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Many women feel distressed about low—or no—sexual desire.

Mindfulness meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy work better and cost less than drugs.

The two psychological therapies also relieve several other common sex problems.

Some women feel little desire for sex. The current edition of the bible of mental health, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition, calls this “female sexual interest-arousal disorder.” The FDA has approved one drug to treat it, Addyi (flibanserin), which produces modest benefits. Meanwhile, two psychological approaches work better and cost less: mindfulness meditation (MM) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Recently, researchers at several North American universities collaborated on a study that demonstrated the value of online MM and CBT for low sexual desire in women.

The researchers surveyed the sexual function of 129 women complaining of low desire and difficulties becoming erotically aroused. Then the investigators randomized them into three groups:

• A 43-person control group was placed on a waitlist.

• Another group of 43 participated in 12 weeks of MM, including remote meetings with aids who provided support, but not sex therapy or psychotherapy. MM involves either sitting quietly and focusing intently on the breath or the present moment, or focusing on a single, simple activity, for example, walking, slowly chewing one bite of food.

• A third 43-person group participated in a CBT program. CBT involves identifying distorted thinking patterns and correcting them.

At the end of the study, all participants completed the survey again.

The waitlist group reported no significant changes in sexual measures, but both the MM and CBT groups reported significant increases in sexual desire, arousal, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction.

Why Do MM and CBT........

© Psychology Today