Even if chronic patients are not at their peak of sexual fitness, they need love, touch, intimacy, and sex. The ability to fantasize is not impaired.
Sex is perceived by most of us as a pleasurable physical act, the primary purpose of which is to produce offspring. But sex is critically important in a couple's energetic recharge. Couples who do not have touch, hugs, caresses, kisses, and sexual contact (even without penetration) usually do not survive for years but sometimes only stay together.
- Many couples who suffer from a problem in which one partner is sick or physically incapacitated do not engage in an open dialogue in the sexual context. The premise that the chronically ill or disabled do not need sex stems from a misunderstanding, which only exacerbates the problem!
Many years ago, a naturopathic therapist told me that if the emotional connection between the couple before the prolonged outbreak of the disease were excellent, the relationship would only deepen. And if the bond weren't proper, it probably wouldn't survive, either! (I am not an expert in the field. I believe she was right.)
