Sex: Rewriting the Conversation Around Sex Addiction

Sex: Rewriting the Conversation Around Sex Addiction

Author: Owls Education Company May 14, 2025 Duration: 1:00:52
Mental Health Rewritten
HealthHealth & FitnessEducationFitnessMentalSelf Improvement

Welcome to Episode 1 of Mental Health Rewritten!

In our season-opening episode, we confront one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized topics in mental health: sex addiction.

Through the story of Daniel — a man whose professional success masks a deep internal struggle — we explore how compulsive sexual behavior impacts relationships, careers, and personal identity. 

Along the way, we challenge misconceptions about sex addiction, examine its clinical roots, and highlight the hidden pain it causes across gender lines and around the world.

 Featuring clinical insights from Havi Kang, Dr. Justin Dodson, and Dr. Alexandra Katehakis, alongside research from Mayo Clinic and YouGov, we uncover:

What defines sex addiction and compulsive sexual behavior

Why shame and secrecy make healing harder

How societal stigma silences both men and women

The global scope of this often-taboo disorder

Rooted in research from the DSM-5 and ICD-11, and grounded in real-world stories, Mental Health Rewritten opens conversations where silence once reigned.

 Tune in to hear how Daniel's journey toward healing begins — and how, together, we can start to rewrite the narrative about addiction, identity, and hope.

 

Listen now and subscribe for upcoming episodes exploring suicide, racial trauma, and more. Reminder: Mental health challenges are as real — and as serious — as physical ones.
If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to a mental health professional.

 

Mental Health Rewritten, created by the OWLS Education Company, in collaboration with The Ummah Collective Group, is hosted, written, and produced by Dominic Lawson.

Executive Producers: Kenda Lawson and Dr. Whitney Howzell
Cover Art: Alexandria Eddings of Art Life Connections

Some music was provided by DJ Krate Digga of The Mighty Sound Champz Crew

 

Referenced & Supporting Sources

Does Society Have a Sex Addiction Problem?
Mayo Clinic Health System
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-society-have-a-sex-addiction-problem

Is Sex Addiction a Real Disorder? Majority of Americans Believe It Is
Newsweek / YouGov Poll (2018)
https://www.newsweek.com/sex-addiction-real-disorder-majority-americans-believe-it-1037560

Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder in ICD-11
World Health Organization / ICD-11 Browser
https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http://id.who.int/icd/entity/1630268048

Why Sex Addiction Was Not Included in DSM-5
APA DSM-5 Task Force Discussion via Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21934-sex-addiction

AASECT Position on Sex Addiction
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (2016)
https://www.aasect.org/position-sex-addiction

Brain Activity in Sex Addiction Mirrors That of Drug Addiction
Cambridge University Study (PLOS ONE, 2014)
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140711095956.htm

Is Sexual Addiction the Real Deal?
UCLA Brain Study – EEG Research on Hypersexuality (2013)
https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/study-casts-doubt-on-sex-addiction-246011

Sex Addiction and Childhood Trauma in Men
University of Georgia, College of Education (2024)
https://coe.uga.edu/news/2024-04-study-links-childhood-trauma-emotional-abuse-to-sex-addiction-in-men

Infidelity Statistics (U.S. Marriages)
Cooper Trachtenberg Law Group – Updated 2024
https://www.mcooperlaw.com/infidelity-stats-2024

Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Culture – A Clinical View
APA PsycNet – Middle Eastern & Global Treatment Challenges
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-89404-008

Assessment and Treatment of CSBD: A Sexual Medicine Perspective
Springer / Current Sexual Health Reports
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11930-019-00189-9

Sex Addiction in the UK: Rebecca Barker's Story
BBC News – Personal Narrative
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43921760

Understanding Denial in Sexual Offending and Addictive Behavior
Washington State Sex Offender Policy Board
https://sgc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/SOPB/conference2018/Borg_presentation.pdf

CDC Historical Divorce Statistics – U.S. Marriage Trends
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/95facts/fs_439s.htm

 Referenced Articles & Research

 Majority of Americans Believe Sex Addiction is Real – Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/sex-addiction-real-disorder-majority-americans-believe-it-1037560

 Does Society Have a Sex Addiction Problem? – Mayo Clinic Health System
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-society-have-a-sex-addiction-problem

