Is Sexting Healthy Or Is It A Compulsion? Sex Addiction Therapist

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Such treatments may involve psychodynamic therapy, exposure therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, and couples therapy. Working with a psychologist who can provide the most effective treatment methods, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), will be essential. CBT focuses on addressing the thoughts, behaviors, and coping mechanisms that play a part in addictive behavior.

Understanding Sexting Addiction: Exploring the Role of Chatbots in Its Development and Definition

Becoming addicted to sexting could set the pace for anxiety disorders. As with the worry of things not going on the downside, if such a teen does not take up therapy to deal with such addiction, he or she could pay a higher cost with depression. From depression, such teens might eventually consider suicide. In essence, sexting addiction comes with a huge emotional burden to whoever is engaged in it.

• Because sexting typically involves another person who is likely reaching out to you, it can be difficult to not give in.
• One partner may have knowledge of the other’s sexting behavior and accept it, trusting that an in-person sexual encounter is not the goal.
• Nearly 14% of teenagers report receiving unwanted sexting images.
• Jack apologized and sent all the shots to me — shots in which my face (and a token Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster) were clearly visible.
• But, it may very well fall under sexual addiction and can seriously impact daily functioning.

How Can Sexting Be Addictive?

Significant correlations between REM-71 subscales and SBQ, SMQ. By identifying and replacing your deeper needs with healthier alternatives, you are able to break free from the root causes of your addiction to achieve freedom and greater peace of mind. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. But, if it is common for you to sext when high, cut back or stop the consumption of alcohol or drugs.

Ins and Outs of Sexting Addiction

If you don’t always have your phone in your hand, there will be less opportunity to engage in sexting. Indeed, set a challenge for yourself and work towards achieving it. You can, for instance, decide not to be on your phone after dinner. Make it clear to family and friends that that may not be the best time to reach you. Also, remember that the root cause of sexting may very well lie in sexual addiction. It becomes a compulsion, and the brain always has obsessive thoughts about doing it.

Hell, when I was at an employee BBQ, hosted by my boss, I got the urge, running into the bathroom stall so I could shed my sundress and undergarments and take a full body selfie in the mirror. When you are addicted to something, you will keep doing it in spite of the consequences and this will make you feel like a terrible person. Until you face your addiction and make a fundamental change, the cycle continues. When you face your addiction for yourself, things start to change.

Secondly, we conducted linear regression between the Social Media Addiction and sexting aspects to test our hypothesis, consistent with the literature [11,45,46,47], that a higher level of addiction predicted a higher greater tendency to sext. Because sexting typically involves another person who is likely reaching out to you, it can be difficult to not give in. This can add an extra component of guilt or pressure to give in. In practice, of course, this doesn’t mean you have to delete your Snap, stop answering delightfully thirsty WYD texts, or nix the nude FaceTime calls. It just means be aware of what (and potentially, who) you’re getting into, and the low-key addictive psychology behind sexting. Next time you’re getting digitally hot and heavy (or countering boredom by exchanging nudes), keep these dirty neurochemical functions in mind.

Please note sexting is not a diagnosable mental health condition. But, it may very well fall under sexual addiction and can seriously impact daily functioning. In addition to meeting with sex addiction specialists and experienced therapists, clients receive support from other men or women who share similar struggles. Group therapy and 12-Step support groups are integral to the healing process, as is family or couples counseling in appropriate situations. First of all, we focused on the relationship between sexting motivations, behavior and expectancies.