Raul sought therapy because his formicophilia (sexual arousal derived from having small insects crawl all over your body or genitals and usually bite or sting you as they do so) was interfering with his everyday life and caused him distress. During his treatment, his physician had him masturbate to an appropriate fantasy and then masturbate again immediately following orgasm to the insect fantasy. The hope is that the decreased sex drive on the second masturbation attempt will make the insect experience less exciting, and eventually the pairing between the insect fantasy and sexual arousal will diminish. What form of therapy is being used?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This therapy is known as satiation. The technique involves having the patient engage in a sexual act or fantasy until they are no longer aroused by it, with the goal of reducing or eliminating the unwanted sexual arousal or behavior. In this case, the patient masturbates to an appropriate fantasy until orgasm, which is expected to reduce his sex drive temporarily, and then immediately masturbates again to the insect fantasy. The decreased sex drive during the second masturbation attempt is supposed to make the insect experience less exciting, thereby diminishing the association between the insect fantasy and sexual arousal over time.

Raul Sought Therapy Because His Formicophilia (Sexual Arousal Derived from Having