Sex Therapy With and Without Love: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to see if including eight major dimensions of love, established by previous research, would improve sex therapy results. Couples experiencing the integration of sex therapy with love behavior training significantly improved their outcome results, including a reduced dropout rate, compared to couples receiving only standard sex therapy. A follow-up study showed that the inclusion of love behavior training had also resulted in greater satisfaction with sex therapy and a more satisfactory sex life. It is concluded that there is definite merit in elaborated replications of this pilot study and further research combining sex therapy with the growing empirical findings on the psychology of love. Cautions are discussed concerning the limitation of this study and implications for the future of sex therapy.