Nondual Psychotherapy and Second Stage Sexual Addictions Recovery: Transforming “Master of the Universe” Narcissism into Nondual Being

Abstract

This article describes the process of working through the “dry drunk” second stage of sexual addiction recovery through transforming the narcissistic “Master of the Universe” personality into the experience of nondual being using the Almaas Diamond Approach of self-realization. The Diamond Approach is a transpersonal informed psychology synthesizing western psychology with eastern spiritual wisdom where self-realization is experienced as an awakened nondual presence at the core of human consciousness. Narcissism is the barrier to this realization. The narcissistic personality structure found within the sex addict if not worked through in recovery does not allow the person to see the bottom of sexual addiction and move into emotional sobriety in a second phase of recovery. Accepting the experience of dissolving the narcissistic separate self and embracing nondual being opens one up to the absolute ordinariness of pure awareness; the true nature of who and what we are. A case study is used to illustrate the usefulness of Almaas’ Diamond Approach in transforming the narcissism of a client who had been immobolized in the second phase of sexual addiction recovery for 4 years.