Ep. 5: Impotent Is No Way to Define a Man

By: Esther Perel

Narrated by: Esther Perel

Length: 43 mins

Publisher's summary

[Contains mature themes] A man has struggled with impotence for over two decades. His wife, in despair over her feelings of hopelessness in the bedroom, seeks relief for her sexual frustration and feelings of resentment.

Step into the office of renowned relationship therapist and TED Talk sensation Esther Perel, and listen in as she counsels couples in crisis due to infidelity, sexlessness, loss, and disconnection. The result? Astonishing insights on how they can make love work – and takeaways for you on ways to repair and restore your own relationships.

About Esther:

Esther Perel is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and provocative voices on personal and professional relationships. A celebrated psychotherapist who has helmed a private practice in New York City since 1983, she has over three decades of experience navigating the intricacies of love and desire.

©2017 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2017 Audible Originals, LLC

Ep. 5: I dare not say the "I"word

Excellent: this episode shares the cultural differences as well as the difficulties this couple has in the bedroom. Illuminating. Well produced show.

Equally enlightening and heartbreaking

Any additional comments?

I found this episode confusing and ultimately heartbreaking. As always, Perel had great advice and an assertive voice to challenge and bring new light to the couple's preconceived ideas. I think I found it hard to understand since it was hard for me to personally relate to.

Writing the same review of the whole set of these

So I'm not going to review each of these individually. They're all a great listen and I can't recommend one over the others. If you're in a place in your relationship where you're not happy and looking for steps you could take these are a great place to start. Esther does one-off sessions with these people and helps these see what is going on, and what they can do to change things. You don't have to be going through the exact same scenario to see some common threads, and find bits and pieces that will be helpful to you.

I'm going to leave the same review for each of these as you should really listen to all of them, rather than trying to pick and choose which you might find relevant.

The struggle is real

If you could sum up Episode 5 in a few words, what would they be?
Really good.

Would you listen to Esther again? Why?
Yes, definitely. Esther is a master of her craft.

What was the most compelling aspect of this episode?
The cross-cultural differences between East and West.

Any additional comments?
Growing up as a caretaker is not bad, but it can definitely lead to some other types of issues later in life.

Antonio

Excellent knowledge about how a person needs to open up in order to how to enjoy the pleasures of life.

Intriguing insight

This is one of my favorite episodes of Esther’s sessions with couples struggling with their marriages. It provides a lot of insight into the problems of people struggling with sex and erection, and communication and confidence.

Excellent topic for couples/husband's

The subject was extremely interesting and I believe a husband, partner, lover or boyfriend would gain much more from this topic than a woman. The wife in this episode seemed to make her husband feel worse and more self conscious then he already is. By the end of the episode I wanted to slap her and tell her to open her ears, heart and mind. If she doesn't value him for who he is, someone such as myself would enjoy the company of her husband and it will be too late for her to open her eyes. He will encounter some one who can be desired, loved, cared for and valued by what he can do emotionally and physically without intercourse. He deserves the same. I'm happy to enjoy his company and solitude. To bad he continues to hang in there.

I LOVE her

she's a true virtuoso of couples therapy, hope to be half as good as a therapist
<3

Compelling. She is a superb therapist.

Not just her exquisite listening and understanding of couple dynamics but her philosophy about relationships and intimacy shine through

Empathy missing?

They might both be so self-absorbed that there is no room or space to empathize. Part of making a marriage work is the union of empathizers I would like to believe.