Sacred Healing, Shattered Vessels: Breslov Tikkun Habrit and Twelve-Step Recovery: A Comparative Analysis of Traditional Jewish and Contemporary Therapeutic Approaches

The struggle with compulsive behavior has been addressed by human communities throughout history, though the frameworks for understanding and treating such struggles have varied dramatically across cultures and eras. In contemporary Western society, twelve-step programs-particularly Sex Addicts Anonymous (SA) and Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA)-have emerged as primary resources for those seeking recovery from sexual addiction. These programs, descended from Alcoholics Anonymous, offer a structured spiritual path toward sobriety and psychological healing. Yet within traditional Judaism, particularly in the mystical tradition of Breslov Hasidism, an alternative framework for addressing sexual compulsion has existed for over two centuries: the Tikkun HaKlali and its associated practices of Tikkun HaBrit (rectification of the covenant).