Foreplay Radio Sex Therapy For Couples

Touch is vital for intimate communication. We learn so much with touch - pleasure, safety, exploration and curiosity! So often we don’t put it into words and then we find ourselves in intimate relationship with a partner without really explaining what we need and want. For instance, tickling may be fun and erotic or triggering. There are lots of ways me might miss each other in the conversation but Laurie and George explore people’s reservations and offer ideas of how to communicate about intimate touch better. #EFT #Couples #Marriage #Sex #SexPodcast #SecureSexualAttachment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, George and Laurie welcome fellow EFTer and relationship expert Dr. Ryan Rana. Ryan is the director of the Joshua Center in Arkansas, EFT trainer and co-host of "The Leading Edge" podcast. Ryan joins us today for a great conversation on how beliefs about ourselves become cemented and the damage this can cause to relationships. You may have caught yourself saying before, "I'm just no good with money." and then when your pockets are empty and the bills are due, you've just consolidated this belief. Now evidence piles on evidence and this becomes a fixed idea. These beliefs are comforting on some level because they create predictability but they are relationship killers! Fixed ideas leave no room for curiosity and as you'll hear in this episode "once we become curious, we can start changing again." This great conversation will get you thinking about these limiting beliefs, where they came from and how to change them to stop the damage and start getting more hopeful and engaged. For more inform

Most of us grew up not talking about sex. But the more detailed you get, the more power you can have to change things. Go play-by-play and have more choice and agency about shaping your experience and connecting with each other. One woman’s grimace during oral sex or another person’s turning of their head during sexual intercourse send messages to their partner that in our example are indeed misinterpreted. Knowing exactly what happens - the detail- helps the couples discover what is really going on. A look, a certain touch, a sigh may turn us on. Or these very same actions can be misinterpreted We can get triggered into the negative cycle. Join Laurie and George as they talk about getting down to the nitty-gritty details when you counsel someone or when you communicate with your partner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that most people will have two marriages in their lifetime? Would you believe us if you could have two marriages to the same person? Join us today as we explore the unconscious (first) and conscious (second) marriage. What seems like a crisis and end to a marriage may actually be a great opportunity for both partners. Your original contract may no longer be working and this is a chance to create a new one as who you are now. People evolve and change over time and the marital relationship can be updated. What once worked in our 20s will most likely not align in our 70s. In the sexual cycle, changing hormones and bodies challenge us to learn new ways to make love. In a healthy relationship, this second marriage is an essential step to growth and partners often find it more fulfilling. George and Laurie walk listeners through an excellent role play on how this conversation would go and how to engage your partner in this work. Keep it hot y'all all through the years! Learn more about your ad choices.

Through the three trimesters of pregnancy, a woman's body changes in different ways, but that doesn't mean that sex can't be good. Join author and certified sex therapist Laurie Watson and psychotherapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they talk about the changes in a woman's body at the different stages of pregnancy and how to keep sex alive and hot during pregnancy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inspired by the work of Esther Perel, we are opening up a conversation around women being more narcissistic lovers. What does this even mean? According to experts, women tend to be more focused on their partner's experience in bed and less focused on their own pleasure. The caretaking cycle remains engaged, leaving many women disconnected and disengaged from their own sex lives. Join Laurie and George today for this riveting conversation on healthy ways women can be more selfish, self-focused and engaged during sex. This episode will have you thinking about what you actually like, find pleasure in, create more desire and assert your needs to your partner. What makes you feel desired, hot and fully in your sexual cycle, not the nurturer you are in day-day life? Both men and women will take away some great tips from this episode and really start to know what makes and keeps it hot!  Please visit this episodes sponsor (and help the pod!) Uberlube.com -- Laurie's favorite, long-term, awesome personal lubricant!

Some couples are faced at times with relating over a long-distance, whether due to business travel, being in the military, school, etc. Join author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and psychotherapist Laurie Watson talk through how to survive long-distant relationships both sexually and emotionally in a committed relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we are talking about the act and art of touch. Touch is one of our primary attachment needs and we need it from cradle to grave. Touch is often a hot button issue between couples. Distance and disconnection in the relationship can create anxiety and pressure around touch. What stops touch from happening between you and your partner? Ask yourself is there a cycle that comes alive when one of us is seeking touch and what can we learn from it? Laurie and George share more about how vulnerable it can be to receive touch and that a key to safety in this area is non-sexual touch. Increasing affection that isn't centered around sex but strengthening the attachment need in the relationship. It's important to reduce the pressure here, work on relational safety and get curious with each other. You'll take away ideas on how to promote non-sexual touch, exercises that stimulate pleasure and little ways to enjoy more touch together. Special announcement for all couples therapists who want more EFT and

Next to relational distress, a negative body image is the biggest disruptor for derailing sex and desire. While this has traditionally been a woman's struggle, increasingly it is also an isue for men. Join sex therapist Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they talk about body image issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, our hosts interview Dr. Polly Watson. Dr. Watson is an expert on menopause and focuses on holistic treatment methods, creating life changing results for her patients. Join us for this fascinating conversation on the causes and solutions of sexual pain. Did you know that during the transition to menopause 75% of women experience discomfort during sex due to hormonal changes? We discuss all things regarding hormone replacement therapy, pelvic floor therapy and how male partners can support their spouses better. There is no shame in this transitional time, yet too many women struggle in silence and we are sharing this message today. You are not alone, there is hope and treatment that can improve conditions. Sex should be enjoyable, not painful! You, along with George will learn so much in this episode and will feel empowered about the pathway forward. To learn more about Dr. Watson visit her website here: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/  You can also get great insights from her podcast, Menopa

