Abstract
Low sexual desire concerns are prominent issues, often accompanied by distress. Distress about sexual desire is usually a reason why individuals seek professional assistance from sex therapists to help address concerns. Low sexual desire is the most prevailing sexual complaint in women and is a frequent sexual difficulty described by men. Sexual desire problems are among the most difficult sexual issues to treat and are a multi-dimensional phenomenon influenced by biological, psychological, relational, and sociocultural factors. Sex therapists who assist their clients in navigating the intricacies of sexual desire seek to comprehend the elements that have an adverse effect. Identifying contributing causes helps us to devise safe and effective treatments to meet individual needs and circumstances.The study employed a qualitative case-study design to explore subjective experiences of low sexual desire of adults in the context of meditation-based and subtle-body-oriented psychotherapy. Three women and six men participated in the study, and 34 therapy sessions were completed. Reflexive and narrative analysis were used to analyse clients’ therapy accounts. The philosophical framework of the model of subtle bodies, the doctrine of samskaras, and meditation theories were adopted to interpret the observable communications and subtle non-physical perceptions between myself as the therapist and the client. The study examined non-physical subtle body structures and described the therapeutic process to explore the energy centre in the middle of the lower abdomen, thought to be closely linked to sexuality and sexual energies.
The findings of this thesis provide insights into individuals’ subjective experiences of low sexual desire and suggest that diminished desire can be seen as a symptom of an imbalance within the physical or the subtle bodies, causing blockages in the flow of energies. By addressing blockages, the improvements can be felt as an increase in energy levels, which may have a flow-on effect on sexual desire. Individuals experience low sexual desire mainly as a symptom and are usually unaware of its cause. The findings in the study suggest that causes of low sexual desire, at an individual level, can be partly due to underlying unconscious factors and that hidden elements can be accessed by working on the subtle bodies, the carriers of consciousness and life force. Lastly, the findings highlight that experiences of sexuality are not just about the mind but also take place in the domain of the life force of the energy body.
In drawing together these findings, the thesis concludes by suggesting that by using a subtle-body-oriented approach, clients may gain self-knowledge and subtle body literacy, such as by expanding their awareness of areas in their subtle bodies that appear blocked or having first-hand experiences of energies moving in their energy body. The broader implications of these findings suggest that teaching clients how to sense their energy body by becoming more attuned and perceptive to the sensations would give sex therapists another modality to assist clients with sexual desire issues.
| Date of Thesis submission | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Jane Ussher (Supervisor) |
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