Relationships: How to Stop Avoiding Conflict So You Can Have Healthy Communication

Conflicts are inevitable in relationships, but many individuals avoid conflicts. This avoidance often results in misunderstandings, disappointment and resentment, which becomes part of the couple's negative cycle (see my article: The Problem Isn't the Problem. The Problem is the Repeating Negative Cycle in the Relationship).

Stop Avoiding Conflicts in Your Relationship

Why Do People in Relationships Avoid Conflicts?

• Fear of Conflict: Individuals who avoid conflicts have a fear of conflict because they are afraid of negative outcomes including judgment or rejection from their partner. They might also fear the conflict will end the relationship. In addition, they might have a negative prior history with conflict in their family of origiin or in prior relationships, including unresolved trauma, which reinforces their avoidance. 

• Anxiety and Self Doubt: Anxiety about expressing their feelings and self doubt might also be contributing factors. This can make conflict seem overwhelming, especially if they fear that conflict will result in a shouting match.

Stop Avoiding Conflicts in Your Relationship

• A Need to Maintain Short-Term Harmony in the Relationship At Any Cost: These individuals prioritize maintaining short term harmony, but avoiding conflict prevents personal growth, relationship growth and fosters disappointments and resentment. A need to maintain short-term harmony often results in long-term disharmony due to consequences of unexpressed feelings and beliefs.

• Fear of Short-Term Emotional Discomfort: Confrontations can bring about short-term emotional discomfort, but if a couple has healthy communication skills, confrontations can also resolve problems which can bring long-term comfort.

What Are the Relationship Dynamics When Couples Avoid Confrontations?

Every relationship is different, but the following are some of the most common relationship dynamics when couples avoid confrontations:

• A Desire to Maintain Short-Term Harmony While Problems Fester: Couples who avoid confrontations often prioritize maintaining harmony instead of addressing the underlying problems in their relationship--even if it means continuing to have unresolved problems in the long term.

• Poor Communication Skills: People who avoid confrontations often feel unprepared to deal with conflict because they lack healthy communication skills (see my article: Complaining Instead of Expressing What You Want).

Stop Avoiding Conflict in Your Relationship

• Fear of Vulnerable Emotions: Many individuals are afraid of the emotional vulnerability involved with expressing their feelings, so they would rather avoid it altogether (see my article: Emotonal Vulnerabiltiy as a Pathway to Greater Emotional and Sexual Intimacy).

What Are the Consequences of Conflict Avoidance?

Every relationship will have their own unique consequences, but here are some of the most common outcomes of conflict avoidance:

• Unresolved Issues: When a couple avoids dealing with conflict, unresolved issues grow and fester. Disappointment and resentment grows which can lead to even larger blow ups than if the couple had dealt with the problems when they first developed.

• Communication Breakdown: As problems are avoided, communication between the individuals breaks down. When open and honest communication shuts down, this often leads to emotional distancing.

Stop Avoiding Conflict in Your Relationship

• Emotional Distancing: As problems grow and fester, couples often distance themselves from each other. This can be conscious or an unconscious behavior.  This leads to a lack of emotional and sexual intimacy. Defensive walls develop between them so they might no longer see and hear one another. This can result in loneliness and isolation.

• Stagnation and the Possible End of the Relationship: As problems persist, communication breaks down and each the couple distances themselves from each other, the relationship stagnates. Each person can feel stuck in an unfulfilling relationship as the couple drifts apart. This can also lead to the end of the relationship.

How to Overcome Conflict Avoidance

• Become Aware: The first step in overcoming conflict avoidance is to become aware of the problem.  Learn to recognize these patterns in the relationship (see my article: What is Self Reflective Awareness and Why Is It Important to You?).

Stop Avoiding Conflict in Your Relationship

• Challenge Negative Beliefs About Conflict: Reframe your beliefs about conflict to understand that conflict is a necessary part of building intimacy and emotional connection instead of seeing it as a sign of a failed relationship.

• Understand the Consequences of Conflict Avoidance: Develop an understanding for what is lost and what is gained with conflict avoidance. In terms of losses, this can include loss of emotional and sexual intimacy. With regard to what can be gained, this can include better communication and the overall health and well-being of the individuals and the relationship.

