Some couples are faced at times with relating over a long-distance, whether due to business travel, being in the military, school, etc. Join author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and psychotherapist Laurie Watson talk through how to survive long-distant relationships both sexually and emotionally in a committed relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we are talking about the act and art of touch. Touch is one of our primary attachment needs and we need it from cradle to grave. Touch is often a hot button issue between couples. Distance and disconnection in the relationship can create anxiety and pressure around touch. What stops touch from happening between you and your partner? Ask yourself is there a cycle that comes alive when one of us is seeking touch and what can we learn from it? Laurie and George share more about how vulnerable it can be to receive touch and that a key to safety in this area is non-sexual touch. Increasing affection that isn't centered around sex but strengthening the attachment need in the relationship. It's important to reduce the pressure here, work on relational safety and get curious with each other. You'll take away ideas on how to promote non-sexual touch, exercises that stimulate pleasure and little ways to enjoy more touch together. Special announcement for all couples therapists who want more EFT and Sex training. Join George on April 16th for his masterclass through Nicabm. Don't worry if you can't make it live. You will receive a recording with your registration. George Faller: EFT & Sex Training for Therapists Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next to relational distress, a negative body image is the biggest disruptor for derailing sex and desire. While this has traditionally been a woman's struggle, increasingly it is also an isue for men. Join sex therapist Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they talk about body image issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, our hosts interview Dr. Polly Watson. Dr. Watson is an expert on menopause and focuses on holistic treatment methods, creating life changing results for her patients. Join us for this fascinating conversation on the causes and solutions of sexual pain. Did you know that during the transition to menopause 75% of women experience discomfort during sex due to hormonal changes? We discuss all things regarding hormone replacement therapy, pelvic floor therapy and how male partners can support their spouses better. There is no shame in this transitional time, yet too many women struggle in silence and we are sharing this message today. You are not alone, there is hope and treatment that can improve conditions. Sex should be enjoyable, not painful! You, along with George will learn so much in this episode and will feel empowered about the pathway forward. To learn more about Dr. Watson visit her website here: https://hormonewellnessmd.com/  You can also get great insights from her podcast, Menopause Rescue. Check out this episode's sponsor (and thereby support the pod!): Uberlube.com -- Laurie's long-time favorite personal lubricant to Keep It Hot! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relationships have three broad areas of relating: the mundane details that must be done in live, sexual intimacy, and being friends -- liking our partner, enjoying their company, sharing the details of our inner worlds. The best relationships manage to have all three work; imbalance among them leads to problems. Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couple's therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they talk about balancing these three essential arenas of relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we are discussing how to forgive what hasn't been. Fights are more obvious times to work on forgiveness but what about the missed bids for connection and absence of touch? Join our hosts as they share how to have healing conversations about the lost connection. Laurie and George relay that this experience is grief and a deep pain that needs to be shared in partnership. Often a conversation like this may activate the negative cycle as the hurt partner might fear further rejection and begin by criticizing. Their advice is to get into the pain and begin to ask your partner for their help to heal. As the listener, sex might have been off the table for a variety of reasons and you may notice a defensive reaction. George shares something that works in his relationship, to take a pause and keep the focus on his partner. Healing is sequential and can't happen all at once. Slow and steady, remaining focused on one partner's pain can shift a couple into forgiveness as resentment from missed moments is heard, seen and cared for. What has been missing from your relationship that has caused you pain? Today's episode will help you and your partner get started on the path to forgiveness.  Support the pod by supporting this episode's sponsor! Addyi.com -- the only FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Adam and Laurie discuss the complicated relationship between sex and depression in both men and women. They discuss symptoms and how to stay connected when your relationship is impacted by this all too common mental health issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your sex life a little too vanilla? Maybe you want to try something new but want just the right amount of spice? Grab your lover and join us for today's episode as we discuss how to get comfortable with getting more kinky. Inspired by an article in Glamour Magazine, hosts Laurie and George share ideas to get things heated up. Laurie calls the list 'kink light' but it's sure to help you take things up a notch. Remember here, consensual is key! Both partners need to communicate and have safety to be able to take more sexual risks. Suggestive texts, dirty talk, sexy outfits or none at all, using a mirror, switching normal roles, teasing. Hooked yet? Hop on over to our instagram @foreplay_sextherapy and let us know what you would add to the list. Keep it kinky, y'all!  Please support the pod by checking out this episodes sponsor: Addyi.com -- the only FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contempt, one of the most dangerous emotions in a relationship. This episode covers the markers of contemptuous behavior and why it's so destructive to a marriage. Laurie and Dr. Adam offer advice on recognizing this powerful emotion and how to bring the humanity back into your relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are all deserving of touch. It awakens the senses, provides comfort, reassurance and then as adults pleasure. In today's episode, our hosts open up a conversation about your relationship with touch. Did you grow up in a household where physical affection was withheld, conditional, unsafe or just not available? If so, you may be suffering from touch neglect. This can show up in the sexual cycle as anxiety, discomfort or full on avoidance at even the thought of touch. This episode will help you understand the power or touch, how neglect shows up in adult relationships and how to begin a safe conversation with your partner describing your needs. And yes, we ALL have needs related to touch! The great news also, is that with safety, and vulnerability these needs can be expressed in your adult relationships and you can begin to feel more comfort around touch and go from neglected needs to needs met. You deserve it!  