An online sensate focus application to treat sexual desire discrepancy in intimate relationships: contrasting case studies

Abstract The present study provided an initial evaluation of an online, therapist-free sex therapy application for people struggling with sexual desire discrepancy in their relationship. In the mixed-methods case study, we provided an account of four users (two who improved and two who did not) who engaged in the intervention for eight weeks; the users answered weekly questions about their progress and completed an interview at the end of the study. We found that the intervention was very effective for some users with hope and confidence being related to higher improvement. Also seeing the problem as shared rather than one person’s issue helped make improvements. Communication (or lack thereof) was an important contributor to both the problem and the progress. The application can be used as a standalone treatment for sexual desire discrepancy or in combination with a therapist. LAY SUMMARY The manuscript describes the experience of four individuals who used an online sex therapy app for eight weeks to help with mismatched sexual desire in their relationship. Having hope things would get better, seeing the problem as shared, and beginning to communicate about sex helped improve outcomes.