Erin Snow When people hear the word addiction, they typically think about alcohol or drugs. Often, they are surprised to learn that certain behaviors can also be addictive. Even people who work in the mental health field sometimes struggle with the concept of behaviors as potentially addictive. So, there can be a good deal of confusion when it comes to understanding, identifying, and treating behavioral addictions—also referred to as process addictions—including increasingly common issues like sex and porn addiction. This confusion is largely unnecessary when one understands the basic neurobio ..read more

Scott Brassart Last month, we discussed how to work step 3 of the 12 steps, along with the benefits of working that step. This month, our focus logically moves to step 4. Step 4 reads as follows: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Most active addicts consider themselves to be victims, and they use that stance as justification for engaging in their addictive behaviors. They say things like: Nobody understands me. That’s why I drink and use and act out sexually. My boss hates me. I think I’ll get even by showing up high and looking at porn all day. My wife is a nag, so ..read more

Dr. Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT Porn addicts use sexual imagery and fantasy to escape (to avoid feeling) emotional discomfort—stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, shame, boredom, and the like. Often, they spend hours or even days in a neurochemically elevated state of sexual fantasy and arousal. This state is sometimes referred to as the bubble. It is this trancelike state, rather than any actual sexual behavior, that provides the escapist high of porn addiction. In this way, porn addiction is like every other addiction. The goal is emotional relief and regulation rather than enjoyment. Addict ..read more

Dr. Rob on the Mastering Counseling Podcast Seeking Integrity’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Rob Weiss recently appeared as a special guest on the Mastering Counseling podcast. Dr. Rob and host Becky Coplen explore the intricate relationship between addictive behaviors and psychological healing. Their discussion navigates through the complexities of addressing sexual addiction while simultaneously focusing on the trauma that often underlies and perpetuates this condition. They shed light on the transformative journey from addiction to recovery, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and ..read more

Tamara Cooper My name is Tamara Cooper. I want to introduce myself and share how I ended up at Seeking Integrity: Los Angeles (SI:LA). I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT). I met Erin Snow, our Clinical Director, in the late summer of 2022. When I first met her, I felt an instant connection. I was training to become a CSAT at that time. I was passionate and excited about doing the newly learned sex addiction work, so when Erin called and mentioned a possible position opening with SI:LA, I was ecstatic. She shared that the position would b ..read more

Scott Brassart Last month, we discussed how to work step 2 of the 12 steps, along with the benefits of working that step. This month, our focus logically moves to step 3. Step 3 reads as follows: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over the care of God as we understood God. Step 1 helps you understand the depth and consequences of your addiction. Step 2 helps you see that if you hope to make changes for the better, outside help is needed. Step 3 starts the process of actually accepting that help. In some respects, step 3 is the first “action step” of recovery, as it is the first tim ..read more

Voices of Hope: Women Who’ve Been Betrayed, Part 2 In this episode of Sex, Love, and Addiction, Dr. Rob welcomes Annie and Melissa to the show. Annie and Melissa are two women who have experienced deep marital betrayal in their relationship. The signs weren’t always clear as to what was going on, but when the wool had been pulled over their eyes, the amount of emotions, judgment, and pain they experienced took a long time to recover from. These two women share their stories and also share why they decided to stay with their husbands and support them in their addiction. This episode is Part 2 o ..read more

Voices of Hope: Women Who’ve Been Betrayed, Part 1 In this episode of Sex, Love, and Addiction, Dr. Rob welcomes Annie and Melissa to the show. Annie and Melissa are two women who have experienced deep marital betrayal in their relationship. The signs weren’t always clear as to what was going on, but when the wool had been pulled over their eyes, the amount of emotions, judgment, and pain they experienced took a long time to recover from. These two women share their stories and also share why they decided to stay with their husbands and support them in their addiction. This episode is Part 1 o ..read more

Going to Therapy Doesn’t Have to be Impossible, with Jason Vanruler In this episode of Sex, Love, and Addiction, Dr. Rob welcomes Jason Vanruler to the show. Jason is a therapist, coach, speaker, and author dedicated to impacting those who make an impact. His first book, Get Past Your Past, is all about establishing a mindset of emotional health and resilience to find lasting wholeness. In this episode, Jason shares his personal self-development journey, why going to therapy is so difficult for so many people, and more. The post Going to Therapy Doesn’t Have to be Impossible, with Jason Vanrul ..read more

Jonah Anderson I watched a video recently where I heard a term I had never heard before, “spiritual bypassing,” which the video defined as using spiritual practices to bypass feeling one’s emotions. The concept made perfect sense to me, and I realized I have done this myself. That said, it wasn’t until a recent men’s therapy group that I run that the concept of “bypassing” really hit home. A client had just suffered a relapse and stated with a vengeance all the things he was going to do to make up for what he did. As I listened to him, something felt off. Initially, I couldn’t put my finger on ..read more