It’s a problem that affects more than half of men between the ages of 40 and 70.
But hypnotherapist Rachel Farnsworth claims she has a solution to erectile dysfunction – and it involves finding the “root cause” of their condition.
While high blood pressure and cholesterol are the most common physical causes of penile problems, the mother of one treats clients with erectile dysfunction who believe it stems from past trauma.
According to Farnsworth, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, the illness in this group stems from trauma and a sense of “powerlessness”.
He claims to be able to help patients overcome this by guiding clients through the subconscious – the part of the mind that people are not fully aware of, but which influences actions and feelings – so they can identify where the problem stems from.
Researchers at King’s College London estimate that by 2025, 322 million men worldwide will suffer from erectile dysfunction – more than double the 152 million estimated in 1995.
This includes around 4.3 million men in the UK and 20 million in the US.
Experts believe the increase is partly due to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels – all of which are risk factors for developing the disease.
Patients either cannot get an erection or cannot maintain it long enough to have sex.
Psychological factors are believed to be behind even one in five cases.
Ms. Farnsworth believes that the disease can be caused by an experience in a man’s life, such as childhood trauma.
She claims it typically stems from a relationship – not necessarily their current or previous one – where the man has experienced trauma, abuse and felt “powerless”.
These memories remain in the subconscious – which Ms Farnsworth explains is like a “day nap”.
A Reiki master, a title given to those who complete the training, which can take up to three years, added that erectile dysfunction is the body’s way of communicating that something is not right.
He said, “Ex. [clients tell her] “When I was five years old on the playground, that bully made me feel a certain way and being in this marriage has made me feel the exact same way.”
Farnsworth claims that the subconscious “glues those scenes together” and when a person “triggers” a similar experience, the feelings of powerlessness return and they are unable to get an erection.
He said: “It’s like a series of lights that illuminate your brain and go ‘ding ding ding ding’, oh yeah, it’s the same thing again and I’ve got to move away from it.
“Maybe you’ve moved on from an old relationship to a more comfortable and loving relationship, but it’s still a relationship and it’s still not updated because the subconscious mind doesn’t understand the past, present, and future.”
“It only understands this moment.”
Farnsworth explained that hypnotherapy “is a natural state of relaxation” that allows people to focus on “their subconscious mind instead of their conscious mind” and go “back to how and where the problem started.”
He added: “I don’t expect anyone to know [their root cause] and if they think they know, they probably don’t.
‘So it’s relaxed to just use your subconscious and regress them back so they say, ‘Oh this can’t be it’. It’s a beautiful story of self-discovery.
Treatments for erectile dysfunction include drugs that increase blood flow to the penis, such as Viagra, vacuum pumps that promote blood flow to the penis, or counseling and therapy if emotional or mental health issues are involved.
But Ms. Farnsworth uses custom tapes to fully relax her clients before her sessions.
He creates these tapes by recording himself explaining to his clients what to expect during a session and what they will experience in future sessions.
During the sessions, his clients are “taken through the journey” into the subconscious to find the “root cause” of their erectile dysfunction.
This includes talk therapy, in which Ms. Farnsworth, who works online, guides people through deep relaxation in hopes of tapping into the subconscious.
People can either lie down or sit with their eyes closed and their neck supported while he talks to them about their memories.
Ms. Farnsworth says she then guides them through the final stages of treatment, using hypnotherapy to free them from the emotions behind their erectile dysfunction.
A block of four sessions, which includes an initial two-hour appointment, followed by three sessions of one hour each, costs £1,597.
The transition coach said: “Erectile dysfunction is usually about some form of impotence and powerlessness, so it comes back to how, when and where and subconsciously it’s just like daydreaming.
“You say, ‘Oh, I don’t know why I’m thinking this maybe, but I’m seven,’ and even if the erectile dysfunction didn’t start then, that might be when they started feeling powerless.”
“It’s about emotions because our subconscious is tied to emotions and they’re not logical.
“It’s about watching scenes that feel the same but don’t necessarily look the same – it’s about the emotions. The subconscious is not logical.
Ms. Farnsworth claims to have changed her clients’ lives. He said: “They say they’ve got their lives back and they’ve got freedom.
– We have all experienced trauma. And erectile dysfunction is just a symptom of the trauma response.
“Trauma doesn’t have to be held with a knife, it can be anything that makes you feel bad and we’ve all been through thousands of them.”