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Our comprehensive program addresses sexual addictions, unresolved trauma, and co-occurring issues, going beyond symptoms to explore root issues and lay the groundwork for lasting healing.
Group and one-on-one therapy are just the beginning. We employ a wide range of methods and modalities, including valuable peer support, to address each person’s unique needs.
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Change takes work, but it can’t be harder than living with unresolved addiction, trauma, and other disorders. If you or someone you love needs help, we’re ready and waiting.
Not all sex addictions involve increased sexual activity
A pathological loss of “appetite” for romantic or sexual interaction, sexual anorexia is often the result of a fear of intimacy to the point that the person has severe anxiety surrounding sexual activity and the emotional aspects involved with it (i.e., an intimate relationship). This severe aversion to sexual contact and the obsessive avoidance of sex also includes feeling self-loathing after sex, have irrational fears about sexually transmitted diseases, engaging in self-destructive behaviors to avoid sex, or have episodes of promiscuous behavior followed by periods of extreme deprivation. The condition may also be described as Inhibited sexual desire, sexual avoidance, or sexual aversion.
Sexual anorexia is brought on by trauma. While people with sexual anorexia and other intimacy issues long for affection, in many cases they have come to believe that they are undeserving of love and that they cannot trust others. Extreme abstinence and isolation seem to them the only way to stay safe.
Anorexia literally means “interrupted appetite,” so it follows that who have sexual anorexia actively avoid, fear, or dread sexual intimacy. Sexual anorexia can include problems such as impotence in men, but often there is no physical cause. A person with sexual anorexia may also show fear and anger when the subject of sex comes up.
Common emotional causes of sexual anorexia are:
Our sexual anorexia treatment doesn’t just address the symptoms, it also addresses the issues and factors that contributed to the condition in the first place. When dealing with lesser-known sexual addiction issues, it’s especially important to seek treatment from professionals with experience in this area. At Gentle Path, we understand the unique issues faced by those with sexual anorexia and are equipped to help them do the deep work necessary to find lasting healing.
Featured Article
Update August 5, 2021: This article was written by former Senior Fellow, Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CSAT, CST. The following is an excerpt from her book “Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence.” You […]
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