A COGNITIVE-PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS MODEL OF SEXUAL AROUSAL AND RESPONSE

Three decades of research have focused on identifying cognitive and physiological processes in human emotion. The mechanisms by which these components interact to mediate sexual arousal are unknown, and scientific knowledge on women is lacking. New findings have identified (a) key components of sexual response, (b) mechanisms by which cognitive and physiological processes form a feedback loop in the mediation of sexual arousal, and (c) a method to increase genital response and cognitive expectancy, via pairing general autonomic activation and physiological genital feedback. This approach interrupted the dysfunctional process and initiated a positive cognitive-physiological feedback loop of sexual arousal to levels comparable with sexually functional women within 3 min. This empirically derived process model identifies a cognitive-physiological pathway for sexual response, and a potential common pathway for emotion processing and an integrated behavioral medicine approach to women's health.