Erectile Dysfunction Therapy in New York
Erections sometimes have a habit of not doing what we want them to.
Maybe everything goes fine until the moment you start thinking, What if I lose my erection again? Or perhaps you have started to avoid sex altogether because you’re worried about disappointing your partner.
Erectile dysfunction can impact your confidence, relationships, identity, and the way you think about your sexuality. And once anxiety and shame enter the picture, the issue can become even harder to resolve.
I provide erectile dysfunction therapy in New York for adults, couples, and polycues who want a better understanding of what is affecting their sexual functioning and to make sex feel more pleasurable again.
Together, we can look at the different factors that may be contributing without assuming that your erection is the only measure of whether sex is “successful.”
Meet Your Erectile Dysfunction Therapist in NYC, Emily Lambert Robins
Hi, I’m Emily Lambert Robins, LCSW, AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, Certified Imago Relationship Therapist, former attorney, and relationship and sex nerd.
My approach to working with erectile dysfunction is warm and nonjudgmental. Nothing is too awkward to bring into the therapy room. We can talk about orgasms, Viagra, anxiety, porn, or just about what happened during sex last Friday night.
As an AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, my aim is to help you look at the whole picture. This may mean looking at physical health, emotional health, medication, stress, relationship dynamics, sexual history, beliefs about sex, and what happens in your body and mind when you become intimate.
How Common Is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is more common than many people realize. In fact, research shows that between 30 and 50 million men in the US experience it.
Having occasional difficulty getting or keeping an erection does not necessarily mean that something is wrong. But if erectile difficulties are happening regularly or starting to affect your confidence and relationships, then it may be worth looking at more closely. Erectile dysfunction therapy in New York could help.
What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?
ED usually does not have just one single cause. It can be influenced by physical conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hormonal changes, and some neurological conditions. But physical health is only part of the picture.
Stress, anxiety, trauma, depression, body image concerns, and relationship problems can also contribute to ED. And, sometimes several of these factors are happening at once.
This is why getting medical care is an important part of treatment, especially when symptoms are new or unexplained. However, if your doctor tells you that everything looks okay physically, then therapy may be able to help you address the other pieces of the puzzle.
Symptoms of Psychological Erectile Dysfunction
When erectile dysfunction is primarily influenced by psychological or emotional factors, it is often referred to as “psychogenic ED” or “psychological ED.” Signs that psychological factors may be contributing include when you…
Can get erections when masturbating but struggle with a partner
Wake up with erections but have trouble maintaining one during partnered sex
Have erectile difficulties only during specific situations
Notice yourself monitoring your erection throughout sex
Become anxious before or during sexual activity
Notice that erectile difficulties worsen during periods of heightened stress
Have worries about how you “perform” during sex
Part of sex therapy or Erectile dysfunction therapy in New York may include looking into these emotional factors and patterns that increase shame, anxiety, or stress surrounding sex. This way, we can work to help you feel less focused on whether your body is “performing” the way you think it should.
Does Depression Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
Depression and erectile dysfunction can be connected.
Depression can impact sexual desire, energy, pleasure, and confidence. Plus, the anxiety and negative thoughts that occur with depression may make sex more difficult. At the same time, some medications used to treat depression can affect sexual functioning.
So if you’re experiencing depression and erectile dysfunction, there may not be one simple explanation.
Can Therapy Help With Depression-Related ED?
Depression-related erectile dysfunction treatment in NYC may explore how depression is impacting your desire, confidence, relationships, and ability to experience pleasure. It can also help you work on the negative thoughts that have become attached to erectile difficulties.
Therapy can help you sort out what your body is doing and separate it from the story you have learned to tell yourself about what this means.
If depression is also significantly impacting your daily life, we can also look at broader emotional health and figure out if additional support may be helpful.
How Erectile Dysfunction Therapy in NYC Works
There isn’t one set formula for erectile dysfunction therapy in New York because ED doesn’t have one universal cause.
When you come to sex therapy, we will start by understanding your experience. This could include talking about when the erectile difficulties began, your physical and mental health, your sexual experiences, and how you actually want your sex life to look.
Here is an outline of what you can expect:
Understanding What Is Maintaining the Problem
Sometimes what originally caused ED is not what keeps it going. Identifying the cycle can give us places to intervene.
Challenging Sexual Beliefs
Many people grow up with rigid ideas about what sex is supposed to look like, and these beliefs can make normal variations in sex feel like a really big deal. Therapy gives us room to question these beliefs.
Reducing Performance Anxiety
Your penis does not need to receive a performance review after every sexual encounter.
If sex has become a test about whether you can get and maintain an erection, then we need to take some of the pressure out of the equation. We might look at anxious thoughts or ways to stay more connected to physical sensation.
Improving Communication With Your Partner
Erectile dysfunction rarely impacts just one person.
Because I specialize in both sexual and relationship concerns, couples therapy can be woven into Erectile dysfunction therapy in New York when relationship dynamics are part of the issue.
Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Options in New York
Treatment for erectile dysfunction depends on what is contributing to it.
I do not prescribe medications such as Viagra or Cialis, and sex therapy is not a replacement for appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. But therapy can work alongside medical treatment.
As your erectile dysfunction therapist, I can also work with medical providers if needed, so that we are considering your sexual health from multiple angles instead of trying to force everything into one category.
FAQs About Erectile Dysfunction
If you have any lingering questions about erectile dysfunction therapy in New York, the following answers to common questions might help clear things up.
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Yes.
Sex therapy can complement medical treatment for erectile dysfunction. Medication may help address the physical aspects of ED, while therapy can help address issues like anxiety, shame, and communication.
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Erectile dysfunction can happen at any age.
Younger adults may experience ED related to stress, relationship concerns, substance use, medication, performance anxiety, or other factors. But if ED is new or ongoing, the best first step is to contact a medical provider to rule out potential medical causes.
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ED can be frustrating for both partners.
Consider communicating with your partner about how you are feeling at a time when you are not in the middle of a sexual encounter. But if they’re okay with communicating during this time, go with your gut.
Reassure your partner that intimacy doesn’t entirely depend on penetration or maintaining an erection. There are other forms of sexual and physical connection.
If ED has started causing conflict or resentment in the relationship, then attending therapy together may help you and your partner learn how to approach the issue in a way that focuses on maintaining connection and returning to pleasure.
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Yes.
I provide virtual erectile dysfunction therapy for clients located in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. This means you can attend sessions from a private space without having to commute across New York City.
Start Erectile Dysfunction Therapy in New York
As an AASECT-Certified Sex Therapist, I provide erectile dysfunction therapy in New York for individuals, couples, and polycules who want to understand what’s happening and move toward a sex life that feels more connected and pleasurable.
Your erection is part of your sexual experience. But it doesn’t have to define it.
Schedule a free consultation, and we can take it from there.