Brave Love Great Sex – Couples Therapy Podcast

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode, Laurie is joined by EFT couples therapist Jef Slootmaekers. Jef is an EFT trainer hailing from Belgium and is the author of a new book on shame called Shame in Psychotherapy: The Art of Appearing (English translation coming in September 2026). He is also the coauthor of Fighting for Connection: Perspectives on Conflict and Intimate Partner Violence . This...

This episode is all about attachment theory. Attachment styles have been buzzing in the pop psychology world recently. Our hosts invite listeners to learn more about attachment theory which helps us understand why we fight the way we do and why our partner reacts to conflict in the way they do. Attachment theory is based on the idea that we are here to connect and life is all about relationship an...

Help! This is not the relationship I signed up for. Did you bait and switch me from the person I said "I do," too? Welcome Brave Lovers, in today's episode we are tackling a topic we have heard in our offices over and over again. Hot and heavy, emotionally connected lovers that become distant strangers after marriage, children and more life together. Listen in as Laurie and George, explain what ex...

Laurie and George answer a mailbag question in this episode. "I think my husband has been faking orgasms...how can I bring this up without increasing the anxiety he may already be feeling?" We want to thank our brave listener for reaching out to us with this question and bringing up a topic that is rarely discussed. Our hosts help provide language for couples and also make more explicit the emotio...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode we are diving into the topic of communal sexual strength. Research shows that couples feel more desire when they approach sex with love and caring. This creates a positive reinforcement loop for couples. The motive for sex is love and caretaking and secure partners experienced heightened intimacy, longing and connection. Love creates the sense of "we" and t...

How do you initiate in the bedroom? ;) George and Laurie explore (and joke!) about 5 different initiator styles: Seduction, Touch, Emotional Connection, Sex Talk and Power Play. Which way do you like it best? Which way does your partner like it best? Does seduction begin with the way you drink your coffee in the morning like it does with Laurie? Are you missing each other because of a style differ...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode, we are exploring eroticising power in the bedroom. Listen in as Laurie and George discuss how different attachment styles may crave to be more submissive or more dominant during sex. We discuss that both roles may be freeing, relieving of responsibility and just sinking into pleasure. Avoidant partners may feel more close, connecting with vulnerability and...

Not fair. Women have less orgasms than men; Laurie and George talk about the disturbing stats. Why is this happening? Do men still not know how a woman gets aroused and reaches orgasm? Are we as parents and a culture teaching young women and men about what a female bodies might need? Women are socialized to give instead of to get. And men are more shaped to get what they need. George volunteers th...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode we are deep diving into what desire feels like on the body. You've heard us talk about using body cues in identifying the negative cycle but today we are focusing on physical pleasure. We are challenging listeners to expand their definition of "good sex" and focus more on the experience of desire, of pleasure and of sexual connection. What is your body feel...

Do you have anxiety when it comes to your sex life? Maybe you identify with the sexual pursuer role in the relationship and find that you are the partner that keeps track of when and how often you have sex. This can create so much pressure for you and your partner! Join Laurie and George today as they discuss four ways anxiety is killing your sex life and the tools you need to fix it. George remin...

Welcome Brave Lovers! Today we are exploring the work of psychotherapist Ruth Cohn, and her research on the effects of childhood neglect. Join Laurie and George as they tackle the sensitive topic of childhood neglect on the adult intimate relationship. Our hosts share how not having physical or emotional connection at key times of struggle, creates an emptiness. We are often left without words to...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode, we are talking all about fellatio. This is a NSFW episode but very good for your relationship! Join Laurie and George today as they tackle this topic on the giving and receiving of oral sex. We are focused on the men in this episode and detail the importance of hygiene, grooming and reassurance. You'll learn how to have it be a more pleasurable experience...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode, we are joined by a couple live in the studio! Join us as we welcome long-time friends of Dr. Laurie, Joe and Myra. They share with us their forty-year love story and the role that physical intimacy and emotional closeness have played in keeping their bond strong over the years. Joe and Myra talk about friendship being a foundation of love, how they navigat...

