Compulsive Sexual Behaviour and an Existential Approach

Niki D. begins by offering an overview of existential psychotherapy before positioning an understanding of compulsive sexual behaviour from an existential perspective. She then invites a deeper exploration of sexuality, compulsivity, relational trauma and a therapeutic attitude from an existential lens. Her client example allows these interlocking elements of human embodiment, relatedness, interpersonal trauma and the distress behaviour of CSB to be explored. In this exploration, she addresses how meaning and meaninglessness show up, how personal agency can be restricted by CSB, as well as what it can allow to emerge. Niki introduces her ideas about expansive and constricted feeling states as an embodied relational spectrum . Illustrating how this framework can help clients and therapists consider how the mind/body flows away from—and towards—existential relatedness. She ends with a call to respect compulsive behaviour. Encouraging us to remain curious so we can decipher the message of compulsivity in ourselves and our clients. To find the courage and the support to face up to existential factors that compulsive behaviours are attempting to avoid and, in doing so, move towards our clients with greater equity, compassion, humility and allyship.