False Intimacy: Understanding the Struggle of Sexual Addiction

Written by Harry W. Schaumburg, False Intimacy: Understanding the Struggle of Sexual Addiction examines the deeper issues beneath compulsive sexual behavior. Rather than treating sexual addiction as merely a bad habit or a failure of willpower, Schaumburg explores how it can become a substitute for genuine intimacy with God and with other people.

Schaumburg is a biblical counselor who has spent decades working with individuals and couples affected by sexual sin and damaged relationships. His approach is direct but hopeful. He argues that sexual behavior cannot satisfy the deeper longings a person is attempting to address through fantasy, pornography, affairs, or other forms of acting out. Lasting change requires more than suppressing behavior; it involves confronting secrecy, self-deception, isolation, and the fear of genuine vulnerability.

The book is written from an explicitly Christian perspective. It combines a serious view of sexual brokenness with a message of redemption. Readers are challenged to move beyond surface-level fixes and consider the condition of their relationships, their spiritual lives, and their understanding of intimacy.

Who may find this helpful? This resource may be valuable for someone struggling with pornography or sexual compulsivity, a spouse trying to understand the deeper dynamics involved, or a pastor or counselor supporting a person in recovery. It is particularly useful for readers who have discovered that rule-setting alone has not produced lasting change. The book invites the reader to pursue a more complete form of healing: not simply avoiding destructive sexual behavior, but learning how to develop honesty, spiritual health, and authentic connection.