The Use of Audio-Visual Materials in Therapy

Abstract

In dealing with the sexual problems of patients, whether these patients are presenting a sexual dysfunction, a marital problem involving sex, or some form of sexual inhibition, it appears to me that one of the first and foremost functions of a therapist is to undo the negative conditioning of the past, and to supplant it with a receptivity and an exuberance toward sexual variety and sexual abandonment that will enable patients to move toward a more functional and healthy sexual life. One of the ways this can be done is through audio and visual materials. There is a body of data on the effect of sexually explicit materials on the average person; but, to my knowledge, there is little or no research of this kind on sexually dysfunctional people. Because there are little, if any, data to support the value of such stimuli, I will report on my own clinical practice, my own observations, and my own patient feedback which have helped me develop the procedures I have used with my own clientele.