For me, the concept of sex dolls is fascinating and when my web guy told me that some people were searching for more information about it, I jumped at the chance to write about them again.  

The first thing to do when talking about sex dolls is to forget that image of the plastic blow up doll with a permanently gaping mouth. Today’s sex dolls are high tech, sometimes robotic, really life like and nothing like what most people imagine.  

Let’s talk about some of the controversies.

Child Sex Dolls and Sex Offenders

This one is a hot button issue with some people falling in either camp. Child sex dolls are manufactured outside of the United States and they are extremely realistic looking. This is pretty uncomfortable for a lot of people. 

The two sides of the argument are as follows. 

For individuals who have an exclusive attraction to prepubescent children, child sex dolls might be a way for them to have some sense of sexuality without harming children. 

The other side of this camp thinks that allowing people who are attracted to children to have child sex dolls will actually increase their risk of harming a live child. 

The trouble is, there is hardly any research on the topic to help people make an informed opinion.  

For more thoughts on the topic, check out Prostasia Foundation’s blog on the topic.

Do you believe your sexual behaviors are compulsive or harmful to you or others? Then you should take the CSBD-19 free, validated self-assessment tool.

Sex Dolls and Adults

If we are talking about adult sex dolls, we can avoid the controversy that comes with child sex dolls, but you still get the stigma. 

There are many reasons why someone might want a sex doll. 

Perhaps they have difficulty meeting people, forming relationships, or hooking up with others for sex. 

Perhaps they have a trauma history that makes sex with another person something they can’t engage in. 

Or maybe, they just want to. 

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Interested in more information about sex dolls and their owners? Here’s all of our posts about them:

• Sex Doll Owners and Contact Offenses: Correlations?
• Why do people own sex dolls?
• Let’s Talk About Sex Dolls
• Sex Doll Use: Is it Deviance, Addiction, or Something else?

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There is even a sex doll rental company in Houston, Texas that has lawmakers up in arms. They have tried to block it but, to the best of my knowledge, it is still up and running.

In the sex therapy community, the use of sex dolls does not carry the same stigma that it might in other circles. Fundamentally, an adult who wants to have an adult sex doll should be able to do so without worry about what other people think. 

However, some people worry that using a sex doll or a sex robot as a replacement for human interaction could be harmful.  

Check out some other’s thoughts on the topic here:  

• Using Love Dolls As a Substitute for Human Intimacy (Psychology Today)
• Sex Bot use ‘unrelated to healthcare’ (Medical News Today)

Are you a professional looking to stay up-to-date with the latest information on, sex addiction, trauma, and mental health news and research? Or maybe you’re looking for continuing education courses?

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Answering Your Questions

Some of the google searches related to sex dolls that have landed people on my website have questioned whether or not sex doll use is addictive. 

I will take this moment to remind people that when it comes to sex addiction or problematic sexual behavior issues, it is often not the behavior that is problematic but the person’s relationship to the behavior. 

A sex doll is a sex doll. If you are questioning whether your use of the sex doll is an addiction, the better questions relate to your relationship with the doll. 

Is it something that you cannot stop doing? 

Is engaging with the sex doll interfering with your life, work or other relationships? 

If your interactions with the doll do not meet the ICD-11 diagnostic criteria for Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder, the problem may be an issue of moral incongruence instead of addiction or problematic sexual behavior.

Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? Consult with a professional.

Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with Sexual Addiction Treatment Services.

The post Let’s Talk About Sex Dolls first appeared on Dr. Jen's Recovery Readings.