- 03
- Nov
As promised, here are my thoughts about today’s Oprah featuring Dr. Berman talking about sex therapy. First, I thought it was a marvelous program. Dr. Berman normalized women’s bodies and the struggles they have regarding sex. And I loved that she had a big diagram of a woman’s external reproductive system, and even pointed to the clitoris on national television–a first, I think! She also made a point of saying that all women look different–that their vulvas (the whole region) vary in shape, color, and size and they are all, for the most part, normal. She also explained that there are different kinds of orgasms and that they are all fine.
Dr. Berman also worked with a couple where the woman had completely lost her desire. Like many women who come into our offices, the woman said words to the effect that “I just didn’t even think about it any more.” What is kind of sad is that she didn’t have much of an understanding of how distressed her husband was. Dr. Berman gave the couple a few pieces of homework, and voila! The problem seemed fixed.
While it was great to see sex therapy realistically portrayed, it was made to be very simple. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t. As Dr. Berman said, a sex therapist is first and foremost a couples therapist. The dynamics of the relationship need to be understood and addressed in the context of what is happening in the bedroom.
Still, the show was, overall, excellent. I think a lot of couples will be talking about sex tonight, many for the first time in a long time. With 40 million marriages in our country “sexless,” there’s a whole lot of room for improvement!
To your sexual health,
Dr. Stephanie Buehler