How to Use Healthy Communication Skills to Deal With Conflicts

• Practice Active Listening: Listen to your partner's concerns with respect and without interrupting or focusing on when you will get your turn to speak (see my article: The Importance of Active Listening in Your Relationship).

Stop Avoiding Conflict in Your Relationship

• Use I-Statements: Rather than using accusatory statements and blaming your partner, use I-statements where you express your feelings ("I feel hurt when...").

• Clarify Your Expectations: Instead of assuming your partner already knows or "should know" your expectations, be explicit about what you want. When you're able to express your needs clearly, you can set clear boundaries and prevent bigger misunderstandings.

Stop Avoiding Conflict in Your Relationship

• Create a Safe Space: Talking about conflicts can be emotionally vulnerable so create a safe space for each other, you will both feel safer to express your feelings in a healthy way (see my article: Creating an Emotional Safe Haven For Each Other).

Get Help in Couples Therapy

Many couples need help to deal with their problems.

Stop Avoiding Conflict in Your Relationship

If you and your partner have been unable to resolve your problems in your own, you could benefit from seeking health from a licensed mental health professional who works with couples.

A skilled couples therapist can help you overcome your problems so you can have a fulfilling relationship (see my article: How to Get the Most Out of Couples Therapy).

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (couples therapist), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

 

What is the Connection Between Emotional Vulnerability and Shame?

In a recent article, Learning to Embrace Your Emotional Vulnerability, I discussed shame and how it often develops due to a variety of causes in early childhood.

Emotional Vulnerability and Shame

In the current article I'm discussing the connection between emotional vulnerability and shame.

What is Emotional Vulnerability?

As I mentioned in my prior article vulnerability is a strength--not a weakness.  This has been shown to be true in Brene Brown's research, as discussed in that article.

As a recap:

Being emotionally vulnerable means being willing to expose yourself to potential emotional risk.  

Emotional risk might include exposing yourself to the possibility of:

• Criticism
• Rejection
• Emotional pain

Being emotionally vulnerable means:

• Understanding vulnerability is not a weakness
• Being open and honest
• Sharing your feelings 
• Expressing your needs
• Showing others your true self even the so-called "imperfect" parts of yourself
• Developing authentic connections

What is the Connection Between Emotional Vulnerability and Shame?

Emotional vulnerability and shame are closely related:

• Shame as a Barrier to Emotional Vulnerability: People are often fearful of being emotionally vulnerable because they fear being seen as flawed or deficient in some way.  This can lead them hiding their emotional vulnerability so they won't be judged, criticized or rejected.  The problem is that when someone hides their emotional vulnerability, this type of hiding can reinforce shame, so this becomes a cycle (see my article: How Does Shame Develop at an Early Age?).

Emotional Vulnerability and Shame

• Vulnerability as a Trigger For Shame: Vulnerability can be a trigger for shame because when people are vulnerable, they're exposed to the possibility of being judged, criticized or rejected.  This often occurs when people have a history of having internalized negative messages about themselves or they have a traumatic history of being criticized or rejected (see my article: Overcoming Fear That People Won't Like You If They Knew the "Real You").

• Vulnerability as a Pathway to Healing Shame: By learning to embrace emotional vulnerability, people can learn to heal from shame. By acknowledging vulnerabilities and imperfections to a trustworthy and caring person, individuals can show their authentic self and break free of the silence and secrecy that generate shame. 

• Empathy as an Antidote to Shame: Empathy can be a powerful antidote to shame. When people can share their emotional vulnerabilities with trusted loved ones, they create an environment where others can can feel safe sharing their vulnerability. 

Getting Help in Therapy

Fear of being emotionally vulnerable combined with shame is a common problem.

Getting Help in Therapy

If you have been unable to overcome your fear of vulnerability and shame, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional.

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed psychotherapist so you can embrace your vulnerability and lead a more meaningful life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I have over 20 years of experience helping individual adults and couples (see my article: What is a Trauma Therapist?).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

 

Learning to Embrace Your Emotional Vulnerability

I have written about emotional vulnerability in prior articles, including Vulnerability as a Pathway to Greater Emotional Intimacy.

In the current article I'm discussing vulnerability as a strength and how to embrace vulnerability.

Why is Emotional Vulnerability Not a Weakness?

