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How Do I Know If Threesomes Are Right For Me

How do I know if threesomes are right for me? How will I know if having a threesome is  right for me and my partner? To help you answer this question, you will need to  assess how you view sexuality and the ways in which you and your partner relate  to each other.  Try answering with your  partner the following questions:

  1. What  turns you on about the idea of each of us having an additional lover? What  turns you off?
  2. Do  you learn best about sex by watching others?   For those that need a visual, threesome’s can be incredibly educational.  When else will you ever have the opportunity to watch and participate in giving  someone sexual pleasure.
  3. Conceptually,  what is the appeal for you to have a threesome? What are your concerns?
  4. To  what degree would you want to be open with each other about having sexual  relations with others?  Would you want to  know all of my fantasies even if they do not include you?
  5. What  are the potential strengths of being direct with each other about our sexual  preferences, desires and fantasies? How might they be hard to handle?
  6. What  is your biggest fear about having a threesome?
  7. What  if sex is better with the other person?
  8. During  the three-some what happens if I change my mind?  How will we handle that situation?
  9. What  do you imagine a threesome would look like?
  10. What  if I liked having a threesome and you didn’t? What then?  What if the roles were reversed?
  11. What  are the limits of a threesome?  Would you  feel jealous if I began a casual, sexual relationship with another person?
  12. In  what ways would you be turned on, excited, uncomfortable, jealous, relaxed etc  by watching me having sex with another person?
  13. During  a threesome, what types of sexual activity do you image we will engage in? What  are the limits of sex play (no intercourse, condoms must be worn etc)?
  14. Would  you prefer that we only play with other people together, or is it okay for us  to play separately?
  15. Who  should know about our threesome?  Discuss  your attitude about privacy vs open-ness. What if people that you don’t want  knowing about the threesome find out?
  16. How  would you tell our kids about us participating in a threesome?
  17. In  your ideal world, will this threesome be a one time thing, or an on-going  sexual practice?
  18. To what extent do each of you need to take into account the third person's feelings? Do each of you have a similar understanding? Where is your loyalty? Is it to each other? Or if you bring in a third person is it equal to each person?

Prior to  engaging in a threesome:  make sure you and your partner have a  strong sexual foundation.  The two of you  must be satisfied with the quality of your sex life.  You both must feel that you had good sexual  communication skills and that sex feels safe and secure.  Without strong communication skills and a  true appreciation for the other person’s technical prowess in the bedroom can  lead to problems.  Threesomes will not  fix a poor sexual connection.

Feeling anxious, nervous, apprehensive,  excited, titillated are all normal responses to new sexual ideas.  This is normal.  Relax, take a deep breath and enjoy yourself.

With that being said, being pressured  into participating in a threesome is a recipe for trouble.  Imagine being in the middle of a threesome  and then developing cold feet, your partner will likely have even more trouble  truly listening to where you are at and stopping.  To engage in a threesome with a lover, means  that you must be willing to easily stop the sex play and meet the emotional  needs of your primary lover.  If all  three of you are simply friends, or are all engaging in a sexual relationship  as equals, then one must be willing to stop the sex play at any moment and meet  the emotional needs of everyone.

Please note, for some people engaging in  a threesome is a liberating sexual experience for a mature relationship. For  others, engaging in a threesome is something one only does in a casual  relationship.  Prior to engaging in any  sexual act(s) with a potential lover, find out (as best you can) what rules the  other person is operating from.  This  will help inform your decisions about what is right for you.

Fantasies:  some couples get turned on watching their  partner please or be pleasured by the other woman. Some couples prefer for all  three people to play with each other and be fully involved throughout the  encounter. Some couples may even decide to include a combination of these two  aspects.  Discussing one’s expectations,  hopes and desires prior to engaging in a threesome can be useful.  To help facilitate this discussion, try  asking your partner: “what would turn you on?;” “what would you like to see me  do?;” “would you be turned on watching me play with her, or do you want to  participate?;” “are there any specific erotic activities you wish to include?”  Sometimes simply discussing ones fantasies is enough.  Simply sharing these thoughts out-loud with  another person is an intimate experience.    Identifying a lovers wishlist, and letting someone know yours puts both  of you in a better position to do engage in behaviors that the other person  will also find pleasurable.

