Abstract
The present study examined the experience of vaginismus in 89 sufferers and ex-sufferers using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The results provide insights into the effects of vaginismus on the sufferers' self-perception and on their relationships with important others. It is suggested that vaginismus should not be regarded as a psychosexual problem but as a psychosocial experience in which defences have been created to protect the self, and that the vaginal spasm is only one of the many effects of this defence.