23/06/2025
Working with s*xuality I have noticed that talking to your partner about s*x seems to be much more vulnerable than doing it. Given how unique our turn-ons and turn-offs are, and how that can change over time and with circumstances, it seems essential to keep talking to each other.
Opening up about your needs and desires can transform your relationship and S E X is one of the most intimate expressions of connection and vitality we have — a life-affirming meeting place of bodies, breath, hearts and minds.
Opening up about your desires and boundaries doesn’t just enrich your s*x life — it deepens your relationship as a whole. When we share what we like and don’t like, we also learn how to care for one another better.
Often, poor s*xual communication is a mirror for deeper patterns.
If a couple comes to me with a s*xual concern, it’s rarely isolated. Sometimes, a low desire issue is covering years of unspoken resentment. When intimacy is blocked, there are usually other places in the relationship where truth has been silenced.
Of course, timing and intention matter. Naming your needs is different from criticizing your partner. Don’t bring up things in a way that threatens or blames, instead, find your shared ground, and be gentle with one another.
Here are some possible suggestions to make these conversations less daunting — and even pleasurable.
START AS YOU WANT TO CONTINUE
If you’re at the beginning of a relationship, begin as you mean to go on. Talk early before silence sets in. Start small — maybe around topics like consent, contraception, or touch — and let the conversation expand over time.
When it comes to fantasies or deeper desires, go gently. Invite your partner in: "what’s something you’ve always wondered about, but never said aloud?" Take your time. This kind of trust is cultivated, not rushed.
NEVER TOO LATE
If it’s been years — or even decades — since you’ve talked openly about s*x, don’t let that stop you.
Try an amnesty - let go of the story so far and start again.
Begin with who you are NOW, and what you long for FROM HERE.
For those reconnecting after divorce, loss, or long silences, TRY TALKING about expectations before getting physically intimate. It’s never too late to communicate with honesty and care.
DARE TO SHARE - open up about your fantasies
We all have inner worlds rich with longing. But most of us don’t speak them aloud - those who do tend to have more fulfilled s*x lives.
Our fantasies fall into familiar themes: multiple partners, adventurous or rough s*x, emotional depth, voyeurism or kink, non-monogamy, and gender play. In truth, we’re not as strange as we think. Simply speaking our desires — even without acting on them — can be a gateway to intimacy, play, and aliveness.
TIMING
In the heat of the moment, we’re more exposed — physically and emotionally therefore try setting aside time when neither of you are distracted or rushed. A quiet walk. A cup of tea or wine on the couch. Date night. A shared bath.
Fantasies, however, may land better when there’s already arousal in the space as our natural defenses soften when we’re turned on — so the playful or taboo can feel less confronting. You might cue the moment with a film, music, or a candlelit evening.
YOUR BODY, YOUR PLEASURE
One of the most empowering shifts we can make is to reclaim our own pleasure.
Try things out with yourself for a while, focus on finding your own pleasure pathways. This can be deeply freeing — relieving the pressure to perform or please — and helps each person get clearer on what feels good in their own body.
If you know what brings you joy, it’s easier to share it.
No one can ‘give’ you an or**sm — you’re the one who gets to know, feel, and claim it.
COMMUNICATION
Your partner can’t read your mind. If you’re not up for s*x because you feel self-conscious, tired, or disconnected — say so gently. Otherwise, your silence might be misread as rejection.
How do you cope with a no?
And how do you *give* one?”
Clear communication creates safety.
You’re allowed to have reasons. You’re allowed to name them.
GENTLE REQUESTS, CORRECTIONS and AFFIRMATIONS
Use “I” statements — “I feel…” or “I’d love it if…” — instead of “You always…” or “You never…” as these can shut down connection fast. Feedback lands best when wrapped in warmth.
Lead with truth, feeling, and a fair request. For example: “I’ve noticed that you enjoy…” or “I feel closer when we…” — and then offer an invitation: “Would you be open to trying…?”
We all respond better to being celebrated than corrected. Let your words reflect the love you want to grow.
CURIOUSITY
Talking about s*x isn’t just about saying the right things — it’s about listening deeply, without rushing to defend or fix.
One of the greatest barriers to communication is not what people say, but what they don’t hear. Many of us spend the conversation preparing our response instead of truly listening.
Try cultivating curiosity with questions, such as, “Tell me more about that,” and mean it.
Let go of being right.
Let go of knowing.
Allow space for your partner’s truth to exist beside your own.
This is how healing happens — not just in s*x, but in all our relating.