Mindfulness-based intervention and sexuality: a systematic review

Objectives:  Mindfulness has generated considerable interest in the last 2 decades in clinical and research settings. The efficacy of mindfulness has been evaluated for the sexual dysfunctions recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) and other sexual problems, such as compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), also known as sex addiction or hypersexuality. Here, we review the evidence for various mindfulness-based treatments (MBT), such as mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral treatment or mindfulness-based relapse prevention, for different problems related to sexuality to answer our question: "Are mindfulness-based treatments effective in reducing the symptomatology of sexuality-related disorders?"

Methods:  Through a systematic search conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we found 11 studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (I) articles using MBT for sexuality-related problems; (II) clinical population; (III) no date range limits were applied; (IV) only empirical studies were included; (V) language; and (VI) quality of studies.

Results:  Evidence shows that mindfulness practice could be effective for some sexual disorders, such as female sexual arousal/desire disorder. However, due to scarcity of studies on other sexual problems such as situational erectile dysfunction, genitopelvic pain/penetration disorder, childhood sexual abuse, or CSBD, the findings cannot be generalized.

Conclusion:  There is evidence that mindfulness-based therapies can reduce the symptomatology associated with various sexual problems. However, more studies are needed for these sexual problems. The study concludes with a discussion of future directions and implications.

Keywords:
Sexual disorders; aware; treatments; evidence; sexual dysfunctions