Have you been struggling to find effective sex addiction treatment? Is traditional talk therapy just not working? Why not try using EMDR? Also known as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, EMDR might just be what you need to resolve and heal from your sexual addiction?
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a multi-stage technique combined with talk therapy. Many people focus on the part that involves a clinician moving a finger, wand, or another object in front of you as you track it with your eyes. This bilateral stimulation allows you to be more open to shifting your perspective about yourself by replacing negative beliefs about yourself with positive beliefs. The process involves doing a thorough history, which can be painful but is necessary to find resolution.
What Do You Mean by Shifting Beliefs?
Let’s say we are in an EMDR session discussing a painful memory that is connected to your sex addiction treatment. You would first come up with an image that is connected to the memory and take a “snapshot” of that moment. Next, you would identify a negative belief that you have about yourself related to the memory. Afterward, you would identify any other emotions related to the memory, as well as any sensations that you are experiencing in your body.
Once you have completed this process you work with your therapist to replace those negative beliefs with positive beliefs. The idea is to continue this process until the memory no longer brings up those negative feelings and emotions.
EMDR and Sex Addiction Treatment
As you can imagine, the EMDR process is a powerful tool for those struggling with sex addiction. This addiction is associated with many negative feelings. For example:
Shame over things you have done or people you have hurt.
Embarrassed when your addiction is revealed to others.
Anger at yourself for what your actions have caused and the perception you have developed about yourself.
Powerlessness for not feeling that you have control over yourself, including your body and thoughts.
These and other feelings can make it hard to conceive that you have value or should seek help. It’s just hopeless. But that doesn’t have to be the case!
What are Examples of Positive Beliefs?
Some examples of positive beliefs that you can use include:
I am a good person.
I love my family.
I didn’t understand the consequences of my actions at the time.
I am strong.
I am capable.
What makes this effective for sex addiction treatment is that we are changing how you identify yourself as an addict (and by extension all of the negative labels and stereotypes it brings) to more positive beliefs.
Who Do I Talk to About EMDR?
In order to receive an EMDR treatment for sex addiction, you should see a therapist. A therapist is trained to implement the technique. He or she knows best how to use it to suit your needs. EMDR is an eight-step process that takes time. That sounds intimidating, but sex addiction treatment is not a simple process and time is necessary to get to the root causes. You also need time to shift deep-seated perspectives about yourself that may have taken years or even decades to develop.
Having a sex addiction means more than simply not being able to control your impulses or behavior. It also involves creating very negative beliefs about yourself. These beliefs may be reinforced by other actions, or even on a larger scale how society treats sex addiction. However, that doesn’t have to be your future! By participating in counseling for sex addiction treatment, and especially EMDR, you can not only break your addiction, you can redefine who you are as well.
Click to learn more about Sex Addiction Therapy and Treatment with Naomi Casement, LMSW.
