Interviews, Videos

How Being “In The Moment” Can Enhance Your Sex Life

February 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller

Difficulties with sexual desire and arousal are common among women and men alike. Unfortunately, medications don’t always fix these problems, in part, because many of these issues have psychological causes, such as distraction or anxiety. When the root of the problem is psychological rather than physiological, we need to look for treatments beyond pills.

One treatment scientists have increasingly focused on is mindfulness, which is defined as “non-judgmental, present-moment awareness.” In other words, we’re talking about being in the moment and paying attention to our body sensations without judging whether they’re right or wrong.

Mindfulness offers a wide range of potential benefits and can help to both prevent and resolve many sexual difficulties. Most of the research so far has focused on women, and it suggests that mindfulness can improve sexual desire, sexual arousal, vaginal lubrication, and sexual satisfaction. For a detailed account of the findings as well as guidance in terms of how you can apply mindfulness practices in your own life, check out the book Better Sex Through Mindfulness by Dr. Lori Brotto.

Dr. Brotto has used mindfulness as a treatment in her clinical practice for years has she has performed extensive research on its efficacy. I interviewed Dr. Brotto to learn more about what mindfulness is and how it works, which you can watch in the video below.

What about mindfulness for men? I recently wrote an article for Men’s Health that discusses what Dr. Brotto’s work on mindfulness has to offer to guys. Research suggests that it has the potential to reverse some cases of erectile dysfunction, but it may also have applications that extend to numerous other sexual difficulties, including premature ejaculation and low sexual desire.

Check out the full article here for a closer look at the research on mindfulness and male sexual difficulties, as well as the video below to learn more about Dr. Brotto’s book and what mindfulness can offer to women.

Watch more videos on the science of sex here.

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for more from the blog or here to listen to the podcast. Follow Sex and Psychology on Facebook, Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Image Source: Photo by Motoki Tonn on Unsplash

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Written by
Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and Psychology

Dr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.

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