A randomized trial comparing group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with group supportive sex education and therapy…
Group therapy for low desire improved things for about half of women in a trial, with no drug involved — is there a group programme or a sex therapist you can refer me to?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Both arms improved similarly on the primary desire and arousal outcomes, so this trial does not show that mindfulness specifically works — it shows that eight weeks of structured group attention works. There was no no-treatment or waitlist arm, so regression to the mean and expectancy effects cannot be separated out. All 148 participants were cisgender women, and the authors note the need to diversify samples.
148 women with sexual interest/arousal disorder were randomised to eight weekly sessions of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or group supportive sex education. Desire and arousal improved with large effect sizes (d = -1.29 to -1.60) and stayed improved at 12 months, but improved equally in both arms; mindfulness beat sex education only on sexual distress (d = 0.83 to 1.17), relationship satisfaction, and rumination about sex. About half of participants across both treatments reported moderate or great improvement. Talking about it in a structured group works; the mindfulness component is not what makes it work.
Worth asking
Group therapy for low desire improved things for about half of women in a trial, with no drug involved — is there a group programme or a sex therapist you can refer me to?
What to watch for
Evidence quality tells you whether to trust the finding — not whether the treatment is safe. These are the risks this research reports.
- Sexual side effects
Source
A randomized trial comparing group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with group supportive sex education and therapy for the treatment of female sexual interest/arousal disorder. — Brotto LA, Zdaniuk B, Chivers ML, Jabs F, Grabovac A, Lalumière ML, Weinberg J, Schonert-Reichl KA, Basson R. (2021)
Reputable peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000661
DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000661
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- Independently funded
- Published in
- Reputable peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 148
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- Yes
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 76 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Both arms improved similarly on the primary desire and arousal outcomes, so this trial does not show that mindfulness specifically works — it shows that eight weeks of structured group attention works. There was no no-treatment or waitlist arm, so regression to the mean and expectancy effects cannot be separated out. All 148 participants were cisgender women, and the authors note the need to diversify samples. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
A randomized trial comparing group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with group supportive sex education and therapy for the treatment of female sexual interest/arousal disorder. — Brotto LA, Zdaniuk B, Chivers ML, Jabs F, Grabovac A, Lalumière ML, Weinberg J, Schonert-Reichl KA, Basson R. (2021). Published in: Reputable peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000661. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: Independently funded. The researchers were independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.