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Constructing the Sexual Crucible: An Integration of Sexual and Marital Therapy (Norton Professional Books
This book challenges the fundamental paradigms in sexual-marital therapies, and provides a fresh look at the nature of intimacy and the diverse barriers to eroticism in many marriages. By integrating individual, sexual and marital therapies, this study attempts to provide a fresh look at the nature of intimacy and the diverse barriers to eroticism in marriage. The author refutes the common focus on sexual technique, calling instead for an emphasis on sexual potential.
658 pages, Hardcover
First published August 17, 1991
About the author
David Schnarch
8 books83 followersDavid Schnarch is a licensed clinical psychologist, certified sex therapist, and author of numerous books and articles on intimacy, sexuality, and relationships. He is the Director of the Crucible® Institute and his work has attracted clients and students from across the globe. His book Passionate Marriage is a perennial bestseller, offering the general public his revolutionary approach in a pragmatic and easy-to-understand form.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 5, 2019
Ground-breaking look into sexual dysfunction as an emotional intimacy matter, of the self-differentiation of the dyadic partners. The insightful and detailed opus demonstrated a shift away from over-assigning such dysfunction to somatic causation and treatment with pharmaceutical drugs, or other means.
Very important is this book is not about simply the act of sex. Schnarch wisely treats how sexuality is often a defense against intimacy. Likewise, such intimacy ineptness eventually causes sexual problems in a dyad, if a person remains committed long enough that the sexual act opens beyond having sex to sharing sex as emotional-spiritual intimacy with other and self.
The author provides theory and, also, examples of casework in assisting couples to enlarge the range of freedom in sexual expression within the dyad. The author empowers each person, by the self of either choosing this expansion for himself or herself, and not waiting for common agreement in this matter. Each partner, for self-differentiatian, necessarily must make the choice for self, not merely or mainly to please the other. Each partner is responsible for his or her sexual enjoyment. This serves to encourage mutuality in the expansion both of emotional and sexual maturation.
This work was used as a textbook in my counseling training in medical school, and is not a light read, yet a helpful work to explore sexuality as an expression of emotional, even according to the author, spiritual intimacy. He does not differentiate the two. The latter the author supports by reference to the highly sexualized within Hinduism.
Of import in this book's orientation, however, is absence of a negation that at times sexual dysfunction may be somatically based, so more than a symptom.
If one is not comfortable with talk about sex, Schnarch might be difficult to read. His style is straight-forward, his language at times coarse. Reading him is itself an education in getting more in touch with the sexual beings we are and the joy of intimacy, via sexual expression and otherwise.
Very important is this book is not about simply the act of sex. Schnarch wisely treats how sexuality is often a defense against intimacy. Likewise, such intimacy ineptness eventually causes sexual problems in a dyad, if a person remains committed long enough that the sexual act opens beyond having sex to sharing sex as emotional-spiritual intimacy with other and self.
The author provides theory and, also, examples of casework in assisting couples to enlarge the range of freedom in sexual expression within the dyad. The author empowers each person, by the self of either choosing this expansion for himself or herself, and not waiting for common agreement in this matter. Each partner, for self-differentiatian, necessarily must make the choice for self, not merely or mainly to please the other. Each partner is responsible for his or her sexual enjoyment. This serves to encourage mutuality in the expansion both of emotional and sexual maturation.
This work was used as a textbook in my counseling training in medical school, and is not a light read, yet a helpful work to explore sexuality as an expression of emotional, even according to the author, spiritual intimacy. He does not differentiate the two. The latter the author supports by reference to the highly sexualized within Hinduism.
Of import in this book's orientation, however, is absence of a negation that at times sexual dysfunction may be somatically based, so more than a symptom.
If one is not comfortable with talk about sex, Schnarch might be difficult to read. His style is straight-forward, his language at times coarse. Reading him is itself an education in getting more in touch with the sexual beings we are and the joy of intimacy, via sexual expression and otherwise.
April 19, 2020
I loved the book, and the author. I went to a week long training with him and learned a lot. With that said, I would give the book 5 stars. You might not want a text so in depth - a textbook. If you really want to understand how to have a great relationship, including sex, you will want to endure!
It did help me with my relationship with my son. It had to do with integrity and that’s all I can say.
It did help me with my relationship with my son. It had to do with integrity and that’s all I can say.
March 25, 2019
This is the textbook companion to Schnarch's 'Passionate Marriage.' 'Sexual Crucible' is definitely not as dry as other textbooks I've read, but much drier than the fantastic Passionate Marriage text.
February 28, 2013
Such a misleading title, this book goes so much further than couples' bs. It is a field guide to human interaction. Warning: very technical read; intended to be a clinician's guide.
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January 31, 2024Great information if you want to know more about intimacy and sex in your relationship. Completely changed my understanding of sexual challenges and perspective on couples therapy. However, the 600 pg book reads like a textbook. The most useful information came from the transcripts of therapeutic sessions.
July 8, 2022
The content of this book is really valuable. I’m only giving it four stars because it requires immense brain power to read and understand.
July 31, 2011
Not something I would suggest to others really. It is a class assigned reading. This author seems to get his kicks by making the reader feel stupid. Who has time to read each sentence 5 times for meaning? it does have good stuff for Marriage and Family Therapy.
July 14, 2008
autographed copy from a conference attended at Northwestern University during graduate school
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews