Healing Intimacy: Insights from a Sex Addiction Therapist in Chicago
Sex addiction can bring deep pain and confusion, leaving individuals feeling trapped in a cycle of shame and regret. This struggle often creates a profound sense of disconnection, not only from others but also from your body and spirit. It’s common to feel isolated as if you’re carrying a burden that no one can understand. For partners, the betrayal and secrecy can lead to feelings of hurt, loss of trust, and emotional distance, making it difficult to reconnect or communicate openly.
As relational beings, we were created to form safe, meaningful bonds with others. Yet the pain of addiction and disconnection from your body can make it hard to be fully present with yourself or in your relationships.
As a dance therapist who offers Christian counseling in Chicago, I’ve seen how this disconnection gets in the way of building intimacy. I help clients gently reconnect with their bodies, explore their experiences, and invite God’s healing presence into their journey.
If you find yourself in this place, know that change is possible. Therapy can offer the guidance and support you need to move forward.
That’s why I’m excited to introduce my colleague, Rick Manabat, a therapist specializing in helping individuals navigate sex addiction and its impact on relationships. His holistic approach integrates emotional healing, relational repair, and spiritual growth, offering care and understanding to help you work through these challenges with grace. Let’s dive in!
Meet Rick Manabat, A Sex Addiction Therapist in Chicago
Rick Manabat is a clinical mental health therapist specializing in working with trauma and unwanted sexual behaviors, such as sex addiction. He has taken trainings in many areas, but his favorites are the following: sex addiction, EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and attachment work. Rick is the owner of Pneuma Therapeutic Services, with locations in Chicago and Colorado Springs.
Insights on Sex Addiction Counseling: Q & A with Rick Manabat
Why Did You Choose This Line of Work and Specialize in Sex Addiction Therapy?
I was exposed to pornography at an early age by my father, who left it lying around the house. This early exposure awakened my sexuality way too early. Knowing the challenges and difficulties of trying to stop such behavior made me want to help others. After graduating from my program, I sought more training in this area and became certified in treating sexual addictions. As a CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist), I’m now equipped to help others who want to stop these behaviors and find healing and a healthy form of sexuality.
What Services Do You Provide, and Who Do You Work With?
At Pneuma, we treat everything and everyone, but we do have a specialization in SA and trauma. Working with SA, we often find trauma as the two are highly correlated.
We treat issues such as depression, anxiety, and grief, but many of the therapists love working with those who struggle with unwanted sexual behaviors and not only that, but those who are in relationships with the ones who struggle, namely the partners. Not only that, when we get a new client who is coming in for sex addiction, that person was caught or has finally confessed to his partner. The partner, after discovery, is often traumatized because of the betrayal and Pneuma also has therapists to support the partners. In essence, we help support them both through the healing process by getting them both in individual and then eventually adding couples therapy.
How Does Sex Addiction Therapy Help Strengthen Relationships?
Sex addiction can also be seen as an intimacy disorder. Working on staying sober greatly impacts relationships, because one starts to learn how to be honest (which is foundational to healthy relationships), and a person also starts to identify how his story is connected to his sexual behavior. Additionally, with treatment, a person is unlearning unhealthy ways of sexuality and creating a healthy sexuality that improves intimacy and connection within a relationship.
How does sex addiction therapy help people with relationship issues or trauma?
There are typically four things that impede treatment success: still keeping secrets, not enough structure, not having a good first step, and unresolved trauma. When working with SA it is imperative to resolve the trauma. Once a person’s trauma has been resolved it greatly decreases the need for the addiction.
What Do You Love About Working with Clients Struggling with Sex Addiction?
I love the fact that when in therapy, we are not talking about sex. Typically, we are unpacking a person’s story. When we see a person coming in with SA, we view it as a tree. With a tree, we typically can see the branches, the trunk, and the leaves, but the root is underground. With SA, the root is never sexual but a person’s story and something totally different.
Additionally, I love helping a person connect the dots. With SA, a person is typically acting out a story in his behavior. It is my job as the therapist to help the person identify the story, stop acting it out, and start to talk about the story.
In your experience, what Are Some Key Considerations When offering sex addiction counseling?
When finally coming to terms with one’s addiction, and admitting there is a problem, it is literally the first step. But also, it will be the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your life. Addiction is messy and full of setbacks. But it is part of the process, and we want progress over perfection.
What Would You Say to Someone Hesitant About Seeking Sex Addiction Counseling?
Starting therapy is one of the most difficult and vulnerable things one can do, but also the most rewarding. When a person enters therapy, I want them to understand that therapy is not that I have all the answers or that I am here to just listen and or give advice. Therapy is me holding up a mirror to help them see themselves better. When they start to see and want to make changes, therapy is like us walking around in the forest in the dark; only I am holding the flashlight. I will shine the light into those areas to help them find the way.
Finally, therapy is like climbing Mount Everest. When you climb such a mountain you get a sherpa. The sherpa gets you from base camp to base camp. The sherpa may even carry your gear at times. I will be your sherpa, but ultimately, you are the one who has to climb the mountain.
What do you wish people knew about working with you?
At Pneuma, we love our clients. We truly do. We want to see everyone heal and become healthy in themselves and their relationships. We are compassionate, but also, we sometimes have to say the hard things to help you, but all of this is done in a loving, supportive, and caring environment.
How can people contact you to learn more about your services?
For services go to www.pneumachicago.com, give us a call at 312-898-1840, or email us at intake@pneumachicago.com
Final Thoughts from a Christian Counselor in Chicago
Rick’s ability in sex addiction, trauma recovery, and restoring intimacy is invaluable. By addressing the root causes of addiction, not just the behaviors, Rick helps clients uncover the deeper stories that drive their actions. This process fosters greater awareness, enabling individuals to reconnect with their emotions, bodies, and God’s presence in their lives.
Whether you’re struggling with sex addiction or are the partner of someone who is, Rick offers a compassionate path to healing. His work helps clients explore unresolved pain, build healthier intimacy, and nurture trust within their relationships. His dedication to guiding others toward clarity, peace, and spiritual renewal is truly inspiring.
Ready to Take the First Step? Schedule a Free 15-minute Consultation for Christian Counseling in Chicago
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by challenges in your relationships or struggling to connect with your partner, I invite you to consider Christian counseling with me. Together, we can gently explore the emotions, experiences, and dynamics affecting your relationships while helping you reconnect your mind, body, and spirit.
Through an improved mind-body awareness, I can help you feel more grounded and present, so you can build healthier, more meaningful connections.
Book your free 15-minute consultation today, and let’s take the first step toward restoring intimacy and deepening your connection with God, yourself, and others!
Lisaura offers individual relationship counseling, dance therapy, and couples workshops to help adults connect with themselves and others more deeply.
Spanish-speaking services are available as well.
