![]() ![]() Engaging in sexual activity can bring up worries about their attractiveness, their ability to perform, or may increase feelings of shame or guilt. These bodily reactions mimic the physical “fight or flight” responses people experience during a panic attack, so much so that some individuals will go to great lengths to avoid feeling them at all.Īdditionally, people who already suffer anxiety may choose to forego sexual encounters so they don’t have to add more fears to their list of concerns. Muscles aches, tense or clenched musclesīut, why would these symptoms cause someone to avoid the comfort of a physical relationship? One reason is that the act of intimacy raises your heart rate, induces heavier breathing, and makes you sweat.Fatigue, particularly if they aren’t sleeping well.Insomnia, trouble falling asleep or problems with staying asleep.Physically, the Mayo Clinic reports people with an anxiety disorder may experience the symptoms of: When a person has an anxiety disorder, they suffer physical effects along with their mental stress. In some cases, people with anxiety disorders also shun sexual encounters. However, not everyone who has been abused will avoid sex, just as not every person who shuns physical intimacy has been abused. The most obvious is the case of a person who has suffered childhood sexual abuse and now dodges anything that brings the trauma back up in their mind. ![]() There are various reasons for avoiding sex. Sexual Aversion Disorder can be so traumatic that the person won’t allow any physical touch or kissing. Often, the person will even avoid genital contact related to a gynecological exam or procedure. ![]() With this disorder, the individual actively seeks to avoid genital sexual contact with a sexual partner. On the other extreme, the American Psychological Association has classified an actual disorder called Sexual Aversion Disorder. Or, they may take it a step further and turn down their spouse or partner’s desire for physical closeness more often than not. In some cases, the sexual anorexic may enjoy physical intimacy once it has been initiated, but may not be able to instigate sex. Sex avoidance can come in the form of sexual anorexia, which happens when sex and intimacy are obsessively evaded in the same way anorexics shun food. They may also experience humiliation, shame, and low self-esteem for rejecting their partner.Īs with any condition, there are people who fall on either end of the spectrum. When thinking of intimacy or engaging in sex, the person with sexual avoidance feels emotional distress and physical symptoms, such as nausea and tensed muscles, or they may have panic attacks. In general, the aversion toward sex is a defense mechanism. Things like performance fears, being distressed and upset, and low libido can make people even more anxious and can lead to the avoidance of sex. ![]() And yet, sex avoidance is just as shattering – perhaps even more so, because a person with sex avoidance shuns intimacy and the enjoyment that comes with having a sincere connection to a loving partner.Īdditionally, while sexual avoidance can be troubling on its own, it is also often a side effect of having an anxiety disorder. But, while sex addiction is recognized and there are rehab centers and support groups that can provide help, its polar opposite – sex avoidance – is hardly ever discussed. Most people are somewhat familiar with the term “sex addiction”, particularly because they’ve heard about the occasional movie star or entertainer who seeks treatment for their compulsion. ![]()
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