Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Zak is a twenty-six-year-old and had a sexually-related addiction since the early teens. He was from south Asian background, one of the four siblings and the only boy in the family. The symptoms he described from his early childhood resembled the symptoms of a child who has ADHD, and there were also some traits which could be part of the Autism Spectrum. His description of his childhood was that his father was always critical and never gave Zak any positive affirmations or interests towards his school and home life, as well as throwing him unrealistic expectations; his mother was passive and a victim of her husband’s emotional, verbal and physical abuse which was mostly witnessed by Zak. As a child, Zak recalls being labelled as a ‘failure’ for not getting the highest marks possible, even though he reasonably passed: he was still condemned for not being at the top of his class at all times. During our sessions, Zak used to always focus back onto this specific point in his life and how much he was traumatised and disturbed by it. He used to blame his ‘not good enough grades’ for being the reason behind his mother’s traumatic ordeal from his father. Zak remembers from being four, he often visited the local village where his extended family used to reside and how he had been sexually abused by his older cousins and family members. Since he was extremely young at the time, Zak’s confusion as well as his lack of trust towards his father and mother meant that he had no one to turn to. Ultimately during his adolescent years, Zak developed a stimulant for sexual gratification for which he felt very vulnerable and alienated. During the preliminary stages of the addiction, he was very uncertain and shameful, therefore he tried to supress it. The word ‘guilt’ as well as the destructive thoughts which Zak associated with his addiction meant his addiction was forcefully hidden. As a result, the suppression had damaged his mind: his hunger and addiction had increased. However, he could not fulfil his needs properly due to lack of availability and cultural norms which acted as a mind barrier towards his sexual addiction. Zak recalls constantly being labelled as ‘worthless’ by his father and his addiction had reinforced this message, consequently leading to Zak possessing the symptoms of depression and suicidal ideologies.

Biography

Rukhsana Khan has achieved a four year Diploma in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy in June 2015 from Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy, UK. In addition, she has achieved a BA in Psychology and Economics from Pakistan. Her second degree was a BSc (Hons) in Psychological Studies from the University of Huddersfield, UK. She also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Bolton, UK. Her success is based on her passion and diligence in building her career as a Lecturer in Psychology, a Counsellor and a Psychotherapist. She is currently undergoing preparations for pursuing Professional Doctorate Programme in Psychotherapy, from Metanoia Institute, London.