Sex Addiction Therapist

Anita James Sex Addiction Therapy Services

A sex addiction therapist can help if you are concerned about the sexual behaviour of yourself or someone close.

Sex addiction, also known as sexual compulsion and sexual dependency, is a term used to describe a sexual activity that has become out of control, or to cause consequences that are adversely impacting on a person’s ability to live their life happily.

A sex addict feels compelled to seek out and engage in sexual behaviour, even though it may be destroying their relationships or compromising their ability to work and function normally. It can include a single behaviour – such as watching porn – or a variety of sexualised activity, such as:

• Compulsive masturbation and/or use of pornography
• Multiple, ongoing affairs, or continuous dates, one-night stands or anonymous sex
• Fetishes, including voyeurism, dangerous or illegal sexual practices
• Using sex workers
• Virtual sex, using chat rooms, dating sites, forums and webcams

The type of behaviour does not define it is addiction – it is that the behaviour feels out of control despite the adverse consequences. Despite any physical, emotional, relational, financial or even legal costs of their activity, they feel unable to stop their behaviour and to stay stopped.

Sex is a normal healthy part of life, so it can be difficult to determine whether your sexual appetite is anything unusual. But you wouldn’t be reading this page unless you felt that this description might fit you or someone you know.

My work in recovery with those who have an addiction or compulsion to acting out sexually or to using pornography begins with helping them to stop and keep themselves safe enough to stay stopped while the essential work of dealing with the underlying emotional issues begins.

This work includes helping them to understand addiction and how it escalates, how and why they developed their particular acting out behaviour, and how to deal more appropriately with the emotional issues that have triggered them to act out in the past and have continued to do so until today.

Once recovery has been established, the important work of rebuilding themselves, their self-esteem and their relationships begins.

If you are concerned about the sexual behaviour of yourself or someone close, consider booking an assessment session to see how therapy could help you assess and deal with the issue. Or perhaps go to the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity, complete its anonymous assessment questionnaire. If the questionnaire confirms for you that you have a problem, get in touch.