This is a tough book to read but really helps you understand what people with sexual addiction go through. Perhaps we should be more kind and understanding to all people with addictive tendencies. It's changed my mind about how I view alcoholics and drug addicts even though all three addictions are very different. Reading the book allows you the opportunity to see what it's like for them. You may not understand all of it, but at least it's a start.

I was a bit hesitant to read this at first, scared of what I’d find out about myself in there. But it immediately became apparent how much I needed to read this once I got to it.

The book is a deep dive into dealing with sexual addiction. It helps those of us suffering with addiction to become much more aware of the impact addiction has on our own lives and the lives of those around us.

This is a must read for all addicts and coaddicts. Patrick Carnes’s bibliography and efforts to help out people in 12 step programs is truly remarkable. Complement this with the workbook companion and his Gentle Path guides.

Very readable and helpful. It is hard to come across books that you can trust. Carl Jung and Marie-Louise Von Franz are the only two people that seemed to me that they truly wanted to help people. This book by Carnes didn't rub me the wrong way and most of what is detailed in the book is spot on. I trusted this book.

The AA aspect, even though it can be intellectually argued against for varied reasons and may not be the proper course of treatment for some, nevertheless it is one option.

Great series. Clinical in nature but fascinating in light of the recent attention this condition has received in the media. Think Tiger Woods scandal and Charlie Sheen, etc.

Mostly about sexual addiction and not much about treatment and overcoming it.

This book was more short on ideology and ideas than I thought it would be. It was a book suggested to me by my ex-wife as we were getting out of a 15 year relationship as something to check out, and so there is certainly a part of me that was reading it as a skeptic to see patterns that fit my life or not. I think that it shines a light on the potential for sexuality in our culture to become very harmful to others around you, and that shifting the process of degrading thoughts and self-talk that arise, often times, from the cultural myths and family trauma around sex can be a liberating process. I will admit that I identified with some of the feeling that are expressed around sex in this book (though I think that the book also does a good job of explaining where these thoughts and ideas come from within culture and family and society as a whole), and having spent some time working with 12 step programs in my past, can see the allure of using that process of continued self examination to actively address and work through sexual trauma/addiction seems to make a lot of sense for those who are in the throws of the unmanageability of what the book describes. I would have liked to see more psychological explanation in this book, and less personal stories, as I think that seemed to be the meat and potatoes of what the author was getting at (how it feels to be a sex addict, and ways that these feelings can manifest). Generally, it seems like this book is encouraging therapy for the sex addict, along with on-going personal reflection and dedication to improving one's life and similar to AA, it often takes feeling one's bottom to get to the point that you realise that your life is unmanageable. Interesting read, but not something that spoke to me personally as a path to walk further down at this time.

Although I remain crítical (and somehow even skeptical) about the Twelve Steps, regardless the utility it has for many people, this essay is undoubtedly a classic in its genre and an unaivodable tool for addicts and for those interested in understanding the existential and universal dimension of sex addiction.

More effective and clear than other books on the matter (Gabor Mate's one is complementary but more complex to ponder).

Was recommended this from a colleague of mine as I venture into work with a variety of addictions. I think this book is great for sexual addicts themselves in addition to anyone who works with addicts. This provides insight for clinicians as they help treat the addiction but also a step by step process for addicts to seek help.

I don't know what to think about this book. There is a wide range of sexual addictions and this one focuses on many of the worst-case scenarios. I am not sure if I would recommend this to most people.

A reread of a pioneering work.

No rating because I don’t know enough about the topic to have an informed opinion on the research/topic.

But woah, a sometimes uncomfortable read, but very informative on a topic few care to discuss.

Good Introduction

This book is a good introduction in the world of sexual addictions. Since the base book was written at a different time the references are dated, but the themes and concerns are still very relevant probably even more so. Reading like is needed too understand how rampant this issue is.