What Are Some of the Symptoms of Sex Addiction?
Tolerance
Have your sexual behaviors escalated over time? Are you seeking more graphic or shocking experiences in order to achieve sexual gratification? Do you find yourself needing to “up the ante” with each sexual experience? Are your sexual activities becoming more and more “risky”? Most importantly, have you found that you can’t stop on your own?
Withdrawal
Does a lack of sex leave you feeling intense anxiety or discomfort? Is sex something you do to avoid feeling discomfort or anxiety?
Preoccupation
Is sex on your mind all of the time, to the point that it distracts you from your responsibilities? Does it interfere with your ability to be present in your relationship, at work, or with friends or family? Do you invest a great deal of time and energy in creating or finding your next sexual experience?
Dishonesty
Are you dishonest about your sexual experiences? Have you lied or kept secrets in order to hide your sexual encounters from those you love? Do you have a secret email address or cell phone?
Unmanageability
Has your life become unmanageable as a result of your sexual activities? As a result of the unmanageability, have you tried to stop acting out sexually? Have you experienced negative consequences as a result of your sexual behaviors? Have you hurt your loved ones or those around you with your sexual behaviors? Do you find yourself withdrawing from friends or family due to your sexual behaviors?
Shame
Do you feel shame around your sexual behaviors? Or do you feel shame, guilt, or depression after sexual experiences? Are you secretive about your sexual experiences for fear of judgement?
Los Angeles Sex Addiction Therapy
Sex Addiction Therapy treats Compulsive Sexual Behavior, Hypersexual Behavior, or how it is most commonly known, Sex Addiction. But is “Sex Addiction” real? The preferred term for sex addiction is now “Out of Control Sexual Behavior” or OCSB for short. While the DSM V (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) does not recognize sex addiction as a mental illness, I have worked with both men and women who can attest to the pain of living with sexually compulsive behavior. Sex addiction has the potential to destroy lives, relationships, families, and careers. It is something that should be taken seriously, much like drug and alcohol addiction.
Sex Addiction Therapy begins with a thorough assessment of your behaviors. Next we will look at what triggers these behaviors. Then, together we will discuss skills and tools you can use to prevent sexual acting out. The sex therapy also includes looking at lifelong beliefs around sexuality that may be negatively impacting you. Lastly, we will focus on healthy forms of self-care and learning how to meet your needs in ways that don’t hurt yourself or others. When providing sex addiction therapy, I utilize the treatment program for sexual addiction based on the work of Patrick Carnes, Phd and his book Facing the Shadow. Also, I use the work of Douglas Braun-Harvey and Michael Vigorito in their book Treating Out of Control Sexual Behavior: Rethinking Sexual Addiction.
Recommended Sex Addiction Therapy Reading:
