Explained less clinically, sexual addiction is the persistent compulsion of sexual behaviour or thought of sexual behaviour, to the point that it invades the standard and requisite day-to-day activities of life. The addict, unknowingly yet responsively rewards him or herself with a high, similar to the high of any other type of addict. The euphoric wave of pleasure associated with the release of an addictive behaviour is set off in the brain, and that is the mechanism that maintains an addict as an addict. Reward pathways, are responders in the brain that bring about this high in addicts of all sorts. Preventative therapy, aimed at stopping addictive behaviour targets the reward pathways to block the response to the addictive behaviour.
Medication (which directly blocks the receptors and deters the pleasure signals) and hypnosis or hypnotherapy (which has been tested, and proven a positive option sans medicating) are the primary means of redirection. Medication is not always an option. Hypnosis, serves to redirect and rewire the reward pathways—instead of signalling pleasure from an addict’s perceived high in given through addictive behaviour, the wires are essentially crossed. The addict finds pleasure in other things: family time, cuddling a loved one, running, exercise, anything really.
Similar biochemical responses to other addictive pleasure highs set off releases in the various reward pathways. Such pleasure leads to desire for more of the same, thus begetting sexual addiction. It is scientifically noted that the brain functions by way of survival mechanisms. Drawing upon the example of the necessity to eat, the brain recognizes that lest we eat, we as humans would die. Simply, the brain rewards us for eating by setting off pleasure triggers in the rewards pathways. Much the same, without sex the brain recognizes that our DNA does not carry-forth and our lineage comes to an abrupt halt. Sex releases similar pleasure triggers to food, thus encouraging us to commit to the act in excess.
Through medical investigation, practitioners have revealed that sexual activity releases natural dopamine and opioids—chemicals and triggers whose by-product is overdrawn pleasure from that act. The brain confuses the human; rather, the brain confuses itself into a frenzy of sexual lust. This lust comes in many forms, extramarital affairs, and an overindulgence of sex with ones partner, frenzied cravings, an overindulgence of masturbation, addiction to pornography, and much more. It is, in these terms, not a cognizant choice to be sexually addicted, rather an internal confusion between the triggers of pleasure and the reward pathways.
