Sex Therapy · Psychoeducation
Accelerators & Brakes (Dual Control)
SES / SIS — brake problems, not gas problems
Bancroft & Janssen's Dual Control Model: sexual response is the balance of the accelerator (SES — what turns you on) and the brake (SIS — what shuts it down). Most sexual concerns are brake problems, not accelerator problems.
Your accelerators — what reliably turns the SES on
- Feeling emotionally close
- A specific look / word / gesture
- Novelty or anticipation
- Confidence about your body that day
- Sensory setting (music, dim light, scent)
- Erotic content or fantasy
- Being desired (not just wanted)
Add three of your own
Your brakes — what reliably turns the SIS on
- Unresolved conflict
- Body self-consciousness
- Kids or interruption risk
- Performance pressure / spectatoring
- Fatigue or unfinished to-dos
- Feeling used or unseen earlier in the day
- Alcohol past a certain point
Add three of your own
Take your foot off the brake before pressing the gas
You can't accelerate a car with the parking brake on. Removing one brake usually beats adding one accelerator.