Comfort  zones or Boundaries: p rior to engaging in the threesome each  person should identify their own comfort zones and boundaries.  It is important to share this with your  partner.  For example, how should the  threesome come about? Will the two of you together go onto adultfriendfinder or  craigslist to locate a willing partner? Is this something that one of you  should do by yourself? Is it better to go through a friend and be set up? Or  should you engage in a threesome with a friend?   How much time in a week is OK to spend making this happen?  Once the threesome has actually begun, what  sexual behaviors are OK? Is oral sex Ok? Should dental dams or condoms be used?  Is intercourse OK? What if the woman gets pregnant?  Is kissing OK? And if so, what type of  kissing?  Who should initiate the sex  play?  The questions could go on-and-on.  Unfortunately, sometimes one will never know  exactly how one feels until it is too late, and the sexual play has already  begun. What is a safe word that the two of you could use to signal to the other  person that you need to stop without letting the third person know exactly why  the situation suddenly stopped feeling good.     At the end of the conversation try to mirror back your partner’s  perspective.  This will help ensure that  you actually understand your partner’s sexual boundaries.

Before saying yes to a partner’s request  to try a threesome be honest with yourself. Are you are in a negative mental  place? Do you feel apprehensive about the idea of your partner having sex with  another person? Are you the jealous type? Are you uncomfortable being naked in  front of a new person? How comfortable are you with your partner being sexual  with someone else? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then really  think about your decision. A threesome may not be the best choice for you and  your partner. Prior to making any ‘decision’ identify where your mindset is. Is  your motive to have a threesome a sincere or unselfish desire to share this  experience with your partner? Or is it a cover for an ulterior motive to sleep  with many people?

In the ideal world, threesomes are an  experience that both people will enjoy.  To  make a threesome work, all three people need to be on-board with it. It only  takes one person dissenting to make threesomes fail.

If you opt  to engage in a threesome . . .  have fun with the  experience. Let your imagination go wild.   Take time and enjoy the moment.   Threesomes have the potential of opening up an entirely different world  with a whole different rulebook than the stereo typical two-person sex.  With that being said, if you do opt to engage  in a threesome don’t forget to practice safer sex techniques.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

"Alex" Caroline Robboy,

“Alex” Caroline Robboy, CAS, MSW, ACSW, AAMFT, CSTS, LCSW is the founder and executive director of the Center for Growth Inc / Sex Therapy in Philadelphia, a counseling organization that has an office in Ocean City, New Jersey, Richmond Virginia, Alphretta Georgia and 2 offices in Center City, Philadelphia PA.   In her space time she launched the directory sextherapy.com as a resource tool for professionals dedicated to improving peoples sexual health.  Alex has 25+ years of clinical experience working with adults and children. Specifically, she works with people struggling with compulsion problems, personality disorders, neurodiversity (dyslexia, tourettes, sensory issues, adhd, and high functioning autism) anxiety, depression, postpartum depression, shame, trauma, low self-esteem, grief, relationship issues, sexual function & dysfunction, blended families and parenting concerns. Currently, she provides individual, couples, family therapy and group therapy. Lastly, she offers supervision to both staff and therapists outside of this agency seeking their LCSW or AASECT Certification in sex therapy.  Lastly, thru the Philadelphia International Women’s Project, she led a two year sex therapy group for West African women who experienced Female Genital Cutting as well as a sex therapy group for Sudanese women who experienced Female Genital Cutting. 

Ms. Robboy earned three graduate degrees at the University of Pennsylvania; Masters in Social Work, Post-Masters in Certificate Marriage and Family Therapy with a Specialization in Sex Therapy and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Human Sexuality Education (otherwise known as ABD) as well as a Certificate in Home and School Social Work. Additionally, Ms. Robboy is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor of Sex Therapy and an ABS Certified Sexologist. Lastly, she is a Certified Imago Therapist. She is currently pursuing certification in CBIT.