Essay on Critical Book Review

Clinton, T., & Scalise, E. (2013). Addiction and reovery counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

In the book, Addiction & Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions, May explores how addiction develops and can be treated from a psychological, physiological, and spiritual standpoint. This theme is clearly shown through out the text as it shows addiction from a whole person view. The book covers the development of addiction from desire through the experience of addiction. The key focus on looking at the matter of addiction from multiple stand points in then broken down by explaining how addiction is an issue psychologically, physiologically, and spiritually. By focusing on these three areas the author is able to present the reader with a clear understanding of addiction from all sides of the problem. This is then

Most people tend to assume that sexual addiction is a problem that is only seen in men, but on the contrary evidence suggest otherwise. In fact, all addictions, whether mild or sever are pretty much equal opportunity diseases that can affect anyone. In the book, No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Shame by Marnie Ferree, Ferree shares her personal experience as a sex addict as well as personal stories and statements by other women with their struggles with sexual addiction. Ferree addresses the issues of how sexual addiction affects thousands of women, including Christian women. Most of these women could be one’s neighbor, a bible school teacher, or even one’s best friend. According to Ferree 2010, our culture seem to accept and praise the

This critical review will attempt to summarize the book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” written by, Dr. Mark R. Laaser. Highlighting all the central themes and giving an in-depth analysis of Dr. Laaser’s work on the subject of sexual addiction. It will give his perspective and evidence to support it from the book and other sources. In this review you will find that

This critical review will attempt to summarize the book “Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” written by, Dr. Mark R. Laaser, highlighting all the central themes and giving an in-depth analysis of Dr. Laaser’s work on the subject of sexual addiction. It will give his perspective and evidence to support it from the book and other sources. In this review, you will find that Dr. Laaser has added valuable insight to the subject on a personal level. It will also show how Dr. Laaser’s faith comes into play, being that the book is written from a Christian point of view using a Biblical worldview. This review will show that the book can and should be used by lay and professionals alike when dealing with those who suffer from the pain and sin of sexual addiction.

What is addiction? We are barraged with theories that at- tempt to answer this question. If you suffer with an addiction or care about someone with an addiction, you may already have found that a lot of people are not able to get well with the usual treatment approaches. This book describes a new way of understanding and man- aging addiction that I have been writing about in profes- sional journals for the past twenty years, and summa- rized in a previous book, The Heart of Addiction (Harper- Collins, 2002). As the director or psychiatric consultant for four major addiction treatment programs, and as a therapist in private practice for over thirty years, I devel- oped my ideas not by telling people what they should do, but by listening

According to Mrs. Laaser, the road to recovery for the family is for the wife to learn as much as possible about sex addiction. Learning about sex addiction gives the wife an assurance that the addiction is not about her and that she is not the blame for her spouse behavior. In addition, seeking help through therapy allows the spouse to talk about trust issues that he or she feels. This is also an opportunity for growth and to trust in God to take the wheel of the addiction. Furthermore, attending a 12-step program help restore the network of human relationships (Cranes,

The world is full of men and women addicted to sex in some way, either through pornography, masturbation, adultery, rape, and even child molesters. A person is constantly being bombarded with sexual content. It is nearly impossible to surf the internet without coming across some kind of sexually explicit content. Sex is everywhere and it is no longer hard for anyone to get access to content that no one should be looking at. “Healing the wounds of Sexual Addiction is my attempt to examine and address the issue of sexual addiction among Christians. We will expose these secret sins to the light of the gospel and out best psychological understanding” (Laaser 2004, 15). The author, Laaser, has a deep desire to see everyone free from the disease of sexual addictions. It is also, his strongest belief that people can be set free because he is free from the disease. This book is all about addressing sexual sins, bringing them into the light, and then finding hope in honesty and truth. The world is full of sexual problems and Laaser believes that the people with sexual addictions can be free if a person follows the steps in his book Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addictions.

