The Dr. Psych Mom Show
with clinical psychologist
Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten "Withdrawing Sex Is Abuse"? NO
Mar 18, 2026
A clear refutation of the viral claim that withholding sex equals abuse. A breakdown of what actually counts as abusive behavior versus withdrawal from desire. Practical reasons people pull away sexually, from health to attachment. Real-life choices couples face: stay, leave, or work it out, and the trade-offs each path involves.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Withholding Intimacy Is Not Automatically Abuse
- Withholding sex or emotional closeness is not inherently abusive because many unhappy or avoidant partners genuinely lack desire or capacity for intimacy.
- Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten distinguishes inability or unwillingness from abuse, noting unhappy people rarely want closeness and that's not on abuse lists.
Patients Who Stop Wanting Sex After ED Or Menopause
- Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten recounts common clinical patterns: men with erectile dysfunction or avoidant attachment who stop wanting sex and refuse treatment.
- She describes avoidant men becoming 'game over' for sex and women in menopause also losing drive, showing real-case patterns.
Choose Action Over Victimhood
- If you can't get the intimacy you need, choose an action: ask for couples therapy, initiate divorce, or leave rather than framing it as abuse.
- Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten cites that women file for divorce about 70% of the time when emotional closeness is missing.