When Sex Dies in a Long-Term Relationship — And How to Bring It Back | Ep. 176 Part 2

When Sex Dies in a Long-Term Relationship — And How to Bring It Back | Ep. 176 Part 2

From Taboo to Truth: Life & Sex After 50 by Karen Bigman

June 2, 2026 · 29 min · Season 6 · Episode 176

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges of maintaining sexual desire in long-term relationships and offers insights on communication and therapy.

💋 Sex Ed For Adults | You’ve mastered everything else in life — now master pleasure! https://www.taboototruth.com/courses When your partner won't engage — won't go to therapy, won't talk, won't try — what are your actual options? In Part 2 of this two-part conversation, I sit down again with sex therapist Dr. Jenni Skyler and her husband and fellow therapist Daniel Lebowitz to get into the harder, messier truths about long-term desire. We tackle what happens when one partner is simply done trying, why sexual stagnation is the real relationship killer, how to tell your partner you're bored without blowing everything up, and the psychological concept most people have never heard of — the Madonna-whore complex (also called the love-lust split) — and why it's quietly killing men's desire for their own partners. Plus, I ask the question everyone's thinking: do two therapists actually have a perfect marriage? In this episode: 00:00 — Introduction & recap of Part 1 01:10 — When your partner refuses therapy, refuses sex, refuses everything 04:20 — What to do when divorce isn't an option 06:45 — The Ashley Madison story: meeting your own needs 09:00 — How to declare your needs…

People in this episode

Host: Karen Bigman

Guests: Dr. Jenni Skyler, Daniel Lebowitz

Topics covered

  • long-term relationships
  • sexual desire
  • therapy
  • communication
  • Madonna-whore complex
  • sexual stagnation

Keywords

  • sexual desire
  • long-term relationships
  • therapy
  • communication
  • Madonna-whore complex
  • sexual stagnation
  • Ashley Madison

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ashley Madison, Taboo to Truth

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