Relationships have three broad areas of relating: the mundane details that must be done in live, sexual intimacy, and being friends -- liking our partner, enjoying their company, sharing the details of our inner worlds. The best relationships manage to have all three work; imbalance among them leads to problems. Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couple's therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they talk about balancing these three essential arenas of relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we are discussing how to forgive what hasn't been. Fights are more obvious times to work on forgiveness but what about the missed bids for connection and absence of touch? Join our hosts as they share how to have healing conversations about the lost connection. Laurie and George relay that this experience is grief and a deep pain that needs to be shared in partnership. Often a conversation like this may activate the negative cycle as the hurt partner might fear further rejection and begin by criticizing. Their advice is to get into the pain and begin to ask your partner for their help to heal. As the listener, sex might have been off the table for a variety of reasons and you may notice a defensive reaction. George shares something that works in his relationship, to take a pause and keep the focus on his partner. Healing is sequential and can't happen all at once. Slow and steady, remaining focused on one partner's pain can shift a couple into forgiveness as resentment from missed moments

Dr. Adam and Laurie discuss the complicated relationship between sex and depression in both men and women. They discuss symptoms and how to stay connected when your relationship is impacted by this all too common mental health issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your sex life a little too vanilla? Maybe you want to try something new but want just the right amount of spice? Grab your lover and join us for today's episode as we discuss how to get comfortable with getting more kinky. Inspired by an article in Glamour Magazine, hosts Laurie and George share ideas to get things heated up. Laurie calls the list 'kink light' but it's sure to help you take things up a notch. Remember here, consensual is key! Both partners need to communicate and have safety to be able to take more sexual risks. Suggestive texts, dirty talk, sexy outfits or none at all, using a mirror, switching normal roles, teasing. Hooked yet? Hop on over to our instagram @foreplay_sextherapy and let us know what you would add to the list. Keep it kinky, y'all!  Please support the pod by checking out this episodes sponsor: Addyi.com -- the only FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contempt, one of the most dangerous emotions in a relationship. This episode covers the markers of contemptuous behavior and why it's so destructive to a marriage. Laurie and Dr. Adam offer advice on recognizing this powerful emotion and how to bring the humanity back into your relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are all deserving of touch. It awakens the senses, provides comfort, reassurance and then as adults pleasure. In today's episode, our hosts open up a conversation about your relationship with touch. Did you grow up in a household where physical affection was withheld, conditional, unsafe or just not available? If so, you may be suffering from touch neglect. This can show up in the sexual cycle as anxiety, discomfort or full on avoidance at even the thought of touch. This episode will help you understand the power or touch, how neglect shows up in adult relationships and how to begin a safe conversation with your partner describing your needs. And yes, we ALL have needs related to touch! The great news also, is that with safety, and vulnerability these needs can be expressed in your adult relationships and you can begin to feel more comfort around touch and go from neglected needs to needs met. You deserve it!  Please support this episode's sponsor (and help the pod!): Addyi.com -- the only FDA-approved t

In this episode, Laurie and George discuss insights from Daniel Watter’s book, The Existential Importance of the Penis: A Guide to Understanding Male Sexuality. They explore sexual disorders like low desire, erectile dysfunction, and vaginismus—not just as issues but as signals from our bodies about anxiety, relationship challenges, or life transitions, like becoming parents. Enjoy this thought-provoking episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we are spending time focusing on when it goes well. As therapists we look for these 'glimmers' as a way to retrain the brain and body to focus on progress, not just the problem. It's common for couples to get bogged down by what doesn't go well. This is the brain's way to keep you safe and protected but it also makes it hard to let progress take hold. Join Laurie and George today in this great conversation focused on glimmers of eroticism in your relationship. There are two great ways to hone in on glimmers. One is to recall past positive sexual experiences in the relationship. The other is to dig below the surface of the complaint and listen to the request being made. Is your partner giving you the clues for a glimmer that you might be missing? More glimmers help us feel more hopeful and united against the negative cycle. Take a moment today to look back at your past week and explore what went well in your sexual relationship. Even the slightest change is worth noting and sharing with your

Having kids can radically change sex for couples and can complicate our sex lives for a number of reasons. Join author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they work through the issues around sex after kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greetings Foreplay listeners! We are so excited for today's episode, featuring Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz, a clinician and sex researcher that broke the code on the key components to magnificent sex. In her book of the same title, Dr. Kleinplatz breaks down the findings from her studies and shares what makes lovers great. She is a mentor to our hosts and continues to train therapists around the world to help lovers have better sex. We are honored to have her as a guest on this episode. Our conversation investigates how you define intimacy in your relationship, exploring your erotic cues, and being embodied during sex. Equally important and exciting is that sex can get better as you age and could be the best sex yet! Listeners will walk away feeling encouraged and excited by this interview. We all have the capacity to be magnificent lovers and Dr. Kleinplatz has the science to prove it!  Here's Dr. Kleinplatz's book 'Magnificant Sex'. Her website is here. Check out this episode's sponsor and help the pod! Addyi.c