My Secret Life with a Sex Addict - from discovery to recovery

By Emma Dawson

Book Overview

Are you worried your spouse is a sex addict? You're not alone, there are estimated to be 16,000,000 people who exhibit this addiction. This book offers you a path out after discovery all the way to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932344705
• ISBN13: 9781932344707
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Thornton Publishing
• Length: 140 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Victims of Sex Addicts Don't Have a Clue

Emma Dawson wrote a stunning and acurate account of her 28 year old marriage to a sex addict and how it affected her own personality and the lives of her four children. I use the word "accurate" ...... not because I was there to witness her life but it was almost a carbon copy of my 25 year old life with a sex addict and how it left "black holes" in the lives of my four children. I digested this book in one sitting because it could also be my life she was writing about. She describes the downward spiral of the addict's personality ....... from charming to demeaningly destructive. The crazy making part is their using what I called, the "push-pull" method of snaring their victims back into their den, after reducing them to groveling nothingness. Any female who has lived with a sex addict can relate to all of her story. How they suck you back in with sex & promises and you believe it because you want to. It takes a certain type of personality to become a victim of a sex addict or a Narcissistic personality disorder person. It is a timid, shy, quiet, unsure of herself, female, who is unaware she is searching for the comfort zone of her (usually) lonely or abandoned childhood. Most sex addicts come with a touch of Narcissism and can sweep the victim off their feet with a promise of everlasting love. Some parts of the book were very hard for me to read because it stirred up memories that I thought had been long buried. She describes them so well. Especially the parts where the victim blames herself and keeps asking what she had done wrong and then she tries even harder. I am 80 years old & it's been 30 years since I was divorced from my sex addict husband but reading her story stirred up feelings that felt like it happened yesterday. The names "Sex Addict" and "Narcissist" were not really coined or commonly used until the 1980's. Back in the 1950's, when my life of confusion began, there was very little public information available. Of course, I totally thought it was my fault and suffered my shame in silence, just like the author described. My divorced sex addict husband recently died from alzheimers and his death has dredged up all the things that the author discribes. That was why I've been searching books for recent information but there is nothing new, just better labels and more accurately described information. There is one thing that leaves an abrupt question in my mind and that is "what happened to Ted?" Was he ever able to control his sexual urges? Did he ever stay with one woman? Did he make a crazy life for other women, as he did for Emma? This book was written nearly 10 years ago and I hope Emma has become the strong, self assured woman who has found the joy of life within herself. Good luck, abundant happiness and success to you. Thank you for having the strength to write this book.

Fascinating book for anyone involved with sexually addicted man

This book is a fascinating look at life with a sex addicted spouse or significant other. After dating a sex addict for 5 years I always wondered how bad his behavior really could be and I was in denial about how bad it could be. With all the confessions the author's husband made to his wife (Emma Dawson) you really get an inside look at the kind of behavior the man is really engaging in. I was absolutely shocked by the things the husband admitted to doing. After reading this I realized everything was probably much worse than I even realized. I knew my boyfriend was seeing other women from time to time but for the first time I entertained the reality that he could be seeing more than one woman in even a days time. This book is helping me to break away from a situation I have realized is unhealthy. For any woman who is involved in any way with a man who is sexually addicted, I recommend this book and also "Love, Infidelity, and Sexual Addiction: A Codependents Perspective" by Christine A. Adams as the two books you absolutely must read.

My Secret Life with a Sex Addict

Very well written true experience by the writer. Too few books of it's kind for the person who has to live in this type of situation. She tell's it with utmost candor and clarity. I highly recommend it to anyone who either feels or knows they are living with a sex addict. She proves there is hope. Very good read!

Praises for Emma Dawson!

Emma Dawson has written a groundbreaking book that shares her story of liberation from the silence and shame of being married to a sex addict. It is a powerful account of one woman's journey from the depths of silence to a celebration of a powerful voice of healing. It is an inspiration for any woman who has ever found herself in a position of isolation and low self-worth due to being a "keeper" of the secret of addiction. You will experience a sense of community as you read Emma's story and feel the relief of knowing you are not alone. Emma has learned to value her experience and found a wonderful way to share that with others!