Leandie Buys Realtionship Therapist & Clinical Sexologist

Sex Addiction and Women

Sexual Addiction in women often manifests as a survival skill. It is a technique adopted in childhood to cope with wounds such as neglect, abuse, loss, sexual shame and negative sexual programming about being female.

It has been observed that although a woman may derive a sense of power in sexual conquest, she also fulfils a need for tenderness and touch through the sexual act. Beneath her addiction is the desire to escape feelings of worthlessness and shame. As with most women, the addict longs for a secure, bonded relationship but doesn’t know how to have one.

Codependent women derive a sense of self-worth from being pursued

The addictive relationship fulfils the woman’s need for security.

For both groups of women, romance is a driving force in the addiction. Romance is either the prelude to sex, or is proof of being loved, and sex is the price she pays.

The above information is condensed from: Women, Sex, and Addiction: A Search for Love and Power (Paperback), by Charlotte S. Kasl