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, wi ..read more

Dr. Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT In today’s world, porn is accessible to and viewed by just about every demographic. Thanks to digital technology, pretty much any person who wants to look at porn can do so—anytime, anywhere, free of charge. In addition to porn sites, which provide a seemingly endless supply of images and videos, we’ve got sexting, virtual reality sexual encounters, sexualized social media, online sex games, deepfake technology, and more. All of which can be easily and anonymously accessed by anyone who’s interested. And it seems that people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations ..read more

Eddie Capparucci, Ph.D., LPC, C-CSAS In the digital age, pornography has become increasingly accessible, offering a quick fix for those seeking relief from emotional discomfort or stress. Yet, while it may provide temporary satisfaction, its allure often masks a deeper problem: potential addiction. So, what is the psychology behind this endless pursuit of emotional comfort that has fleeting benefits? I believe three factors contribute to the allure of addictive behaviors such as pornography: Emotional triggers Depletion of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual energy The burning desire t ..read more

Dr. David Fawcett It is natural to wonder if one’s pairing of addictive substances and behaviors has become problematic. For example, my clients often ask whether having a glass of wine as a prelude to an intimate encounter is a problem. For most people, the answer is obviously no, though for others the situation may be less clear. Today, it is rare for someone to experience a solitary addictive behavior—for example, being an alcoholic with no other drug use. Once someone realizes they have an addiction problem, they may discover concerns about multiple drugs or behaviors. The pairings are end ..read more

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