Please support this episode's sponsor (and help the pod!): Addyi.com -- the only FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Laurie and George discuss insights from Daniel Watter’s book, The Existential Importance of the Penis: A Guide to Understanding Male Sexuality. They explore sexual disorders like low desire, erectile dysfunction, and vaginismus—not just as issues but as signals from our bodies about anxiety, relationship challenges, or life transitions, like becoming parents. Enjoy this thought-provoking episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we are spending time focusing on when it goes well. As therapists we look for these 'glimmers' as a way to retrain the brain and body to focus on progress, not just the problem. It's common for couples to get bogged down by what doesn't go well. This is the brain's way to keep you safe and protected but it also makes it hard to let progress take hold. Join Laurie and George today in this great conversation focused on glimmers of eroticism in your relationship. There are two great ways to hone in on glimmers. One is to recall past positive sexual experiences in the relationship. The other is to dig below the surface of the complaint and listen to the request being made. Is your partner giving you the clues for a glimmer that you might be missing? More glimmers help us feel more hopeful and united against the negative cycle. Take a moment today to look back at your past week and explore what went well in your sexual relationship. Even the slightest change is worth noting and sharing with your love. Keep it hot y'all! Check out this episodes sponsors (and help the pod!) Addyi.com -- FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido! Uberlube.com -- Laurie's favorite personal lubricant! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having kids can radically change sex for couples and can complicate our sex lives for a number of reasons. Join author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they work through the issues around sex after kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greetings Foreplay listeners! We are so excited for today's episode, featuring Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz, a clinician and sex researcher that broke the code on the key components to magnificent sex. In her book of the same title, Dr. Kleinplatz breaks down the findings from her studies and shares what makes lovers great. She is a mentor to our hosts and continues to train therapists around the world to help lovers have better sex. We are honored to have her as a guest on this episode. Our conversation investigates how you define intimacy in your relationship, exploring your erotic cues, and being embodied during sex. Equally important and exciting is that sex can get better as you age and could be the best sex yet! Listeners will walk away feeling encouraged and excited by this interview. We all have the capacity to be magnificent lovers and Dr. Kleinplatz has the science to prove it!  Here's Dr. Kleinplatz's book 'Magnificant Sex'. Her website is here. Check out this episode's sponsor and help the pod! Addyi.com -- the only FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Masturbation is often a charged topic with many individuals and couples. The messages we receive about masturbation can influence our current sexual relationships. Join popular author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and psychologist Dr. Adam Mathews as they discuss masturbation through adolescence and into adulthood, as well as it's impact on coupled sex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into the psychology of "the ick", that unsettling feeling when sudden attraction shifts to repulsion. In the Psychology Today article, The "Ick" Factor: The Science Behind Sudden Attraction Shifts, author Gary Lewandowski shared insights from the social media trend and George and Laurie break them down. We explore why seemingly small, annoying behavior can cause this drastic turn-off. We discuss why sometimes this can lead to breakups after just one unpleasant moment and better ways to communicate about the icks. We also touch on those that stand out for men and women and what gives our hosts the ick. Whether it's a behavior that’s just too irritating or something that triggers deeper instincts, this episode shares the science behind why we suddenly can’t stand the person we were once so attracted to. Join us to find out what causes the ick and why it’s more common than you might think! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having your desire synced with your partner's may sound ideal, but rare in practice. Find out how to get back in the game when you are not in the mood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How good are you at loving yourself? What do you say to yourself when things don't go your way, you mess up or you're out of sorts? Chances are you may be overly critical and say negative things, to you, about you. This is a common experience for many and an opportunity to highlight where you need to do some healing. Join us today as we move the conversation beyond the power of co-regulation to the art and practice of self-regulation. George and Laurie walk listeners through the concept of self-love, healing and soothing strategies to practice individually. Their expertise provides us with great examples on how to see, hear and validate ourselves all in an effort to create a more positive and connected relationship with YOU! If you've been wanting to learn how you can be more compassionate, loving and understanding of your own experience you won't want to miss this show. Share it with your partner, a friend or anyone you know could benefit from getting better at loving themselves! Check out this episode's sponsor (and help the pod!): addyi.com FDA-approved treatment for certain women with low libido! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Involuntary celibacy (going more than 6 months without intercourse) within a committed relationship occurs more frequently than you would imagine. Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couple's therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they explore the reasons behind involuntary celibacy and what couples can do to address (and avoid) it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder how Laurie and George navigate a couple's distress? They use a map (mutual attachment patterns)! In today's episode, our experts share the map they use to help couples see the larger picture in their conflict. The emotional and sexual cycles interact and influence connection between partners. A missed bid for connection in the emotional cycle creates a ripple in the sexual cycle and a missed bid for physical intimacy can cause emotional shut down. When partners are able to zoom out and look at the map together they have a better opportunity to see where they made a wrong turn and how they can get back on course. Here are some self-reflection questions to use on your map: "Who have I been to my partner over the past few days? How have I been coming across? If my bid wasn't taken, how did I react? Have I missed something important to my partner?" We all get lost from time to time, work with your partner to use the map to connection. Keep it hot, y'all! Check out this episode's sponsors: Addyi.com -- A prescription for women -- the little pink pill! Uberlube.com - Laurie's favorite personal lubricant! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices