"I believe group therapy is one of the best options for addiction recovery, even more so than individual therapy. While individual therapy has merit in helping a client deep dive into their own issues, what it lacks is the interpersonal connections that a group can foster. In my men's groups for compulsive sexual behavior, this means not only a sense of connection with others who struggle similarly, but it also holds immense value in shame reduction."
"Another reason I value group therapy over individual therapy is the potential to help men learn how to love unconditionally without the entanglements of romance. The men I see in early recovery don't have a wide enough scope of true love. Their "love" has been biased towards sexual attraction, fantasy, and romance. In addition, what they've learned about adult love oftentimes is skewed and swayed as their love is intertwined with people-pleasing, codependency, and enmeshment."
"So, how is this done? Part of it is the structure and boundaries of group therapy. We ask men to be honest with each other about their feelings, both about themselves and about how they feel towards others. As the therapist, I make it clear that emotional intimacy is dependent on honesty. The honesty and transparency foster depth, even if disagreements occur."
Group therapy for men with compulsive sexual behavior provides interpersonal connection, reduces shame, and builds relational skills that individual therapy often lacks. Mutual empathy in groups ameliorates shame more effectively than one-on-one contact. Groups create opportunities to practice honesty, emotional transparency, and boundary-respecting intimacy. Men in early recovery often have narrowed concepts of love centered on sexual attraction, fantasy, and romance, compounded by people-pleasing, codependency, and enmeshment. Experiencing phileo brotherly love within a structured, bounded group expands men’s capacity for unconditional care, deepens emotional intimacy skills, and enables healthier reengagement with romantic partners.
Read at Psychology Today
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