It would be safe to say that the concepts of sex and porn addiction are controversial in the field of psychotherapy. The debate is strongly polarised between professionals who absolutely assert that sex and porn addictions exist and those that as strongly state that sex and porn are not addictive. In our service we prefer the term compulsive sexual behaviours to the terms ‘porn addiction’ or ‘sex addiction’.
Sexual compulsivity refers to a situation in which a person feels that they have no control over their sexual behaviour and they feel distressed by their sexual choices. It can be caused by unresolved trauma, shame, psychosexual or relationship problems where sex becomes a way of dealing with or avoiding emotional distress.
Our team approaches sexual compulsivity in a way that does not pathologise high sex drives or non-mainstream sexual preferences, taking a pleasure based and sexual health approach to support our clients to reach a place where they feel comfortable with their sexual behaviour.
We focus on an exploration of eroticism and the drivers behind compulsivity, rather than on behavioural prevention, treating trauma, shame and attachment based problems whilst connecting our clients to their full sexuality.
If you feel you are struggling with unwanted sexual behaviours contact our team for confidential, sex positive support.
Remember, sex therapists are specialist trained counsellors and we talk about sex and sexual issues all day long. Don’t let embarrassment stop you from getting the help that you need and that works.
