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The Impact of Mindfulness Therapy on Sexual Satisfaction in Couples Living with Neurological Disabilities: A Phenomenological Analysis of a Single Case

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Abstract

Research regarding sexuality following neurological disabilities has focused on either men or women separately, without considering couples and how intimate relationships may be influenced. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the effects of a modified 8-week mindfulness intervention on sexual satisfaction in a couple where one partner was living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). One couple with the female living with relapsing remitting MS and an able-bodied male participated in the study. The mindfulness intervention was administered to the couple via a booklet and the mindfulness exercises were explained verbally after the baseline interview. The booklet contained a total of eight mindfulness-based exercises for each week of the intervention. The mindfulness exercises from week one to week five were to be completed individually while Sensate Focus exercises from week six to eight were completed as a couple. The exercises were carried out by the couple at home. In addition, the intervention included a psycho-education session at week five of the intervention. Data was collected through an in-depth phenomenological interview of the couple, conducted at baseline and following the completion of the 8-week intervention. The couple reported an improvement in communication, understanding, and awareness. Sensate Focus exercises enhanced intimacy between the couple. The findings of this study show promise for mindfulness-based therapies to enhance sexual satisfaction in couples living with neurological disabilities.

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Acknowledgements

We warmly thank Tim Sullivan for his help in transcription and qualitative data analysis. We would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Lori A. Brotto for recommending valuable resources for the study and for her important contributions to the area of mindfulness-based interventions and sexuality. We are incredibly grateful to the couple who participated in the study.

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Merna Seliman, Maureen Connolly & David S. Ditor

  2. POWER CORD Accessible Exercise at the Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being, 130 Lockhart Drive, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Merna Seliman & David S. Ditor

  3. Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University, 1202 Western Rd, London, ON, Canada

    Merna Seliman

  4. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

    Martin Dragan

Authors
  1. Merna Seliman
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  2. Martin Dragan
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  3. Maureen Connolly
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  4. David S. Ditor
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by MS and Dr. MD. Data analysis was performed by MS and Dr. MC. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MS and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Merna Seliman.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Ethical Approval

Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Brock University. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the Brock University Social Science Research Ethics Board on 11/19/2018. (File 18–089 – DITOR).

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Participants have provided informed consent for the publication of their data.

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Seliman, M., Dragan, M., Connolly, M. et al. The Impact of Mindfulness Therapy on Sexual Satisfaction in Couples Living with Neurological Disabilities: A Phenomenological Analysis of a Single Case. Sex Disabil 40, 519–538 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-022-09738-y

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