Sex After Cancer: The Mind-Body Connection
Sex After Cancer: The Mind-Body Connection
Cancer does not mean the end of your sex life — no matter what type you have. Different people react in different ways to treatment, so there’s no one way to guarantee you’ll still be having great sex all the time. However, there are so many different solutions to the various sexual problems that can develop during or after cancer treatment. One of the most important things to remember as you think about sexuality after cancer, is the mind-body connection.
Dr. Jeanne Carter, a sexual psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said that taking care of cognitive factors when it comes to sexuality is a huge part of the healing process. “A lot of women have fear of pain, fear of performance, their partners can have fear of hurting their partner … but there is a way to bring fun and pleasure back into the bedroom. It just takes some simple strategies and a lot of communication and some patience,” Dr. Carter said.
Dr. Carter also said that the most important part of the process isn’t necessarily self-love, but re-learning how to connect with yourself and your feelings. “There’s was actually a really great study … where they did a mindfulness intervention. The mindfulness intervention helped them feel more connected to their body, and actually helped them to learn how to relax in order to connect to their body,” Dr. Carter said.
The ultimate goal with the mindfulness intervention was to make women feel more comfortable with themselves, which ultimately allows them to feel mentally turned on.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Cancer does not mean the end of your sex life — no matter what type you have. Different people react in different ways to treatment, so there’s no one way to guarantee you’ll still be having great sex all the time. However, there are so many different solutions to the various sexual problems that can develop during or after cancer treatment. One of the most important things to remember as you think about sexuality after cancer, is the mind-body connection.
Dr. Jeanne Carter, a sexual psychologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said that taking care of cognitive factors when it comes to sexuality is a huge part of the healing process. “A lot of women have fear of pain, fear of performance, their partners can have fear of hurting their partner … but there is a way to bring fun and pleasure back into the bedroom. It just takes some simple strategies and a lot of communication and some patience,” Dr. Carter said.
Dr. Carter also said that the most important part of the process isn’t necessarily self-love, but re-learning how to connect with yourself and your feelings. “There’s was actually a really great study … where they did a mindfulness intervention. The mindfulness intervention helped them feel more connected to their body, and actually helped them to learn how to relax in order to connect to their body,” Dr. Carter said.
The ultimate goal with the mindfulness intervention was to make women feel more comfortable with themselves, which ultimately allows them to feel mentally turned on.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.