Many people feel some degree of discomfort when they reveal their emotional vulnerability in  their personal relationships. But, according to Brene Brown, researcher and motivational speaker, people who approach relationships in a wholehearted way know that vulnerability is essential to develop and maintain close relationships. 

Some people who struggle with emotional vulnerability believe vulnerability is a weakness. But, in fact, emotional vulnerability is not a weakness--it's a strength.

Emotional vulnerability shows courage and authenticity in intimate relationships.

Embracing Vulnerability

The wholehearted people in Brene Brown's research tended to take more emotional risks, even though they felt some degree of discomfort. Even though they knew they might be rejected, criticized or judged, they took risks because they felt being authentic and having meaningful relationships made the risk worthwhile. 

Embracing Emotional Vulnerability

Fear of being emotionally vulnerable is usually coupled with shame ,which is a topic I''ll discuss in my next article.

Vulnerability also means revealing your true self (see my article: Becoming Your True Self).

Being open, honest and revealing your true self, even when it's scary, helps to build stronger relationships. 

Embracing Emotional Vulnerability

Vulnerability creates the possibility for empathy, understanding and a stronger connection with the people you care about.

Reflecting on your feelings before you express them also helps you to develop self awareness and self reflective capacity.

In addition, being vulnerable by expressing your feelings provides an opportunity for loved ones to give you emotional support. 

Whereas holding in your feelings can create stress, expressing your feelings and getting support helps to reduce stress and stress-related health problems (see my article: Expressing Your Feelings in a Healthy Way)

Getting emotional support also helps to improve your overall well-being.

As you develop an increased capacity to be emotionally vulnerable, you increase your potential for personal growth and experiencing positive changes in your life.

How to Learn to Embrace Vulnerability

• Acknowledge Your Fears: Start by acknowledging to yourself what scares you about being emotionally vulnerable. Then, challenge your negative beliefs about vulnerability.

• Write in a Journal: Write in a journal to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings. This will also help you to express yourself with others (see my article: The Benefits of Journal Writing).

Embracing Emotional Vulnerability

• Practice Self Compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion as you would with a close friend or loved one (see my article: Acceptance and Self Compassion).

• Practice Mindfulness: If you practice being present with your thoughts and feelings, you can become more self aware. Being present can also help you to deal with emotional vulnerability (see my article: The Mind-Body Connection: Mindfulness Meditation)

• Start Small: Start by journaling and talking to a trusted loved one about your thoughts and feelings. Being in a safe and private environment is also important.

• Acknowledge and Embrace Your Mistakes: Acknowledging and embracing your mistakes with self compassion takes strength and courage and can help you to develop a sense of comfort with being vulnerable (see my article: Overcome Your Fear of Making Mistakes).

• Acknowledge Your Strengths: Appreciating your strengths can build self confidence.

• Challenge Your Negative Beliefs: Challenge your fears about what others might think about you if you express your vulnerability.

• Get Help in Therapy: Seek help from a licensed mental health professional who has the necessary skills and expertise to help you embrace vulnerability if self help tips aren't enough.

Clinical Vignette: How to Embrace Emotional Vulnerability

The following clinical vignette is a composite of many cases to protect confidentiality:

Nina

Nina felt discouraged about ever being able to maintain a relationship.  Although she confided in her close friends, she had problems opening up in relationships (see my article: Fear of Being Emotionally Vulnerable in a Relationship).

Embracing Emotional Vulnerability

Her last three relationships ended after her partners told her they felt she was holding back emotionally. 

She realized she was too scared to open up emotionally in her relationships. She also felt that if any of her partners knew the "real Nina", they wouldn't like her (see my article: Overcoming Your Fear That People Won't Like the "Real You").

When she started therapy to overcome her problem with emotional vulnerability, she revealed to her therapist that her parents always told her that emotional vulnerability was a "weakness".

She told her therapist that, even though she knew how important being vulnerable is to developing and sustaining a relationship, she didn't know how to be vulnerable.

Her therapist acknowledged Nina's strength in recognizing she didn't know how to be vulnerable and in seeking help in therapy.

In addition to providing Nina with tools she could use on her own, like journaling and  mindfulness skills, her therapist, who was a trauma therapist, helped Nina to work through the negative beliefs about vulnerability she learned from her parents.

