sex “experts” on the internet talking about proper terminology has always felt to me like a bit of a circle jerk. what matters most is our clients. and if a term works for them — that is, if it’s helping them heal — our job is to support them. of course, if a term they’re using is causing them shame or frustration, we want to help them reframe, but that doesn’t seem to be the focus of the sex addiction debate. in fact, in the podcast episode this post highlighted featuring silva neves, the originator of the term “compulsive sexual behavior,” he acknowledged that many people get mad at him because they feel like he’s erasing their experience. why does expert terminology matter more than people’s healing experience?
Katherine Yeagel 