Healing from sex, love and/or relationship addiction can be a scary and anxiety provoking journey. The journey of healing can feel impossible, intimidating, and hopeless at times but it is one that is worth taking because you are worth it. You are worthy and deserving of true intimacy and connection. You are worthy of a genuine and healthy relationship with yourself and others.
What is sex, love and/or relationship addiction and how does one define it? Some of the hallmark indicators of sex, love and/or relationship addiction include:
While these are some signs of love and relationship addiction, they are not all inclusive. Love and relationship addiction can be extremely isolating and painful. They can reinforce a cycle of loneliness and despair.
To define it simply, sex, love/relationship addiction are “process addictions” and they can have the same devastating impact on an individual and their systems as substance and alcohol. They can keep the individual stuck in a cycle of hurt, confusion, and despair.
Female sex and love addicts (FSLA), as well as female relationship addicts, can find themselves marginalized and overlooked. Compounding this are the potential messages from family of origin (FOO), media and society, faith doctrine, and peers that state “women shouldn’t be…” or “women don’t…” and “if you were good enough you would…”. These overt and covert messages can deepen the shame and despair of female addicts from which they are desperately trying to heal. The impact of trauma and past experiences cannot be over looked and can leave profound wounds. Women can and do also struggle with sexually acting out, pornography, fantasy, and love/relationship addiction or avoidance as a way to cope – to cope with loneliness, fear, hurt, and anguish.
If you are a female struggling with sex, love, porn or relationship addiction or avoidance please know that you are not alone in your struggle. Getting connected to a skilled, specially trained therapist is critical to your healing and that you are so very worthy of healing. You have a right to achieve and maintain a healthy, authentic, connected life.
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