Her therapist used EMDR therapy, AEDP and Parts Work to work through the early childhood trauma and shame that made it difficult for Nina to show her emotional vulnerability.

When Nina started dating someone new that she really liked, her therapist helped her to practice showing emotional vulnerability by starting in small ways.

As she became more comfortable, over time, Nina was able to open up more. Her willingness to be vulnerable allowed this new person in her life to also open up.

Over time, they were able to build a strong foundation for a relationship.

Conclusion

Contrary to what many people believe, emotional vulnerability is a strength--not a weakness.

Even though most people feel some degree of discomfort with being emotionally vulnerable, people who overcome their discomfort are aware that showing vulnerability is essential to having an emotionally intimate relationship.

Even if you grew up with negative beliefs about vulnerability, you can overcome these negative beliefs.

Next Article: What is the Connection Between Emotional Vulnerability and Shame?

Getting Help in Therapy

If you have been unable to overcome your fear of vulnerability on your own, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who has expertise in this area.

Getting Help in Therapy

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help in therapy so you can be your authentic self and lead a more meaningful life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I have over 20 years of experience helping individual adults and couples (see my article: What is a Trauma Therapist?).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

What is Self Reflective Awareness and Why Is It Important For You?

The capacity for self reflective awareness is an essential life skill to develop for yourself and for your relationships with others (see my article: What is Self Awareness?).

Developing Self Reflective Awareness

What Are the Signs of Low Self Reflective Awareness?

The following are some of the most common signs of low self reflective awareness:

• A Problem With Emotional Vulnerability: Emotional vulnerability is essential for your overall mental health, self compassion and empathy for others, open communication with your loved ones and the ability express your emotions, including emotions that might be difficult to express. If you see emotional vulnerability as being "weak", you're going to have a hard time connecting with your internal world and with others (see my article: Emotional Vulnerability as a Pathway to Intimacy in Relationships).

Emotional Vulnerability as a Pathway to Intimacy

• An Inability to Admit to Mistakes: If you have problems reflecting on your thoughts, feelings and behavior, you have problems with self awareness which can lead to an inability to admit to mistakes. Instead, you blame others for mistakes you have made. This often occurs due to fear and insecurity (see my article: Having the Courage to Admit You Made a Mistake).

An Inability to Admit to Mistakes

• A Tendency to Criticize Others: Along with an inability to admit mistakes, if you have low self reflective awareness, you might have a tendency to criticize others instead of looking at how you might have contributed to the problem.  Being hypercritical might make you feel better in the moment, but it usually comes at the expense of the people you're criticizing. This often leads to impaired relationships where resentment builds up and problems become more difficult to resolve. Equally important: It also comes at the expense of self awareness because you're too busy externalizing your problems (see my article: Improve Communication in Your Relationship By Eliminating the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse).

• A Problem Making Decisions: If you lack self reflective awareness, you might be indecisive because you're unable to reflect on what would be best for you and your loved ones. You might avoid making decisions because you feel insecure and you fear being judged or criticized. Instead of assessing your options, you might just accept whatever you're feeling at the moment ("I don't feel like going to work today, so I won't go"). Aside from a lack of self awareness, there's no critical thinking about the consequences of your behavior.

Problems Making Decisions

• A Problem Understanding Your Feelings: Without self awareness, you probably have a problems understanding your feelings. You also might not be comfortable with your feelings, especially if you got the message when you were growing up that feelings are dangerous. You might not be able to distinguish between feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, shame, fear, happiness or disgust. Instead, your feelings might be value . You might only be able to say things like, "I feel bad" which is too vague to help you understand what's happening to you or to be able to communicate how you feel to others. In addition, if you lack self awareness, you might assume that just because you feel bad that means things are bad. In other words, a person with self reflective capacity, can step back from their feelings to assess what's going on. They can identify their feelings and think about why they're feeling that way instead of assuming that a "bad feeling" means things are bad (see my article: Your Thoughts and Feelings Aren't Facts).

