Women's Desire: How Online Therapy Can Help

Low sexual desire in women is a common issue. When it causes distress, it's called hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction (HSDD). Two types of therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based therapy (MBT), can help. Both can be done online. A study looked at 212 women with HSDD. They were split into two groups. One group did CBT. The other did MBT. Both groups did eight online modules. They filled out surveys before and after treatment. They also filled out surveys at 3, 6, and 12 months. The study looked at nine things that might help explain why the treatments work. These include mindfulness, self-compassion, rumination, body connection, self-consciousness, relationship satisfaction, sexual communication, depression, and anxiety. Some of these things, like self-compassion and body connection, helped explain why the treatments worked. But the effects were small. They explained only up to 15% of the total effects. There were no big differences between CBT and MBT. The study shows that managing emotions and being aware of the body are important for treating HSDD. But more research is needed. Future studies should look at how to make these treatments even better.