Desire disorders remain the most baffling problem facing sex therapists today. Originally identified by Helen Singer Kaplan in her groundbreaking book, Disorders of Sexual Desire (1979) the understanding of this problem remains challenging. Early research in sex therapy focused on performance and anxiety factors and treatment modalities have been most effective in treatment of erectile and orgasmic difficulties. However, problems of passion do not have their etiology in anxiety but rest within the couple relationship. The early field of sexual therapy, driven by excellent physiological research largely ignored the rich body of marital research and understanding. Multiple factors contribute to variability in sexual desire throughout one’s life time. We understand that the mystery of passion is far more complex and multiple factors in addition to anxiety affect changes in passion throughout one’s lifetime. Early in a relationship passion is robust but frequently lessens with time and maturity. The marriage of sex and couple research is crucial to unraveling the mystery of changes in sexual passion throughout a lifetime. Throughout one\'s lifetime the ebb and flow of erotic feelings are connected to hormonal, intrapsychic, interpersonal, physiological, chemical, developmental and sociological factors. Helen Fisher in the First Sex, (2000) differentiates lust, romantic attraction and attachment. Her research indicates that the physiological components of these stages differ considerably and therefore lust changes as the relationship matures. Passion, which is partially hormonal, drives the engine with testosterone and estrogen interacting differently in men and women. In women, behavioral concomitants of lustful feelings are stirred by talking, touching and telling, whereas for men visual components are salient. In addition, there is a marked contribution to sexual changes effected by couple disturbance. Works of Schnarch, (2001) Brackelman’s (2006) and Deida (2003) will be considered in providing a framework for treatment of desire disorders.
Conflict of Interest: None disclosed
Financial Support/Funding: None disclosed
Sydney, Australia, April 2007
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