Examining the neurobiological underpinnings of sex addiction. Neuroaffective science—studying the integrated development of the body, brain, and mind—has revealed mechanisms linking psychological and biological factors of mental disorders, including addiction. Indeed, its paradigm-shifting theoretical umbrella demonstrated that substance and behavioral dependencies share identical neurobiological workings, and thus that problematic repetitive behaviors are genuine addictions—a state increasingly understood as a chronic brain disorder. Clinical experience strongly suggests that sex addiction (SA) treatment informed by affective neuroscience—the specialty of Alexandra Katehakis—proves profoundly transformative. Katehakis's relational protocol, presented here, blends neurobiology with psychology to accomplish full recovery. Her Psychobiological Approach to Sex Addiction Treatment (PASAT) joins therapist and patient through a relationally-based psychotherapy—a holistic, dyadic dance that calls on the body, brain, and mind of both. Written with clarity and compassion, this book integrates cutting-edge research, case studies, verbatim session records, and patient writings and art. Katehakis explicates neurophysiological, psychological, and cultural forces priming and maintaining SA, then details how her innovative treatment restores patients' interpersonal, sexual, and spiritual relationality.

Examining the neurobiological underpinnings of sex addiction. Neuroaffective science—studying the integrated development of the body, brain, and mind—has revealed mechanisms linking psychological and biological factors of mental disorders, including addiction. Indeed, its paradigm-shifting theoretical umbrella demonstrated that substance and behavioral dependencies share identical neurobiological workings, and thus that problematic repetitive behaviors are genuine addictions—a state increasingly understood as a chronic brain disorder. Clinical experience strongly suggests that sex addiction (SA) treatment informed by affective neuroscience—the specialty of Alexandra Katehakis—proves profoundly transformative. Katehakis's relational protocol, presented here, blends neurobiology with psychology to accomplish full recovery. Her Psychobiological Approach to Sex Addiction Treatment (PASAT) joins therapist and patient through a relationally-based psychotherapy—a holistic, dyadic dance that calls on the body, brain, and mind of both. Written with clarity and compassion, this book integrates cutting-edge research, case studies, verbatim session records, and patient writings and art. Katehakis explicates neurophysiological, psychological, and cultural forces priming and maintaining SA, then details how her innovative treatment restores patients' interpersonal, sexual, and spiritual relationality.

ENJOYABLE, EXCITING SEX IS POSSIBLE AFTER SEX ADDICTION In the journey to sexual sobriety, many sex addicts find themselves wondering, 'How am I going to have a normal relationship?' or 'Will it be possible to repair my marriage now that I've confessed my destructive behavior?' and 'Will I ever have great sex again?' As a sex, marriage, and family therapist, Alexandra Katehakis introduces a successful program for sufferers and their loved ones that will help them hone their erotic intelligence by making sense of the past, creating healthy habits in the present, and looking toward a more intimate relationship that nurtures honesty and closeness. With Katehakis's help, sex addicts can get in touch with their healthy sexual side—and embrace true intimacy and acceptance in themselves and in their mates. - Features true stories of people coming to terms with their sexuality on the other side of sex addiction, as well as couples finding a new path to sexual trust and fulfillment - Helps to build the four cornerstones of intimacy that are essential for healthy relationships

