Brave Love Great Sex – Couples Therapy Podcast

The holiday season is here and in today's episode we are talking about giving and receiving gifts in your relationship. What does this ritual mean to you and which are you more comfortable with? George and Laurie share their thoughts and some of their favorite gifts and memories over the years. Laurie suggests that partners keep a running list of their loved ones' likes so when it comes time to ge...

The expectations in relationship and in our culture for what it means to be a man often comes down to a big erection that works every time. The prevalence of porn has communicated unrealistic ideas about sex and sexuality. Join sex therapist and popular author Laurie Watson and couple’s therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they explore the complexity of male sexuality. Sponsor Visit rexmd.com/FOREPLAY to...

We may know what the big turn offs are but there are many small things that kill desire. In today's episode we are discussing invisible turn offs that end up taking sex off the table without you even realizing it. Join our expert hosts, Dr. Laurie Watson and George Faller, LMFT as they review these 'microfractures', signals that you don't know you're sending. Stress, feeling hangry, irritability c...

Recovery from an Affair – The delicate process of recoveringfrom an affair; what works best for restoring the relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we are discussing sex and spirituality. Sex and religion are often clashing ideals that can be shaming, rigid and rule-based. We invite listeners to explore the space between, where sex is an intimate connection between partners. Where people can create their own slice of heaven. Join our hosts, Laurie and George as they peel back the complicated layers between sex and spiritual...

Are you always having what feels like the same fight? Does the negative cycle leave you feeling frustrated and angry? Or misunderstood and like you're failing? Can you see what your partner does clearly but not see how what you do is contributing to the problem? George and Laurie use and acronym T.E.M.P.O. to help organize your thinking so you can be less reactive. Getting to know your feelings, w...

In this episode, Laurie and George explore a pattern they see often in therapy but rarely hear women talk about openly: growing up under-touched—not abused or mistreated, but raised with too little warm, affectionate contact. Many girls learn early to be “little adults,” self-reliant and emotionally contained, with parents who provided care but not soothing. Inside, they adapt by dialing down thei...

Erectile dysfunction in men 45 and older in a partnered relationship is a problem with solutions. Listen to Laurie and Tony distinguish physiological ED and partnered ED and offer approaches to solve this problem in this podcast spurred by a question from a listener. If you want Laurie and Tony to address a question you are concerned about, email info@foreplayrst.com. Learn more about your ad choi...

In today's episode, we discuss reinforcing positive cycles. There is a lot of talk about disconnection and negative cycles but what about when things are going well? Join hosts, Laurie and George to learn how to reinforce when it's going well to build out more positive interactions. A building block of attachment is adoration, to be looked at by a caretaker with sunshine in their eyes. This signal...

Variety and creativity in sex can both make our sexual relationship sizzling, but it can also be a source of tension.  Join Laurie Watson, author of "Wanting Sex Again" and her co-host discuss variety! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we discuss finding the reframe; your partner's differing perspective that isn't always obvious. Emotions like irritation or frustration are often signs of disconnection in your emotional or sexual cycle. You feel you are lacking and more easily lose patience, create a negative meaning about your partner and get stuck in your move. The reframe helps you see what's happening from...

What to do when your partner shuts down. In the second of Gottman's 'Four Horseman' series, Dr. Adam and Laurie address this destructive behavior and how to get through the seemingly unbreakable barriers of a silent a partner.    Like us? Send us some love on Patreon: www.patreon.com/foreplayrst Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, our hosts answer a listener's mailbag question. If the sex is good, why don't I want it more? Join George and Laurie as they help our listener answer this question and explore possible reasons behind this dilemma. Perhaps it's dissatisfaction, difference in desire, asexuality or emotional and sexual blocks. There are many avenues to consider and we approach the topic with lots...

The popular conception is that a larger penis results in better sex. Join author and certified sex therapist Laurie Watson and her co-host psychologist Dr. Adam Mathews as they talk about the real world impact of penis size on sexual satisfaction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we are discussing receptivity and initiation. Receptivity is about receiving and responding to cues from your partner. Some partners may be sexually receptive or emotionally receptive meaning they need their partner to initiate the cues first and then they can respond. Join our hosts, George and Laurie as they breakdown what this looks like in relationships and the negative trap...

Sounds pretty discouraging if your partner says she'd be fine never having sex again. Laurie and George discuss how to get to the root of what she's saying. Using an acronym O P L E A S F helps us organize what has obscured her libido.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the saying goes, you can have it all just not all at once. Have you ever brought up a complaint to your partner only to be met with their complaint? This is a common relational trap and leaves partners chasing too many conversations at once and feeling more defeated. Join George and Laurie today as they offer guidance on how to slow this pattern down and focus on one conversation at a time. Car...

Join us for a sample conversation with "Eleanor" who is always anxious about sex, preoccupied with whether or not she is pleasing her husband, but unable to be present for her own experience. She doesn’t want to risk hurting her husband even if it would make the sexual moment better for her. Her husband thinks she's not into it, but hear how she worries and actually thinks about it constantly with...

In today's episode, we are discussing life and relationships after an affair. Most often people think that relationships are over after an affair. However, that is not always the case and many couples can successfully repair their partnerships after this betrayal. Join George and Laurie today as they breakdown affair recovery steps and what the betrayed partner and the partner that had the affair...

Why and how does the frequency of sex decrease in a marriage to the point where it rarely happens? Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they dissect the genesis of a sexless marriage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we are talking about desire based on the work of sex therapist, Dr. Emily Jamea. Dr. Jamea shares that your partner can contribute to your desire but they can't create it. Join Laurie and George in an engaging conversation on who is responsible for the creation of desire in a relationship and how this affects pursuers and withdrawers alike. Their dialogue addresses the effect o...

In early dating years our partner’s face lights up at the thought of sex, they tell us with their eyes that we make them hot. The gleam in their eyes hits our body, hits our center, hits our being.  Feeling that we light up their world is a turn-on! Secure attachment begins with the loving gaze of our mother or parent – cradled in the crook of their elbow – they smile and coo because we are theirs...

Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm sixty-four? The Beatles addressed this important topic on their Sgt. Pepper album in 1967 and in today's episode Laurie and George are giving listeners the answers. Join us as we answer the burning questions related to sex and older age; what to expect and how to talk about it. Aging is an inevitable fact of life and while often associated w...

Mailbag!! George and Laurie answer questions from the Foreplay Fam in this week’s episode! They’re talking all about unrequited fantasies, compromise, and vulnerability. Sexual fantasies are extremely common; in fact only 4% of men and 14% of women report NOT having fantasies. A listener talks about a fantasy of an old lover and not being able to get it out of her head. While this one may be a blo...

In today's episode, our hosts are tackling an important and uncomfortable conversation. This episode does contain content regarding sexual trauma and we advise all our listeners to be aware. Sexual trauma doesn't stay in our past, it follows us in the bedroom. It is common for couples that feel safe and committed to one another to experience heightened reactions around sex if sexual trauma is part...