It sounds like a dream, but it’s really a nightmare:  A woman complains of the sensation of being on the peak of orgasm all the time, or who has orgasm over and over again, never really feeling any sense of completion or relief.

Two items drew my attention to this condition.  The first was a recent article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine and highlighted on the Medscape site that discusses Restless Genital Syndrome.  The second was a woman’s story of having Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder on the site BoingBoing.  They are both the same problem, and they are both medical issues that may or may not have a psychological basis.

As with many female sexual pain problems, women that find themselves in this situation will go from physician to physician trying to find relief.  They may face being told that “it’s all in your head.”  They most likely will experience desperation.  And if they have a partner, they will face frustration because sexual activity may be limited, if it occurs at all.

Sex therapy can play a helpful role for women with this and other sexual pain problems in the following ways:

• Support.  Being able to talk about an intimate health problem with a helpful person who can offer insight and valuable suggestions can help take pressure off.
• Education.  Understanding how one’s emotional and mental state of being affect the experience of pain can begin the process of healing.
• Tools and techniques.  There are many tools that can be used for relaxation, which can decrease the subjective experience of pain.
• Counseling.  Couples affected by these problems often grow frustrated and angry.  Counseling can help couples learn how to communicate more effectively about difficult feelings and situations.

Not all sex therapists are well-versed in helping women (and men) that have sexual problems rooted in a medical condition; you need to ask if the therapist is, as I am, trained in health psychology as well as sex therapy.  You can visit AASECT to find a sex therapist, or the International Pelvic Pain Society to find a medical specialist that may be able to help you.

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