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FrancoAngeli Journals

La sessualità in psicoterapia cognitivo-comportamentale

N. 57 (2025)

Neurodivergenze e sessualità: complessità cliniche e prospettive di intervento nella psicoterapia cognitivo-comportamentale

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/qpc57-2025oa23134
Inviata
24 giugno 2026
Pubblicato
16-07-2026

Abstract

Il crescente riconoscimento della neurodivergenza come espressione della naturale variabilità del funzionamento neurocognitivo umano, che incide sulle modalità con cui la persona percepisce, elabora e regola le informazioni, comporta rilevanti implicazioni per la comprensione della sessualità e per la pratica psicoterapeutica.

Le persone neurodivergenti sperimentano frequentemente traiettorie di sviluppo affettivo e sessuale non lineari, influenzate da specificità nella regolazione emotiva e sensoriale, nei processi comunicativi e dall’esposizione a forme specifiche di stress minoritario. Tali fattori influenzano lo sviluppo identitario, l’esperienza della risposta sessuale e le modalità di espressione dell’intimità, spesso in contesti sociali e clinici ancora fortemente normativi.

Il presente contributo propone una lettura integrata tra prospettiva neurodiversityaffirming

e modelli cognitivocomportamentali evidencebased, con l’obiettivo di offrire una cornice clinica utile al lavoro psicoterapeutico con persone neurodivergenti che portano temi legati alla sessualità. Vengono discussi concetti chiave quali il Double Empathy Problem, il masking, lo stress minoritario e l’adozione di una postura orientata alla cultural humility, evidenziandone le implicazioni per il setting terapeutico, per l’alleanza e per il linguaggio clinico.

L’articolo esplora inoltre le intersezioni tra neurodivergenza e identità sessuale. Si discutono anche le implicazioni legate alle diagnosi tardive e ai processi di disclosure, sottolineando il ruolo della psicoterapia come spazio di cocostruzione di significati affermativi e depatologizzanti. In conclusione, a partire dalla presentazione di un caso clinico, si delineano alcuni principi clinici per una psicoterapia cognitivocomportamentale informata sulla neurodivergenza, capace di integrare rigore metodologico e attenzione alla soggettività, promuovendo benessere, agency e autenticità nelle esperienze affettive e sessuali.

 

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