(065) What's Up with the Use of Sensate Focus Touch in Sex Therapy and Sexual Health?: A Critical Literature Review
Authors: Weiner L 
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Sensate Focus touching has been the foundation of sex therapy since the 1960's and is still widely used to resolve sexual difficulties. In recent years Sensate Focus touch has been updated to reflect its relationship to mindfulness and somatic approaches and the later adaptions made by Masters and Johnson, but which have not been widely publicized. A preliminary literature review was conducted in 2015 to investigate the use of Sensate Focus as reflected in the field. This most recent review covering the period from 2014-2019, was a follow up to that initial study.

Objectives

The study was focused on answering 6 questions related to the use of Sensate Focus touching suggestions: 1. Does the literature reflect continued use of Sensate Focus and with which populations and therapeutic approaches? 2. What does recent research suggest about the efficacy of Sensate Focus? 3. Is Sensate Focus referenced in medically oriented journals as well as those in the mental health field? 4. Do recent publications reflect the updated instructions for Sensate Focus? 5. When Sensate Focus is referenced in an article or study, is it described in detail or simply mentioned? 6. If details are included, do they conflate Sensate Focus 1 for sexual distress and Sensate Focus 2 for sexual enhancement?

Methods

A systematic database search was conducted on 21 June, 2018 to identify contemporary scholarly works mentioning Sensate Focus. Papers published from January 2015 to June 2018 using the search term “Sensate Focus” in social sciences and medical sciences databases were collected. Following removal of non English and duplicate articles, and those published by the authors, the search yielded 58 unique results. Results without an abstract or without content related to psychology, sexuality, medicine or sex therapy in the abstract were removed. The authors assessed and reviewed the full text of the remaining 47 articles. Three of these articles were removed for relevance and an additional four scholarly works (one article and three books) were identified and added. These 48 works met full criteria for review and were grouped by their relevance to the six questions being considered.

Results

Results indicated that health professionals have continued to apply Sensate Focus to a wide variety of sexual distresses of psychosocial, medical, and combined etiologies. The literature in both mental health and medically oriented journals reflects a growing diversity of populations including non heterosexual couples, individuals with chronic pain, sexual trauma survivors, alcoholics, opioid users and others. Technological advances were reflected in the literature as well, including on line programs. Therapeutic approaches interlaced with Sensate Focus suggestions identified were numerous including cognitive- behavioral, systemic, somatic and mindfulness as well as medical approaches to intervention. Several studies identified Sensate Focus as efficacious but extrapolation was difficult due to the use of combined therapies such as CBT. Further results indicated that there is very little detailed description of how Sensate Focus is actually utilized with most publications simply mentioning its use, and confusion continues to exist about the updated instructions for Sensate Focus as used with those experiencing sexual distress.

Conclusions

Sensate Focus continues to be increasingly referenced in the medical and social science literature with evidence of efficacy in treating a wide variety of sexual distresses, including those of combined etiology in a biopsychosocial approach. More diverse populations are being served in increasingly innovative ways with a new understanding of the somatic and mindfulness elements of Sensate Focus. Confusion remains about the specific updated instructions and the difference between use with sexual distress or for optimization of intimate interaction. This confusion in instructions may affect client cooperation and affect the drop out rate. Further research is needed to make this determination. In general, more rigorous investigations are needed including operational definitions of variables, randomized control trials, long term follow up and especially isolating the role of Sensate Focus as independent from other treatment modalities.

Disclosure

No.