Porn addiction may be a crippling disease. Pornography addiction may wreak havoc on your life, especially if left untreated for an extended period. It can have a wide range of negative psychological and emotional consequences. It can hurt the addict’s relationships, personal life, and professional standing. However, with the correct assistance or therapy, long-term recovery from porn addiction is a goal that may be attained.
Although data on porn addiction estimates that it may impact up to 5–8 percent of the adult population, relatively few understand what it is, the consequences of excessive porn use, and how to get treatment. Understanding the therapy process might be a critical step toward recovery if you suspect that you or a loved one is suffering from porn addiction.
Porn Addiction
Porn addiction is an individual’s compulsive desire to consume pornography and pornographic material. It can cause extreme impulsivity and desires, bad behavior, and pain. It can also make it hard for a person to function in their personal and professional lives.
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Porn addiction is not formally recognized as a mental health illness or concern by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) or the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders as of 2021. Nonetheless, it impacts millions of individuals around the world. According to a 2019 study published by the National Library of Medicine, around 3–6% of people have a pornographic addiction.
Treatment for Porn Addiction That Works
While porn addiction is a complex and debilitating problem, it is treatable with the right treatment and therapy. Because there has been less research on this porn addiction therapy than on alcoholism or drug misuse, treatment approaches may differ. Furthermore, the psychological and emotional aspects of porn addiction can be profoundly ingrained.
Addiction is frequently associated with additional substance and process abuse, as well as concurrent mental health conditions. This means that therapy must be evidence-based and client-centered, addressing addiction’s underlying causes and consequences rather than focusing solely on the addiction.
In conjunction with skills and process groups, individual therapy assists addicts in identifying and addressing the root causes of their porn addiction. They enable individuals to devise strategies for dealing with the specific issues they confront. Finally, successful, holistic treatment will give the addicted person the best foundation for recovery imaginable.
Individual therapy:
Individual therapy can frequently assist people in understanding the fundamental roots of their porn addiction. It is not uncommon for pornographic abuse to conceal a mental disease or deep-seated emotional troubles.
Process and skill groups:
Skills and process group therapy (for example, Sex and Love Addiction Group) can be effective in addition to one-on-one sessions with a therapist skilled in porn or sex addiction.
You can meet other people dealing with the same problem and discover coping methods to help you overcome the day-to-day struggles of porn addiction.
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For example, at Trafalgar, there is a Sex and Love Addiction Group that meets twice a week instead of afternoon process groups.
This group gathers anyone in the main program stream which is coping with sex and love or pornography addiction behaviors. We focus on exercises and tasks in these groups that try to lessen shame, develop insight and awareness, and create corrective attachment experiences.
Partner support therapy:
Whether or not you are in a monogamous relationship might also have an impact on your porn addiction treatment. A single person seeking help may focus on one-on-one therapy and explore the impact of porn on previous relationships with their therapist.
If you’re in a relationship, the goal is usually to recover with stronger sex life and overall partnership. Depending on the circumstances, your therapist may advise you to seek couples counseling or to attend joint sessions with your partner.
The Value of CSAT Therapists:
A Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) has had a lot of training from the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP), which has become the industry standard for treating sex and love addictions as well as some other process addictions like unhealthy work and money relationships.
Before beginning the program to become a CSAT, a therapist must have a master’s degree and at least 5 years of clinical experience.
It is critical to seek the services of a CSAT therapist when seeking treatment for sex and love addiction because they are trained in specific ways to ensure the distress from pornography or other sex addiction behaviors is understood and validated; some clinicians deny its presence because it is not a disorder listed in the DSM.
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If you can see it, it can be highly destructive. CSATs are also specifically trained in trauma, as sex, and love addiction behaviors are frequently (but not always) rooted in traumatic or bad experiences that establish patterns and cycles that the untrained eye may overlook.
Furthermore, if you are suffering from sex and love or porn addiction, you are likely already experiencing tremendous feelings of guilt and shame; a non-CSAT therapist may unintentionally increase your feelings of shame and guilt if the addiction is not addressed appropriately with care.
Featured Program: Porn Addiction Therapy
While pornography addiction is not currently recognized as a medical illness, people who consume pornography excessively may suffer strong cravings, neglect their duties, and engage in self-defeating actions in order to prolong their porn use.
According to some experts, the possibility of addiction to online pornography is linked to its “triple A” influences: accessibility, affordability, and anonymity. These factors can make it simple to create a habit of using problematic pornography—and also make it difficult to stop using it.
While porn addiction is not yet precisely defined or recognized as a formal mental condition, therapy options for dealing; with the negative effects of excessive porn use are commonly available.
According to Dr. Rene Sorrentino, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and medical director of the Institute for Sexual Wellness in Weymouth, Massachusetts, “most treatment programs incorporate psychosocial, cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and pharmacologic methodologies.”
Keep reading to learn more about therapy techniques that can be used to treat porn addiction and its repercussions.
Behavior Modification
Dr. Daniel Sher, a professional psychologist and sex therapy consultant at Invigor Medical in Washington, recommends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to become conscious of behaviors and triggers (CBT).
“CBT works by assisting a person in identifying, challenging, and changing patterns of thought and behavior that feed porn usage,” Sher explains.
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Sher also uses Motivational Interviewing (MI), commonly known as “strategic questions,” to help clients improve. “MI guides people to consider the benefits and drawbacks of their addiction and nudges them in the direction of change that will improve their lives,” Sher explains.