Sexual Reflections: A Workbook for Designing and Celebrating Your Sexual Health Plan, by Alexandra Katehakis, Ph.D., helps you uncover and embrace your unique, optimal sexuality. Carefully researched, designed, and clinically tested, the Workbook gives you a powerful new program to achieve your authentic sexual expression. Meant to be used with your therapist (complete with therapist instructions in the Appendix), this cutting-edge body/mind Workbook assists you in attaining personally satisfying and sustainable, healthy sexual experiences that fully align with your own ethical and erotic values. Prepare for some "Aha!" moments as the Sexual Reflections: A Workbook engages you and your therapist in unblinkingly honest, individually-tailored exercises and conversations. This sex-positive guide celebrates and strengthens your unique healthy emotional and erotic intimacy with a partner. The Workbook begins with concrete actions supporting abstinence from sexual behaviors that destroy relationships (such as infidelity) or compromise integrity (such as sexual compulsivity). Having a healthy, satisfying, and therefore sustainable sex life takes a lot more than abstention from problematic sex. Constructing a positive sexuality starts with understanding all aspects of your sexuality -- physical, emotional, cognitive, interpersonal-intrapsychic, and spiritual-and is most objectively done in tandem with your therapist. The Workbook's sections lead you step by step through each of these aspects by presenting thought-provoking questions and emotionally evocative art, by inviting your responses with your own words and images, and by processing your reflections in the next session.Forthright and compassionate, Workbook sections first explore your awareness of your sexual responses, your ability to name and track bodily impulses, and your capacity to trust those impulses as a personal guide to what feels sexually right or wrong to you. Later sections consider how well you maintain healthy boundaries with a lover, how comfortably you can discuss preferred sexual experiences with appropriate others and how your spiritual beliefs might bring joy and meaning, rather than shame or guilt, to your sexual life. Weekly "homework assignments" and processing sessions cover the section topics and help you confirm which sexual acts are okay, not okay, or perfect for you through your bodily-based emotions. This tailored-to-you mind/body process hones your inner reflections, so you and your therapist can help you identify and live your unique, genuine-and thus genuinely sustainable--Sexual Health Plan. Sexual Reflections: A Workbook puts your sex life in your hands as your new skill of tracking your bodily activation guides you to your personal truth. Weekly homework assignments assist you in bridging the gap between what you think fits you sexually versus what your bodily-based emotions telegraph to you about specific sexual acts. Together, your mind and body help you create your Sexual Health Plan that integrates and expresses both your ethical and your erotic values. Sexual Reflections: A Workbook for Designing and Celebrating Your Sexual Health Plan: * Encourages you to reflect on your physical self, thoughts, emotions, personal and sexual values, preferred sex acts, dating and relationship concerns, and spirituality-all to guide you toward a tailored understanding of your sexuality.* Gives you accessible techniques to track bodily and emotional activation. This personal barometer will help you to distinguish sexual arousal from sexual shame or trauma repetition, and to discover your own sexual truth. * Presents art and creative writing to access memory and activate healing and hope.* Guides you in defining an individualized, joyous, and thus sustainable Sexual Health Plan that supports your genuine erotic and ethical values.

Clinical Management of Sex Addiction’s newest edition updates many of the original chapters from 28 leaders in the field with new findings and treatment methods in the field of sex addiction. With a growing awareness of sex addiction as a problem, plus the advent of cybersex compulsion, professional clinicians are being confronted with sexual compulsion with little clinical or academic preparation. This is the first book distilling the experience of the leaders in this emerging field. It additionally provides new chapters on emerging areas of interest, including partner counseling, trauma and sexual addiction, and adolescent sex addiction. With a focus on special populations, the book creates a current and coherent reference for the therapist who faces quickly escalating new constellations of addictive sexual behavior. Readable, concise and filled with useful interventions, it is a key text for professionals new to the field and a classic reference for all clinicians who treat sex addiction.

Did one or both of your parents: Become emotionally distant and unloving to their spouse? Talk about sex or sexuality in an inappropriate way? Spend a lot of time away from home or form unusually close platonic relationships? Continue their destructive behavior, even when confronted by the damage it was causing? If so, you are an adult child of a sex addict. Sex addiction is not about parents who cheat on each other or have multiple partners, although it does manifest itself that way. It is about any sexual dysfunction between people in a long-term relationship: sexual withholding, emotional detachment, bullying or demeaning behavior, etc. These relationship problems form subconscious impressions on children and lead to unfulfilling relationships in later life. This book, for the first time, identifies 'sexual addiction' as a root cause of many of the dysfunctions in relationships. It helps readers analyze their parents' relationships. It then shows them the possible dysfunctions these problems caused in their own relationships, giving both general guidance and personal anecdotes from a select group of children of sex addicts. Finally, it gives readers several specific exercises to help free them from their past, heal their relationship with your parents (especially the 'victim partner'—often the wife—who is subconsciously blamed for not stopping the spouse's disruptive behavior), and repair any damage in their current relationships. This book is not just about cheating or abuse. It is about finding the way back to the loving relationships you want...and that those around you deserve.

This book focuses on the subject of the development of masculinity and femininity. It shows that the perverse scene aims not only at denying castration, but also at securing a more solid basis for a jeopardized sexual identity.