Patrick Carnes

Patrick Carnes (born 1944) is a leading proponent of the viewpoint that some sexual behavior can be seen as an addiction. It was he who popularized the term sex addiction. 2Education and career Carnes received a Ph.D. in counselor education and organizational development from the University of Minnesota in 1980. He was awarded the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH), formerly known as National Council on Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity (NCSAC). Each year, SASH bestows a Carnes Award to deserving researchers and clinicians who have made outstanding contributions to the field of sexual medicine. He has worked in the field of sexual addiction in a number of other capacities, i.e. clinical director for sexual disorder services at The Meadows in Wickenburg, Arizona, editor-in-chief of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention (official journal of the National Council of Sexual Addiction/Compulsivity), board member of the National Council of Sexual Addiction/Compulsivity organization, advisor on the national advisory board of the American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders. Carnes is the Founder and Senior Consultant of the Gentle Path at The Meadows program located in Wickenburg, Arizona. 2Theories and criticism Carnes attributes the source of the addictions to the addict's belief system. He believes that a fundamental momentum for the addiction is provided by "certain core beliefs" that are wrong or incorrec