The Effects of PTSD on Relationships

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can result from living through combat, being the victim of a violent crime, experiencing a devastating disaster and other traumatizing incidents. The condition has serious implications not only for the person who survives these traumas, but often for those closest to the survivor as well. PTSD negatively impacts relationships in terms of intimacy, trust, effective communication and the ability to strategize toward problem resolution. If you or someone you love is living with PTSD here are some things to keep in mind.

Rape Within Marriage

Marriage is the legal contract of a union between a couple, commonly between a man and a woman, although that situation is changing throughout the US to allow non-heterosexual couples to wed. There are expectations that come with marrying someone, and one of those expectations is that there will be sexual activity between the two participants. Of course many now choose not to marry, and sexual activity occurs outside of the marriage contract. However, the contract of marriage has been deemed to confer consent to sexual activity and sex is understood as essential to marriage and the expectation of procreation (should the couple choose).

Compulsive Masturbation May Become Method for Avoiding Relationships

Claiming a greater segment of recent conversations and articles in the ever-expanding subject of sexual compulsivity and sexual addiction is the element of self-sex – also referred to as an addiction to masturbation, or compulsive acts of masturbation.

Fighting the Good Fight in A Recovering Relationship

By Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S

Looking away as tears trickled from her vibrant blue eyes, Miriam discussed a recent fight with her spouse Joe.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Deciding if a Relationship is Right for the Long-Term

By Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S

Jason is troubled. Despite a solid year of dating Ellen, the kind of woman all his friends call "a keeper", he is having doubts about whether or not he wants to remain together. While nothing specifically bad has gone wrong happened, he is worried that they are growing apart. "When we first met it was magic, we couldn’t get enough of each other in every way, our sex-life was intense and frequent. Now it’s like we are bored with each other and my interests – sexual and otherwise – are wandering toward others. Does this mean that Ellen may not be the right girl after all? How do I figure this out?"