GPPD Couples Recommendations

1.     Couples therapy is recommended to help Client and his wife reconnect as a couple. It is not unusual for avoidance and the decrease of physical affection to happen in couples with GPPPD. Interventions that seek to increase physical affection and other ways of being close outside of sex will be utilized. This will help with facilitate more sexually focused interventions to follow.

2.     The decrease of negative-emotion focused coping and increase emotional regulation for Client and his wife are recommended. Couples with GPPD often experience either high levels of expressed negative emotion that feel out of control in relation to the pain or they suppress these feelings for fear of the impact that negative emotions will have on their partner or relationship. Interventions that teach Client and his wife to relate differently to emotions may be helpful.

3.     Focus should be given to exploring Client and his wife’s expectations for sex as well as challenging any myths about sex. Interventions that seek to provide a refocusing on sensuality and decrease pressure of goal-oriented sex may be beneficial. Specific interventions might include a series of Sensate focus exercises that include a custom-tailored hierarchy designed specifically for them. In addition, expansion of the couple’s sexual repertoire outside of penetrative activities is encouraged to find other ways of interacting physically that would maintain intimacy as well as result in orgasm. This will be accomplished by consensual broadening of sexual scripts and collaborative exploration of non-penetrative sex."]