Is My Partner An Addict? Know the Signs & Symptoms

Kristin Snowden, MA, LMFT, CDWF is a licensed therapist and coach that specializes in helping individuals and couples in crisis after infidelity, emotional abuse, and/or uncovering addiction issues. Kristin discusses the important differences between cheating and infidelity versus more chronic patterns of sex, love, and porn addiction. All forms of betrayal are traumatizing and devastating. However it’s important that trained professionals assess the betraying behaviors for signs of a more pervasive and chronic problem like sex, love, and porn addiction. Treatment approaches are also different for various forms of betrayal. Kristin shares the symptoms of addiction and helps viewers understand how/why sex, love, and porn develop and become addictive, along with various treatment approaches. This is for anyone in relationship crisis exploring answers and a path to healing and recovery.

(This is educational, NOT THERAPY)

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Timestamps:
2:23 Know the differences and signs of infidelity, problematic porn use, and sex/love addiction
3:00 Humans naturally seek “state changes” to get them out of uncomfortable feelings by numbing, distracting, seeking pleasure or intensity
4:10 A problem isn’t diagnosable until it’s become a problem
4:50 Mental health professionals must be trained in assessing for addiction, especially process addictions
5:30 Assess for pervasive, chronic patterns, severity of behaviors or consequences
6:12 Different treatment approaches required
8:02 Define process addictions, obsessive, compulsive behaviors
9:25 Addiction includes rituals that change one’s mental/physical state
10:20 Dual diagnosis—having both substance and process addictions and/or other mental health disorders
11:12 Addiction is a brain/trauma wiring disorder where addicts obsess and behave compulsively and engage in behavior/rituals to change their state and seek intensity, distraction, numbing
12:00 Defining intimacy disorders—the disordered way of connecting to others. All addicts have intimacy disorders
14:03 Addicts choose to form “intimate relationships” with their drug or behavior of choice rather learning to acknowledge, process and get through fears, shame, trauma, and vulnerabilities
15:30 What Sex, Love, and Porn Addiction can look like
16:30 Symptoms of addiction 1) increased use and frequency 2) tried to stop but couldn’t 3) negative consequences due to use 4) problems in relationships and life due to use 5) physical, mental, legal harm caused by use 6) increased dependency, withdrawal, tolerance, intensity
22:29 The different ways one can display addictions
24:05 Sex addiction is not…
26:41 Assessing and treating these addictions—what kind of help will you need?
27:35 Addicts believe they’re unique, driving shame and secrecy. Treatment must include group work with others who have struggled similarly so they can share their story without judgement, receive accountability, ask for help, develop empathy, and learn healthy vulnerability and intimacy
30:50 Screening tools SAST, PAST, LAA

Get my FREE eBook: A Guide to Navigating Relationship Crisis: https://bit.ly/RelationshipCrisis to set you down a path toward healing and clarity. It’s a small collection of education, important first steps, and resources to get you through the initial crisis period.

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Need help and guidance now? Get Kristin's Relationship Masterclass: Resiliency & Recovery Access her full online library of eye-opening content, helpful tools, comprehensive workbook, and much more. Options for one-on-one LIVE COACHING with Kristin http://bit.ly/RRROnlineProgram

**Join Kristin's LIVE (zoom) WORKSHOPS for betrayed partners and beyond. New sessions posted. http://bit.ly/KristinsWorkshops

Meditation Made Easy with Muse! Get 20% off with code KRISTINSNOWDEN for Muse biofeedback system and app to help with consistency, motivation, tracking,and accountability. Go to https://choosemuse.com/kristinsnowden (I receive a small commission)

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KRISTIN'S FREE LIVE WEBINARS EVERY ODD MONTH, THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH AT 9:30 AM (pacific time) through SexandRelationshipHealing.com . Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/244109360
#betrayaltraumarecovery #couplesincrisis #couplestherapy #addictionrecovery #Infidelity #crisismanagement #healthyrelationships

Kristin is the co-author of Life Anonymous: 12 Steps to Heal & Transform Your Life http://bit.ly/LifeAnonymousBook