Bibliotherapy

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Van Lankyeld defined bibliotherapy as “the treatment of mental and physical health problems in which written material plays a central role” (1998, p. 702). Many therapists author such books to be used with or without treatment. In fact, our very own Dr. Hughes recently released his second book You, Me, and We: A Practical Guide to Marital Intimacy. Although such…
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Religion and Sexuality

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Religion influences many aspects of life, including sexuality. Many religions treat marital sexuality as sacred and reject sexual behavior before marriage. Latter-Day Saints believe this as well, and as such obey a strict law of chastity prior to marriage. There have been many arguments as to whether spirituality helps or hurts the marital sexual relationship. Research indicates that “the more…
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LOVE

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Many of us believe that long-term relationships and marriages can only keep alive the spark of a once burning flame of love and passion. This belief leads many to be content with an okay marriage and sex life or to avoid monogamy altogether, instead seeking the constant highs of fresh romance. It may surprise you to find out that this…
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Trauma – Right Here in Utah County

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Trauma is often associated with military personnel and survivors of extreme abuse. However, anyone can experience trauma. Trauma can stem from a car crash, death of a loved one, an injury, being mugged, or a spouse’s infidelity, just to name a few. Even witnessing some of these events can create trauma. Some symptoms of trauma are unwanted continuous memories of…
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Self-Actualization and The Whole Person-Utah County

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 Self-actualization is the realization of our full potential, feeling at ease with oneself, and feeling confidence in one’s abilities. It is often thought of as the main goal of every person. It has also been described as the best version of ourselves. Self-actualization may seem unobtainable, but there are a variety of ways to become closer to self-actualization, including mindfulness…
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Depression…There is Hope-Utah County

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  Most people are familiar with their fluctuations in mood, experiencing a variety of emotions daily. Sometimes, they can get stuck experiencing one emotion or a cocktail of negative emotions like sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness. This experience is called depression. It can last a few weeks to months, even years. It is expected that everyone will experience at least a short…
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Menstrual cycle, birth control, pregnancy, and sexual desire

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Couples often wonder why female sexual desire fluctuates during the menstrual cycle, the use of birth control, and while pregnant. There are many factors that contribute to this, however in this post I will only talk about the hormone shifts and leave contextual and psychological factors to another post. Women experience more sexual desire leading up to and during ovulation…
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Book Cover

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Yesterday I had a fun time emailing back and forth with my publisher's design team deciding the final touches to the book cover for You, Me, & We. Kinsey did an amazing job creating a book cover that would convey all of the aspects of my book into one graphic. There is a lot of symbolism with the artwork on the…
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How an erection occurs and is maintained

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An erection begins with some form of arousal stimulus (physical, emotional, or cognitive). The brain produces a chemical that tells the body to increase the blood vessels bringing blood to the penis and decrease the vessels taking blood away. As the smooth muscles of the corpora cavernosa relax, the blood entering the penis through the cavernous artery fills all the space…
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