Some people misunderstand this as an excuse to act this way, yet in reality it 's a mental disorder that challeges theindividual.In order for it to be considered an addiction it has to interfere with their lives.Psychologists don 't have a criterion for diagnosing sexual addiction, so they treat it similar to that of substance abuse. For someone who has sexual addiction, their thoughts all day will be preoccupied with the thought of sex, and shaping their day around activities that involve sex. For example, watching pronography, masterbathing or planning events that will either involve sex or end in it.This serious disorder can cause devastating effects on the person, emotionally and mentally.

The problem of sexual addiction, alone, included both physical and psychological elements. Sexual addiction could lead to many physical complications, for instances, the

He was first referred to a psychiatrist at the age of 24, but his struggle continued for the next 7 years, as he dropped in and out of treatment. He tried antidepressants, group and individual therapy, a 12 step group (i.e. Sexual Addicts Anonymous), and pastoral counselling. He only sustained success at avoiding compulsive Internet use when he participated in a Naltrexone trial. However, his urges returned when he discontinued consuming Naltrexone. In order to recede them, he had to continue taking the medication. Ryback specifically studied Naltrexone’s efficacy in reducing sexual arousal and hypersexual behaviour in adolescents convicted of offenses including rape, bestiality, and sexual activity with young children. While receiving doses between 100 and 200 mg/d, most participants described decreases in arousal, masturbation, and sexual fantasies, as well as increased control over sexual urges (Ryback, 2004)

An addict craves his or her “vice of choice” for a number of reasons. For some, the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life cause people to use out of frustration, and others seem to become addicted to things that they subliminally tie to other forms of satisfaction. It has been proven that our genetic make up as well as things we experience early in childhood both contribute to a wide variety of the mannerisms we showcase, and the activities we are prone to taking part in. For example, if an individual is exposed to pornography at an early age, it would be easy to establish the foundation for a potential addiction. By using online resources for sexual fulfillment, people

In recent years, the term pornography has been primarily associated with that which is accessed and streamed over the internet, rather than the literal definition of, “obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, especially those having little or not artistic merit.” This form of visual pornography is a popular and successful business as it is viewed for fulfilling pent up sexual desires, however it promotes the act of having multiple sex partners without the need of any commitment. Although it is for this reason that this business is permitted, there are many overlooked, long – term affects that have become topics of controversy. Not only does pornography affect those who indulge in it, but it can influence those who divulge

Before one can begin to understand the complexities of sexual addiction it must be adequately defined. The National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity has defined sexual addiction as “engaging in persistent and escalating patterns of sexual behavior acted out despite increasing negative consequences to self and others.” (Herkov) It is important to note that this means that sexual addiction isn’t just the desire to have sex more than normal but also that the addict engages in activities regardless of and consequences. The addict must also escalate their behaviors over a period of time in order to be considered an addict. This doesn’t mean escalating it to illegal actions but merely increasing the rate at which they engage in the

Prior to the death of Mr. Collins father, his consumption of Internet pornography and sexual chatting was not considered remarkable. He appeared to be able to function sexually while masturbating and during sexual intercourse with the partners in his life prior to this life-altering event. Mr. Collins expressed a relatively normal desire for sexual contact as a teenager as well as desire to couple with partners his age in traditional ways, but after the death of his father, what normally produced the arousal necessary to ejaculate while masturbating and having sexual intercourse, no longer appears to have had the desired effect. It is at this time that it appears that the symptoms of depression began to manifest in Mr. Collins life, depressed mood, decreased interest or pleasure, change in sleep, change in activity, and concentration. As these symptoms manifested, it appears that the indicators of Hypersexual Disorder began to develop; excessive masturbation, obsessing about sex to the point that it interfered with his life, spending significant time planning their sexual activity, frequent viewing of pornography or use of sexually explicit websites or other online services including adult chat rooms, frequent one-night stands with strangers, staying emotionally detached from sexual partners, frequently engaging in paraphilias, and inability to stop despite the consequences.