Your partner bent over backwards to hide the addiction. Now it’s out. Full disclosure. Time to cope and move forward. Somehow, you need to productively deal with the realities of sex addiction in your relationship, in your home, and in your mind. But how? There is hope, and renewal is possible. Try these strategies: Grieve. No good comes from minimizing the gravity of the betrayal, emotional pain, and relational rifts that have taken place....

Your partner’s disclosure was difficult to accept. But you did it. Your partner is getting help. You are starting to hope. The road to recovery has begun. As you move forward, you want to be encouraging and supportive. You really want to be there for your partner. What can you do? Try the following strategies: Set boundaries. Don’t get so wrapped up in the idea of being there that you assume responsibility for your partner’s recovery. His...

The Difference Between Genuine Sex Addiction and a “Safe” Excuse for Cheating By CounselingWise on July 27, 2015 in Purchased Sexual betrayal is devastating, no matter the reason. But hearing a lover say, “sexual addiction made me do it,” may make the news even harder to accept. Especially if you suspect that the addiction claim is just a way to excuse his or her deception. Is there any way to know if the cheating behavior is really a symptom...

Have you noticed? You clicked away from whatever it was you’ve been doing for hours. Probably because you know. You know that internet addiction is getting in your way. Internet addiction is interfering with your real, offscreen, offline life. It seemed harmless at first. A necessary part of modern life. But now your dedication to the Internet is messing with your health, the way you think, and how your feel about yourself and others. Like all...

Recently, a celebrity country singer and well-known camping store promoted “Disconnect Day.” An admirable effort to get people to “set aside the small screen to once again see the big picture.” The promotional TV ad invited audiences to tune in to each other. Enticing nature shots, montages of laughing families fishing on lakes, and the raspy chorus of Louis Armstrong’s “It’s a Wonderful World” played softly in the background. If you could drag...

Joann doesn’t have a combat story. There was no tragic, terrifying accident. No natural disaster. In fact, she is so ashamed, she cannot even call it what it is. Even so, her trauma is real. Months after finding the salacious images on her husband’s tablet, she is still rehashing his disclosure, and his absurd assertion that it is all “no big deal.” The unexpected, life-altering event that turned her sense of security inside out, and her life...