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The Virtual Couch

Craig Perra - Strength Over Disease: Challenging Traditional Models of Pornography Addiction Recovery

The Virtual Couch

Tony Overbay LMFT

Education, Mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.9669 Ratings

🗓️ 21 June 2023

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tony shares some sad news about the loss of his friend and colleague, Shawna Roberts. She was the one who introduced him to today's guest, Craig Perra. Craig is the creator of The Mindful Habit System https://www.themindfulhabit.com/, a life-changing approach that has helped countless people build healthier relationships, develop healthy sexuality, and finally live the lives they've always wanted but thought were out of reach. Craig opens up about his own battles with addiction, particularly compulsive pornography and sexual behavior, and his road to recovery that led him to create The Mindful Habit System. Tony's a big fan of this approach because it focuses on building strength rather than simply treating disease, and it's inspired him to create his own program, The Path Back. The main theme of the episode is how we can get stuck in negative behaviors and see ourselves in a bad light and how shame and conditioning can affect addiction and relationships. Both Tony and Craig emphasize that it's crucial to understand and accept all parts of ourselves with compassion instead of being hard on ourselves. They also chat about the benefits of integrating coaching into therapy, which helps therapists and clients build stronger relationships and achieve better results. They touch on the importance of valuing ourselves from within and helping people realize their own potential rather than relying on external validation. Tony and Craig also share their unique experiences on reality shows about digital addiction and porn, giving them an insight that they wouldn't otherwise have. Craig remembers Shawna and the work they did together for the LDS community to help with porn addiction. To wrap up, they reflect on how far they've come, the impact of The Path Back program, and their plans for the future, including the exciting possibility of therapist coaching. The chat gives listeners a deep understanding of how a strength-based approach to recovery, the role of internal family systems therapy, and self-perception are key to healing and personal growth. Use coupon code CRAIG to receive $100 off The Path Back for a limited time. You can sign up directly here https://www.thepathback.org/offers/zF7ogLZZ?coupon_code=CRAIG Use the following code to purchase the 2023 Sex Summit for only $35 featuring Tony's presentation: Relationship Tools You Don't Know You Need - Tips and Tools Born From 15 Years of Practice w/1500 Couples. https://thedatingdivas.myshopify.com/discount/TONY23?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fsex-seminar-2023 Or use the following code to purchase 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024 seminars for only $80: https://thedatingdivas.myshopify.com/discount/TONYBUNDLE23?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fsex-seminar-2023-bundle Find all the latest links to podcasts, courses, Tony's newsletter, and more at https://linktr.ee/virtualcouch Inside ACT for Anxiety Disorder Course is Open! Visit https://praxiscet.com/virtualcouch Inside ACT for Anxiety Disorders; Dr. Michael Twohig will teach you the industry-standard treatment used by anxiety-treatment experts around the world. Through 6 modules of clear instruction and clinical demonstrations, you will learn how to create opportunities for clients to practice psychological flexibility in the presence of anxiety. After completing the course material, you'll have a new, highly effective anxiety treatment tool that can be used with every anxiety-related disorder, from OCD to panic disorder to generalized anxiety disorder. And follow Tony on the Virtual Couch YouTube channel to see a sneak preview of his upcoming podcast "Murder on the Couch," where True Crime meets therapy, co-hosted with his daughter Sydney. You can watch a pre-release clip here https://youtu.be/-RkRq8SrQy0 Subscribe to Tony's latest podcast, "Waking Up to Narcissism Q&A - Premium Podcast," on the Apple Podcast App. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/waking-up-to-narcissism-q-a/id1667287384 Go to http://tonyoverbay.com/workshop to sign up for Tony's "Magnetize Your Marriage" virtual workshop. The cost is only $19, and you'll learn the top 3 things you can do NOW to create a Magnetic Marriage. You can learn more about Tony's pornography recovery program, The Path Back, by visiting http://pathbackrecovery.com And visit http://tonyoverbay.com and sign up to receive updates on upcoming programs and podcasts. Tony mentioned a product that he used to take out all of the "uh's" and "um's" that, in his words, "must be created by wizards and magic!" because it's that good! To learn more about Descript, click here https://descript.com?lmref=bSWcEQ

Transcript

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0:00.0

The weather. Tomorrow, expect a biting cold front. Hmm, how naughty. I wonder what I'll be

0:06.8

wearing or taking off. The night will be wild and untamed. Expect heavy, lashing rain

0:13.0

that'll soak you to the skin. By Monday, temperatures will rise slowly but surely reaching

0:18.7

their peak in the afternoon.

0:23.0

Not in the mood for miserable weather?

0:25.8

Fly cheaply to Turkey with Sun Express.

0:28.7

Sun Express, non-stop sunshine. Mm-hmm.

0:35.2

Oh, mm-hmm. Oh, oh. Hey, come on and take a seat on the virtual couch.

0:51.3

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the virtual couch, episode 382. I am your host, Tony Overbay. I'm a licensed

0:58.1

marriage and family therapist, certified mindful habit coach, writer, speaker, and creator of

1:04.1

the pathback, which we're going to talk a little bit more about today in some detail. But before I

1:09.4

really get started, it is, I just want to make my listeners

1:12.8

aware that it is with a very heavy heart that I share that my friend and my colleague,

1:18.0

Shauna Roberts, who I had on the virtual couch a couple of times very early on. And then,

1:22.6

if you are a regular listener, I re-ran an episode with her just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately,

1:27.4

did pass away on June 2nd,

1:29.4

and my heart really does go out to her entire family, her friends, former colleagues. I've been in touch

1:34.9

with a few of my colleagues, and it truly just doesn't feel real. I received some amazing

1:40.3

feedback from the episode with Shauna, so if you could just keep her family in your

1:44.8

thoughts and in your prayers, I know that that would be greatly appreciated. And on that note,

1:49.3

today I happen to be talking with a friend of mine, Craig Para. And ironically, it really was

1:55.0

Shauna who introduced Craig and I, I think it was over 10 years ago. And actually more than 10

...

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