ABOUT LifeSTAR

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Since 2010, LifeStar Dallas has helped hundreds of individuals and couples heal from the effects of pornography and sexually compulsive behaviors. Our approach is unique because we treat the whole system, not just the individual struggling with the addiction.

The LifeStar program focuses on His recovery, Her recovery, and Our recovery. We work to help the addict end the addictive behaviors and build a completely new and healthy life. We help betrayed partners connect with other women in similar situations and guide them through a healing process of understanding the impact of relational trauma so they can reclaim their lives. We help couples learn how to build a truly intimate, trustworthy, and secure relationship.  We provide the opportunity to create a new relationship free from betrayal and dishonesty.

Our three-phase treatment program works with couples and individuals through the stages of recovery to ensure long-term success. Each phase of recovery is specifically designed to gently uncover, yet aggressively heal, the destructive patterns that create and maintain addictive behaviors and relational trauma. Workbooks and other materials help provide education and structure throughout the different phases of treatment.

The Treatment Process

Certified Sex Addiction Therapists on staff have access to Pat Carne’s assessment and recovery tools. A thorough assessment can ensure the right treatment plan is created for the presenting problems. Recovery interventions that are supported by successful outcome research offer reassurance that the treatment model has been proven to be successful with thousands of addicts and partners over the past decade.
The LifeStar program combined with Carne’s Recovery Zone material is designed to provide addicts and their spouses with the tools and support to find hope, healing, and lasting recovery from sexual addiction and compulsive behaviors. Through individual and group therapy, addicts learn how to reclaim their lives, reestablish trust, and restore hope in their future. Effective and long-lasting recovery is more than temporarily stopping the behavior. Effective therapy addresses the underlying issues in creating a permanent, long-lasting recovery.
To accomplish this, the LifeStar program is divided into 3 levels of intensive group therapy. We strongly suggest that participants also participate in individual and/or couples therapy, along with a 12-step program. Highly trained licensed therapists lead each group and phase of LifeStar.

The program is divided into the following phases:

Phase I: Beginning Care
Phase II: Recovery Zone
Phase III: Advanced Recovery & Maintenance

PHASE I: BEGINNING CARE WORKSHOP

Who Attends: We strongly recommend that married couples come together so they can begin the process of education and healing together. However, the workshop is also for single adults and for those clients whose partners are not able or willing to attend.

Pre-requisites: All participants are screened and assessed by a trained and licensed LifeStar therapist before attending the program.

What is the duration: A one-weekend intensive, two-weekend intensive, and 6-week evening group. Call to learn which type of phase I is being offered.

What is the format: Large group workshop and educational environment with group sizes of 15 to 30 people. ALL participants agree to and sign confidentiality statements promising to safeguard the confidentiality and privacy of everyone attending the program.

How much does it cost: $250 per person one-weekend phase I. $800 for two-weekend or 6-week phase I. Payment is required prior to the first meeting. Price includes all workbooks and materials used in phase I.

What should be expected: Please expect to actively participate in the group process. We realize that this is a delicate subject and that emotions will be close to the surface. This work is not easy. Expect to struggle and find yourself outside your comfort zone. Be prepared to be loved and cared for. Our commitment is to prepare a safe environment to share your experience and begin the road to long-lasting recovery.

What is covered: Some of the topics covered in the workshop include addiction cycle, pornography and the brain, impact of pornography on relationships, relational trauma, attachment, the impact of family of origin, understanding shame, boundaries, staying out of drama, discussing relapses, structuring a disclosure, relapse prevention, mindfulness, building a recovery plan, reaching out to others for support, and so on. This class is packed full of information, workbooks, and other exercises to help structure a successful long-term recovery journey.

PHASE II: RECOVERY GROUP

Who Attends: Men and women meet in separate weekly recovery groups

Pre-requisites: Participants are required to attend and complete Phase I before participating in Phase II.

What is the duration: Approximately 7-9 months. Groups meet once per week for a 90-minute treatment group.

What is the format: Small group therapy and educational environment with group sizes of 4 to 9 people. The men are combined in all men’s groups and the women are combined into all women’s groups. How much does it cost: – $200 per month. This includes all workbooks and materials.

What should be expected: Continued active participation in the group process is crucial. Deeper and more personal work is done in this phase for both men and women. The men get to the root of their addiction, become accountable for their actions and sobriety, and form a close-knit support group with the other men in their group. The women focus on deep recovery work from the relational trauma they have experienced. This safe environment and group support are vital as they support one another through recovery. Expect to work hard and expand beyond your comfort zone. This is where the real recovery work is done!

What is covered: Phase 2 shifts from an educational approach, to a “working recovery” approach. Participants will complete assignments and hold one another accountable on a weekly basis. These tools and principles lay the groundwork required for lasting recovery. The workbooks in Phase 2 focus on providing a deeper look at denial, the addiction cycle, fantasies and objectification, relapse prevention, and healthy living. Participants should stay in Phase 2 until they have established a solid sobriety, are implementing an effective treatment plan – including a network of support – and have a detailed understanding of their addictive system. Women in Phase 2 take a deep look at the impact of relational trauma on their emotions, thoughts, and relationships. The primary focus is to help them open themselves back up to life and relationships so they don’t organize their life around the fear of the addiction or being hurt again. The women work to heal the deep pain of betrayal and work to build a life of strength and connection.

PHASE III: ADVANCED GROUP:

Who Attends: Men and women meet in separate weekly recovery groups.

Pre-requisites: Participants are required to attend and complete Phases 1 and 2 before participating in Phase 3.

What is the duration: Approximately 12 months. Groups meet once per week for a 90-minute treatment group.

What is the format: Small group therapy and educational environment with group sizes of 4 to 10 people. The men are combined in all men’s groups and the women are combined into all women’s groups. Typically, a Phase 2 group graduates to Phase 3 and the group stays together. The men are still combined in all men’s groups and the women are still combined into all women’s groups.

How much does it cost: $200 per month. This includes all workbooks and materials.

What should be expected: By now, continued active participation in the group process should be routine. Phase 3 addresses the issues that created the addiction in the first place, such as faulty core beliefs, trauma, and shame. Once the addiction has been stopped and the underlying issues have been addressed, healthy lifestyle changes are reinforced in order to keep the addiction from reappearing. The women’s Phase 3 group helps women learn how to open up and trust again. It’s common for women to feel emotionally shut down from relational trauma. Phase 3 helps them rediscover the ways they protected themselves emotionally and how to free themselves from staying closed and guarded with others. For couples in the program, this is the time to practice their new lifestyle and new way of relating to each other. In Phase 3, they have more relationship security and safety to grow more deeply and intimately as a couple. This is where the true lifestyle change occurs to ensure lasting recovery.

What is covered: The men in the third phase of treatment have demonstrated a solid sobriety from the sexual acting out behaviors and are ready to do the more delicate work of healing shame, attachment, and other emotional issues that the addiction covered up. Once the underlying issues have been addressed, healthy lifestyle changes are reinforced in order to keep the addiction from reappearing in the future. Men also learn how to improve their relationships with their wives, children, extended family, co-workers, and friends. Most women have moved past the crisis of betrayal in Phase 3 and are now able to work on healthy emotional expression, healing trauma, decreasing shame, and improving their most important relationships. Women in the third phase re-discover their best selves and build patterns for long-term healthy living.

For both men and women, Phase III is a chance to practice living life without the constant threat of the addiction and helps each of them secure the gains from the two previous phases.