There is no single way that people are affected by sexual trauma.

The impact is shaped by many factors, including a person’s stage of development when the trauma occurred, the nature and duration of the experiences, the support and resources available to them, their broader relational and cultural environment, and their pre-existing psychological functioning. As a result, people adapt to trauma in highly individual ways.

Ideas about emotional intimacy are often framed in neuro-normative ways. Many relationship guides emphasise long conversations, sharing thoughts and feelings, and verbally exploring each other’s internal worlds.

If you are familiar with the neuroaffirming movement, you may have heard people talk about understanding their sensory profile — the ways our bodies experience and respond to sensory input such as touch, sound, light, or smell.

Emotional intimacy is one of the foundations of a healthy relationship. It develops when partners feel safe to share their inner experiences and feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood.

Many people worry when they realise they want sex more often than their partner. Differences in libido or sexual desire are one of the most common issues couples face, yet people rarely talk openly about it.

“Cheating” is often discussed as though it has a clear, universal definition. In reality, what counts as cheating varies widely between individuals, relationships, cultures, and personal histories.

Sexually intrusive thoughts can be deeply distressing. They often appear unexpectedly and involve content that feels disturbing, shocking, or completely at odds with a person’s values.

The key difference lies not in whether conflict occurs, but in how power, safety, responsibility, and repair are handled over time.

Sharing a home brings boundary differences into sharp focus. How each partner manages work, family, and external relationships will directly affect the shared space.

Porn use within relationships can bring up complex and often conflicting feelings. For some people, it feels neutral or even positive. For others, it can feel deeply unsettling, painful, or threatening.

When you are in a relationship with someone who has a history of trauma, intimacy itself can become a powerful trigger.

This may be because the trauma occurred in a relational or sexual context, or because being close to another person inevitably brings you into contact with the parts of them that hold fear, threat, or memories of past harm.

In the early stages of a relationship, everything is new — your partner’s body, their touch, the emotional charge between you, and the physical sensations that come with being desired and choosing someone new.

When we think about the division of labour in relationships, the focus is often on practical tasks: who does the dishes, cleans the bathroom, manages the groceries, or makes dinner. These tasks require time, organisation, and effort, and they are essential to the day-to-day functioning of shared life.

There are many incredible benefits now available when it comes to emotional support, but it’s also important to hold in mind the limitations AI presents in comparison to therapy.

The double empathy theory challenges the outdated idea that autistic people “lack social skills”, and instead highlights that communication is a two-way street.

Antidepressant medications can be life-changing and play an important role in supporting mental and sexual wellbeing, especially when used alongside other therapeutic interventions like talk-based therapy.

It’s one of the most common concerns individuals, couples, and people in different relationship dynamics bring to therapy: “Why don’t I feel desire for my partner anymore?”