How do you deal with mismatched libidos? It's one of the biggest issues couples face. Ever lie in bed next to someone you’re deeply attracted to ... and talk yourself out of reaching for her? In one man’s words: “We’re married, and I can’t even touch you.” When one partner wants sex (or cuddling, or affection) way more than the other, it can eat a relationship alive. The high-desire partner ends up desperate, ashamed of even having the need, and feeling rejected over and over. The low-desire partner braces against every touch and starts to believe they’re the broken one. Almost nobody talks about it, so both people end up convinced they’re the only ones going through it. After coaching men for over a decade, I see this ALL the time. And no wonder: According to research published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 80% of people had experienced a desire discrepancy with their partner in just the past month. You are not alone. Whether you’re counting the weeks between sex, holding back from touching her so it won’t “turn into something,” saying yes to sex you’re not even into because who knows when it’ll happen again, or quietly wondering if something’s wrong with you ... a desire gap is common, and it can leave you feeling lonely in your own bed. Here, two of my dear friends get REAL about life on both sides of the gap. We get into the “pufferfish” move that protected Z and starved her marriage; the mental game Trillium played in bed; and the one sentence most people never say to their partner until it’s too late. If you’ve been lying awake wondering whether you want too much, or whether this is even fixable, this one’s for you. — Doors to The Man She Craves close THIS SUNDAYThe Man She Craves is my brand-new year-long program for men who want a vibrant, passionate love relationship with abundant sex and deep closeness -- whether you’re single or partnered. Doors close Sunday, November 1st at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. We kick off Thursday, November 5th. BONUS: Join by THIS Friday, October 30th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET and you’ll also get my streaming course Please Her In Bed, all about how to talk about sex with women in a way that actually helps them open up. The Man She Craves is $250/mo. for the year, or $350/mo. for the VIP version, Sexual Confidence. Check it out here: www.melaniecurtin.com/themanshecraves — Mentioned on this episode:Our Borderline Personality Disorder episodes: 128 (start here), 313, 345, 354 & 373 (a 2-part series). Start with 128: Feel like you’re walking on eggshells? Recognizing Borderline Personality Disorder → https://www.melaniecurtin.com/podcast/128-feel-like-youre-walking-on-eggshells-recognizing-borderline-personality-disorder-ft-violet-lange/Questions or comments, or want to reach Z? Email dearmenpodcast@gmail.com— Memorable quotes from this episode:“Let me show you this beautiful green gem, and maybe it’ll distract you from this hallway that we don’t want to walk down.”“It literally felt like there was a knife in my vagina.”“I am a broken, damaged human. There’s no hope for this.”“‘Well, it’s been 10 minutes. That’s enough, right?’”“If you’re only doing this to meet my need, I don’t really want you to be doing it.”“I would imagine that we were miles apart, because that would make it easier for me to not want to reach out and seek comfort from her.”“I am suffering. I need this to be different.”“I’m gonna close the door and not watch the parade outside, versus going outside and dancing in the parade.”“It’s your body. You own that body.”