 UK Woman Shares Experience with Sex Addiction – BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43921760

 National Center for Health Statistics on Suicide Trends – CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/95facts/fs_439s.htm

 Study Links Childhood Trauma to Sex Addiction in Men – University of Georgia College of Education
https://coe.uga.edu/news/2024-04-study-links-childhood-trauma-emotional-abuse-to-sex-addiction-in-men

 Infidelity and Relationship Statistics (2024) – M. Cooper Law
https://www.mcooperlaw.com/infidelity-stats-2024

 Sex Offender Policy & Research: Compulsive Sexual Behavior – Washington State SOPB Conference
https://sgc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/SOPB/conference2018/Borg_presentation.pdf


Dominic Lawson has collected thirty-three awards for his work in audio, a fact that becomes immediately understandable within minutes of tuning into Mental Health Rewritten. This isn't a lecture series or a clinical rundown, but a series of deep, nuanced conversations that treat complex subjects with the care they demand. Produced by the Owls Education Company, the podcast navigates topics often left in the shadows-sex addiction, the nuances of substance abuse, the realities of eating disorders, and the deep impact of racial trauma-with a clarity that feels both educational and profoundly human. The structure of each season is deliberate, building understanding episode by episode rather than offering scattered advice. What you'll hear is a host who listens as much as he guides, facilitating discussions that rewrite the old, stigmatized narratives surrounding mental and behavioral health. It’s a space where difficult questions are met with expertise and empathy, making it an essential listen for anyone looking to move beyond surface-level understanding. The entire Mental Health Rewritten podcast serves as a testament to the power of informed conversation in fostering genuine self-improvement and wellness.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 28

Official website RSS
instagramlinkedin
Mental Health Rewritten
Podcast Episodes
Mental Margins: The Cost of Silence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:54
In this segment from episode Starting The Conversation Around Sexual Anorexia, we begin with what looks like a familiar path—trauma responses—but quickly uncover a deeper, more insidious truth: how intimacy, when distort…
Mental Margins: Janet Bentley Discussing Intimacy and Shame [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:19
In this deeply personal bonus segment from Episode 104 Starting The Conversation About Sexual Anorexia, we hear more from Janet Bentley, a woman navigating the silent emotional toll of sexual anorexia within her marriage…
Mental Margins: Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:23
In this segment, Janet reflects on her lifelong struggle with intimacy and the emotional walls built from trauma, exploring the complex relationship between Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder (FSIAD) and sexual anor…
Sex: Starting the Conversation Around Sexual Anorexia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:03
Kyle sits awake at 2 AM, the glow of his laptop revealing a single word in the search bar: "avoidance." He scrolls past harsh phrases like fear of intimacy and sexual withdrawal that feel like accusations. Then one term…
Mental Margins: Internal Barriers & OnlyFans Reveal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:19
In this special reflection episode of Mental Health Rewritten, host Dominic Lawson celebrates 40 days of the podcast's journey with over 1,000 subscribers and nearly 13,000 downloads. Dominic shares heartfelt gratitude f…
Mental Margins: Sex Education & Understanding Predators [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:45
In this segment from episode 103, Rewriting The Conversation Around Sexual Assault, psychotherapist Havi Kang explores how societal perceptions around trauma, sexual assault, and mental health are evolving, highlighting…
Mental Margins: Trauma [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:38
In this segment, host Dominic Lawson pauses the narrative to ground the discussion in clinical reality. With the term "trauma" now widely used in cultural and digital discourse, this segment brings clarity to its true cl…
Mental Margins: Men, Shame, and Assault [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:45
In this segment of Episode 103, "Rewriting the Conversation Around Sexual Assault," Mental Health Rewritten explores the often-overlooked experiences of men who have survived sexual violence. With poignant insight from H…
Mental Margins: Complex PTSD [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:21
In this segment, hosts Dominic Lawson and Dan Woerheide explore the enduring psychological toll of sexual assault, turning their focus to Complex PTSD (C-PTSD). Dan reflects on the harrowing process of forensic exams for…
Sex: Rewriting the Conversation Around Sexual Assault [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:22
In this powerful and necessary episode of Mental Health Rewritten, we open with a deceptively simple question: "Is this sexual assault?" From that moment forward, we begin a journey that challenges long-held beliefs abou…

«123»