It is a problem that affects more than half of men between the ages of 40 and 70.
But hypnotherapist Rachel Farnsworth claims she has the solution to erectile dysfunction – and that involves finding the ‘root cause’ of their condition.
While high blood pressure and cholesterol are among the most common physical causes of penile problem, mother-of-one treats clients who live with erectile dysfunction and think it might be rooted in past trauma.
According to Ms Farnsworth, from Spalding in Lincolnshire, among this group the condition stems from trauma and a feeling of “helplessness”.
She claims she can help patients overcome this by using hypnotherapy to guide clients through their subconscious – the part of the mind that people are not fully aware of but which influences actions and feelings – to identify where the problem is coming from.
Researchers at King’s College London estimate that by 2025, 322 million men worldwide will be affected by erectile dysfunction, more than double the estimated 152 million in 1995.
This includes around 4.3 million men in the UK and 20 million in the US.
Experts believe this increase is partly due to increased levels of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol – all of which are risk factors for developing the disease.
Affected individuals are either unable to get an erection or unable to maintain it long enough to have sex.
Psychological factors are thought to be behind up to one in five cases.
Ms Farnsworth believes the condition may stem from an experience in a man’s life, such as childhood trauma.
She claims it usually stems from a relationship – not necessarily their current or previous relationship – where a man experienced trauma, abuse and felt “helpless”.
These memories remain etched in the subconscious mind – which Ms Farnsworth says is like a ‘waking dream’.
The Reiki master, a title given to those who complete training, which can take up to three years, added that erectile dysfunction is the body’s way of communicating that something is wrong.
She said: ‘For example, (customers tell her) ‘when I was five on the playground that bully made me feel a certain way and being in that marriage made me feel exactly the same”.
Ms Farnsworth argues the subconscious ‘glues these scenes together’ and when a person is ‘triggered’ by a similar experience, a feeling of helplessness returns and they are unable to get an erection.
She said: “It’s like a string of lights lighting up your brain going ‘ding ding ding ding’, oh yeah, it’s the same thing again and I have to get away from it.
“Maybe you’ve moved on from that old relationship to a nicer, more loving one, but it’s still a relationship and it still hasn’t been updated because the subconscious mind doesn’t understand the past. , the present and the future.
‘He only understands the present moment.’
Ms Farnsworth explained that hypnotherapy ‘is a natural state of relaxation’ which allows people to focus on their ‘subconscious rather than their conscious mind’ to ‘go back to how, when and where the problem started’.
She added: “I don’t expect anyone to know (their root cause) and if they think they know, they probably don’t.”
“So it’s by being relaxed to just use your subconscious mind and regress them to be like, ‘oh, that can’t be what this is about.’ It’s a great story of discovering self.
Treatment for erectile dysfunction includes medications that increase blood flow to the penis, such as Viagra, vacuum pumps, which promote blood flow to the penis, or counseling and therapy if emotional health issues or mental are involved.
But Ms Farnsworth uses bespoke personalized tapes to fully relax her clients before her sessions.
She creates these tapes by recording herself explaining to her clients what to expect during the session and what they will experience in future sessions.
During the sessions, his clients are “taken on a journey” into their subconscious with the aim of finding the “root cause” of their erectile dysfunction.
It involves talk therapy where Ms Farnsworth, who works online, will guide people into a state of deep relaxation in hopes of entering the subconscious.
People can choose to lie down or sit with their eyes closed and their necks supported as she talks to them about their memories.
Ms Farnsworth then says she guides them through their treatment using hypnotherapy to release them from the emotions behind their erectile dysfunction.
A block of four sessions, which involve an initial two-hour appointment, followed by three which each last an hour, costs £1,597.
The transition coach said: “Erectile dysfunction is normally a kind of impotence and feeling helpless, so it comes down to how, when and where and in the subconscious mind, it’s like daydreaming.
‘You go, “oh, I don’t know why I’m thinking this, maybe, but I’m seven” and even if that wasn’t when erectile dysfunction started, maybe that’s when they began to feel helpless.
“It’s about emotions because our subconscious minds are wired with emotions and they don’t make sense.
“It’s about looking at the scenes that look the same but don’t necessarily look the same – it’s about the emotions. The subconscious mind is not logical.
Ms. Farnsworth claims to have transformed the lives of her clients. She said: “They say they got their lives back and they got freedom.
“We have all experienced trauma. And erectile dysfunction is just one symptom of a response to trauma.
“Trauma doesn’t have to be held at knifepoint, it can be anything that makes you feel bad about yourself and we’ve all been through thousands of those.”