Readings

Here is a list of books I've read related to sex addiction, codependency and other issues with hope that it can help others who are experiencing similar struggles.

I believe that learning more about our diseases is a critical first step toward recovery and healing and when used in conjunction with therapy and support groups, results will be much more effective.

Some of these books have been recommended by various therapists and others have been chosen personally.  I will update the list regularly as I continue my readings.


1.  Codependency No More:  How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself, Melody Beattie

This book is a must-read for wives of sex addicts who are likely to be a codependent. It is one of the best books on codependency and can help with understanding what it is, where it comes from and how to draw healthy boundaries with others.  I'd recommend starting with this book first. 


2.  Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction, Mark Laaser

It may be hard to believe but many sex addicts come from very religious Christian backgrounds where sex is shunned and taught to be a dirty, shameful secret.  This is a book about sex addiction as it relates to God and Christianity.  It is an excellent book for sex addicts with Christian upbringing.

3.  Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction, Patrick Carnes, Ph.D.

This is another excellent source for sex addicts and codependents of sex addicts. It provides detailed insight into the addiction and also includes valuable information about the coaddictive system and how the disease affects both the sex addict and his spouse.  A must read for sex addicts and their partners.


4.  A House Interrupted: A Wife's Story of Recovering from Her Husband's Sex Addiction, Maurita Corcoran

This is a memoir of a wife of a sex addict.  She is also a coaddict with her own pain and trauma.  Overall it is moving and poignant as it tells the real life story of a woman who is on a lifelong journey of healing and recovery.  It is more reflective than informative as it is written from the wife's point of view rather than a professional's.  It reads like a journal and is deeply personal much like this blog. I'd recommend it as a supplementary book in addition to other readings.

5.  Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, Marshall B. Rosenberg

Currently reading.