University College London conducted research into users’ experience of STL by asking them questions before and after their use of our interactive sex therapy programmes.
The research found that STL met many of the users' wants and needs, including:
- Increased awareness/understanding of their difficulty
- Greater acceptance of themselves and their difficulty
- Increased clarity about the problem and whether it warrants seeking professional help
- Increased knowledge on what help/services are available
- Feeling more relaxed during sex
- Enjoying sex more
- Feeling less embarrassed/ashamed
- Gained practical skills to deal with the difficulty more effectively
- Improved communication with partner
- Experienced fewer erectile difficulties
- Experienced stronger erections
There were also a range of unanticipated outcomes reported by users, which suggests that in some ways the intervention surpassed expectations. These included:
- Feeling less alone
- Greater understanding of the partner's perspective
- Increased confidence (sexual self-confidence, confidence to manage the difficulty and confidence to seek further help if needed)
- Increased motivation (to work on change or seek further help if needed)
- Difficulty perceived to be less of a problem than before
- More hopeful/optimistic about the difficulty
- Changes in partner (e.g. partner more supportive or partner more affectionate)
