Sex Addiction
All addiction is an ineffective attempt at self-care through using an outside substance or process to regulate a dysregulated and often traumatized nervous system.
Sex addiction, compulsive sexual behavior, hyper-sexuality, problematic sexual behavior. While there is debate about what to call this problem, there is wide agreement that a percentage of individuals struggle with sexual behavior that escalates over time, creates negative consequences, and feels out of their control.
Sex Addiction is not limited to a certain gender or about specific sexual behaviors or practices but is the compulsive pursuit and use of sex. Sex becomes separated from intimacy, relationship, pleasure, and enjoyment. Instead, sex becomes focused on the high of arousal, the medication of feelings, an attempt to meet unconscious needs, or the acting out of unresolved issues.
Treatment is designed to not just arrest compulsive behaviors but to heal and transform the wounds and traumas underneath.
System Focused
At the Relational Recovery Institute, treatment is designed with a healing pathway for the addicted individual, the betrayed partner, and the couple. Working with the entire relational system allows us to explore the emotional and attachment-based dynamics that interweave and impact the relationship. This method allows couples to progress quickly, as the en)re system is held and worked with simultaneously.
Treatment Elements
(select a topic for more info)
Workshops
Workshops are designed to speed up treatment by giving you education regarding certain areas of focus that you can then work with in therapy.
Individual Therapy
Individual Therapy is where clients do a deep dive into the dynamics underlying the addiction and trauma issues, work on establishing long-term sobriety, and create new healthy coping strategies and relational patterns.
Couple’s Therapy
Couple’s Therapy is where the couple learns to manage the crisis created by betrayal, develop new healthy communication patterns, and, when the time is right, dives into the deep healing and repair work needed around the emotional, relational, and sexual injuries.
Disclosure Process
Disclosure is a facilitated, carefully prepared, and supported process where the unfaithful individual provides their partner with a fully honest account of their history of acting behaviors.
Foundations for Recovery Class
Foundations for Recovery 12-Week Online Class is designed to walk clients in early sex addiction recovery through the following tasks: break through denial, map the addiction cycle, define sobriety, plan relapse prevention, identify arousal template, limit unmanageability and more.
Group Therapy
Group therapy provides a forum for growth that is distinct from individual therapy. Group is a laboratory for practicing new relational skills and behaviors. Members learn to better understand themselves and others through practicing vulnerability, empty, and attunement.
Treatment Phases
Six Phases
Sexual Addiction
Focused on arresting problematic sexual behavior, addressing neurochemical impacts, and developing new healthy coping.
Couple
Attention to initial crisis management and safety planning so that recovery work can begin.
Partner Betrayal
Cope with the immediate crisis of betrayal through addressing acute trauma reactions and safety needs.
Sexual Addiction
Confront the blocks to honesty and reduce shame and reactivity while increasing tolerance for emotions and learning empty skills.
Couple
Negotiate healthy boundaries and bottom lines, learn communication skills, and commit to a full therapeutic disclosure process.
Partner Betrayal
Confront the impacts and dynamics of betrayal and develop skills to increase healthy coping and regulation.
Sexual Addiction
Focused on resolving underlying wounds, family-of-origin work and restricting the relationship with the self and others including focus on healthy sexuality.
Couple
Couple completes Disclosure, Partner Impact Letter and Restitution Letter and increases healthy communication and emotional connection skills.
Partner Betrayal
Move from powerlessness to empowerment through learning to operate from your personal power center in your relationship with self and others.
Sexual Addiction
New healthy relational patterns are established and honed with self, partner, children, and family-of-origin. Emotional and regulatory capacity is broadened creating resilience and resourcefulness.
Couple
Couple beings deep therapy work to establish emotional safety, connection and intimate bonding with one another as wounds are repaired and new relational patterns are established.
Partner Betrayal
Reclaim and nurture your core self and increase authentic interactions in all relationships.
Sexual Addiction
Experience the benefits of vulternability and intimacy as your core self gets stronger and your capacity for secure bonding with yourself and others expands.
Couple
Create a new love relationship with your partner.
Partner Betrayal
Experience the benefits of vulternability and intimacy as your core self gets stronger and your capacity for secure bonding with yourself and others expands.
Sexual Addiction
Feed, nurture and cultivate your new relational skills and self-care practices while maintaining recovery program and awareness.
Couple
Continue to grow your ability to share your authentic self with your partner, to co-create your sexual relationship and to brave forward with one another.
Partner Betrayal
Experience the emotional and relational stability that consistent self-care and emotional self-nurture create.