• Ruminating About the Past: Without self awareness, you can easily fall into a pattern of constantly dwelling on the past--your mistakes, other people's mistakes, what might have been and so on (this is different from when someone is stuck in unresolved trauma where their mind keeps going round and round about what happened as part of a trauma response). When you ruminate about the past (when it wasn't traumatic) and you don't have self awareness, you don't have the ability to observe and challenge yourself. Being aware of your rumination helps you to stop and reach a level of acceptance about the past so you can move on.

Dwelling on the Past and Worry About the Future

• Worrying Unproductively About the Future: If you lack self awareness, you might have a tendency to be a chronic worrier about the future. You might also be unaware of the anxiety and stress you're causing yourself by worrying about something that hasn't happened yet. Without the ability to step back and observe how you think, feel and behave, you just reinforce your habit of worrying without getting curious about why you're doing it. 

Why is Self Awareness Important?

Everyone could benefit from improving their self awareness.  But if you're having problems similar to what I have described in this article, you have a problem.

Self Awareness is Part of Emotional Intelligence

Self awareness is an essential part of emotional intelligence which helps you to know yourself and build and maintain healthy relationships with others.

When you're self aware, you have the capacity to identify and learn from your mistakes which allows you to grow, learn new skills and develop resilience.

Next Article

In my next article, I'll discuss how to develop self reflective awareness.

Getting Help in Therapy

One of the most common reasons why people seek help in therapy is because they realize they're not self aware. They don't know how they feel and they're having problems in their relationships.

Getting Help in Therapy

It's also not unusual for someone to seek help in therapy because a partner is complaining. 

Even though the client might not be internally motivated at first, they often develop the curiosity and motivation to change. 

If you're struggling to understand yourself and others, you could benefit from working with a licensed mental health professional who can help you to become more self aware.

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed psychotherapist so you can lead a more meaningful life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Relationships: What Do You Need to Feel Closer to Your Partner?

As a psychotherapist who sees individual adults and couples, one of the problems I often hear about from people in relationships is that they would like to feel closer to their partner.

What Do You Need to Feel Closer to Your Partner?

            See my articles:    

• Learning to Ask Your Partner For What You Need Emotionally

• Are Your Emotional Needs Being Met in Your Relationship?

What Do You Need to Feel Close to Your Partner?

Every individual is different but, generally, most people in a relationship need to experience:

• Acceptance: This means feeling accepted as you are right now--flaws and all.

• Trust: You and your partner know that you can trust each other, put your relationship first and be honest and genuine with each other (see my article: Relationships: Oxytocin, Trust and Empathy).

• Reliability: Knowing you can count on your partner to be there for you when you need them is essential.

What Do You Need to Feel Closer to Your Partner?

• Emotional Connection: Feeling emotionally connected to your partner and knowing your partner feels emotionally connected to you is important. You and your partner might have short periods of times when you don't feel as emotionally connected because of whatever you're going through as a couple, but feeling emotionally connected most of the time is important in any relationship (see my article: How to Build Trust and Connection in Your Relationship).

• Understanding: You and your partner need to feel that you understand each other and, even when there are times when you might not understand each other, you both make an attempt to communicate and actively listen so you both work towards feeling understood.

• Appreciation: Feeling appreciated and valued is essential to any relationship. This includes giving and getting positive reinforcement (see my article: The Importance of Expressing Gratitude to Your Partner).

• Vulnerability: Vulnerability is the pathway in any relationship to emotional and sexual connection. This means being able to listen to your partner's hopes, fears and dreams and your partner also being able to do the same for you. 

         See my articles: 

• Vulnerability as a Pathway to Emotional and Sexual Intimacy

• How to Express Your Vulnerable Emotions to Your Partner

• Shared Goals: Having individual goals and relationship goals that you can both support is important.

         See my articles: 

• 7 Tips For Creating a Stronger Relationship With Relationship Goals

• 10 Relationship Goals to Create a Stronger Relationship

• Growing as an Individual When You're in a Relationship

Conclusion

Being able to ask for what you need emotionally from your partner can be challenging, especially if you grew up in a family where you were discouraged, forbidden or even shamed for having emotional needs (see my article: What is Childhood Emotional Neglect?).

What Do You Need to Feel Closer to Your Partner?

If you and your partner are having problems expressing your emotional needs to each other, you could benefit from seeking help in couples therapy.

