Sex is a wonderful and normal part of life, but an obsession with sex can negatively affect many aspects of your life. Sex addiction can lead to broken relationships, low mood, workplace implications, and high expenses. Here’s how sex addiction therapy can help you manage your impulses and learn to enjoy sex in a healthy way.
What Is Sex Addiction?
There’s a big difference between enjoying sex and sex addiction. To fully understand the need for sex addiction therapy, sex addiction must be defined. The term compulsive sexual behavior describes a person’s actions to engage in sexual activity at the expense of important facets of their life, such as relationships, work, and studies. If someone’s actions with regard to their sexual compulsions begin to impact other areas of their life, it is a key sign that they could benefit from professional help. Sex addiction has a severely negative impact on your life, especially if you find you are losing out on relationships with loved ones and work opportunities. However, it’s never too late to seek help.
Sex addiction rarely occurs on its own. Studies show that many people who struggle with depression, anxiety, or other past trauma often turn to sex to try and manage the way they feel. For this reason, counselors use a systemic approach in therapy. Focus is placed on the person as a whole, and not just the addiction itself. Certain moods and situations may trigger the need for sexual behavior, and these triggers need to be identified and addressed in the counseling environment.
How Sex Addiction Therapy Can Help
Just like any other addiction, timely intervention leads to positive outcomes. Sex addiction therapy offers a judgment-free space for you to work with a counselor towards ensuring that sexual compulsions don’t get in the way of other facets of your life. Counseling is always confidential, meaning that you can seek help without your privacy being infringed upon.
Sex is not inherently bad, but in the case of sex addiction, it’s important to learn how to manage your impulses and enjoy sex responsibly. Because counselors take a systemic approach, counseling sessions are tailored to you and what you need, with many treatment options available.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, aims to help someone recognize the mood or circumstances that cause an increase in compulsive sexual behavior. Once these factors are identified, you can work with a counselor to change your actions in response to these triggers. CBT is also a leading therapy used for those with depression and anxiety, so counseling sessions using CBT methods can also focus on the cause of sex addiction, working to remove the triggering factors.
Group Therapy
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you’re suffering alone. Group therapy gets rid of these worries and offers you a support system of other individuals that are facing the same struggle that you are. Through group counseling sessions, you’ll learn about the ramifications of sex addiction and begin to understand the negative impact it can have on your life and your relationships with others. Confidentiality is still of key importance, and in group therapy you’ll find the added benefit of increased accountability.
Sex Addiction Therapy At Fifth Street Counseling Center
Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. At Fifth Street Counseling Center, we offer a wide variety of treatment options at times to suit you. Counseling sessions can be in person at one of our centers, or they can be done online from the comfort of your own home. Seeking assistance is the first step on the path to getting your addiction dealt with.