assist in recognizing patterns impacting intimacy and provide tools for better communication and connection. The aim is to explore sexuality freely and without judgment, fostering a more fulfilling sex life and overall relationship satisfaction. Together, the goal is to create a mutually satisfying and stronger intimate relationship and satisfying sexual experience.
TERMINATION: 1-2 FINAL SESSIONS
In your final sessions of sex therapy, you, or you and your partner, will review the goals you set during your initial session and assess the progress made. These sessions are also an opportunity to discuss any remaining concerns or challenges that may need further exploration. You will also outline a plan going forward so that you, or you and your partner, can continue and maintain what you have worked on in therapy and so that you can implement these skills and tools in your daily life.
Why Choose Simi Psychological Group?
At Simi Psychological Group, we believe in the power of a healthy and fulfilling sex life. That individuals should not feel shame or guilt about their own sexuality, and that couples should be able to openly communicate and explore together. We understand the complexities surrounding sex and intimacy, and we are here to provide support and guidance for overcoming challenges.
Our spiritual therapists in Simi Valley, CA specialize in working with individuals to improve their connection with God, the Universe, and their inner source. We approach spiritual therapy holistically so that we can work together to get to the root of your struggles. Our deep therapy model is centered on getting to the root of your struggles—not just treating the symptoms. This approach is based on systems theory because we understand there are interdependencies between physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. When you are uncovering the root of your struggles, things can come up that you never realized were affecting you. We want to encourage you to explore all aspects of yourself and your spiritual journey so that aligning with your inner guidance is possible.
It’s Time to Prioritize Your Sexual Well-Being with Sex Therapy in Simi Valley, CA
Don’t let intimacy issues hold you back from experiencing a fulfilling and satisfying sex life. Take the first step towards prioritizing your sexual well-being by scheduling a session with one of our sex therapists at Simi Psychological Group in Simi Valley, CA. We are here to support you in exploring and understanding your sexuality so that you can have more fulfilling sexual experiences and deeper connections with yourself and your partner. Create real change in your sex life today. If you’re interested in beginning:
Other Services Offered at Simi Psychological Group
At Simi Psychological Group, we’re here to help you, no matter the issue. So in addition to helping you with Sex Therapy, our services include anxiety therapy, trauma therapy, depression counseling, couples therapy and marriage counseling, grief counseling, Spiritual therapy, and more! Our therapy services are offered to adults, children, and teens. We are located in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Porter Ranch, Agoura Hills, and Northridge, as well as online in anywhere in California. Check out our blog for articles related to sex therapy!
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