Seeking Freedom from an Addiction to Porn? You’ve come to the right place!
If you’re addicted to porn the first thing you should know is you’re not alone. In a 2019 porn addiction study approximately 11% of men and 3% of women reported having a problem with porn addiction. More significantly a study on porn use in Australia indicated that up to 76% of men and 41% of women had viewed porn in the previous 12 months. So the first thing to stop feeling RIGHT NOW is that you’re ‘different’ because porn use is both common in men and women, and widespread. Everything however has its limits. If your consumption of porn has an unhealthy control over your life and is causing you feelings of guilt, unhappiness or shame, then getting help for porn addiction is absolutely the right choice to make.
Understanding Your Porn Addiction
Neuroscientific research indicates that viewing porn can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Over time, this can lead to desensitisation, where you need to consume more material, or view porn more frequently in order to achieve the same level of satisfaction. Featured in the documentary Porn on the Brain the work of Cambridge neuropsychiatrist, Valerie Voon, demonstrates the brains of individuals who frequently consume pornography exhibit striking similarities to those of alcoholics. The region of the brain central to the reward system and pleasure pathways – the ventral striatum, becomes active and lights up in porn addicts in the same manner in which it does for alcoholics who are shown a drink.
The Impact of Porn Addiction
As with any addiction, porn addiction can lead to feelings of despair, and desperation, resulting from the loss of self control and feelings of guilt and shame. Many porn addicts also report feelings of isolation and loneliness, lack of self-esteem, diminished confidence and a general lack of fulfillment and happiness. Porn addiction can often lead to physical social isolation as well, as relationships with partners become strained and the consumption of porn is prioritised over spending time with family and friends, exacerbating the issue and leading to a downward spiral into anxiety and depression.
Career and academic performance can also become compromised as daily responsibilities and study are neglected in order to satisfy your porn addiction. Many porn addicts also engage in risqué behaviour such as viewing porn in work or school environments, that can lead to serious repercussions. Possibly the most significant impact however is the impact porn addiction can have on intimate relationships and sexual performance, as you may find that over time it becomes more challenging to become aroused with real-life partners and have satisfying sexual encounters without viewing porn.
Effective Porn Addiction Help through RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy)
The great news is that that you can both overcome your porn addiction and return to having healthy sexual relationships through Rapid Transformational Therapy. RTT is extremely effective in helping to overcome porn addiction (and all kinds of addictions) because it helps to get to the root cause of why you are addicted to porn in the first place. Often there are underlying issues such as a lack of self worth and confidence, fear of intimacy, past traumas or an area of your life that your porn addiction is enabling you to avoid dealing with. See What is Rapid Transformational Therapy to find out more or BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL
