Jones Sara, Albuquerque Sara, Pascoal Patrícia M
School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal.
HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal.
Int J Sex Health. 2024 May 20;36(3):425-437. doi: 10.1080/19317611.2024.2354815. eCollection 2024.
The interaction between sexual intimacy and grief remains unexplored despite its potential to offer valuable insights into how individuals, couples, and society perspectives shape bereaved individuals' sexual intimacy. Through semi-structured interviews with ten clinical psychologists and psychotherapists specialized in grief therapy, this study explores the impact of grief on sexual intimacy, the challenges faced by bereaved individuals, and the role of sexual intimacy in the grieving process. The study also investigates therapists' approaches to addressing sexual intimacy within grief therapy sessions. Findings reveal that grief often disrupts sexual intimacy, affecting individuals' ability to engage emotionally and physically with their partners. Factors such as secondary loss, emotional availability, traumatic experiences, and the nature of the loss contribute to difficulties in resuming sexual intimacy. Nevertheless, the helpful role of sexual intimacy in grief was also highlighted. Therapists note the significance of communication, mutual empathy, and understanding in overcoming these challenges, advocating for therapy to address these issues comprehensively. Moreover, therapist-related, client-related, and shared factors hindering the exploration of sexual intimacy in grief therapy were identified. Strategies for managing these challenges include normalizing discussions around sexual intimacy and death, integrating systemic approaches into therapy, and providing training in sexuality or sexual therapy for grief therapists. Overall, this study underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing the interplay between sexual intimacy and grief to support bereaved individuals effectively. Insights from therapists shed light on potential avenues for enhancing clinical interventions and fostering awareness of the complex dynamics surrounding bereavement and sexuality.
尽管性亲密与悲伤之间的相互作用有可能为个人、夫妻和社会观点如何塑造丧偶者的性亲密提供有价值的见解，但这一领域仍未得到探索。通过对十位专门从事悲伤治疗的临床心理学家和心理治疗师进行半结构化访谈，本研究探讨了悲伤对性亲密的影响、丧偶者面临的挑战以及性亲密在悲伤过程中的作用。该研究还调查了治疗师在悲伤治疗过程中处理性亲密问题的方法。研究结果表明，悲伤常常会扰乱性亲密，影响个体在情感和身体上与伴侣互动的能力。诸如次生损失、情感可得性、创伤经历以及损失的性质等因素导致恢复性亲密存在困难。然而，性亲密在悲伤中的有益作用也得到了强调。治疗师指出，沟通、相互同理心和理解在克服这些挑战方面具有重要意义，主张通过治疗全面解决这些问题。此外，还确定了阻碍在悲伤治疗中探索性亲密的与治疗师相关、与客户相关以及共同的因素。应对这些挑战的策略包括使围绕性亲密和死亡的讨论常态化、将系统方法融入治疗以及为悲伤治疗师提供性或性治疗方面的培训。总体而言，本研究强调了认识和解决性亲密与悲伤之间相互作用以有效支持丧偶者的重要性。治疗师的见解为加强临床干预以及提高对围绕丧亲和性的复杂动态的认识提供了潜在途径。
