Psychosexual Counselling

The story and understanding of nymphomania

June 28, 2016 by Albert

Before the mid-20th century when medical literature was dominated by the writings of male physicians, it comes as no surprise that excess sexuality in women blew many minds. The questions surrounding oversexed females were many: Did the problem of oversexed women originate in the brain or the genitalia? Could female sexuality be successfully curtailed without surrendering them to asylums and medical facilities? Masturbation and sexual excess had long been diagnosed in men as a disease and mental disorder, though often it was understood as boys being boys. But now women were increasingly deviating from the popular female archetypes of being passive, self-controlled, and maternal. During a time when the female orgasm was barely understood, one can only imagine the perplexing scope of nymphomania to the medical community. The story of the nymphomania and females is one of taboos, misunderstandings, and evolution.

Nymphomania is defined as the excessive sexual desire in women. For one reason or another, female sexuality has long been viewed as a taboo in many cultures. Among the more popularly assigned symptoms of this disorder include persistent thoughts of sexual images, constant masturbation, promiscuity, or even substance abuse and depression. In her book Nymphomania: A History, Carol Groneman accredits a French physician Bienville for being the first to explore the concept of nymphomania in his 1771 treatise, Nymphomania, or a Dissertation Concerning the Furor Uterinus. Among his accusations in this treaty, he argues that (more…)

The Oedipus complex in young males

June 28, 2016 by Albert

The tale of Oedipus, the mythical Greek king of Thebes, and the fulfillment of his tragic fate continues to be a source of wonderment and odd inspiration. The story begins with the King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes frustrated at their inability to conceive. While seeking advice, an Oracle prophesizes that if they bear a son, the child would inevitably murder the King and marry the Queen. When Queen Jocasta gave birth to Oedipus, in an act of desperation Laius passed the child onto a shepherd to abandon. The shepherd passed the child to King Polybus and Queen Merope in Corinth.

An adult, Oedipus sought advice from the same Oracle that his biological parents sought. When it told him that he would murder his father and marry his mother, he fled Corinth to prevent such a destiny. In his travels, he is confronted by the unidentified King Laius, who Oedipus murders in an act of self-defense. Upon his return to Thebes, he is offered kingship and the widow of his father – his own mother. With the prophecy fulfilled, life becomes full of suffering for Thebes. The story of Oedipus has had many layers of meaning attached to it, some literal and some figurative. Sigmund Freud combined elements of the literal and figurative: he audaciously asserted that this story of Oedipus was universal in every male ever born.

The Oedipus Complex occurs between the (more…)

Relationship Factors in Psychosexual Disorders

June 28, 2016 by Albert

Psychosexual disorders undermine not only the person who suffer from them personally, but also the people in their everyday relationships too. Whether family, friends, or, particularly, their lover – psychosexual disorders can have such a power that, if not dealt with properly, can severe the most precious relationships. An individual’s psychosexual disorders, such as sexual dysfunctions and perversions, are rarely discussed in the open. However understanding a friend may be, some disorders are so abnormal and are such a source of anxieties that it creates a positive feedback cycle: If you cloak your disorders from your friends, then you are denying your inner anxieties; if you deny your inner anxieties, you alienate your honest relationships; if you are unwilling to risk and alienate your honest relationship, then it is not worth discussing your disorders.

Psychosexual disorders first and foremost impact a patient’s inclinations to have sex. Therefore, of all relationships, psychosexual disorders – even the most mundane – are going to impact the relationship of spouses. Sexual dysfunctions such as lack of sexual desire are the most common form of disorder that is sought treatment for. Knowing the relationship factors is the first step of the treatment of psychosexual disorders. The reasons vary, but primarily it is because sexual dysfunctions are highly common that it is no longer stigmatized or avoided.

Relationship in Psychosexual — Relationship Factors in Psychosexual Disorders

Sufferers of psychosexual disorders cannot hide them from their partner. Among the symptoms of psychosexual disorders include a lack of sexual desire or arousal, inability to properly engage in sexual activity, i.e. impotence, or even suffering from pain or anxieties during sex. Though the sources of these inadequacies may be physiological, it is increasingly being treated as psychological disorders mostly through psychotherapy. Though sexual dysfuncitons can be sourced to stress or anxieties from childhood; stress, guilt, or disappointment from the sexual relationship can be a key cause to it too. Naturally, lovers attempt to avoid these accusations, but (more…)

Cultural Factors in Psychosexual Disorders

June 28, 2016 by Albert

While diversity is a trait to be celebrated in this world, a lack of understanding of different customs and beliefs can lend itself to awkward situations if approached without care. Where one culture may be eager to discuss some subjects openly, others avoid those and view them as taboos. In no other aspect of life is this more abundantly clear than with sexuality. Sexuality carries varying biological, moral, and social implications unlike anything else. Some cultures view puberty, for example, as something to be celebrated and known, while others are ignorant or attempt to hide it as greatly as possible. Some cultures view sexual intercourse as natural and not to be denied, while others view it as sacred and immoral if engaged improperly. It is not an issue of which interpretation is “right” or “wrong”; however, what is important is to understand that cultural factors and the views culture has on sexuality have a profound influence on what psychosexual disorders different societies are more vulnerable to.

In youths in particular, masturbation remains a divisive issue. Western psychology popularly espouse the need for a “healthy view” on the subject, otherwise it may have a negative impact on the psychology of an individual. One syndrome with cultural factors to demonstrate is named Koro, otherwise known as genital retraction syndrome (GRS) or “penis panic”. This penis panic syndrome describes the hysteria that males suffer that their penis (or females about their breasts) is retracting or shrinking into the body. This syndrome is commonly associated with the East Asian societies, predominantly in Chinese societies. In one case, in October and November 1967, Singapore endured a mass panic about the spread of penis panic syndrome after it was believed that eating the flesh of pigs caused its spread.

Cultural Factors in Psychosexual Disorders

Descriptions of 16 year old boys running into clinics for psychosexual therapy, pulling on their penis to insure it would not disappear made it particularly memorable. Subsequent research has suggested that penis panic is intertwined with societies that preach against the evils of masturbation. Societies that are more open towards masturbation have avoided the same psychosexual disorder.

In 2007, the American Psychological Association released a report warning that the younger generation, particularly females, were being “psychologically damaged” by the sexualized content in the media and in society. In the same way that sexually repressed society are often characterized as being counterproductive to human health by denying our sexual nature, research has suggested that excessive focus on sexuality sets precedents, standards, and anxieties are internalized and (more…)