Dahlen, U., Colpitts, D., & Green, C. (2008). The Trauma Egg as an Intervention with the Spouses of Sexually Addicted Men. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 15(4), 346-354.

DOI: 10.1080/10720160802516336

Study type: Pilot Study 

Sample size: 3

Demographics: Participants were female, Caucasian, married, parents, and had been aware of their husband’s sex addiction for several years.

Key findings & quotes: 

• Pilot study focused on the use of a written/drawn therapeutic exercise called “The Trauma Egg” with spouses of sexually addicted men in a group setting. 
• “The trauma egg is an intervention which requires each participant to list unwritten family rules, family roles, as well as descriptions of both parents outside of a large egg drawn on paper (Carnes, 1997). Within the egg the participant is asked to draw a depiction of each trauma they have suffered from birth to the present. Once these tasks have been completed at home, the participants return with the trauma eggs to describe and process them within the group setting” (pg. 349). 
• Image of trauma egg instructions and suggested layout (p. 350).