No matter what you call out-of-control sexual behavior, whether it is sex addiction, porn addiction, hypersexuality, compulsive sexual behavior, problematic sexual behavior, unhealthy sexual behavior, or any other term, people struggle with their sexual behavior and often seek me out to help them with their issues and concerns.
Recently I had a group consultation with Douglas Braun-Harvey, co-author of a new book Treating Out of Control Sexual Behavior: Rethinking Sex Addiction and many of my fellow colleagues in Austin, TX who work with people who struggle with their sexual behavior. Doug is a sexual health author, trainer and psychotherapist based out of San Diego, CA and focuses on sexual health as the primary principles in treating people who identify as having out-of-control sexual behavior.
While the book is new, the work is something that I have been using in my practice for years and it is so nice and refreshing to see authors and therapists publish very important and valuable work in the treatment of out-of-control sexual behavior.
While I would recommend reading the book, in short, Braun-Harvey and Vigorito’s works defines out of control sexual behavior as a “sexual health problem in which an individual’s consensual sexual urges, thoughts, and behaviors feel out of control (to them)” as opposed to a mental illness”. The treatment for out of control sexual behavior focuses on creating goals in treatment that align with the following 6 principles of sexual health: consensual; non-exploitive; free from STI’s, HIV, and unwanted pregnancy; honesty (secrecy vs. privacy); shared values; and mutual pleasure.
If this definition and treatment model feel right for you, give me a call and we can get started in getting you on the path of sexual health and wellness and more in control over your sexual behavior.