Saturday and Sunday, November 10th & 11th, 2012
9 am – 5 pm (both days)
University of California, Irvine
Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CSAT-S, CST-S will be presenting Sunday, Nov 11th
Beyond Betrayal: Surviving the Ravages of Sexual Addiction in a Monogamous, Committed Relationship
Sex addiction is often both a misunderstood and misdiagnosed problem. When viewed through the lens of affect dysregulation, sex addiction can be seen as a bona fide process addiction. It can include a variety of behaviors such as multiple affairs, numerous encounters with prostitutes, compulsive pornography usage, same sex encounters, and sometimes sexually offending behaviors such as voyeurism and exhibitionism. When a partner discovers a spouse’s infidelity has been active throughout the course of their relationship, their entire world is turned upside down leaving both parties traumatized. This talk will address the definition of sex addiction as defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, clarifying what sex addiction is, what it isn’t, and how to assess for it. The ravages of sex addiction are different than a single incident affair and the partner often bears the brunt of the trauma exhibiting traumatic symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, an inability to sleep, and so forth. Treatment for the addict and the partner, how it differs from psychotherapy, when and how a full disclosure is facilitated as well as what to tell the children, the repair process, and movement towards restoring a healthy sex life will be addressed.
