Matchroom Asia

According to RadarOnline. com, after leaving the Gentle Path, a leading sex addiction clinic, Tiger Woods reunited with his family. Elin Nordegren flew to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to bring Tiger home.
 “And while the couple chose to remain out of public it was a sweet private reunion for Tiger and the children he had not seen in six weeks. ” 
 In an effort to save their marriage, Elin participated in Tiger’s therapy and dropped her divorce lawyer. However, the question remains, can this marriage be saved? Can Tiger Woods be cured? It is obviously a tough challenge.
 Psychologically, a sexual addiction refers to a condition in which the individual is unable to manage his/her sexual behavior. There is no consensual agreement whether this condition actually exists and, if it does, how to define this phenomenon. Some experts treat sexual addiction literally as an addiction, analogous to alcohol and drug addictions. Moreover, it may be easier to give up alcohol or even heroin than overcome a sexual addiction because sexual drive is at the core of our biological need to survive. Other experts define sexual addiction as a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, sexual compulsivity. [i] It involves a pattern of repeated behavior, in this case – “…a succession of lovers who are experienced by the individual only as things to be used. ”
   “In addictions, obsession is progressive and pervasive, and develops along with denial; the person usually does not see themselves as preoccupied, and simultaneously makes excuses, justifies and blames. ”[ii]
 Keep in mind that (according to some sources) Tiger does not acknowledge his sexual addiction.   He agreed to treatment mainly because he wants to mend what is left of his marriage and get his life back on track. Other than posting a statement about his infidelity on the website, Tiger never acknowledged the situation publicly.
Theoretically, sexual addiction is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), narcissistic personality disorder, [iii]and manic-depression. [iv] There are also instances when an individual may suffer from more than one condition at the same time and the traits of an addiction can be a sign of a deeper problem. Frankly, such is the case of Tiger Woods. Personally, I feel that Tiger’s addiction is only the tip of an iceberg of a deeper problem buried within. In one of my earlier articles, Is Tiger Woods Struggling with a Mental Disorder, I have discussed some of the underlying issues.
http://nahupsi. wordpress. com/2009/12/12/hello-world/
 Therefore, there is no way that a six week stint at the Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services Center can heal Woods. It is only a stepping stone on a journey that lies ahead for Tiger Woods. And be reassured, this journey is not going to be an easy one.
And what is going on with Elin? What is the motivation, the true reason behind Elin’s decision to save her marriage? In Elins’ own words,
“She’s a child of divorce and that’s not something she’s likely going to want to do” to their two young children, a friend told the magazine. “She really believes in the importance of parents staying together. ”[v]
Hence, the scorned wife plans to stand by her man for the sake of their children! This sounds a little bit hypocritical since Elin is the person that’s actually raising the children while Tiger was on the golf course most of the time.
According to Kevin Leapley, a certified sexual addiction therapist, to make this work, Elin will need some “old-fashioned” hope.
“Hope that he can become the man she hoped he was, and the man he always wanted to be. ”
It is clear that Elin had no idea of who her husband really was. Besides the fact that Tiger is the father of her children, everything else was a lie or a figment of her imagination. It makes me wonder, what’s there to save? A fantasy of who she hoped he was? What is obvious is that Elin is traumatized for life and the journey to her recovery will be as difficult as Tiger’s. As a matter of fact, both of them will need ongoing counseling. To regain trust, Elin will have to keep track of Tiger’s activities, which could be quite frustrating considering the fact that Tiger is planning to resume playing golf early spring. And what about his statement that he is taking an indefinite leave from golf to try to repair his marriage?
 “I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person. ”[vi]
Early come back can instigate a relapse of the same compulsive cycle. This makes me wonder whether Elin and Tiger’s “reunion” is a scam crafted by his lawyers and publicist; a very clever, damage control strategy aimed at repairing Tiger’s image. The undercurrent message is that if Elin gave Tiger another chance, so should the world. And when everything settles, they will quietly part their ways. Perhaps this is why Elin is not wearing her ring.
Bottom line: are we going to buy the BS? Personally, I think this is a scheme created to resurrect and/or whitewash Tiger’s image. After all, let’s be real, he is a premium commodity and his good image is worth billion’s of dollars to people who have invested in him.
[i]  Mayo Clinic Website
[ii] Hollander, Eric; Dan J. Stein (1997). Obsessive-compulsive Disorders. Informa Health Care. p.  212.  
[iii] a b Ulman, Richard B. ; Harry Paul (2006). The Self Psychology of Addiction and Its Treatment. Psychology Press.  
Lonely All the Time: Recognizing, Understanding, and Overcoming Sex Addiction, for Addicts and Co-dependents. 1989. p.  57.  
 [iv] Williams, Terrie M. (2008). Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting. Simon & Schuster. p.  114. “[. . ]diagnosed as bipolar or manic-depressive, but his depression first started manifesting itself as sexual addiction. ” 
  [v]http://www. nypost. com/p/news/national/elin_wants_to_avoid_divorce_report_NIcTE7K2DCI11UmzTVN2VO
[vi] http://web. tigerwoods. com/news/article/200912117801012/news/