An Invitation to Escape Sexual Tyranny

This article reviews some of the potentially restraining or constraining belief systems for therapists who are helping couples with sexual issues. The tyranny of patriarchal assumptions is seldom seen more clearly or felt more acutely than in sexual matters. The belief in sexual intercourse as “true sex” invites women into sexual submission and men into sexual dominance. Sexual intercourse itself is not an equal sexual opportunity for each gender. A case study and suggestions for relevant questions illustrate this problem and its potential solution.