Getting Help in Couples Therapy

If you and your partner have been unable to resolve problems on your own, you could benefit from seeking help in couples therapy.

Getting Help in Couples Therapy

A skilled couples therapist can help you to understand the underlying issues involved for each of you and help you to develop the necessary tools and strategies to overcome your problems.

Seeking help sooner rather than later can make the difference in being able to resolve your problems.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email.

How to Stop Getting Into Power Struggles About Your Spouse's Porn Viewing

Many women complain that their husband's porn viewing makes them feel angry, anxious and insecure.  

They say that discovering their husband's porn use makes them feel self conscious about their own bodies, especially when they see images of beautiful naked women in the porn their husband is watching.

Stop Getting Into Power Struggles About Porn

Some women also say they think mainstream porn is "disgusting" because it's degrading and exploitive of women and against their own moral values.

Now that the Internet provides access to pornography 24/7, more couples are getting into arguments about porn viewing. These arguments often devolve the point where some wives call their husbands "sex addicts" or "porn addicts" with ultimatums to go to therapy "or else."  

Most of the time arguments about porn viewing go nowhere because couples get locked in power struggles with nowhere to go. These power struggles leave wives feeling dejected and hurt and they leave husbands feeling defensive, guilty and ashamed. 

So, there's no real discussion about what would be most productive--the underlying issues involved, which could bring a couple together so they can understand each other.

(Note: I've written this article from a heteronormative perspective because this is what I usually see in my sex therapy and couples therapy private practice in New York City; however, these concepts can apply to any two people in a relationship regardless of gender or sexual orientation.)

Occasional Porn Viewing vs. Compulsive Porn Viewing

Although it can be upsetting to discover that your husband has been secretly watching porn or, even worse, that he has made promises to you that he'll stop watching porn but then you discover he's still doing it, porn doesn't have to be a threat to your relationship, especially if it's not interfering with your sex life or your husband's daily activities of living.

Stop Getting Into Power Struggles About Porn

So, I'm not referring to men who watch porn compulsively where it's interfering with his daily activities. That's a different matter. I'm referring to the average man who watches porn occasionally on his own in the privacy of your home.

Here are some things you might not know:

• Just because your partner watches porn doesn't make him (or her) a "porn addict" or "sex addict." Unfortunately, these terms are thrown around too easily and they're hurtful and destructive. Not only are these terms of out of date and misleading, but they're not relevant if your spouse isn't watching porn compulsively to the point where it's interfering with your sex life or daily activities. So, rather than using these derogatory terms, try to get curious about why your spouse watches porn so you can listen to him with an open mind. (If you're curious about sexual compulsivity so you can understand the difference, see my article: Sexual Health: Treating Sexual Compulsivity in Sex Therapy: Sexual Addiction or Out of Control Sexual Behavior [OCSB?]).

• Although you might feel insecure about your body when you realize your husband is watching porn, you might not know that it's unlikely your husband is comparing your body to the women's bodies he's seeing in porn. Also, ask yourself if you were already feeling insecure about your body because this is a common experience for many women even without porn (see my articles: Is a Negative Body Image Ruining Your Sex Life? and How Mindfulness and Self Compassion Can Help With Body Acceptance).

• Porn is fantasy. It's not real. Your husband knows that. He knows he's watching actors acting out a script. He might be drawn to the female character in the video, but he's not falling for the actual person because he doesn't know her. He only sees the character she's portraying in the fantasy--not the woman who has her own problems in her relationship and her own personal stressors.  Furthermore, your husband probably knows that mainstream porn doesn't depict real life situations where one or both spouses might be tired or unwell. He probably doesn't expect sex between the two of you to resemble what he's seeing in porn because he knows it's make believe.

• Under most circumstances, average porn viewing doesn't take away from your sex life. Under the right circumstances, ethical porn, also known as feminist porn or fair trade porn, can enhance your sex life, if you're open to it (see my article: Understanding Your Sex Script).

• Many men (and many women too) often use porn for quick stress relief. It can be a quick way of getting sexually aroused and masturbating to overcome stress or to help with sleep. 

• Most men experience masturbation with porn as being a very different experience from making love to their partner. Masturbating to porn is usually a quick release whereas making love to a spouse or partner involves an emotional and sexual connection.  These are two very different experiences.

