Shame and Denial
I wanted to share some preliminary ideas that I am going to be writing about which address the common hurdles that sex addicts face before they are ready to break through denial.
Because of the heavy shame component of sexual addiction and compulsion, 12 step fellowships alone may not be enough to keep the sex addict moving along the recovery path into solid sobriety. Programs that attempt to skirt the toxic shame body altogether tend to fail miserably, however appealing they might initially seem.
The question of “who am I” to a sex addict is terribly fraught. It is the foundation upon which the wall of denial is built. This dilemma can be a big barrier to joining a greater community which might ultimately be his/her only salvation. 12 step fellowships, paid recovery programs, and other recovery methods meet the addict, where he is: at this very fragmented, desperate, and hopeless place.