“I finally understand love addiction. I know it will kill me if I don’t stay in recovery. Coming to see Dr. Hacker helps keep me on track and growing. It’s a vital part of my recovery. I have healthier relationships and my life is flourishing.” (Laura, age 44)WHAT IS Love & sex ADDICTION?
Addiction can mean many things to different people. Substance or Alcohol addiction may be easier for people to see than relationship, love, and sex addiction, or the effects of living in a home with an alcoholic or dysfunctional family. The following are some questions that may help you discern if you have love addiction:
Do you find yourself quickly becoming sexually involved with or emotionally attached to people without knowing them?
Do you experience feelings of loneliness and fear abandonment, yet stay in unfulfilling or abusive relationships?
Do you isolate and hide your needs from others, and then become even more isolated and lonely as a result?
Do you get involved in one relationship right after another, or have multiple relationships going at a time?
Do you experience feelings of emptiness or incomplete in and outside relationships?
Fear of intimacy
Use sex as a substitute for nurturing care or as a part of getting emotional needs met from others?
Love & sex ADDICTION RECOVERY
It is important to have ongoing therapy at times when your sobriety may be at risk, or when you are new to recovery. I work with sex and love addiction as well as substance addiction, and with adults who have come from an alcoholic or dysfunctional home. Working together, we can understand the roots of addiction in your body, mind, and spirit. Looking at your family of origin and background is very important if you have not already done this in a more intense in-patient or group intensive outpatient program. Seeing how your history is related to addiction can help you understand yourself, develop self compassion and release unwanted patterns forever, allowing you to have the freedom to love yourself and others completely in a richly sober life. Healthy relationships and happiness are waiting for you.
What I can do to help you heal from Addiction is to use my skills and experience to work with your nervous system and your brain to help rewire linkages that are causing you emotional pain and giving you trouble. I can work along side you and your sponsor and support system as you journey through recovery.
Treatment Options for Addiction:
Family of Origin Work - working to understand your family history and the connection that has with addiction so that you are better informed of possible triggers to addiction.
Solution Focused Therapy - Staying in a solution and now focused place to assist you through any relational or other life transitions.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) - helps you learn to become aware of your addictive patterns and gives you skills to make choices in your life and relationships. Freedom to have control over your life.
Mindfulness Meditation Training
Journaling
Self Care such as exercise, yoga, acupuncture, healthy diet, and going to supportive groups
Spiritual Healing and understanding what Higher Power means for you
Emotional Freedom Technique or tapping therapy - easily learned skills that can be used anytime anywhere to reduce anxiety, negative feelings, thoughts, and beliefs.
Energy work such as Reiki.
Love & Sex Addiction THERAPIST
It is very important you find the right therapist for you, and that you find one who actually does have the training and experience to help you heal. There are many people who work with sex and love addiction. It is important to find the right match for you. Look into the training and experience of anyone you choose to help you. Contact me for a free consultation
