Dr. Patrick Carnes, the pioneer researcher whose work helped establish the concept of compulsive sexual behavior as an addiction, presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to renowned lecturer and bestselling author John Bradshaw at the second annual International Sex & Love Addiction Conference. The three-day conference focused on the changing architecture of addictive desire, trauma, and attachment.

Bradshaw, who is a Senior Fellow at The Meadows, is a New York Times bestselling author and has been featured in numerous PBS specials. For more than 25 years, Bradshaw has helped transform our understanding of the family and has been a dominant figure in the field of addiction and recovery. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his book RECLAIMING VIRTUE. His latest book entitled Post Romantic Stress Disorder was recently released by Health Communications, Inc.

“The three-day conference brought together the cutting edge and great advancements in this field; a pleasure to sit in the presentations to see how far we’ve come and the vision for the future,” said Bradshaw.

Co-sponsored by The Meadows, a Wickenburg Arizona-based treatment center focusing on trauma and addiction, this key industry event drew more than 300 clinicians and therapists who explored the many facets of Sex & Love Addiction, one of the most pertinent clinical and counseling issues facing addiction and mental health professionals.

Prominent speakers included Conference Chair Dr. Patrick Carnes, founder of Gentle Path at The Meadows; Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, the pioneer researcher whose work has helped establish the concept of compulsive sexual behavior as an addiction; and Dr. Claudia Black, renowned addictions, codependency, and family systems expert who is also a Senior Fellow at The Meadows and has spent more than a decade in an advisory role there.

Conference attendee Dr. Jon Caldwell, chief of psychiatry at The Meadows who specializes in the treatment of adults with relational trauma histories and addictive behaviors, found the conference inspiring, enlightening, and meaningful. “This international conference features some of the most knowledgeable and respected thought leaders of our day in the fields of trauma, attachment, and sex/love addiction. Additionally, their experience and wisdom is being augmented by a new generation of passionate leaders and remarkable scientific advances. It has been a historic conference that will have great meaning and utility for the people we serve!”