Some of the behaviors that people with sex addiction request help for are:
- compulsive masturbation
- uncontrolled promiscuity (including one-night stands, use of prostitutes, massage parlors, "cruising", repetitive sex affairs, escort services etc.)
- dependence on pornography (including internet pornography)
- telephone sex dependence
- cybersex (dependence on Internet-related sexually oriented chat-rooms, message boards, etc.)
- severe sex drive incompatibility (when one partner's excessive sex drive is incompatible with the other partner's normal sex drive)
Approach to Treating Sex Addiction
My approach to treating sex addiction is comprehensive, drawing on elements of Voice Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy. From the latter comes an emphasis on people learning to identify and tolerate core, negative feelings - such as shame, anxiety, and loneliness - that they avoid typically through sex addiction. From Voice Therapy comes the role of the negative thought process (negative inner voice) in talking people into self-destructive sexual behavior, as well as the conceptualization of sex addiction as a defense, a way of gratifying oneself internally through fantasy rather than risking real gratification from close attachments.
The goal of treatment for sex addiction is to help people relinquish the addictive sexual behavior and risk reaching out for real gratification from a close connection with a sexual partner.
If you would like more information regarding sex addiction, please feel free to contact me at 604-873-0222 or at info@pauljames.ca.
