JOY FEELINGS MAGAZINE October 2016 | Page 17

realizing that you’re sexually incompatible can be extremely frustrating. If you’re the one who wants more sexual activity because your number is significantly higher than your partner’s, you might find yourself doing any of the following: constantly pushing for more sex; taking your partner’s lack of interest in having sex with you personally; or looking outside of the relationship to get your sexual needs met. If you’re in a relationship already, I’m sure you could come up with the number that you believe fits your partner. (I hope for the relationship’s sake that your numbers are in a similar range). The next time one of you tries to initiate sexual activity and the other isn’t interested, remind yourself what your sex numbers are. The most important benefit of knowing your sex number is that it JOY FEELINGS MAG! prevents everyone from taking sexual interest and libido levels personally. One member of a couple I saw in session recently said, “I stopped feeling bad that he never seeks me out because I realize he’s a 2 and I’m an 8.” I’ve spent almost two years seeing this particular couple, and it’s the intervention where I asked them to state their sex numbers that has proved to yield the most significant impact. Who knew, given all the years I spent studying complex theories in grad school? If you are very sexual, you have a significant need to engage in sexual activity regularly and frequently. If you are not very sexual, you have a need to have your partner understand that you have a low sex number and don’t want to be pressured to be sexual when it’s not really something you want.