- Home
- Self Study
No two people are alike. Some sex addicts and their partners need their focus of healing to come exclusively within the office of a professional therapists. Others need to approach healing at their own pace. At City Gate, we support your individual recovery needs and choices.
On this page you’ll find a library of worksheets, daily discipline reminders, video lessons, and more that you can learn from and educate yourself through.
Self Study Program for Sex Addicts
We are creating the “S.A.F.E.T.Y.” Self Study Series. This is a three month, self-study path-to-recovery for those struggling with sex addiction. It will better help you lay the foundational skills and knowledge needed for a steadier long-term recovery.
Created by Carol Conklin, a sex addiction therapist with 25+ years of successful recoveries, you’ll make daily strides toward recovery by way of enlightening video lessons, custom tailored reading assignments, confidential support group sessions, and more. You’ll better understand the “whats, whys, and hows” of your addiction and practical ways to start tackling it.
Whether choosing to meet with our therapists, only going through the S.A.F.E.T.Y. Program, or better yet, doing both, you can find your path to recovery here at City Gate!
Sex Addiction Related Resources
When you’re not speaking with your therapist, or you’re not engaged in self-study video sessions, it’s very easy to become distracted or lose track of your progress. This is why we’ve created accessible resources that you can save to your smartphone or print.
Add these resources to the daily recovery habits you’re already engaged in, and you’ll strengthen your resilience while nurturing positive habits.
Click the buttons next to each Handout title to download the PDF/view on your device.
Sex Addiction Self Therapy Series
While we do believe in miracles, it’s very rare for someone to overcome sex addiction overnight. With that being said, there is a proven, accelerated path to recovery offered by City Gate. It combines the personal touch of a therapist with the empowering discipline of self therapy.
In only two months, you’ll replace your broken sense of self with a stronger, resilient, and confident self. We break down your journey into 7 healing paths.
- A
- A
- A
- A
- A
- A
- A
Pull up a chair and take our first class for free.
Click on any topic below to activate resources. Toggle through each topic to choose the resources (listed as buttons below, in blue).
Sexual Addiction Resources
Pornography Effects and a New Way to Fight Them BrainHeartWorld Porn-Proofing Your Life Your Brain On Porn
Partner Trauma Resources
Couples/Family Resources
What Everyone Needs to Know Help.Them.Heal Conversations on Sex, Addiction, and Relationship Sex Needs a New Metaphor
A therapeutic disclosure, also known as a “Rite of Truth” is a 2-3 hour session during which the partner of the sex addict finds truth, and the sex addict has an opportunity to be held accountable and step into responsibility.
Of the many consequences of addiction and addictive behaviors are a vast web of lies, betrayal, blame-shifting, and manipulation that have often occurred over a period of years, sometimes decades. This leaves a partner questioning everything. A full disclosure gives space for healing to start through the disclosure of information, while also giving a partner an ability to make an informed decision about the relationship.
To complete this in a meaningful and comprehensive way, an addict works closely with his/her therapist to complete a formal document that includes a timeline of acting out behaviors, requested by his/her partner. Meanwhile, the partner works closely with her/his therapist to identify what information is desired, (such as from the beginning of the addiction; beginning of exposure to sexual information/stimuli; beginning of relationship), types of behaviors, as well as providing space for questions. Due to the depth and extent of lying and manipulation, a polygraph is recommended as a part of the full disclosure process, as this provides an outside source that can verify the truthfulness of the information being requested.
When done correctly, this can provide a meaningful step towards building a new future on the foundation of honesty and integrity.
Therapeutic disclosure resources:
12 step: COSA (Sex Addiction)
866-899-2672
12 step: S-Anon
800-210-8141
615-833-3152
12 step: Families Anonymous
800-736-9805
General/Other Resources
Gaslighting is the intentional denial of the truth by the perpetrator/partner so that they can shift the blame back onto you. It is often used in sex addictions to try and create chaos, hide inappropriate behaviors, and prevent accountability. The term was first coined from the movie Gaslight (1940), and came to be used to describe the way the husband manipulated his wife’s reality in the movie.
To learn more, please visit:
What Is Gaslighting? Signs of Gaslighting and What to Do Conversations on Sex, Addiction and Relationship 10 Warning Signs of Gaslighting The Term “Gaslighting” is Everywhere, but What Does It Really Mean?
DARVO (Anti-Gaslighting Tool)