Painful Sex and the Law

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=160 BGCOLOR="#333333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03cdedc2ddualp.png"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQs"><U><B>FAQs</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Dr. Silverman"><U><B>About Dr. Silverman</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great links"><U><B>Great links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mind Reader© archive"><U><B>The Mind Reader© archive</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="03d64643.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#666633" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D</B></FONT>    |     <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dr. Wade Silverman, Ph.D"><U>home</U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Painful Sex and the Law</div> <bR> <div>     Those of you who practice family law know that one of the major </div> <div> difficulties in a troubled marriage is the sexual relationship. It may </div> <div> either be a cause or consequence of marital discord, usually the latter. </div> <div> Suffice it to say that work with a client affected with this type of problem </div> <div> is highly emotional, demanding understanding, discretion, and empathy. His or </div> <div> her reconciliation or ability to adapt to a divorce might be at stake. In an </div> <div> adversarial arena, this topic can be very painful and should be brought up </div> <div> only as a last resort and then only after serious consideration of the </div> <div> long-term best interests of the individuals and family. </div> <div>     One example of a sexual disorder frequently found with unhappy couples is </div> <div> Dyspareunia. This is a sexual disorder in which there is a recurrent or </div> <div> persistent pain associated with sexual intercourse. This can occur in both </div> <div> men and women. It is not due to lack of lubrication or a general medical </div> <div> condition. Unfortunately, the affected individual may feel guilty about not </div> <div> performing. He or she then finds ways to avoid intimate contact altogether. </div> <div> This only serves to worsen an already deteriorating relationship. </div> <div>    Professional help is required to assess whether this problem stems from </div> <div> the individual, the relationship, or both. Seldom if ever is anyone to blame </div> <div> for these difficulties unless there has been a history of abuse and/or </div> <div> humiliation. Rather sexual interest wanes when closeness, intimacy, love and </div> <div> affection wane.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>