Experience Real Transformation

My experience at Desert Solace was transformational.  I came to Desert Solace completely broken with not much hope.  My marriage was up in the air and I have 4 young children.  While the thought of leaving them for 90 days was unbearable, I knew I needed help and needed to do something completely different from my other attempts at finding recovery. The staff showed me love and compassion from day 1 and gave me tools to better connect with myself, others, and God.  I had tried other recovery programs before and nothing worked for me.  Desert Solace took an approach that did work for me and helped me find hope, healing, peace, and rid myself of shame.  I learned that I was not in this alone.  I learned how to truly connect.  I learned that I don't have to be perfect.  While incredibly difficult at times, I can say for myself that giving my full effort to the Desert Solace program has resulted in healed relationships, peace in my soul, and a new outlook on life.  I would recommend Desert Solace without reservation to anyone struggling with a porn or sex addiction.

Finally, I feel free from the shame and chains of this terrible addiction. Please tell everyone there is hope. Staying silent only makes it worse.

The time I spent at Desert Solace was a short time compared to the many years of pain and struggle I experienced living in my addiction. I feel like Desert Solace really jump-started my recovery and gave me a truly solid foundation to build on. Where once there was hopelessness and despair, I now experience true hope and joy on a daily basis.

I’m feeling so blessed to be a part of this group, and had it not been for trudging through the lowest of lows, I wouldn’t be here. Rather than focusing on the bitterness and victim-hood of the situation, I’m starting to see the silver linings. That’s a big step for me!

What can be said about Desert Solace? The experience changed my life which enabled me to save my life. I experienced sexual addiction for the better part of 20 years. I was introduced to pornography and masturbation at a very young age – before I could even comprehend what was happening fully. The choices I continued to make throughout my life and into my marriage deepened my addiction through experiences, lying, manipulating, and lying some more. My wife tried to help me over the years but I continued to lie and hide. Finally she had it!

I was introduced to in-patient treatment at Desert Solace on Tuesday and checked in the following Thursday. I was a wreck and at the point that I was convinced there was no hope or help for someone like me. The morning after checking in, I was introduced to equine therapy which opened my eyes to the possibility that I could be helped. If I could just remain open to the process and possibilities, there was hope. I learned to be honest with myself and others. I learned to express my needs and stop living co-dependently. I came to know, accept and love every part of myself – including my addict self. I learned that my addict self was only a part of myself that was trying to protect me and didn’t know how else to do it. I learned to love and accept myself and others the way they are.

I entered Desert Solace as a last resort to save my marriage. I stayed to be healed. I left knowing how to help and heal myself and share openly with others without expectations.

If you are looking for a place to learn what courage, honesty and love are, Desert Solace is that place.

Hi I'm a 51 yr old male. I went to Desert Solace this summer. In my opinion, this was exactly what I needed for my PTSD of sexual abuse. The facility and faculty were absolutely amazing. From group therapy, Equine (horse) therapy, art therapy, and individual therapy they had met every one of my needs. I have to say that not only was that therapy good but another part was the food was delicious and plentiful. Your days are full of therapy, recreation, and12-step meetings. They gave my life back to me!!!!

Thanks, "J"

My life had become completely unmanageable. I was at a point where I felt so trapped that the only way out was to take my own life. I had everything I could ever want, I had an amazing wife, career, and life. But I kept doing things that were destroying all of that, the worst part was I knew it was destroying it and I hated it but I couldn’t stop. My sexual addiction has been present for the larger part of my life causing me to feel despair and hopelessness countless times throughout my life. It seemed like a never ending cycle, only ending in me acting out and feeling complete despair again. I felt crazy at times and extremely frustrated as to why I couldn’t stop doing something I hated. I found myself seeking help from religion and church leaders only to find myself not doing certain things for periods of time but this even became a cycle of its own as well. 

When I got married to the woman of my dreams I thought all the porn would be behind me, it had been for a long time prior to the marriage so I figured I had overcome it all. Years into my marriage I found myself in complete fear and shock as I had begun to view porn again. But rather than be honest with my wife or anyone around me, I just hid it. The lies began to grow and I began to live a double life in many ways. My sexual addiction consumed me and had transformed beyond porn. I couldn’t live with myself, I hated who I saw in the mirror, I was destroying everything I loved for something I hated. I couldn’t keep track of the lies and I often felt everyone would be better off without me. The day I finally felt I had a chance to experience joy and live the life I desired was the day my wife and loved ones found out about my sexual addiction. It was the most painful day of my life, but from that point forward I didn’t have any more lies to live.

My actions had caused some serious pain to my wife and those around me. Trust had been broken and I realized I still needed help. I didn’t know what that help looked like or what to do. But gratefully I quickly came across Desert Solace, the second I learned about the facility and what they offer I knew that I needed to take a serious action to have serious results. My 90 days at Desert Solace gave me the time and resources to take the ongoing steps towards a real lifelong recovery. My time at Desert Solace equipped me with tools, resources, and an understanding of how to be the most authentic me. For the first time in nearly my entire life I felt peace, joy, hope, and even love for myself. Each day I was given the opportunity to choose into the day and apply myself even when it was hard as I processed trauma with a professional CSAT. My recovery with Desert Solace was given a proper start and allowed me to create a recovery plan with boundaries and resources to allow for a lifelong recovery.