Your capacity to deal with any difficulty is strengthened by developing a deeper awareness of your internal guide. We all have one. If you are working through sex addiction recovery or are partners of sex addicts, your internal guide will help lead you through hard times.

Here a client speaks to his quiet, and sometimes not so quiet, guide. 

Once upon a time, there was a young man walking on an unfamiliar path. His eyes were so focused on the path ahead that he was missing out on the beauty around him. Pebbles, boulders, obstacles would suddenly appear, all of which delayed his journey.

He would get frustrated, tired, and upset. All the time closing his eyes and again not seeing the beauty that was just right beside the obstacles. He would put his head down and tackle the obstacle at hand, fix it, throw it aside, and continue on the path with his eyes back focused on the horizon.

Sleeping, waking, walking, focused.

Until one day, a stranger, a kind and gentle stranger with the eyes of truth and the fortitude of a lion appeared.

The walker was cautious, not used to seeing people on this path. He didn't know how to make it. So he said hello and kept walking. The stranger nodded and started walking with him. The walker wondered why he would walk back along the way he came, but being focused, the walker just kept walking.

The stranger would casually point out the beauty on this side of the road and on that side of the road, even mentioning beauty along with the obstacles that the walker encountered before meeting the stranger.

With this, the walker stopped and looked at the stranger with fear.

How would this stranger know about these obstacles? Where was he that he knew what the walker witnessed before they met?

Upon looking at this stranger, the walker felt like he knew him somehow but didn't know how or when or where.

And figured that he best get back to his path. He was wasting time.

So the walker walked again and the stranger walked with him. The stranger again mentioning all the beauty that was around them with a smile and a joy that the walker started to enjoy hearing.

The walker's pace slowed and without wanting to be noticed, he would look out the corner of his eye to see what was around him — but just a glimpse, just for confirmation, just to judge if he could trust this stranger.

But the stranger knew and started to ask questions rather than comment. The stranger would ask if there was anything they needed when they finally arrived at this magical destination.

"Should we pick some flowers? How about if we pick some fruit? Hmmm, that stream surely has some refreshing water that would be good."

Steady on his path, the walker paid no mind to the questions being asked. So the stranger got more direct, "Who are we meeting? When do they expect us? Why are we in a hurry?"

Finally, the stranger ran ahead and turned in the walker's tracks face to face and asked, "Do you even know where we are going?"

Instead of answering the question, the walker asked a question, "Who are you? You look familiar. I know I’ve seen you before. I’ve seen your face. I’ve seen that smile and heard that joy in your voice before. Please, answer me, who are you?"

And the stranger kindly responded, " I am you. You used to see my smile in the mirror. That joy in my voice is yours."

The walker was confused, how could this stranger be him?  How could he not recognize himself?  How did this stranger see and know things he didn’t?

With all the confusion, the walker finally stopped walking and sat down.  He finally looked up and saw the beauty that was around him the entire time.

As he scanned he moved his head from side to side, looking at all the beauty around him, a smile appeared … as the stranger disappeared.

Partners of sex addicts and people struggling with sex addiction recovery, please reach out for help at Neulia Compulsion Solutions. We've been down this path and can help you find your way, too.