While people may have preconceived ideas about the type of person who is most likely to suffer from a sex addiction, the reality is that it can affect anyone regardless of their cultural background or economic class.
Sex addiction is a coping mechanism that people develop in response to a variety of things including trauma, early life attachment failure and extreme stress. Although these factors do not need to create sex addiction, when not dealt with, they often do.
If you think that you or someone you know may have a sexual addiction, it’s important to seek help so that the underlying cause can be identified. It may be helpful to firstly understand the different levels of the addiction:
- Level one – behaviors include compulsive masturbation, heavy use of pornography and regularly seeking out sexual encounters with different people.
- Level two – at this stage, behaviors may escalate to illegal activities which involve a degree of victimization. This can include flashing, voyeurism and indecent phone calls.
- Level three – this involves serious criminal behaviors which are dangerous and abusive including molestation, sexual abuse and rape.
Irrespective of which level of sex addiction you think you or a loved one has, it’s important to get help for sex addiction as soon as you can. You may think that level one behaviors aren’t that bad but if left untreated, they can quickly escalate to level three actions.
Various forms of counselling for sex addiction
Sex addiction can be treated and managed with the right help. It’s important to understand that this isn’t just about an overwhelming desire to have sex, it’s the outcome of a set of events which have triggered this behavior. Until you have identified what has driven you to become addicted to sex, you are unlikely to overcome it.
Individual Counselling
At the start of the recovery process, you may prefer individual counselling. Speaking to someone on a one-on-one basis may feel less daunting and help you to open up about your past in an environment where you don’t feel judged.
Couples therapy
If the person suffering with sexual addiction has a partner, it is inevitable that they’ve been deeply hurt. Many couples find that seeing a therapist together can help to open the channels of communication and deal with any betrayal that has been caused.
Couples therapy can also help everyone to understand the nature of sex addiction, deal with the issues it caused and commit to a plan that’s going to help them move forward rather than fall into the trap of having the same arguments over and over again.
It can also help entire family units come together and teach family members how to support the person with the addiction.
Group therapy
Attending group therapy can be very beneficial for anyone who is struggling with sex addiction. As well as being surrounded by people who understand you, speaking to others who are further into their recovery can give you valuable tips and advice for coping.
If you think that you or someone you know could benefit from sexual addiction treatment, please feel free to contact Toronto Trauma & Addiction Counselling for more information about the signs, symptoms and what sex addiction recovery entails.
