Brave Love Great Sex – Couples Therapy Podcast

Relationships have three broad areas of relating: the mundane details that must be done in live, sexual intimacy, and being friends -- liking our partner, enjoying their company, sharing the details of our inner worlds. The best relationships manage to have all three work; imbalance among them leads to problems. Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couple's therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as...

In today's episode, we are discussing how to forgive what hasn't been. Fights are more obvious times to work on forgiveness but what about the missed bids for connection and absence of touch? Join our hosts as they share how to have healing conversations about the lost connection. Laurie and George relay that this experience is grief and a deep pain that needs to be shared in partnership. Often a...

Dr. Adam and Laurie discuss the complicated relationship between sex and depression in both men and women. They discuss symptoms and how to stay connected when your relationship is impacted by this all too common mental health issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your sex life a little too vanilla? Maybe you want to try something new but want just the right amount of spice? Grab your lover and join us for today's episode as we discuss how to get comfortable with getting more kinky. Inspired by an article in Glamour Magazine, hosts Laurie and George share ideas to get things heated up. Laurie calls the list 'kink light' but it's sure to help you take thi...

Contempt, one of the most dangerous emotions in a relationship. This episode covers the markers of contemptuous behavior and why it's so destructive to a marriage. Laurie and Dr. Adam offer advice on recognizing this powerful emotion and how to bring the humanity back into your relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are all deserving of touch. It awakens the senses, provides comfort, reassurance and then as adults pleasure. In today's episode, our hosts open up a conversation about your relationship with touch. Did you grow up in a household where physical affection was withheld, conditional, unsafe or just not available? If so, you may be suffering from touch neglect. This can show up in the sexual cycle...

In this episode, Laurie and George discuss insights from Daniel Watter’s book, The Existential Importance of the Penis: A Guide to Understanding Male Sexuality. They explore sexual disorders like low desire, erectile dysfunction, and vaginismus—not just as issues but as signals from our bodies about anxiety, relationship challenges, or life transitions, like becoming parents. Enjoy this thought-pr...

In today's episode we are spending time focusing on when it goes well. As therapists we look for these 'glimmers' as a way to retrain the brain and body to focus on progress, not just the problem. It's common for couples to get bogged down by what doesn't go well. This is the brain's way to keep you safe and protected but it also makes it hard to let progress take hold. Join Laurie and George toda...

Having kids can radically change sex for couples and can complicate our sex lives for a number of reasons. Join author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they work through the issues around sex after kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greetings Foreplay listeners! We are so excited for today's episode, featuring Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz, a clinician and sex researcher that broke the code on the key components to magnificent sex. In her book of the same title, Dr. Kleinplatz breaks down the findings from her studies and shares what makes lovers great. She is a mentor to our hosts and continues to train therapists around the world to...

Masturbation is often a charged topic with many individuals and couples. The messages we receive about masturbation can influence our current sexual relationships. Join popular author and sex therapist Laurie Watson and psychologist Dr. Adam Mathews as they discuss masturbation through adolescence and into adulthood, as well as it's impact on coupled sex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

In this episode, we dive into the psychology of "the ick", that unsettling feeling when sudden attraction shifts to repulsion. In the Psychology Today article, The "Ick" Factor: The Science Behind Sudden Attraction Shifts, author Gary Lewandowski shared insights from the social media trend and George and Laurie break them down. We explore why seemingly small, annoying behavior can cause this drast...

Having your desire synced with your partner's may sound ideal, but rare in practice. Find out how to get back in the game when you are not in the mood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How good are you at loving yourself? What do you say to yourself when things don't go your way, you mess up or you're out of sorts? Chances are you may be overly critical and say negative things, to you, about you. This is a common experience for many and an opportunity to highlight where you need to do some healing. Join us today as we move the conversation beyond the power of co-regulation to th...

Involuntary celibacy (going more than 6 months without intercourse) within a committed relationship occurs more frequently than you would imagine. Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couple's therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they explore the reasons behind involuntary celibacy and what couples can do to address (and avoid) it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder how Laurie and George navigate a couple's distress? They use a map (mutual attachment patterns)! In today's episode, our experts share the map they use to help couples see the larger picture in their conflict. The emotional and sexual cycles interact and influence connection between partners. A missed bid for connection in the emotional cycle creates a ripple in the sexual cycle and a...

We’ve talked about what turns women on… let’s hear about men!! It might not be what you expect... We’re borrowing from Michael Castleman’s insightful research on male libido. Contrary to popular belief about what turns men on – a supermodel, beauty, lingerie… the research actually says there are much bigger, deeper factors. The #1 factor? Desire, feeling wanted. Let’s talk about some of the main f...

"Am I a pursuer or a withdrawer? I want to connect emotionally but I avoid sexual intimacy. Why does this happen?" In today's episode, our hosts address the reasons partners may switch roles in the emotional and sexual cycles. Join in as Laurie and George address why you show up as the pursuer in the emotional cycle and the withdrawer in the sexual cycle and vice versa. They detail the three attac...

The erogenous zones and beyond. Talking about how to get your lover hot! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Laurie and George today as they talk about the Care Giving cycle and how important it is for our partners and relationships to respond with care to our partner's needs, both expressed and unexpressed. Check out this episode's sponsor: Uberlube.com -- Laurie's favorite personal lubricant! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Different sex positions have different pluses and minuses in different situations. Join sex therapist and author Laurie Watson and couples therapist Dr. Adam Mathews as they discuss different positions for sex and where they each shine! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore the psychological and emotional effects of the ongoing Ukraine conflict on sexual intimacy for both those directly affected by the war and those living in its shadow. George recently visited Ukraine and heard first hand the issues couples are experiencing, thus inspiring today's show. Join us as we delve  into some challenges couples face in war-torn regions and the sex...

Wanna spice it up? What have you fantasized about doing? It takes vulnerability to tell each other about ideas for novelty and change. Are you willing to risk? Laurie and George talk about how couples choose to spice things up - ways that novelty can be gas petals or brakes for different couples often dividing the couple themselves. Porn, gummies, alcohol, vibrators, handcuffs, feathers, etc… and...

In this episode, we sit down with Colette Fehr, a relationship expert, to dive deep into all things menopause and sex! Colette is a certified EFT therapist, and co-host of the podcast 'Insights from the Couch-Mental Health at Midlife.' Colette shares her extensive knowledge on the biological, emotional and physical effects of menopause and how couples can navigate challenges together. She debunks...

Take our New Year’s Challenge! What is something you know thatyou do that hurts your relationship? Do you want to change this? We can so easily find what our partner does that hurts us, that justifies our own protective move of fight of flight. It can be difficult to want to change when it seems like our reactions make so much sense. But discovering what we do gives us the power to change the cycl...