[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-347803-105":59,"doc-detail-347803-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","reclaiming-the-lost-art-of-sensate-focus-a-clinicians-guide","Reclaiming the Lost Art of Sensate Focus - A Clinician’s Guide","","Reclaiming the Lost Art of Sensate Focus outlines a clinician’s approach to Sensate Focus, a research-informed intervention for managing performance anxiety and reducing interference with sexual involvement. It distinguishes Sensate Focus from erotic touch exercises by emphasizing touching for personal interest and exploration rather than for pleasure or arousal. The guide provides session structure, preparation steps, nonverbal communication principles, and staged progression from body exploration to mutual touching while maintaining attention to TPT (temperature, pressure, texture).",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/reclaiming-the-lost-art-of-sensate-focus-a-clinicians-guide/347803/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/reclaiming-the-lost-art-of-sensate-focus-a-clinicians-guide/347803.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Mary Man","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-23","2026-09-22",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":39},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is Sensate Focus and what problem is it designed to address?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Sensate Focus is a hierarchical series of touch exercises aimed initially at reducing performance expectations that create anxiety and fear of performance, which can interfere with sexual involvement.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does Sensate Focus differ from erotic touch exercises?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Sensate Focus emphasizes touching for one’s own interest, curiosity, and exploration, not to achieve pleasure or arousal for oneself or one’s partner.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What does a clinician instruct clients to focus on during the exercises?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Clients are guided to focus on concrete sensory aspects of touch—temperature, pressure, and texture (TPT)—and to refocus on TPT whenever distracted by thoughts or sensations like anxiety or arousal.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},347803,1790625056,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":39,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":19,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":52},7421720224475,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","SEPTEMBER // OCTOBER 2014  \nTHE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY  \nResearch-informed therapists  \nReflections on research:  \nA look at the state of research in MFT and possible paths forward to more evidencebased innovations  \npage 14  \nBalancing intuition and research: Using research knowledge to create partnership with clients  \npage 20  \nKnowledge, attitudes, and skills:  \nEffectively training the next generation of therapists  \npage 24  \nperspectives   \nReclaiming the Lost Art of Sensate Focus: A Clinician’s Guide  \nLinda Weiner, MSW Neil Cannon, PhD Constance Avery-Clark, PhD  \nSensate Focus is a widely used, long-standing intervention strategy for treating a multitude of sexual and relationship difficulties. A recent study of sexologists found that more than 85 percent of 115 respondents utilizesensate focus in their practice today, in some fashion (Weiner & Stiritz, 2014) . While Drs. William Masters and Virginia Johnson (Masters & Johnson, 1970) developed Sensate Focus, their publications have left many clinicians confused about the difference between Sensate Focus and erotic touch exercises.  \nWhat Is Sensate Focus?  \nSensate Focus is a hierarchical series of touch exercises aimed in its initial phase at managing or eliminating performance expectations for any specific emotion, whether it be pleasure, relaxation, or arousal. These performance demands result in anxiety, or fears of performance, that interfere with sexual involvement (Weiner & Avery-Clark, 2014) . The critical difference between Sensate Focus and erotic touch exercises is that Sensate Focus involves touching for one’s own interest, curosity, and exploration, not for one’s pleasure or arousal, and not for one’s partner’s pleasure or arousal. When couples get distracted with anxious thoughts while engaged in Sensate Focus, they are taught to mindfully focus on and explore the concrete and reliably available aspects of touch, namely temperature, pressure, and texture (TPT) .  \nHow it works  \nSuggest that your clients:  \n• Dedicate one hour of uninterrupted time, two or three times a week, to Sensate Focus  \n• Disconnect from electronics, pets, children, or other distractions  \n• Take turns touching, and alternate who initiates the touch (although the more anxious client may initiate the early sessions)  \n• Make sure that:  \n-There is some lighting in the room  \n-There is comfortable temperature  \n• Remove as much clothing as possible, preferably all  \n• Use only non-verbal communication to maintain sensory focus  \n• Keep eyes opened or closed, whichever aids absorption  \n• Avoid alcohol or recreational drug use  \nTouch  \nThe goal is for each of your clients to focus entirely on his or her own touch experience. Intentional sexual pleasuring, orgasmic release, and/or intercourse are strongly discouraged during the first stages of Sensate Focus.  \nInstead, each is to turn his or her attention to TPT as often  \n46 FAMILY THERAPY MAGAZINE  \nas needed, focusing on: What is the temperature? Where is it cooler or warmer? Is the hair and skin texture smooth? Dry? Rough? What is harder or firmer? Where is it lighter or softer?  \nIn order to emphasize the non-demand attitude of touching for one’s own exploration, clients are encouraged at first to avoid breasts, chest, and genitals. If arousal occurs, let your clients know that this is completely natural. They should experience the aroused feeling without doing anything about it, and then return their focus to TPT. If orgasm occurs, they are encouraged to continue with the touching.  \nThese points are continually reinforced by the clinician who emphasizes:  \n• Touch for your own interest and curiosity. Sensate Focus is not massage, it is not sex, and it is not intended to arouse you or your partner, although it may. If arousal occurs, just notice and refocus on TPT  \n• Touch using hands and fingers only; no kissing or full body contact  \n• Include all of the body in the contact, except for areas t","cbCaiiZ7q8AD5Mmc","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiZ7q8AD5Mmc","pdf",517290,"English","# Reflections on research: A look at the state of research in MFT and possible paths forward to more evidencebased innovations\n## Balancing intuition and research: Using research knowledge to create partnership with clients\n## Knowledge, attitudes, and skills: Effectively training the next generation of therapists\n# Reclaiming the Lost Art of Sensate Focus: A Clinician’s Guide\n## What Is Sensate Focus?\n## How it works\n## Touch\n## Stage I: Body exploration without touching the breasts and genitals\n## Stage II: Body exploration with breast and genital touching\n## Stage III: Mutual touching","[{\"question\":\"What is Sensate Focus and what problem is it designed to address?\",\"answer\":\"Sensate Focus is a hierarchical series of touch exercises aimed initially at reducing performance expectations that create anxiety and fear of performance, which can interfere with sexual involvement.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Sensate Focus differ from erotic touch exercises?\",\"answer\":\"Sensate Focus emphasizes touching for one’s own interest, curiosity, and exploration, not to achieve pleasure or arousal for oneself or one’s partner.\"},{\"question\":\"What does a clinician instruct clients to focus on during the exercises?\",\"answer\":\"Clients are guided to focus on concrete sensory aspects of touch—temperature, pressure, and texture (TPT)—and to refocus on TPT whenever distracted by thoughts or sensations like anxiety or arousal.\"}]","Reclaiming the Lost Art of Sensate Focus - A Clinician’s Guide | PDF",1790069204]