In today's episode, we are talking to our Brave Lovers about the right way and wrong way to give thanks and appreciation to your partner. Saying 'thank you' has the opportunity to create closeness, connection and reinforce vulnerable expression. A casual, empty 'thank you' has the potential to disconnect, derail and seem like a dig. Join us today as we walk you through the differences between than...

Are you tired of having the same fight over and over? Would you like to discuss things without triggering your partner. Can you imagine that underneath your partner's defense lies a hurt and even below that a need? George tries to help make it simple, in a nutshell there are three parts to how we react in a conflict - our protection, our hurt, and our need Together Laurie and George make sense of...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In this episode, we are tackling the negative cycle. Join Laurie and George as they discuss why just knowing your negative cycle is not enough. Couples that create lasting change unite together against the negative cycle. Listen in as we show you how to externalize the negative cycle to be something you can unite against. Partners that work to see the problem as something sep...

In today's episode, we are discussing caregiving in families. Different approaches in parenting is a common place couples can experience disconnection and divide. Join George and Laurie as we invite you to explore what caregiving looks like for you and where those roots developed. Love must exist with limits and sometimes we can be in a tug of war; either being too hard or too soft. Where do you f...

Welcome Brave Lovers! In today's episode, Laurie and George detail the importance of knowing your sexual history. Getting clear on our sexual stories can help us better understand what is happening and identify the heart of the problem. Listen in as Laurie details questions she asks her clients in sessions to learn more about; your relationship with touch, physical affection, quality of sex and al...

We promise fidelity in marriage - a promise of an erotic life with our partner. So what gets in the way? Why do people joke that marriage is where sex goes to die? George and Laurie believe facing the discouragement that couples might feel, is better than settling for low engagement. They explore how men and women may stabilize each other and destabilize each other at different points - in the emo...

In today's episode, Laurie and George dive deep into the world of the sexual pursuer. They explore the underlying attachment and connection needs of the sexual pursuer and help SPs develop emotional regulation and language around expressing these needs. If you identify as an SP in your cycle and struggle with rejection or disconnection this episode is for you to learn how to; self-soothe and invit...

Sights, sounds and smells OH MY! There are many aspects to sex that can cause embarrassment for partners. We are here to let you know that so many things you are worried about are NORMAL! Join us in this episode to hear our list of '10 things not to be ashamed of during sex'. Maybe you were told that women weren't supposed to make noises during sex or incorporating a vibr@tor was wrong. Whatever t...

Have you ever felt like your apologies just don't cut it? In today's episode we are discussing the formula on how to give a good apology. Repair is an essential component of a healthy relationship and often the standard, "I'm sorry," can do more harm than good. Join hosts Laurie and George to learn why your current attempts at apology fall flat and what a meaningful apology sounds like. You'll lea...

FOREPLAY welcomes Emotionally Focused Therapy, founder Dr. Sue Johnson to talk with us about George's driving and the sexual cycle. We laughed together about their early relationship and more seriously about George asking for help after 9/11 with the couples he was seeing and Sue's generous response.  Sue gives us a keen example of a uber sexual pursuer and how his needs for attachment drive him e...

Hello Brave Lovers! Join us today in our conversation on how to self-regulate when you are in conflict with your partner. We often discuss the power of co-regulation; when partners can be there and ease the distress of one another. However self-regulation is a powerful and necessary tool when your partner isn't available or their attempts to soothe you become a step in the negative cycle. Listen t...

Today we are celebrating the 400th episode of Foreplay Sex Therapy Podcast! The idea for the podcast originated after Laurie was told by commercial radio that she was too spicy for broadcast. Their loss is our gain. Join Laurie and George today as they celebrate this major accomplishment AND give us all the details on women's pleasure! Listeners will walk away with do's and don'ts and many new tec...