History Main / IntimatePsychotherapy

* ''ForWhomTheBellTolls'' is an early and successful example. Maria wants Robert to make love to her to replace her rape memories.

* ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' (the comic). [[spoiler: The heroes were too late, millions of New Yorkers]] have just died, and the first thing Dan and Laurie do is have sex. Laurie justifies it in a way that fits this trope.
** One of the things changed in [[Film/{{Watchmen}} the movie]] which doesn't gather too many complaints. Instead, Nite Owl witnesses [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan kill Rorschach, his old friend]].

* ''{{Watchmen}}'' (the comic). [[spoiler: The heroes were too late, millions of New Yorkers]] have just died, and the first thing Dan and Laurie do is have sex. Laurie justifies it in a way that fits this trope.
** One of the things changed in the movie which doesn't gather too many complaints. Instead, Nite Owl witnesses [[spoiler:Dr. Manhattan kill Rorschach, his old friend]].

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* In ''{{Berserk}}'', while Guts and Casca [[spoiler: are making loving - rather harshly on Guts's part -]], Guts begins to have flashbacks of his [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark and horrific childhood ordeal]] of [[spoiler: being anally raped and being betrayed by his adoptive father altogether.]] When this happens, years of compressed post traumatic stress is released as Guts has an emotional breakdown in front of Casca, the first time he has shown a truly emotionally fragile side to him. Afterwards, he tries to go away and deal with his issues on his own, thinking himself a freak and [[DefiledForever soiled]], but Casca [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming crowns the heartwarming]] by giving Guts a CoolDownHug, and said that now that they've revealed their crappy childhoods to each other, that they were truly equal to each other, as friends and as lovers. After that, the two engage in [[spoiler: more lovemaking, this time more passionate]], and Guts's childhood has not been touched upon again. Maybe it's for the best.

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* Subverted in ''CrossChannel''. Misato decided that having sex with Taichi would be the best way to atone for her sin of [[spoiler:sending her father to jail]]. Of course, she's also implied to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-defeating_personality_disorder self-defeating]], and the sex arguably made the whole situation worse. At least it helped in [[spoiler:sending her back to the original world]].

* ''StrikeBack''. The protagonist has sex with a pretty female army sergeant, but then gets taken down a peg when the female intelligence agent says she's a professional HoneyTrap who had sex with him because the shrink said he was suffering from sexual inadequacy issues. "In short, you needed a shag."

* Jack's romance in ''MassEffect 2''.
** [[{{YourMileageMayVary}} Debatable]]. Jack's is the only romance where sex pretty obviously doesn't happen at the culmination. There is an option to sleep with her early on, but it only serves in making her hate you. Jack's final scene is preceded by Shepard admitting he can't fix her, and the scene itself is only about her admitting vulnerability--followed by a make out session and a fully clothed cuddle before the scene pans out.
** Subverted. If you have sex with her, she never "gets better" because it confirms her belief that everyone is only out for their own interests and anyone who tries to get close to her is just using her for sex. The romance plot specifically does not include any sex (unlike all the others), and results in her becoming a little less psychotic now that you've proven that some people are genuinely nice and real relationships are possible.

* Very much subverted in {{Antichrist}}. The main character's husband thinks it's a good idea to [[WhatAnIdiot treat her depression himself.]] She uses sex as a method of dulling the pain. [[{{Understatement}} It ends badly.]]

* Dolphin did this to {{Aquaman}} after he became embittered after losing his hand to the terrorist Charybdis.

* Very much subverted in {{Antichrist}}. The main character's husband thinks it's a good idea to [[WhatAnIdiot treat her depression himself.]] She uses sex as a method of dulling the pain. [[Understatement It ends badly.]]

* A mutual variant occurs in ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Buffy and Angel, having barely escaped with their lives from the Judge, end up having sex after retreating to Angel's apartment, presumably as a response to their terror of losing one another. [[{{Understatement}} It ends badly]].

* Horrendously subverted in the movie ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070294/ The Legend Of Hell House]]''. The young female psychic thinks that by offering herself to the ghost of a tormented young man, he might know peace and move on. Let's just say that this does ''[[{{squick}} not]]'' turn out to be a romantic and cathartic experience like that one scene in ''Film/{{Ghost}}''. She [[spoiler: gets violated by the vindictive apparition, which was never a young troubled man but the ghost of the house's murderous old owner]].
* ''[[http://www.movierapture.com/attackgirlsswimteamversustheundead.htm Attack Girls Swim Team vs. The Undead]]''
* Jack's romance in MassEffect 2
** [[{{YourMileageMayVary}} Debatable]]. Jack's is the only romance where sex pretty obviously doesn't happen at the culmination. There is an option to sleep with her early on, but it only serves in making her hate you. Jack's final scene is preceded by Shepard admitting he can't fix her, and the scene itself is only about her admitting vulnerability--followed by a make out session and a fully clothed cuddle before the scene pans out.
** Subverted. If you have sex with her, she never "gets better" because it confirms her belief that everyone is only out for their own interests and anyone who tries to get close to her is just using her for sex. The romance plot specifically does not include any sex (unlike all the others), and results in her becoming a little less psychotic now that you've proven that some people are genuinely nice and real relationships are possible.

