Male Erectile Disorder and Psychotherapy

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Psychotherapy
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Walter and Cynthia have lived happily in their marriage for 24 years because they did not experience any significant sexual difficulties. However, Walter began to experience erectile dysfunction whenever he wants to have sex with Cynthia. Walter worked as a financial editor, which consumed much of his time and efforts, and thus Walter and Cynthia thought that erectile dysfunction emanated from fatigue associated with work. After trying all possible means to achieve sexual satisfaction but to no avail, Walter and Cynthia decided to seek medical attention from a psychotherapist, Dr. Rostow. Dr. Rostow obtained background information regarding their social life and found out that Walter has a male erectile disorder, a sexual dysfunction that commonly affects men. According to Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, persistent inability to maintain an erection, enormous distress due to inability to maintain an erection, and lack of physical condition are some of the factors that characterize male erectile disorder (174). Dr. Rostow knew that male erectile disorder could occur due to a series of psychological factors, hence recommended psychotherapy for Walter. Since psychotherapy seems to be an effective intervention, the case study examines the course of the therapy, theoretical orientation, patient’s response, and outcome of the treatment.

Psychotherapy

The course of treatment of erectile dysfunction involved a series of psychotherapy sessions that Walter and Cynthia performed weekly.

In session 1, Dr. Rostow gathered significant background information regarding the sexual lifestyle of Walter and Cynthia.
In session 2, Dr. Rostow prescribed a process of psychotherapy to Walter and Cynthia.
During session 3, Dr. Rostow instructed Walter and Cynthia to do “sensate focus,” an exercise that involves touching and caressing.
In session 4, Dr. Rostow further instructed Walter and Cynthia to advance the exercise to include touching and caressing of genitals, due to the positive response to the therapy.
During session 5, Walter recovered his erection and demanded to skip the next processes of therapy by performing sexual intercourse. However, Dr. Rostow cautioned him from making premature sexual intercourse because it would increase anxiety if erection dysfunction persists.
In session 6, Dr. Rostow introduced the second process of psychotherapy, which involved vaginal containment.
Since Walter and Cynthia experienced frustrations during the vaginal containment exercise as Walter lost erection, Dr. Rostow explained to them in session 7 that they should not be anxious about erection because it occurs periodically, thus they should continue with manual caressing.
As Walter regained his erection ability, Dr. Rostow advised them in session 8 not to perform sexual intercourse to test their sexual performance, but perfume it when aroused.
In session 10, Walter and Cynthia confessed to having performed their sexual activity normally as Walter used foreplay to regain his erection after intercourse.
Given that Walter regained his erection ability, Dr. Rostow in session 11 agreed to let them manage their own sexuality without visiting him, but they should call monthly as a follow-up.

The theoretical basis of psychotherapy is that male erectile disorder could occur due to psychological factors. Given that Walter worked as a financial editor, there is a possibility that stress associated with his work contributed to his inability to perform well sexually. Moreover, since sexual dysfunction imposes immense anxiety and stress on men, the inability to satisfy his wife or have a normal erection was a distressing experience that worsened his sexual performance. According to Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, since Walter could attain an erection during masturbation, diagnosis of his condition shows that erectile dysfunction occurred due to situational factors (172). Therefore, psychotherapy was essential in helping him to alleviate anxiety and expand his ability to adapt to varying sexual situations.

Psychotherapy enabled Walter and Cynthia to overcome the problem of sexual dysfunction because they managed to follow the psychotherapy process and enjoyed sexual intercourse during session 9 to 11. When performing sensate focus exercises in session 3 and 4, Walter and Cynthia were happy that they enjoyed caressing each other. Additionally, when they performed vaginal containment in sessions 6, 7, and 8, Walter regained his erectile ability, and thus he began performing sexual intercourse normally. Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley, as a consequence of therapy, Walter and Cynthia were glad that their sex life was back to normal by following guidelines, and thus they wanted to discontinue seeking therapy (181). Hence, the patient responded positively to the psychotherapy process that he underwent during session 9 to 11.

The outcome of the psychotherapy was quite encouraging as the couple managed to enjoy their sex life. Although Walter completely lost his erectile ability, psychotherapy enabled him to regain sexual capacity and satisfy his wife normally. Beidel, Bulik, and Stanley state that, Walter and Cynthia managed to perform sexual intercourse optimally for a period of 10 months (181). Thus, it means that psychotherapy was an effective intervention in improving sexual dysfunction. Despite the fact that Walter eventually resorted to medical intervention by using Viagra to improve his sexual performance after 10 months of the therapy, psychotherapy played a significant role in alleviating stress and anxiety associated with male erectile disorder.

Conclusion

Male erectile disorder is a sexual dysfunction that affects the sexual performance of men. The disorder can occur due to the overwhelming stress that an individual acquires in the course of daily activities. Moreover, erectile dysfunction can be traumatizing, and thus aggravate the male erectile disorder. Hence, proper management of stress is a primary intervention that is necessary for the treatment of male erectile disorder. However, medication, vacuum pump, and penile implant are secondary interventions that are applicable if psychotherapy fails. In this case, a combination of psychotherapy and medication proved to be effective in the treatment of the male erectile disorder.

Works Cited

Beidel, Deborah, Cynthia Bulik, and Melinda Stanley. Abnormal Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Prentice-Hall, 2010. Print.

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Male Erectile Disorder and Psychotherapy

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