Patient's question:
I've been married for two years, but I've never been able to have successful intercourse with my husband. Every time it gets to the critical moment, I get very tense, feeling like all my muscles are tightening. I'm scared, and the moment I touch the vagina, it feels very painful. I do have sexual desire, but it just doesn't go in. I've also tried drinking, but it didn't help.Doctor's answer:
Sexual phobia is similar to acrophobia, hemophobia, and cynophobia, but it is a fear of a specific object or behavior. The treatment is most effective through systematic desensitization or exposure therapy. Systematic desensitization involves gradually increasing exposure to the fear object step by step until the fear no longer exists. Exposure therapy, on the other hand, requires that you complete the exposure all at once, regardless of how much you fear it (i.e., forced insertion or the use of a penis or artificial penis).