As with any addiction, there’s no magic cure for sexual addiction. The condition is often the result of emotional abandonment or neglect in childhood, traumatic events or emotions which have been suppressed for many years. Combined with the fact that you need to learn how to conduct healthy sexual relationships once again, there really is no quick fix when it comes to the treatment of sex addiction.
Although recovery can take a long time, with the right help, sex addiction can be treated and managed very effectively.
Why is sex addiction treatment important?
Studies show that as many as 80% of people suffering with sex addiction have experienced emotional trauma or sexual abuse at some point in their lives. The emotions attached to these events are often buried by victims who are either too afraid to speak up or are struggling to come to terms with what happened to them. Seeing a sex addiction counselor not only frees you of your addiction, it can also help you to deal with the emotions associated with the trauma.
Until you can identify and understand the causes of your behavior, it’s unlikely that you will ever be able to put a stop to it. In time, you will more than likely start experiencing feelings of intense guilt which will develop into low self-esteem and eventually, depression.
Sufferers can also develop family and relationship problems as the addiction takes hold and behaviors become increasingly hurtful or damaging. There is of course also the potential to become infected with sexually transmitted diseases and/or experience unplanned pregnancy.
One of the primary goals of therapy is to help you stop the behaviours with a major focus on understanding the underpinnings / causes of the compulsion. You will also learn how to identify your triggers and put coping mechanisms in place during more challenging times.
How do you treat sex addiction?
There are a number of ways we can help individuals overcome sex addiction.
Individual Counselling
Everyone is different and what works for one person might not necessarily work for another. At the start of the recovery journey, you may find individual counselling easier.
Speaking to a professional on a one-to-one basis can feel less daunting and you may find it easier to open up to one person rather than a group. Your sex addiction counselor will be able to help you come to terms with your addiction, any hurt you may have caused to your partner and family and crucially, it will also help you to understand the journey ahead of you.
Group Therapy
Support from others is a vital part of recovery and those suffering with sex addiction often find it easier to talk to people who are in the same boat as them. Group therapy offers a number of benefits including:
- Knowing you’re not alone can be beneficial to recovery
- Opening up and talking to others can help form healthier habits and prevent relapse
- Being part of a group can help you to feel safer
- It’s often easier to confide in people who know what you’re going through
- You don’t have to worry about being judged
- Seeing people further in their journey can motivate you to keep going
Family/Couples Counselling
Sex addiction isn’t just difficult for the sufferer, it’s also very hard for families and especially partners to cope with.
Partners typically find it particularly traumatic because chances are they’ve been lied to, cheated on and betrayed many times. Family counselling can help couples to recover together and it can also help partners to understand why their partner did the things they did. It can also help entire family units come together again and teach family members how to support their loved one.
Your therapist will also teach you how to put coping mechanisms in place. This is an important part of treatment for sex addiction and can include:
- Developing healthy habits that keep you busy – this can include anything from joining the gym, seeing friends and getting a hobby to throwing yourself into work, going travelling or doing volunteer work
- Avoiding triggers – avoid places, people and activities that may cause you to feel tempted to fall back into old habits
- Controlling stress – the more stress you’re under, the more likely you are to seek an escape from it
- Establishing a good support network – the more support you have, the less likely you are to relapse
If you would like to speak to someone about sex addiction treatment, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Toronto Trauma and Addiction Counselling and we’ll be more than happy to help.
