Sex Addiction Treatment

Sex Addiction Treatment in Sydney

Do you find yourself consumed by thoughts of sex?
Do you compulsively watch pornography to the point of excess?
Do you feel an intense urge to engage in sex acts to ease your sexual cravings or do your thoughts and behaviours surrounding your sexual appetites create feelings of guilt or shame?

In our sex-obsessed world, the line between normal sexual behaviour and sex addiction can be difficult draw, and easy to cross. Indeed, thousands of individuals struggle with this behavioural disorder which significantly impairs their ability to create and maintain healthy, meaningful relationships.

Psychologists in Australia are reporting an increase in people seeking help for sex addiction. The biggest issue for Australians with a sex addiction is pornography. Many Australians find themselves caught in a downward spiral trying to combat their addiction in the face of endless triggers.

Fortunately, help is available. The Cabin Sydney provides the highest quality, confidential sex addiction treatment. We can help you find freedom from your addiction, enabling you to develop fulfilling relationships while maintaining a healthy sex life.

Sex Addiction: The Facts

Sex addiction is a process addiction characterized by a preoccupation with sexual thoughts and a compulsive need to engage in sexual acts. Sex addiction, like drug or alcohol addiction, stems from a malfunction in the reward circuitry of the brain. Sex addiction however, presents unique challenges to treatment as sex is not something from which total abstinence is realistic.

An addiction to sex can be challenging for individuals to recognize in themselves. While the specifics of sex addiction vary across individuals, the defining feature of sex addiction is the negative consequences suffered as a result. These may include:

• Disruptions in family or work life
• Impaired social relationships
• Financial issues
• Feelings of guilt or shame
• Distorted self-identity
• Isolation from others
• Depression

Sex addiction is a progressive disorder which, if left untreated, will increase in severity over time. To avoid more serious consequences, it is important to seek treatment for sex addiction as early as possible.

Categories of Sex Addiction

While there is a great deal of individual variance in sex addiction, most cases can be classified as one of the following 10 types:

• Anonymous: A compulsive desire to engage in sex with strangers
• Fantasy: Genuine sexual feelings are replaced by an obsession with a sexual fantasy
• Intrusive: Achieving arousal through the non-consensual touching of others – particularly in cases where one uses their position of power to gain sexual access
• Voyeuristic: An obsession with secretly watching others engage in sexual acts while masturbating – in some cases to the point of injury
• Pain exchange: A sexual obsession with either causing, or enduring, pain or humiliation
• Exhibitionist: Experiencing sexual pleasure from engaging in sex in public or from the unsolicited exposure of sexual body parts to others
• Paid-for: Avoiding genuine connection by paying people for sex – thereby reducing sex to a financial transaction
• Trading: Trading goods or services in exchange for sex; avoiding intimacy by treating sex as a commodity
• Seductive role: Gaining a sense of power by treating sexual partners as conquests that are won through charm or manipulation
• Exploitive: Arousal from engaging in sex against someone’s will. Examples include rape or pedophilia

Consequences of Sex Addiction

The consequences of sex addiction can be serious and far reaching. Left untreated, sex addiction can produce the following detrimental effects:

• Impaired or damaged relationships
• Contraction of sexually transmitted infections
• Loss of enjoyment in life
• Loss of interest in work or school
• Hopelessness and depression
• Social withdrawal and isolation from others
• Increased risk for developing other addictions (i.e. drugs, alcohol or gambling)
• Feelings of shame, guilt
• Financial problems
• Legal issues or imprisonment

Treatment Options for Sex Addiction

In a society where we are constantly bombarded by images and messages of sex, triggers for sex addiction are unavoidable. This makes sex addiction particularly difficult to overcome. To further complicate the issue, complete abstinence from sex is not a realistic option for most people. Due to the complicated and progressive nature of this addiction, and considering the seriousness of the possible negative consequences, seeking professional treatment for sex addiction is crucial.

Treatment for sex addiction can be administered in outpatient or inpatient settings.

Outpatient treatment allows people to keep up their normal lives while fitting therapy into their daily schedule. This type of treatment is ideal for those who are not able to take leave from work or other commitments. Outpatient treatment is most appropriate for ‘high functioning’ addicts; those who are capable of managing their addictions within the context of their daily routines.

For those whose regular environment contains too many obstacles to recovery, inpatient treatment at a residential rehab facility is the more appropriate option. Inpatient clients have access to around-the-clock care as they are housed and treated simultaneously.

The Cabin Sydney: Effective, Confidential Treatment for Sex Addiction

If your thoughts and behaviours surrounding sex are starting to create problems in your life, The Cabin Sydney’s outpatient programme is the solution you have been looking for. The Cabin’s proven Recovery Zones method, which has a 96% completion rate, is specifically designed to treat process addictions for which complete abstinence is not an option. This method incorporates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), 12-step facilitation and mindfulness techniques to address your primary addiction as well as any co-occurring addictions or mental health issues.

Certified and highly trained clinical professionals help to identify the root cause of your addiction and create a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. Through counselling, we provide you with the skills necessary to develop and maintain a healthy sex life without falling back into sexually destructive thought or behaviour patterns.

The Cabin Sydney also offers family therapy options to help repair relationships damaged by your addiction.

Additionally, those attending The Cabin Sydney have fast-tracked access to our inpatient programme at The Cabin Chiang Mai.

Inpatient Treatment at The Cabin Chiang Mai

The Cabin Chiang Mai is a luxurious residential addiction treatment facility, which is set in the serene forested foothills of Northern Thailand. It is staffed by professional, Western accredited addiction experts, who create and implement innovative, tailor-made treatment programmes specific to every individual client residing at the facility. The treatment programme doesn’t just focus on the physical and medical aspects of addiction treatment, but also addresses the mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of our clients.

The Cabin Chiang Mai is just a few short hours by plane from Australia, and therefore it is an ideal, easily accessible inpatient treatment centre for Australians struggling with addiction. It offers a luxurious and idyllic place for people recovering from sex addiction to begin their journey to a healthy lifestyle.