06 Jul How Pornography Addiction Can Affect Spouses and How to Get Treatment
Pornography addiction doesn’t just affect the addict themselves, it also affects the people around them and in particular, their spouse.
One of the biggest issues for porn addicts who are in relationships is that they experience cognitive distortions and spiritual disconnections which often causes them to become distant and out of touch with their spouse and evidently, fail to meet their partners emotional and physical needs. This disconnect can drive a wedge in what otherwise may have been a solid and fulfilling relationship and the spouse of the addict is often left feeling rejected and lonely.
It’s common for the spouse of the sex or porn addict to blame themselves for their partners behavior, but in reality addiction is adisorder of the brain and cannot be caused by another person. If you are the spouse of an addict, it’s important to know that while you may experience a lack of attraction, a lack of being sexually desired and loved, or unwilling/unable to give sex to your partner, you are not responsible for the addiction and certainly should never blame yourself. These feelings are completely natural for a spouse and the good news is there is help available for you and your partner.
Spouse support and sex addiction therapy can help you and your partner work through your issues together. Your therapist will work with you on things like setting boundaries, communication, full commitment to the recovery process, preparing for denial, feelings of rejection and anger, meeting each other’s mental and emotional issues and more.
At Sex Addiction Australia, we deal with these issues on a daily basis and we have the tools and knowledge to help you rebuild a solid foundation for your relationship. Feel free to contact us to find out more information about how we can help.