She claimed sex was merely a gateway drug; a "portal to the much higher high." What was she really after? Seduction.
"Seduction is the art of coercing somebody to desire you, of orchestrating somebody else's longings to suit your own hungry agenda. Seduction was never a casual sport for me; it was more like a heist, adrenalizing and urgent." At her lowest point, she found herself dating multiple men at once and going out with multiple men each day.
The confessions of Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times #1 bestselling author, are extensive making her triumph even greater. Gilbert, now married, published an article in the New York Times, explaining her rock bottom moment. "Once I got it, I really got it: There is no way to stop a destructive behavior, except to stop," she explained.The six months that followed Gilbert remained celibate and worked with a therapist. Her work was put to the test one afternoon when she ran into a man she knew and had liked in the past. Upon asking her back to his apartment she showed great strength and was finally able to say no. The compulsion to coerce was defeated by an understanding that intimacy is something to be cherished.
Elizabeth Gilbert's story is inspiring. Apart from a religious affiliation or the influence of others, she came to understand by her own conviction the consequences of her actions.