So often people contact me to say that they want to come in for
therapy and coaching sessions, or that they want to attend one of my
retreats….but
their partner doesn’t. “How can I persuade him/her to come along?” they plead.
It’s a tricky one. You love your partner and you want to improve your sexual connection and through that your life together. You are willing
to open up to in
private sessions, or expose yourself to some degree in a group situation (not literally, my
retreats are decidedly clothes on!),
yet your partner is reluctant.
There are a number of reasons why your partner might be reluctant:
- They think you’ve got the problem not them;
- They assume anything to do with sex will be sordid and so doesn’t want to be involved;
- They don’t think sex is important so can’t see why you’d want to change or improve anything;
- They are unwilling to go to sex therapy because they are too embarrassed to talk about sex in front of another person, even a professional psychosexual
therapist;
- They are unwilling to attend a workshop or retreat because they think it’ll be embarrassing.
Mostly I believe it comes down to fear, in which case gentle persuasion over time can be helpful. You can start therapy on your own,
and once you start reporting back to your partner that it’s ok, that I’m easy to talk to and that the sessions are positive and uplifting, then your partner
may agree to come along.
If it’s not fear, it can be that they are simply not into you. They may mask that by saying that sex isn’t important or that you’ve got
the problem not them, but essentially they are saying they don’t think your relationship is important enough to prioritise and work on.
So you can put up with that and do nothing, go along as you have been with nothing changing (or at least, nothing improving - it can always get worse),
or you can make a stand and insist that it is important. If he or she still won’t be involved, well, what can I say, it’s up to you to
decide whether their level of commitment to the relationship is enough for you.
Whew, that was a bit heavy! It’s a shame, because the retreats are beautiful and uplifting, and the private sessions are engaging and growth-enhancing.
Of course, my particular style of psychosexual therapy or my workshops may not be for everyone, but once you’ve found someone good to work with, well,
the sky’s the limit. Improving your sexual relating improves your relationship, which improves your life. Sex and intimacy is so fundamental to it all.
So if your partner is reluctant, come along on your own. The change in you may well inspire them to join in. And if it doesn’t, well, at least you will have
grown to the point of being able to make a decision about what is right for you.
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