Breaking the Cycle audiobook cover - Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame

Breaking the Cycle

Free Yourself from Sex Addiction, Porn Obsession, and Shame

George N. Collins with Andrew Adleman

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Categories:
Health & NutritionPsychology

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Key Takeaways from Breaking the Cycle

Learning Tools

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Mind Map

Breaking the Cycle
Understanding Sex Addiction+
The Personal Amphitheater+
Detaching from Past and Mind+
Reprogramming Triggers+
Installing the Red Light Guy+
Cultivating True Intimacy+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
What is the defining characteristic that separates a healthy sex life from sex addiction, according to the text?
  • A. Engaging in sexual activities or watching pornography more than three times a week.
  • B. Experiencing guilt or shame only when caught by a partner or family member.
  • C. When sexual impulses dominate your thoughts and interfere with your life and relationships.
  • D. Having an unusually high libido and an insatiable desire for romantic intimacy.
Question 2 of 8
What is the primary purpose of the 'personal amphitheater' technique?
  • A. To mentally isolate, name, and dialogue with the subpersonalities that dictate reactions to sexual triggers.
  • B. To visualize a perfect, distraction-free environment for healthy sexual intimacy with a partner.
  • C. To publicly confess sexual transgressions to a support group or therapist.
  • D. To safely recreate past sexual highs in a controlled, mental environment.
Question 3 of 8
According to the book, what is the ultimate, yet impossible, goal of a sex addict's compulsive behavior?
  • A. To completely eliminate their natural sex drive and achieve total mental purity.
  • B. To recapture the elusive high of their very first sexual experience.
  • C. To punish their partner for past emotional neglect or lack of intimacy.
  • D. To replace all complex emotional connections with purely physical ones.
Question 4 of 8
How does the psychological concept of 'euphoric recall' negatively impact sex addicts?
  • A. It causes them to completely forget the negative consequences of their past actions.
  • B. It creates false, idealized memories of childhood relationships that never actually occurred.
  • C. It triggers a manic state that requires immediate medical or psychiatric intervention.
  • D. It traps their mind in the past trying to recreate old highs, causing them to miss out on true intimacy in the present.
Question 5 of 8
What is a 'rebirth ritual' in the context of handling sexual triggers?
  • A. Deliberately seeking out triggering places, like a porn shop, and refusing to react to the emotions they stir up.
  • B. Throwing away or burning all old magazines and digital devices associated with pornography.
  • C. Taking a temporary vow of celibacy to completely reset the brain's dopamine receptors.
  • D. Changing your physical appearance or daily routine to signify the birth of a new, non-addictive identity.
Question 6 of 8
When a sex addict is confronted with a trigger, what should they understand about their very first thoughts?
  • A. The first thoughts are usually their 'essence' speaking and should be trusted.
  • B. The first thoughts are always wrong, which gives the person time to analyze them and find an alternative activity.
  • C. The first thoughts should be immediately shared with anyone nearby to diffuse their power.
  • D. The first thoughts must be entirely suppressed without acknowledging their existence.
Question 7 of 8
What is the purpose of performing a physical act, such as the 'Beard Test' or putting a hand on your chest, when triggered?
  • A. To physically punish the body for having inappropriate or compulsive thoughts.
  • B. To stimulate specific acupressure points that naturally lower arousal levels.
  • C. To bring yourself back to the present moment so you can deploy your 'Red Light Guy' defense system.
  • D. To subtly signal to your partner or therapist that you are currently experiencing a craving.
Question 8 of 8
Why does the text recommend telling your partner about a trigger *while* you are experiencing it, rather than waiting until after you have acted out?
  • A. It allows your partner to physically intervene and remove you from the triggering environment.
  • B. It shifts the heavy emotional burden of managing the addiction from you to your partner.
  • C. It keeps you grounded in reality instead of fantasy, and prevents your partner from wondering if you are hiding details.
  • D. It serves as a form of negative reinforcement, making you associate triggers with marital conflict.

Breaking the Cycle — Full Chapter Overview

Breaking the Cycle Summary & Overview

Breaking the Cycle (2011) outlines a series of tried and tested exercises that widen the gap between sex addicts and their compulsive sexual behaviors. Sticking to these techniques builds confidence in sex addicts to move on from their obsession toward a richer life that prioritizes their wellbeing and relationships.

Who Should Listen to Breaking the Cycle?

  • People trying to overcome sex and porn addiction
  • People trying to understand the nature of sex addiction
  • Counselors or anyone trying to help a sex addict

About the Author: George N. Collins with Andrew Adleman

George N. Collins is the founder and director of Compulsion Solutions, a company that provides counseling services to sex addicts and their partners. Equipped with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and the experience of having overcome sexual addiction himself, he’s a sought-after guest on local and international media. A Couple’s Guide to Sexual Addiction, a book he co-authored with his wife Paldrom Collins, helps couples restore intimacy in their relationships.

Andrew Adelman is a writer and editor.

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