I have a bit more experience helping men with sexual issues, but as you will see below, diminished sexual desire can affect women and men similarly, though the causes vary.
Certain sexual issues are related to medications and their side effects, and in some cases, you can be treated using hypnotherapy for the issue that the drug was affecting and lose the sexual side effect of the drug. For example, diminished sexual desire is often caused by antidepressants, so you may want to consider hypnotherapy for treating the depression so that you don't have to take the antidepressants any more. Blood thinners or anticoagulants like Heparin can make erections more difficult, and beta blockers for hypertension or high blood pressure can decrease sexual drive, but perhaps you could learn to control your blood pressure using hypnotherapy, so you wouldn't need the medications and their side effects.
Many sexual issues have a psychological component. Even if you are taking testosterone for diminished desire or an erection helper like Viagra or Cialis, hypnotherapy can often find and alleviate the root cause in your past so that you no longer need the medicine. Hypnotherapy is often a quicker and more effective method of targeting traumas and changing behaviors than traditional psychotherapy.
Certain sexual conditions have a physiological component. If you have had Peyronie's disease (curvature of penis from scarring), sickle-cell anemia, prostate surgery, diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis (which affects many smokers), radiation therapy in the groin area, priapism (persistant erection), or a variety of other conditions, you should consult with a doctor first, because the physical causes of your problem need to be addressed first.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) has become a frequent topic lately because of the breakthrough with some things classified as oral PDE-5 inhibitors:
Viagra (Sildenafil) was introduced in 1998. It has to be taken on an empty stomach, because it can react with foods and produce upper GI distress. Many men also report frequent headaches. Many men with heart conditions cannot take Viagra, because it reacts badly with their nitrate-based medications. It takes an hour to work and usually lasts 6-8 hours.
Levitra (Vardenafil) was introduced in 2003 and works faster (20 minutes) than Viagra, and it doesn't interact with food as readily. Similar limitations for patients taking nitrates. Similar chronic headaches. Similar duration.
Cialis (Tadalafil) was introduced in 2004. The main differences are that it can take almost twice as long to become effective, but it endures much longer than the 6-8 hours of the other two -- usually around 36 hours or more. The main negative side effect with this drug is back pain.
If you're tired of the dependence on these drugs or of their painful side effects, or if you're one of the men for whom these drugs are not effective, you may want to consider hypnotherapy. With hypnosis we can find out whatever emotional and/or psychological problems are a factor in your ED as well as give you a post-hypnotic trigger you can give yourself to immediately get a strong erection in a setting at your sole discretion.
I usually recommend 3 to 6 sessions depending on your depth of trance and the frequency with which you can experience sex with a partner between sessions. Consultation with a doctor is recommended if you have any indications of a physiological or pharmacological factor in your ED, but it is done as a courtesy even with emotional or psychological causes if you are taking a prescribed medication for ED.
There are a number of things that can cause a decrease or even a complete lack in your desire for sex. The more common causes are:
- Psychological issues (low self-esteem, perfectionism, poor communication with your partner, religious shame, etc.)
- Medication side effects of antidepressants (including 40% of Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexa users, and 22% of Wellbutrin users), pattern baldness treatments (Propecia, Rogaine, etc.), oral contraceptives (even up to a year after discontinuation), hypertension medications (including Clonadin, Prozasin, Hydralazine, Reserpine, and Guanethidine), and long-term use of some sleeping pills and tranquilizers
- Hormone imbalances (including menopause, estrogen therapy, pregnancy)
In a few cases, hypnosis can be used to directly counteract whatever is causing the decrease in libido, some times referred to as Hypoactive Desire Disorder. In most cases, whatever is causing the decreased sexual desire needs to be removed, and hypnotherapy can often help. You may find another way to overcome depression. You may find another way to lower your blood pressure. Quitting smoking or curing your insomnia may make a difference.
If a current medication or estrogen therapy is a possible cause for your decreased libido, I strongly recommend consultation with your doctor. Because the psychological and emotional issues in decreased desire and the process of stopping medication side effects are often complex, the number of sessions required can vary greatly -- from 3 to 12 or more.
Certain sexual acts don't work well if you can't relax the required muscles. You might be surprised how many clients come to me to learn how to relax anal and throat muscles during sex.
The process is relatively straightforward. In most cases, I teach you self-hypnosis so that you can practice relaxing the muscle(s) on your own. And I will empower you to be clear with your sex partner about taking it slow with you while you're learning. Going too fast before you're ready just leads to pain or an uncomfortable gag reflex.
Depth of trance and frequency of sexual intercourse can affect the number of sessions required, though most see improvement after 3 or 4 sessions.