Therapy for the partner of sexually addicted individual
Therapy, can involve working with partners of a person who has a sex addiction – as much has been written now about how to support the partner in their discovery of sex addiction (CLICK HERE TO VIEW IMPACT OF DISCOVERY).
The impact of discovery, whilst in no means an exhaustive list is to begin in understanding the impact on the partner. There will be many questions that would be and rightly feel the need to be answered. The work involved here is to help provide support and structure to recover. This way of working ensures the impact on you is not that of an affair. The impact of sex addiction goes deeper and far wider on memories and a relationship’s history. Going through your history and family structures may help as will working on genograms. The phrase, managing your own garden and not your partners will help to manage one’s own energies and what each in the relationship is responsible for. Though not easy the whole framework is not to label the partner as a co-addict. Co-addict was related from earlier understandings of sex addiction through applying an addiction template as with alcohol or drugs.
However, today this has thankfully being superseded by more research and a greater understanding towards the impact on the partner. On the resources page there a couple of books that may provide some helpful insights towards discovering cycles of reaction.
I wanted to reach out and thank you for your work, your magic with so many people as today marks x years since the very day I uncovered that my husband was a sex addict. I wanted to take the opportunity once again to thank you for all your hard work, understanding and just sheer determination working with me and empowering me to become the woman I am today. A woman that is very happy, doesn’t take any shit and is more independent that she ever was!
x years on and our family is in such a good place and any drama is just standard family life. My husband and I are closer than probably we have ever been. I know that things could have been so very different and I also know that you played a massive part in keeping my well-being in a place. I could make choices and decisions for myself, and I am glad I made the ones I did.
Happy mum, happy wife.
Thank you Ian, long may it continue.