A Trauma Trigger is anything that activates your fight-flight response. It is your body’s way of coping with overwhelming stress. If you have ever experienced a traumatic event — or even sustained trauma over a long period of time (abuse, stress, anxiety, etc) your body may involuntarily and spontaneously go into a traumatic response.

The Stress Thermometer is a metaphor developed by Terry Gorski to help people manage stress. This is particularly helpful for people whose Sympathetic Nervous Systems has been hijacked by trauma.

Struggling with sexual addiction or facing life with a person who struggles with sexual addiction is traumatic. It can lead to the development of…

Our Clinical Director, Leslie Haws recommends an article from Psychology Today. Think of it as a primer on pornography addiction. It lays out the simple basics that everyone really should know.

In just three minutes Dr. David Greenfield explains how a process (or behavioral) addiction works. All addictions are the same — in terms of the addictive process — even though at the neurochemical level there are some differences.

In this Ted Talk Paula Hall talks about Sexual Addiction. She introduces us to a regular guy named Mark. Consider how the Internet has made access to pornography so easy. Consider how our hyper-sexual society distracts our natural need for intimacy. Consider how families have replaced regular, healthy interaction with their children with screen-time. You probably know someone like Mark. You probably know a lot of people like Mark. You may very well be Mark.

A disclosure process takes place in the presence of a therapist who is trained to know what to expect and how to guide the process. Ideally, two therapists are present: One to support the partner, and one do support the addict.

Much preparation precedes the discloser event for both the addict and the partner.
The goal is to reveal the addict’s acting out behavior in a way that does not create triggers for either person.

“I would rather know the truth. I can deal with the truth much better than not knowing. If I only knew the full truth from A to Z, I wouldn’t feel like I’m going crazy.”

I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard statements just like this, from partners of sex addicts. So often, partners have been deceived time after time and trust in the relationship was bruised and battered.

How do you rebuild after it feels like your your life has just erupted in a hot ball of flame?

This video provides good, practical advise for husbands who have exploded their marriage. When a person trapped in an addiction surveys the destruction that has resulted from the consequences of their behavior, it is important to remember: It is not your FAULT. But it IS your responsibility.

You have discovered your partner may be struggling with a sexual addiction. He may be asking you to keep your experience a secret. He may tell you his job or his reputation is at risk – and it may well be. But this does not justify his request to require you to bear your burden alone. You are struggling with “betrayal trauma”. Betrayal trauma festers in isolation.