* Marian helps RobinHood through his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the Crusades by sleeping with him in the novel ''Lady of the Forest'' by Jennifer Roberson.
* In the movie ''Baby Boy'', the main character loses his temper and slaps his girlfriend, and then she starts breaking down and crying uncontrollably. So he picks her up, carries her to the bedroom and gives her oral sex while sad music plays. She forgives him and it's never mentioned again.
* A mutual variant occurs in ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Buffy and Angel, having barely escaped with their lives from the Judge, end up having sex after retreating to Angel's apartment, presumably as a response to their terror of losing one another. [[{{Understatement}} It ends badly]].

* LegendOfTheBlueWolves has a double example, as this "helps" [[spoiler: Jonathan]] to get over [[spoiler: being falsely accused of theft, the beaten and ''raped'' by the culprit]] while also helping [[spoiler: Leonard]] to deal with [[spoiler: the tragic death of his younger brother, several years ago (his feelings for Jonathan ''are'' partially driven by a BigBrotherComplex, as the guy looks a LOT like an older version of said brother)]]
* ForWhomTheBellTolls is an early and successful example. Maria wants Robert to make love to her to replace her rape memories.
* The AxisPowersHetalia fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5053133/1/Some_scars_are_easy_to_hide "Some scars are easy to hide"]] has Lithuania and Poland having sex to help Lithuania get over his depression and anxiety resulting from having been sexually abused by Russia. Notable for giving rise to the [[MemeticMutation meme]] "I'm damaged goods, Feliks!"

* In The Stolen Throne, the first prequel book to the DragonAge video game, Rowan comforts her future husband Maric shortly after he executed his former lover, Katriel, for being a spy. After hours of sobbing and holding each other, it's strongly implied that they make love for the first time. Notably, it doesn't resolve Maric's guilt over Katriel's death, which he feels even years later. It just helps him cope.
* {{Dexter}}: Dexter's relationship with Leila in season two apparently puts him on the road to recovering from his addiction to murder. Or not.
* CallMeFitz: After burying Babs, guess how does Fitzy comfort Ali.

* Dexter: Dexter's relationship with Leila in season two apparently puts him on the road to recovering from his addiction to murder. Or not.

DoNotTryThisAtHome. Having someone attempt to get over mental or emotional hang-ups by having sex is rarely if ever a good idea, and very illegal if you are counseling.

* ''StrikeBack''. The protagonist has sex with a pretty female army sergeant, but then gets taken down a peg when the female intelligence agent says she's a professional HoneyTrap who had sex with him because the shrink said he was suffering from sexual inadequacy issues. "In short, you needed a shag."

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** One of the things changed in the movie which doesn't gather too many complaints. Instead, Nite Owl witnesses [[spoiler:Ozymandias kill Rorschach, his old friend]].

* In The Stolen Throne, the first prequel book to DragonAge: Origins, Rowan comforts her future husband Maric shortly after he executed his former lover, Katriel, for being a spy. After hours of sobbing and holding each other, it's strongly implied that they make love for the first time. Notably, it doesn't resolve Maric's guilt over Katriel's death, which he feels even years later. It just helps him cope.

*Horrendously subverted in the movie ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070294/ The Legend Of Hell House]]''. The young female psychic thinks that by offering herself to the ghost of a tormented young man, he might know peace and move on. Let's just say that this does ''[[{{squick}} not]]'' turn out to be a romantic and cathartic experience like that one scene in ''Film/{{Ghost}}''. She [[spoiler: gets violated by the vindictive apparition, which was never a young troubled man but the ghost of the house's murderous old owner.]]

** [[{{YourMileageMayVary}} Debatable.]] Jack's is the only romance where sex pretty obviously doesn't happen at the culmination. There is an option to sleep with her early on, but it only serves in making her hate you. Jack's final scene is preceded by Shepard admitting he can't fix her, and the scene itself is only about her admitting vulnerability--followed by a make out session and a fully clothed cuddle before the scene pans out.

''SoYeah''.

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