Issues of transference in sex therapy

When Masters and Johnson introduced the new sex therapy, it was thought that transference responses and related psychodynamic factors did not have an essential role in the treatment of sexual dysfunction. However, subsequent clinical experience has shown that in a substantial number of cases transference phenomena are crucial and need to be worked with in order for the treatment to be successful. This paper reports on the types of transference reactions observed, the process by which sex therapy energizes these reactions, and the therapist's role in dealing with them. Two cases are presented as illustrations of this process.