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Therapy for Compulsive Sexual Behaviour in London

 

Sex, porn or masturbation can start to feel less like a choice and more like something that runs you. You might have tried to stop or cut back and found yourself returning to the same patterns, often followed by shame or secrecy. Therapy offers a confidential, non-judgemental space to understand what is happening and find a way forward.

 

I am a BACP-accredited psychotherapist offering therapy in central London and online. I work with people of all genders and sexualities who are struggling with compulsive sexual behaviour, sometimes called sex addiction or porn addiction.

 

What is compulsive sexual behaviour?

Compulsive sexual behaviour describes a persistent pattern of sexual urges and behaviours that feel hard to control and carry on despite causing distress or harm. It is not about how much sex someone has or what they enjoy; it is about losing a sense of choice, and the impact that has on your life.

 

It can include:

  • Compulsive pornography use

  • Compulsive masturbation

  • Repeated casual or anonymous sex, hook-ups or apps used in ways that feel out of control

  • Paying for sex, sexting or cybersex you feel unable to stop

  • Affairs or secret sexual behaviour that keeps repeating

 

Compulsive porn use

Signs that porn use has become a problem include:

  • Watching more, or for longer, than you intend

  • Trying to stop or cut down and returning to it

  • Using porn to cope with stress, boredom, loneliness or low mood

  • Feeling shame, guilt or secrecy afterwards

  • Less interest in, or difficulty with, sex with a partner

  • It taking time away from work, sleep or relationships

 

How therapy can help

Compulsive sexual behaviour is rarely just about sex. It is often a way of managing feelings that are hard to sit with, such as anxiety, loneliness, stress, low mood or shame, and it can be linked to earlier experiences, including trauma. In therapy we look at what the behaviour is doing for you, what triggers it, and what lies underneath.

 

Alongside that understanding, we work on practical steps you choose: noticing patterns, handling urges, and building other ways to meet the needs the behaviour has been meeting.

 

Working with me

  • Registered and accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK's leading professional body

  • 50-minute sessions in person at One Therapy, 20 Great Portland Street, London W1W 8QR, or online and by phone

  • Recognised provider for insurers including AXA, Aviva and WPA

  • Fees from £100 per session

 

Get in touch

Reaching out about this can feel hard, and doing so is a real step. Email me at Ben@onetherapy.london or call 07932 078436. I usually reply within 24 hours and aim to offer a first appointment within a week.

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