Psychophysiological and subjective sexual arousal to visual sexual stimuli in new women.

Conflicting data exist regarding the sexual arousal patterns of post-operative male-to-female (MTF) women with Gender Identity Disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine objective and subjective aspects of the sexual arousal response using a vaginal photoplethysmograph. Fifteen MTF women viewed neutral and erotic audiovisual film segments while their blood flow patterns were monitored. Subjective measures of affect and sexual arousal were taken before and immediately after the films. There was a significant increase in self-reported subjective arousal, perceived genital arousal, perceived autonomic arousal, and positive affect; however, movement artefacts interfered with our assessment of the genital arousal response. MTF women reported both low levels of pain and low levels of awareness of the vaginal probe during testing. These data are discussed in the context of differences in pelvic musculature between natal and new women and have implications for future studies that aim to measure sexual arousal objectively in MTF women.

Couple therapy for low sexual desire: a systemic approach.

This article will illustrate how marital therapists and their supervisors can instructively use the Basson Sexual Response Cycle (BSRC) as a teaching and therapeutic tool to enable students to move their clients toward improved sexual relationships. Second, it will illustrate that the Basson model can be integrated into Emotionally Focused Martial Therapy (EFT) to track and shift the couple's habitual attachment pattern or circular fight. Third, it will show that by working the triangle of emotion and the triangle of conflict described in the Brief Psychodynamic Model during the second step of stages 4-6 of EFT, the couple therapist has a working methodology to create change at a deeper emotional level, when the couple's intimacy issues are complex. Two case examples will be used.