SEX, ATTACHMENT, AND COUPLE PSYCHOTHERAPY Psychoanalytic Perspectives

Let us be frank. This book is a bit obvious. I mean, would the man in the street be surprised that problems in romantic relationships have a sexual dimension? Isn’t attachment and sex what coupling is all about? And why shouldn’t people talk about it when they go for therapy? After all, sex is one of the main reasons why we form relationships, and when it goes wrong we talk about it in the hope of sorting it out. Indeed, it would be quite surprising if the process of offering psychological help to couples in trouble did not involve addressing sexual difficulties as a major component of the therapeutic work. As Christopher Clulow aptly notes, “sex permeates every fibre of the dating couple”. So why do we need this book? And why do we need it particularly from a psychoanalytic perspective?