509: Befriending Mistrust

509: Befriending Mistrust

Author: Cloud10 September 12, 2025 Duration: 32:06
So you've de-escalated your negative cycle and are taking risks to take new moves and bam you get hit with this response: "it's nice to hear you say that, but where has that been for the last 20 years?" Defeat sets in and your protective move is at the ready to defend or withdraw. Why does this happen so often when couples are working together to make healthy changes? Join George and Laurie in today's episode as we discuss how mistrust in healthier relationship patterns is expected and what to do about it. When the brain is so used to something happening one way for an amount of time, it expects and anticipates it. It's all a way to create patterns and predictability which the brain loves. What the brain loves is not always healthy for a relationship. In this episode, we learn how to identify and work with mistrust, create safety around new moves and embrace when we are getting exactly what we've longed for for years. This requires us to tolerate the new move without solely relying on the old pattern, embracing the mistrust and getting success with the new. Has this ever happened in your relationship? Make sure to leave us some feedback on our website, foreplayrst.com or on Instagram (@foreplay_sextherapypodcast). Be brave and keep it hot y'all! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world where conversations about intimacy often get reduced to cliches or awkward silence, Brave Love Great Sex-Couples Therapy Podcast offers a different space. Hosted by certified sex therapist Dr. Laurie Watson and renowned couples therapist George Faller, LMFT, this is a dialogue that goes beyond simple advice. Each episode is built on a foundation of professional expertise and compassionate honesty, tackling the real, sometimes messy, intersections of emotional connection and physical desire. You'll hear frank discussions that demystify therapy, explore relationship dynamics, and address the challenges and joys of maintaining a vibrant, erotic bond within a committed partnership. The conversations are designed to be both fascinating and practical, moving from broader concepts of love and trust to specific discussions about sexual intimacy and technique. This isn't about quick fixes; it's about providing hope and actionable insights for couples who want to deepen their understanding of each other. By listening to this podcast, you gain access to a rare combination of perspectives, where a focus on sexual health and a focus on relational fitness come together. It’s for anyone in a long-term relationship seeking to nurture both the brave love and the great sex that can sustain it for the long haul.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Brave Love Great Sex – Couples Therapy Podcast
Podcast Episodes
524: Ghost of Christmas Present [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:58
In today's episode, we are focusing on tending to the 'Ghost of Christmas Present' so the 'Ghost of Christmas Future' can reap the relational benefits! Join our experts, Dr. Laurie and George Faller, hosts of the newly b…
Foreplay Replay - Closing the Arousal Gap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:21
With the average Joe and average Jane so different in their approach to sex and the ways and timing of arousal, what can a couple do to close the arousal gap? Join sex therapist and author Dr. Laurie Watson and couples t…
523: How to Give Great Gifts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:05
The holiday season is here and in today's episode we are talking about giving and receiving gifts in your relationship. What does this ritual mean to you and which are you more comfortable with? George and Laurie share t…
Foreplay Replay - The Complexity of Male Sexuality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:37
The expectations in relationship and in our culture for what it means to be a man often comes down to a big erection that works every time. The prevalence of porn has communicated unrealistic ideas about sex and sexualit…
522: Invisible Turn Offs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:18
We may know what the big turn offs are but there are many small things that kill desire. In today's episode we are discussing invisible turn offs that end up taking sex off the table without you even realizing it. Join o…
Foreplay Replay - Affair Recovery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:31
Recovery from an Affair – The delicate process of recoveringfrom an affair; what works best for restoring the relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
521: Spirituality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:00
In today's episode we are discussing sex and spirituality. Sex and religion are often clashing ideals that can be shaming, rigid and rule-based. We invite listeners to explore the space between, where sex is an intimate…
Foreplay Replay - Stop the Fight—How to Break the Negative Cycle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:29
Are you always having what feels like the same fight? Does the negative cycle leave you feeling frustrated and angry? Or misunderstood and like you're failing? Can you see what your partner does clearly but not see how w…
520: Touch Deprivation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:52
In this episode, Laurie and George explore a pattern they see often in therapy but rarely hear women talk about openly: growing up under-touched—not abused or mistreated, but raised with too little warm, affectionate con…
Foreplay Replay - 52 and Needing Blue [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:31
Erectile dysfunction in men 45 and older in a partnered relationship is a problem with solutions. Listen to Laurie and Tony distinguish physiological ED and partnered ED and offer approaches to solve this problem in this…