Sensate focus is a sex therapy technique for exploring the sensations of touch and improving physical intimacy between partners.

Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson developed sensate focus in the 1960s as a series of touch-based exercises that couples do together with support from a sex therapist.

The goal is to become more mindful of the physical sensations of touch while letting go of preconceived expectations or judgments about what intimate touch should feel like or achieve.

Other terms to describe sensate focus include:

  • mindful touching
  • non-arousal focused touch
  • non-orgasm focused touch

A 2019 review found that sensate focus may help improve sexual and marital satisfaction in couples who are experiencing sexual difficulties.

Read on to learn more about this technique and what it involves.

A doctor or sex therapist may recommend sensate focus exercises to help improve physical intimacy or manage concerns related to:

  • sexual pain disorders, such as vaginismus
  • sexual desire, arousal, or orgasm
  • sexual performance anxiety
  • sexual intimacy

Sometimes an underlying medical condition may be contributing to sex-related changes. Your doctor may order tests or refer you to a specialist to learn whether you have any medical conditions that require treatment.

Your doctor or sex therapist may recommend sensate focus on its own or in combination with other therapeutic techniques or treatments. They can help you learn more about different types of therapy and treatment options.

Sensate focus involves multiple stages of touch-based exercises. Your sex therapist will help you and your partner work through each stage over multiple sessions.

Williams and Masters developed sensate focus as a five-stage process:

  1. Non-genital touching
  2. Genital and breast touching
  3. Adding lotion or lubricant
  4. Mutual touching
  5. Sensual intercourse

In 2017, the protocol was adapted by Linda Weiner and Constance Avery-Clark, so your sex therapist may use Williams and Masters’ five-stage process or an adapted variation of it.

The exercises focus on exploration rather than sexual stimulation, especially in the early stages of the process. The goal isn’t to become sexually aroused or to orgasm. It’s to focus on the sensations of touch and explore how it feels to touch and be touched in different ways.

For example, your therapist may encourage you to pay attention to:

  • the texture and temperature of your partner’s skin during touch encounters
  • the shapes or contours of your partner’s body during touch encounters
  • the rhythm, movement, or pressure of different types of touch
  • any sensations you feel while touching or being touched

For some exercises, your therapist may ask you and your partner to take turns as the toucher and the recipient of touch. Other exercises may involve mutual touching.

In some cases, your therapist may ask you to limit verbal communication during touch exercises. They may ask you to use code words or nonverbal communication techniques.

Talk with your therapist to learn more about what each exercise or session will involve.

Consider asking your doctor for a referral to a sex therapist if you’re interested in trying sensate focus or other sex therapy techniques to address sexual challenges or concerns.

You can also search online for a sex therapist, using directories from organizations such as:

Some online counseling services may offer sex therapy, including sensate focus.

Some sexual medicine doctors or other healthcare professionals may also use sensate focus techniques.

Talk with your therapist or doctor to learn more about the specific techniques or therapies that they use.

Sensate focus is a sex therapy technique for improving physical intimacy and promoting mindful awareness of the sensations of touch. It involves a series of touch-based exercises that couples do together over multiple sessions.

You might find sensate focus helpful for managing challenges related to sexual desire, arousal, or orgasm. Some therapists also use sensate focus to help treat sexual pain disorders, such as vaginismus.

Your sex therapist or healthcare professional may recommend sensate focus on its own or in combination with other therapeutic techniques or treatments.

You can find a sex therapist by asking your doctor for a referral or searching online. Ask the therapist whether they use sensate focus in their practice.

Some sexual medicine doctors and other healthcare professionals also use sensate focus to support people coping with sex-related challenges.