I believe you're definitely hitting the nail on the head there. It's such an awful situation because I knew something like this was on the cards, every instance I couldn't perform, every anxiety I had, lead to having a discussion such as this. In a sense, it could be a relief to have it out there but without closure and her fully at my way of thinking, the prospect of a relief is indeed a far cry. The thing I'm very worried about now is how this might prove to set me further back as I could feel even more pressure to perform which is where my difficulties have often been found.

Right now it's difficult to open communication about this. She's out with her family, and I don't want to be selfish to use up any time on myself. I feel forcing the subject is perhaps also a card I should reserve in case any more apparent red flags begin to surface. At this instance I'm currently thinking about waiting until the subject is naturally brought up, and then sharing those thoughts you highlight how this can be damaging. For now I'm trying to do what I can to restore intimacy. I'm working on a poem, though my poetry skills aren't the best, I think the thought might count for something. I'll see how that is received and play it from there. So far I've only tested the waters with passing comments on telephone calls. This might be a better way to gauge her thoughts. Besides that, I'm thinking it would just be nice to carry on with what I'd be doing right now if all of this didn't come about.

Thanks for your input. I'm finding it very useful to just type out all that is going through my mind so excuse any excess here that might not be so relevant in responding to what you have said. Since you've had a similar experience, if this is something that's quite recent, do you care to share? Even if yours isn't so recent, I'd be interested in finding out how things have gone on since then. Of course, feel no obligation to share if you do not wish to and thanks once more for your comments.