Facing the Shadow: Starting Sexual and Relationship Recovery [Paperback]

Patrick Carnes Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0977440001 | ISBN-13: 978-0977440009 | Publication Date: February 2005 | Edition: 1

Dr. Carnes broke new ground with Out of the Shadows. Facing the Shadows continued that pioneering spirit as the first book to take techniques used by thousands of people recovering from sex addiction and show, step by step, how to break free of this disease and live a healthier, more fulfilling life. This second edition adds timely material on cybersex and new science about arousal. This work sets the stage for recovery tasks at hand, and then provides practical, easy-to-follow exercises specifically designed to help understand and address them. You'll learn:

• Why denial is so powerful and what can be done to break through it.
• How to face the consequences of your behaviors using recovery principles.
• How to respond to change and crisis due to addiction
• How to manage life without dysfunctional behavior
• How spirituality affects recovery
• What to disclose and to whom
• How does sex addiction start and what does an addict need to know

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the great addiction researchers of our time, Dr. Carnes has turned science into practical tools of recovery. -- Vicki Pevsner, president - Pine Grove

This book should be primary reading for anyone seeking to understand addiction in the twenty-first century -- Rob Weiss, Author of Cruise Control

Review

"This book should be primary reading for anyone seeking to understand addiction in the twenty-first century."
-Robert Weiss, MSW, CSAT, Author of Cruise Control (Robert Weiss, MSW, CSAT )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Gentle Path Press; 1 edition (February 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977440001
• ISBN-13: 978-0977440009
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #469,421 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Recovery > Sexual

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good "Starter" Book..., January 25, 2007

By 

Writing Chemistry (Seoul, South Korea) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Facing the Shadow: Starting Sexual and Relationship Recovery: A Gentle Path Workbook for Beginning Recovery from Sex Addiction (Paperback)

The book is comprehensive, well-researched, and well-presented. I did learn a lot from the book, and I would recommend this book to other people beginning recovery from SA. The book talks about the ten types/stages of courtship and how sexual addiction can affect an addict, so you can diagnose yourself and where you're having difficulties from the charts. It also talks about how slips are like boulders falling off a hill, and there's a great illustration to explain that and how bottomlines can help you.

What was missing for me, and hence the 4 stars, was the lack of content regarding "Relationship Recovery" part. There isn't much indication on how to go about dating the right way for S&L addicts - for example, if you saw the chart and realized you have problems with "seduction" phase of the courtship, you know you have this, but the book doesn't help you to revert this, or suggest what you're supposed to do with the diagnosis, other than "abstinence".

I would say this is a great resource for Sex Addicts in Recovery, but if you are a Sex AND Love Addict in recovery - this book won't fulfill all your needs. I don't know; perhaps Carnes has written a separate book for Love Addiction that I haven't checked out yet.

I would say I'm about 85% satisfied with the information provided by the book, and roughly 70% satisfied with the purchasing of this book.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facing Reality, June 26, 2006

By 

Roger L. Johnson "The Counselor" (Garland, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Facing the Shadow: Starting Sexual and Relationship Recovery (Paperback)

Dr. Carnes is a noted authority and perhaps the premier researcher in the area of sexual addiction. His work goes back easily some twenty years. I have studied with Dr. Carnes and I can say with some authority that this may be his finest work. It is the fruit of much thought and labor. It is reality. Carl Rogers said: "Until we can accept ourselves as we really are we can't change." This book, really a work book, helps the addicted person do just that. But it doesn't stop there. The addict is able to see through the work he does that he is able, through healthy activities, to regain control of his life. This is the second edition. Dr. Carnes demonstrates not only his high standards of authorship, but his humility and ability to accept constructive criticism both from within himself and I think perhaps others, in the changes he has put into this second edition. They are well worth the effort. Dr. Carnes comes at the sexual addiction issue with clarity, research, and above all empathy. His other work "The Recovery Zone," will I think prove to be as well received as this work.

Roger L. Johnson
M.A, Th.M. LPC
Director, Day Program
Meier Clinics

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, June 16, 2008

By 

Abe Lincoln "Abe" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Facing the Shadow: Starting Sexual and Relationship Recovery (Paperback)

This author (Patrick Carnes) is the most knowledgable person on the topic of Sexual Addiction. This book is good for people who like to have a workbook. There are a lot of quizzes and journaling places, so you can really get to the bottom of your problems. If you are not going to want to journal or take quizzes in the book, I would reccommend some of his other books. I hear great things about his original "facing the shadow" book. I kind of wish I had bought that one actually.