Scott Brassart “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.” — from Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne As recovering addicts, we can at times struggle with gratitude. We find ourselves focusing on the downside in every situation. We grumble that roses have thorns when we ought to be celebrating the fact that thorns have roses. Some days we actually feel as if we are incapable of gratitude. That, of course, is a lie. To get started, all we must do is look for a few small things to feel grateful for – clean air, a sunny day, someone to ..read more

What Does Female Sex Addiction Look Like, with Heather Cronemiller and Lacy Bentley In this episode of Sex, Love, and Addiction, Dr. Rob welcomes therapists Heather Cronemiller and Lacy Bentley to the show. Both Lacy and Heather share their personal experience with being the ‘other woman’ and how, despite it going against everything they believed in, they still continued down a path of destruction. When it comes to any form of addiction, what we’re really fighting against is deeply broken attachment wounds. Find out more on today’s episode. The post What Does Female Sex Addiction Look Like, w ..read more

The Beginning of Deceitfulness Dr. Eddie Capparucci When Chad was in third grade, he drew a picture of breasts on a schoolbook cover. He thought it was humorous, and people would find it funny. He soon found out that was not the case after proudly showing it to his father. When his dad saw his son’s early attempt at classical artwork, he immediately addressed Chad. “What in the world are you thinking,” he shouted at the shocked child, wagging his finger for added emphasis. “What would make you draw something like this for everyone to see?” Chad was taken back and embarrassed by his father‘s ho ..read more

Understanding Secondary Addictions Dr. Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT Secondary addictions are common among both substance addicts and sex/porn addicts (and other types of addicts, too). Generally speaking, there are two types of secondary addictions: cross-addictions and co-occurring addictions. Cross addiction occurs when addicts switch from one problem behavior/substance to another. For example, when a cross-addicted sex addict/alcoholic is not behaving in sexually compulsive ways, he or she is probably drinking alcoholically, and when the addict is not drinking, he or she is probably acting out ..read more

The Respectful Conflict Agreement Erin Snow In any relationship, and especially in intimate partnerships impacted by infidelity, disagreements and even outright arguments are inevitable. This is not a bad thing. In fact, if partners can learn how to argue productively, they can learn about one another and actually improve rather than damage their sense of connection. The following “Respectful Conflict Agreement” has helped countless couples turn their disagreements into relationship growth opportunities. We are printing it here and we hope that if your relationship is struggling, you and your ..read more

Sex/Porn Addiction: Initial Steps Toward Healing Dr. Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT First and foremost, let me state that sex and porn addicts nearly always require outside assistance if they hope to heal. If they could stop their addictive behavior on their own, they would do so. In fact, they would have done so months or even years ago. But stopping on their own and then staying stopped for more than a few days is not something they’ve been able to manage. If you’re a sex/porn addict, once you’ve decided to ask for outside help, you should do exactly that. If you are unsure how to reach out, please ..read more

Scott Brassart Many sex and porn addicts become so focused on the work of recovery that they forget to have fun. Usually, this is because their only goal early in the process is staying sober. While this is an admirable objective, it doesn’t exactly provide them with direction and meaning. Because of this, when the shiny new adventure of recovery inevitably loses its luster, shame creeps back in and they can find themselves struggling with a lack of motivation. If this is the case for you, it may be time to ask yourself: “What are my goals beyond sobriety? Do I want to start dating? Do I want ..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

Dr. Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT Individuals seeking addiction treatment for themselves or a loved one are presented with an almost endless array of options. And pretty much all of those options have a slick sales pitch and a great looking website with pictures of fancy lodgings and lots of super-enjoyable looking activities. It’s enough to make you wonder if addiction rehabs are just another version of Club Med. Well, they’re not. Or they shouldn’t be, anyway. Effective addiction treatment involves a whole lot of individual and group psychotherapy, education about addiction, and recovery-driven su ..read more

Dr. Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT Most porn users, even those who are not addicted, find that their use of porn escalates over time. They spend more time online looking at it and they increase the intensity of the imagery they use. Often, they tell themselves they will only go online for a few minutes and they won’t be looking at that type of stuff this time, only to find themselves lost for hours in a sea of visuals that violate their personal values. This is the “escalation” that is common with porn use. If you’ve experienced it yourself (or seen it in a loved one), you know how frustrating it is ..read more