EP 113: Emotional Cycle vs. Sexual Cycle in EFT: What’s the Difference? With George Faller & Laurie Watson

The Emotional Cycle vs. the Sexual Cycle in EFT: What’s the Difference?

Featuring EFT Trainer George Faller, LMFT & Dr. Laurie Watson, PhD

Are a couple’s emotional cycle and sexual cycle the same thing? Where do they overlap—and where are they fundamentally different?

In this special edition of We Heart Therapy, host Dr. Belle, PhD, LMFT, ICEEFT Certified EFT Supervisor & Therapist, sits down with George Faller, LMFT, ICEEFT Certified EFT Trainer, and Dr. Laurie Watson, PhD, AASECT Certified Supervisor and ICEEFT Certified EFT Therapist, for a fascinating conversation about the similarities and differences between the emotional and sexual cycles in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

For EFT therapists, we’re accustomed to tracking the negative interaction cycle and helping partners recognize the attachment fears, longings, emotions, and protective strategies that keep them stuck.

But does the couple’s sexual cycle follow the same pattern?

❤️ THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE & THE SEXUAL CYCLE

🔥 George, Laurie, and Dr. Belle explore how a couple can become caught in repeating patterns both **emotionally and sexually**—and why those patterns may overlap without necessarily being identical.

How does pursuit and withdrawal look when we move from an emotional interaction into a sexual one? Can a partner pursue emotionally but withdraw sexually—or vice versa? What happens when the emotional cycle and sexual cycle appear to tell us different things about the relationship?

And importantly, what does an EFT therapist need to listen for in order to recognize the difference?

In this conversation, we explore:

❤️ How the emotional cycle and sexual cycle are similar