Sex addiction starts the same way that any other addiction does – it serves as an escape from underlying issues which are yet to be dealt with.
Multiple studies suggest that the disorder is strongly linked to trauma. In one case, it was found that as many as 80% of people suffering from sexual addiction had experienced emotional trauma or sexual abuse at some point in the lives. It can also be triggered by other traumatic events such as the death of a loved one or a bad divorce.
Different forms of trauma may be involved in the development of sex addiction. Trauma may be developmental – for example, someone may have lacked the appropriate support they needed to help deal with the realities of adolescent sexuality or they may have been exposed to excessive encouragement of sexuality at a very young age.
Trauma can also take the form of sexual abuse and as we mentioned above, this is incredibly common among those in sex addiction therapy. The reason for this is because the trauma of sexual abuse (which is often kept quiet), can lead to unhealthy sexual development as the physical, emotional and psychological processes which are crucial to healthy sexual behaviors are interfered with.
In other cases, sex addiction may develop because a victim attempts to self-medicate the pain of the trauma they suffered. While most would assume that a victim of sexual abuse would do everything they can to shy away from sexual encounters, trauma survivors often try to ‘recreate’ the events that have traumatized them or they may be trying to put themselves in a position of authority or give themselves a sense of control when it comes to sex.
Victims often feel deeply ashamed about what happened to them, even though it wasn’t their fault. These feelings more often than not create a vicious cycle of destructive behavior. Someone may choose to self-medicate by engaging in risky sexual behaviors because it gives them a sense of control or that high they’re looking for. Once the behavior has been carried out, they may experience fear, shame or anger which ensures the cycle keeps repeating itself.
While trauma is the most common cause of sex addiction, there are a number of other factors which can make someone more vulnerable to the disorder:
- Compulsive behaviors are believed to be associated with an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain. Known as neurotransmitters, these are the chemicals which help to regulate our moods and how we experience pleasure. An addiction to sex is thought to be at least partially caused by high levels of neurotransmitters in the brain.
- There are certain neurological conditions such as MS, dementia and epilepsy which can cause abnormalities in the brain. It’s thought that this can increase the likelihood of a person developing a sex addiction. Certain medications can also have an effect. Dopamine agonists which are used to treat Parkinson’s disease for example have been known to put people at greater risk of addiction.
- Sex addiction may be related to other psychological disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), other addictions, impulse control disorders and even eating disorders. Poor mental health can also make someone more vulnerable to addiction as they try to forget their feelings by engaging in behaviors they shouldn’t.
- The identification of an ‘addiction gene’ by scientists could play a role in the development of sex addiction which means that some people are simply more vulnerable to addictive behavior than others and there isn’t a lot we can do to change this.
- Addiction could also be the outcome of a set of circumstances. There are many biological and environmental factors that can lead some individuals down a particular path. For example, if a parent has an addiction, you will have been exposed to it at a young age and are therefore more likely to engage in these behaviors yourself.
If you would like more information about sex addiction counselling in Toronto, please feel free to contact us in the strictest of confidence and we will be more than happy to help.
