{"id":16162,"date":"2013-01-11T09:30:25","date_gmt":"2013-01-11T17:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?page_id=16162"},"modified":"2018-01-24T16:04:02","modified_gmt":"2018-01-25T00:04:02","slug":"sexual-anorexia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/sexual-anorexia\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual Anorexia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"couple-facing-one-another-across-a-table\"Sexual anorexia<\/strong><\/span> is a complete or almost complete avoidance of sex and an aversion to sexual intimacy.<\/p>\n

What Is Sexual Anorexia?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sexual anorexia is not in and of itself a diagnosis<\/a>, and can be caused by a variety of factors. It manifests primarily as consistent avoidance of sex. People with sexual anorexia might go months or even years without having any kind of sexual intimacy with their partners. Like anorexia nervosa<\/a>, sexual anorexia can be perceived as a way of gaining control over one’s own body by depriving oneself. People with sexual anorexia may feel guilty or shameful<\/a> about sex, might engage in unhealthy practices such as weight gain or drug use to decrease their partner’s interest in having sex with them, and may compulsively avoid sex or any acts that could lead to sex.<\/p>\n

Some people with sexual anorexia do not have sex with their primary partners but watch pornography<\/a> or pay for sex. When this occurs, sexual anorexia is correlated with a fear of intimacy<\/a> rather than of sexual intercourse itself.<\/p>\n

How Is Sexual Anorexia Treated?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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A number of factors can contribute to the development of sexual anorexia. Unlike low libido<\/a>, sexual anorexia is not caused by hormonal imbalances. Nor should it be confused with asexuality<\/a>. Instead, sexual anorexia is a psychological phenomenon characterized by depriving oneself of the possibility of a fulfilling intimate life. Depression, anxiety, abuse, relationship problems, body image<\/a> issues, and inexperience with sex can all contribute to the condition.<\/p>\n

Psychotherapy<\/a> can be extremely helpful in treating sexual anorexia, and couples experiencing the problem frequently benefit from relationship counseling<\/a>. Therapy can help people to slowly reframe their negative thoughts about sex and unpack past experiences or difficult emotions that can contribute to sexual anorexia. Because some people with sexual anorexia have never had sex and have avoided talking or learning about sex, some people with the condition benefit from sex education<\/a> that can help them feel more comfortable when they finally do have sex.<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Is sexual anorexia the flip side of addiction? (n.d.). The New York Times<\/em>. Retrieved from http:\/\/consults.blogs.nytimes.com\/2010\/03\/11\/is-sexual-anorexia-the-flip-side-of-sex-addiction\/<\/li>\n
  2. Sexual anorexia. (n.d.). The Dr. Oz Show<\/em>. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.doctoroz.com\/blog\/paul-hokemeyer-phd-jd\/sexual-anorexia<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Sexual anorexia is a complete or almost complete avoidance of sex and an aversion to sexual intimacy. What Is Sexual Anorexia? Sexual anorexia is not in and of itself a diagnosis, and can be caused by a variety of factors. It manifests primarily as consistent avoidance of sex. People with sexual anorexia might go months […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2474,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"psychpedia.php","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16162","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2474"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16162\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}