Mindfulness can also be beneficial. Sher explains. “Science has proven that mindfulness, combined with therapy, may help people take control of their urges.”
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a great way to figure out what caused a user to develop a porn addiction. Furthermore, psychotherapy, often known as supportive talk therapy, can assist a patient in understanding their connection with porn. Also, psychotherapy approaches to individual, group, and family counseling. With the assistance of a mental health practitioner, an individual can learn to determine what causes their maladaptive habits and unmet needs. Over time, both the patient and the counselor can work together to establish techniques to assist the individual in managing and overcoming their porn addiction. Psychotherapy also successfully treats two concurrent illnesses, commonly known as co-occurring disorders, such as substance misuse and depression.
Group therapy
Group therapy and healing personal traumas are recommended by Julia Alperovich, a therapist in Sherman Oaks, California, whose podcast “Undressing the Issue” covers sexual addiction.
“Connecting with others and experiencing emotional intimacy,” Alperovich says, “is a great tool in healing a person with this form of addiction.” “Trauma-focused techniques are particularly useful for investigating how trauma may have influenced a person’s sense of safety [while] being vulnerable with others.”
Seeking for alternatives
Rooij also suggests replacing bad behaviors with more adaptable ones.
“I am a firm believer that if you take away an addiction [or] coping strategy, you have to offer something back to assist that individual manage in the future when life throws them a curve ball so they do not relapse,” Rooij adds.
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Jacob Kountz, a therapist at Kern Wellness Counseling in Bakersfield, CA, agrees. “The process of discovering something more useful is one of the most successful treatments for treating porn addiction,” adds Kountz. “I’ve helped many wonderful individuals navigate what porn gives them, and together we discover things that are more valuable, which eventually leads to them quitting porn for good.”
Kountz believes that replacing old habits can lead to self-improvement. “Finding something else to do rather than hang out with porn generates internal motivation and possible upward mobility in life,” adds Kountz.
Medication
Medication may be beneficial in some cases of excessive pornography use. “Pharmacologic therapies have primarily focused on treating co-occurring mental problems and targeting hypersexual or compulsive sexual behaviors with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, [or] SSRIs,” Dr. Sorrentino explains.
SSRIs, which are commonly given for depression, raise serotonin levels in the body, which is a neurotransmitter that sends emotion-regulating messages between brain cells. “The reason for using SSRIs is based on animal models, which demonstrate a decrease in sexual activity as serotonin levels rise,” Dr. Sorrentino explains.
However, therapy may still be the best option for treating porn addiction. “In the absence of scientifically validated treatment,” Dr. Sorrentino explains, “most clinicians working with pornography addiction seek to identify the maladaptive behavior and propose prosocial, healthy alternatives.”
A holistic approach
A whole-body approach is used in holistic treatment. To treat porn addiction, it combines orthodox therapy with complementary and alternative medicine. The goal is to promote health and wellness by focusing on the individual rather than the ailment. Practitioners who specialize in this type of therapy provide a variety of strategies, such as:
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- Hypnotherapy
- Patient education on lifestyle modifications
- Spiritual Guidance
- Individual training
- Acupuncture
- Homeopathy
- Massage therapy
- Naturopathy
The primary purpose of holistic therapy is to urge patients to take charge of their health. Individuals who work hard enough can improve their behaviors and achieve long-term recovery success.
Therapy Options for Porn Addiction
While different treatment institutions and clients require distinct programs, a few basic therapies are employed in porn addiction. First, your therapist will work with you to figure out what role pornography plays in your life, such as if you use it to deal with or avoid certain parts of your life or to deal with certain mental health problems.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
This is one of the most successful therapies when combined with behavioral modifications.
CBT can assist you in identifying the triggers for your porn use and changing the thinking pattern that drives your addiction. Mindfulness, a sort of meditation that helps you become aware of what you’re thinking or feeling in the present moment, may also be used as a treatment.
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Mindfulness practice can include guided imagery or breathing methods to help you relax. Group therapy is another common method, and it is almost always used in addition to individual therapy. In a group, you can connect with others struggling with porn addiction and learn more about your own.
Groups can help people reduce shame, acquire and practice good communication skills, have corrective attachment experiences, or practice healthy relationship practices.
Getting Rid of Pornography Addiction
The first step in comprehending porn addiction and learning how to overcome porn addiction is admitting that you have a problem and require professional assistance. Even if you are unsure whether your or a loved one’s porn use is serious, you can contact Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centres to learn more about our program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is porn addiction a coping mechanism?
People, particularly men, may consider pornography as a coping strategy to alleviate symptoms associated with depression. Pornography may be a bad coping technique in this case if it prevents the person from searching out more beneficial forms of coping.
What questions should I ask my husband about his porn addiction?
Make sure you ask the following questions:
- How often have you or do you watch porn?
- What were some of the methods you used to conceal this habit from me or others in your life?
- How frequently do you watch pornography?
- How did you manage to keep this a secret?
- What were your emotions like when you first sought out?
- How can I assist you and hold you accountable?
Does porn cause dopamine addiction?
Pornography can also activate the dopamine system, which can lead to addiction. Addiction affects other regions of the brain as well, gradually altering it and making it more difficult for the addict to avoid the addictive substance or habit.
Is looking at porn betrayal?
It is not cheating if one partner’s porn use is acceptable to both parties and is not kept secret or concealed. Otherwise, it constitutes a betrayal of the relationship and constitutes infidelity.
