Dissociation and Sexual Addiction/Compulsivity: A Contextual Approach to Conceptualization and Treatment (From Trauma and Sexuality: The Effects of Childhood Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Abuse on Sexual Identity and Behavior, P 59-82, 2002, James A. Chu, and Elizabeth S. Bowman, eds., -- See NCJ-

• NCJ Number: 202138
• Author(s): Steven N. Gold Ph.D.; Robert E. Seifer M.S.
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: Haworth Medical Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter argues that there is a relationship between dissociation and sexual addiction/compulsivity (SAC) among childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors.

Abstract

Despite the wide body of literature about childhood sexual abuse (CSA), relatively little is known about how CSA impacts the expression of sexual addiction/compulsivity (SAC). After reviewing the literature and explaining the etiology of SAC, the authors argue that treatment which targets the dissociative elements of SAC helps clients to understand the nature of their behavior and, thereby reduce the desire to engage in SAC. Clinical observations of CSA clients revealed that they tend to display poor recall of SAC events, complaining of a truncated awareness or a feeling of being in a trance during the event. The authors assert that helping clients to remember SAC events enables the clients to become less dissociative when participating in future SAC events. Once the clients are able to build an understanding of the etiology behind the SAC behavior, which occurs through an awareness of the dissociative nature of the behavior, the desire to engage in future SAC will decrease. As such, the authors argue that treatment of SAC for CSA survivors should focus on the dissociative elements of the behavior in order to disrupt the behavior. References