“Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.”
– Voltaire
The Wizard of Oz has long been a favorite story and metaphor of life for me. I love the many metaphors contained within the story. The tornado delivers Dorothy into a "call" she cannot avoid. 
The yellow brick road is an invitation to the journey of life and discovery of the mettle contained within oneself. Along the journey Dorothy discovers other seekers who have been stuck in fear or shame for the “things” which they do not perceive to have within themselves. They have feelings of brokeness, a yearning for courage, and wish for a completeness of self. There is bonding in that brokeness, support for courage, the capacity one needs to reach beyond fear, and sustenance for the journey in finding others who struggle.
The journey of sex addiction recovery is just as odd and rich as the journey to Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz. The discovery, or revealing of sex addiction long-hidden, touches ones’ life similarly to the destructive winds of an F5 tornado. The impact is devastating. Life is in shambles. Chaos is all around. A Certified Sex Addiction Credentialed Therapist (CSAT) can be a guide pointing the way onto the yellow brick road. 12-step groups offer the friends for the journey. In the hallways of the 12-steps rooms are others who also search for their missing pieces. Knowing one is not alone, and one need not hide in shame, can be an exhilarating start to the journey. Reaching the recovery cycle is no small task. As a therapist who sits with many on the journey: there is fear, there are trials, there is the need for more courage and a strong vision for what one seeks. One often finds the answer was within them all along if they stick with the process of recovery long enough. It is possible to go home again and feel the comfort. “There is no place like home”, and one can be empowered by what was once so feared and devastating. You can’t get there without answering "the call" and entering the opportunity for transformation. You don’t have to go it alone. There is a path out. 
I, or someone trained by Patrick Carnes in his prescribed 30-task healing model, can offer a map and guide one to safety. One can reach beyond the Emerald City and restore oneself to themselves. If it is a fit, one can go home again empowered and whole.
