Sexual Addiction Treatment |
Although this is not the case for all sexual addicts, for many
addicts their sexual addiction has its roots in trauma endured
during their childhood. According to Dr. Patrick Carnes in his
book, "Contrary to Love" his research showed that
97% of sex addicts were emotionally abused, 72% were physically
abused and 81% were sexually abused. Therefore, treatment will entail some form of counseling. The addict has some options from which to choose such as: individual psychotherapy, twelve step programs or support groups. It is recommended that the addict pursues a combination of individual therapy in conjunction with a twelve step program. So once an individual decides to pursue therapy what will therapy look like? The goal of therapy will not revolve around abolishing sex altogether but rather to find alternate ways to cope with stress, anxiety or emotional pain. In other words, sex will be placed in its proper context. One of the first things accomplished in therapy is to understand the cycle of addiction. Here, the addict will get an understanding of short and long term events that have contributed to his stress and anxiety. Next, the therapist will help the addict identify some possible triggers (people, places, things, thoughts, feelings and behaviors that make one feel anxious or stressed and want to act out). Finally, due to the abuse in the addicts' family of origin, a majority of the counseling will entail grief work around the trauma and identifying cognitive distortions (errors we make in our thinking or thinking in extremes). Related Information |