Sexual addiction, dissociative behavior and recovery
Duriez, Nathalie
Sexual addiction, dissociative behavior and recovery - 2017.
41
If we explore the childhood of sex addicts, we often find the presence of a sexual trauma. The recent research in neurosciences, regarding the disruption of connectivity between the brain’s amygdala and prefrontal lobe during a traumatic event, and the work of Muriel Salmona on dissociative behaviour open up new perspectives in understanding sexual addiction. The trauma was a first experience of dissociation that will be repeated at every recurrence of sexual assault, reinforcing the learning of dissociation as an emotional regulation mechanism. We believe that after the abuse stops, sex addicts tend to unconsciously replay a similar experience to feel the relief they experienced during the initial traumatic dissociation. We hypothesize that these addictive behaviours are a quest to re-experience dissociative behaviours. Through a clinical case, we will show that recovery from sexual addiction is more efficient if based on regaining ownership of the addict’s history and trauma. They will be able to make sense of the dissociative behaviour and will be more motivated to learn new, appropriate, emotional regulation strategies.
Sexual addiction, dissociative behavior and recovery - 2017.
41
If we explore the childhood of sex addicts, we often find the presence of a sexual trauma. The recent research in neurosciences, regarding the disruption of connectivity between the brain’s amygdala and prefrontal lobe during a traumatic event, and the work of Muriel Salmona on dissociative behaviour open up new perspectives in understanding sexual addiction. The trauma was a first experience of dissociation that will be repeated at every recurrence of sexual assault, reinforcing the learning of dissociation as an emotional regulation mechanism. We believe that after the abuse stops, sex addicts tend to unconsciously replay a similar experience to feel the relief they experienced during the initial traumatic dissociation. We hypothesize that these addictive behaviours are a quest to re-experience dissociative behaviours. Through a clinical case, we will show that recovery from sexual addiction is more efficient if based on regaining ownership of the addict’s history and trauma. They will be able to make sense of the dissociative behaviour and will be more motivated to learn new, appropriate, emotional regulation strategies.
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