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What is sex surrogacy, the controversial sex therapy?

Apr 6, 2025

Explore the intriguing world of sex surrogacy, a therapeutic approach designed to enhance intimacy and address sexual issues. Discover its European origins and how it's regulated in countries like Switzerland and Denmark. The podcast delves into the ethical concerns surrounding the practice and draws distinctions between sex surrogates and sex workers. It also raises thought-provoking questions about the need for such services, particularly for disabled individuals, amid ongoing debates.

04:42

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Quick takeaways

Sex surrogacy is a therapeutic practice that helps individuals with intimacy issues by fostering emotional connections rather than purely sexual experiences.

Despite its growing acceptance in some European countries, sex surrogacy remains a legally and ethically controversial topic in many parts of the world.

Deep dives

Understanding Sex Surrogacy and Its Therapeutic Role

Sex surrogacy serves as a specialized form of therapy aimed at helping individuals navigate their sexual experiences and intimacy issues. Often initiated through a referral by a licensed sex therapist, it addresses various sexual dysfunctions such as erectile dysfunction, vaginismus, and mental health challenges stemming from sexual trauma. Unlike traditional sex work, which focuses solely on sexual gratification, sex surrogacy emphasizes building emotional connections and fostering a safe environment for clients to explore their sexuality. Advocacy for this practice has grown in parts of Europe, where it is regulated and even covered by social security, highlighting its potential benefits for individuals with disabilities or those undergoing significant changes in their sexual lives.

Understanding Sex Surrogacy: Therapy or Taboo?

5min

It may be a little taboo to talk about it, but there are a lot of people out there who, for a variety of reasons, don’t have as much sex as they would like, or arguably need. And there’s actually a form of therapy out there which is specifically designed to help people become more comfortable with sex and intimacy.

The idea of sex surrogacy started catching on in Europe in the 2000s, and these days it’s actually regulated and even covered by social security in some countries, like Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands. Still, in many places it’s a legal grey area, and raises a number of ethical questions to boot. For example it became a subject of debate in France in 2013, when a proposal was put forward to cover sex surrogacy expenses for disabled people.

Why would someone need to use the services of a sex surrogate? What’s the difference between a sex surrogate and a sex worker? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions !

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A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First Broadcast: 24/9/2024

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