5 Reasons Group Therapy Can Help with Sex and Love Addictions
In offering group therapy to our clients, it is often unclear to them why group therapy is recommended. Yet in working with issues surrounding sexual addiction, love addictions, and shame and vulnerability, the benefits of these groups has been invaluable. If you’re someone who hasn’t yet participated in a group, skepticism is understandable. Here are some of the benefits that I have seen in clients who I work with.
1. You’re not alone.
Problems around sex and love addictions can make you feel very alone. Many of the clients who I work with feel extremely isolated and even damaged in the struggles that they are having. They look around them and see people who don’t appear to struggle with this at all. Being in a group can help you realize that others struggle with this as well.
2. You can get broader recovery ideas.
You and your individual therapist can come up with ideas together of the best recovery plans for you. However, other clients also discover what works for them as well. When you’re in a group, you can determine which ideas may most resonate with you and your situation.
3. Accountability
This isn’t to be shaming, but when you have a group of people that you’re sharing your story with, they will likely check back in with you. This can be intimidating to be so vulnerability. At the same time, it can offer you something that is important to make changes.
4. Relationship struggles.
Group therapy can also help with the relationship struggles that people face in recovery. Betrayal is commonplace in sex and love addictions. It’s important to know how to handle situations in your relationship in a balanced way. Groups can offer a place to process how to best go about these tough and challenging times.
5. A reliable place to share.
Many struggle with who they should share their recovery stories with. Group can offer you a place to share this information in a reliable way. As you get to know the other members of the group, you’ll experience increased trust and openness.
When clients come into therapy, many of them are reluctant to engage in group therapy. This is understandable, because the information that they will share can be delicate. At the same time, most people are happy to have this resource when they start to use it. They learn the power of connection in real time with other people, who are also in similar situations. Sometimes group therapy is not for everyone, but for those who discover this resource, it can really help them in their recovery process.