• There's a difference between privacy and secrecy. Everyone is entitled to privacy regardless of their relationship status (see my article: Privacy vs Secrecy in a Relationship).

How to Stop Arguing About Your Spouse's Porn Viewing

As long as you're arguing with your spouse based on a right-or-wrong perspective and giving him ultimatums, you're unlikely to resolve this issue.  In fact, arguing in this way usually makes the conflict worse.

Typically, when men are threatened with ultimatums about porn, they might try to stop watching just to appease their partner, but they often feel misunderstood and resentful.

Also, as mentioned above, some men try to appease their partners by telling them they'll stop, but they're not being honest. They're just trying to do a better job of hiding it. 

Obviously, lying only makes the issue worse because it fuels the other partner's doubt and mistrust and this leads to bigger problems. So, when I'm working with a couple who is  struggling with this problem, I strongly urge the husband not to lie about it.

Instead of arguing with your husband on moral grounds, speak to him about how you feel about yourself when you know he's watching porn.  This will involve owning your feelings and opening up to your spouse to allow yourself to be emotionally vulnerable. 

Understandably, this might not be easy when you feel hurt and angry.  But speaking from an "I" perspective about your feelings about yourself is more likely to evoke your husband's empathy and understanding so he can listen and respond without being defensive. He can also express his own emotional vulnerability so you can empathize and understand his point of view.

In addition, when you speak about your feelings about yourself as it relates to his porn viewing, it provides an opening for the two of you to discuss the underlying issues involved instead of getting into a power struggle about porn.  This can provide a better chance of making progress than getting into a power struggle.

Compare the following statements

Compare Statements 1 and 2 to Responses 1 and 2:

Statement 1:

"Porn is disgusting! I can't believe you would rather look at those women in the video than look at me."

Response to Statement 1:

"Well, that's your opinion! Stop telling me what to do!"

Versus:

Statement 2:

"I feel insecure about my body when I know you're seeing those beautiful women in the video. When I feel insecure, I feel like you would rather look at them than me."

Response to Statement 2:

"I didn't know you felt that way. I love you and I love your body. I don't want you to feel insecure. Let's try to work this out."

Statement 1, which is hostile and judgmental, is usually a non-starter if you want to have a calm and productive discussion with your spouse. Rather than responding with empathy, your spouse is more likely to respond by matching your hostility and getting defensive.

Statement 2, which is emotionally vulnerable because it reveals an insecurity, provides an opening for your husband to empathize with your feelings so he'll be more likely to address the issue in an open way.

Statement 2 also allows for the possibility that the two of you could talk more openly about your sex life to try to improve your sex script if it has become repetitive and boring (see my article: How to Talk to Your Partner About Sex).

If you object to mainstream porn because you think it's immoral or degrading to women, you might want to consider ethical porn which is usually made by feminist women with women's pleasure in mind. If you enjoy it, you and your partner could watch it together, which you both might enjoy.

If you object to all pornography--both mainstream and ethical porn--then you and your spouse can talk about reaching a compromise about it--just as you would about any other issue that you both disagree about--without power struggles and volatility.

If you can't stop the arguments and power struggles, consider seeking help in sex therapy.  

A skilled sex therapist, who works with individual adults and couples, can help you to develop the necessary skills to talk about this and get to the underlying issues involved so these issues can get worked through.

Note: Most couples therapists aren't sex therapists so they don't have the training and skills to work with this issue.

Get Help in Sex Therapy

If you and your spouse get stuck in power struggles about porn, you can seek help from a licensed mental health professional who is a sex therapist.

Get Help in Sex Therapy

Sex therapy is a form of talk therapy (see my article: What is Sex Therapy?).

There is no nudity, physical exams or sex during sex therapy sessions (see my article: What Are Common Misconceptions About Sex Therapy?).

Individual adults and couples seek help in sex therapy for a variety reasons (see my article: What Are Common Issues Discussed in Sex Therapy?).

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a skilled sex therapist so you and your partner can have a more fulfilling life together.

Book: You might also find it helpful to read His Porn, Her Pain: Confronting America's PornPanic with Honest Talk About Sex by Marty Klein, Ph.D., Sex Therapist.

About Me

I am a licensed New York City psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT, Somatic Experiencing and Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.