Pornorgraphy addiction is as real as any other addiction. Sure, you’re not injecting or ingesting anything into your body. But chronic pornography viewing does have a physical effect (exhaustion of dopamine release in the brain). And the time spent ‘ingesting’ pornography is mind-numbing and leaves you exhausted.
Pornography is a greater challenge for men then women, because evolutionary forces have different objectives for males than for females. A male’s job (from biology’s perspective) is to impregnate as many fertile females as possible. This evolutionary function has been widely observed in animals, but the underlying neurochemical mechanism has not been studied much. However, in 2002 Canadian researchers did compare brain images of male and female subjects while they viewed erotic film excerpts. The males reported significantly higher levels of physical arousal. While both genders showed activation of similar corresponding brain regions, only the men showed significant activation of the hypothalamus.
What this teaches us is that addiction to pornography is not a “Character Defect” as some would have us believe. Men have simply evolved to respond to certain stimuli; different to the stimuli that women typically respond to. And that neurological response is real, observable and measureable.
It’s these changes in dopamine release that makes pornography addiction a genuine addiction.
The good news is that hypnosis is extremely effective in treating addictions.
The hypnotic trance is a deeply relaxed state, marked by changes in metabolism, breathing and even brain patterns. In other words, it’s both a mental and physical state of being.
During this relaxed state, the person being hypnotized is more open to exploring the mechanics of their addiction. This allows them to explore the ebb and flow of their own cravings – with the goal of putting together strategies to overcome them – without any stress or feelings of guilt getting in the way.
Using hypnosis I work with the subconscious mind to uncover any past experiences or memories that may be contributing to the addictive behaviour, even if they’ve been forgotten at the conscious level.
These barriers to ending the addiction can then be removed and replaced with healthy, productive patterns of behaviour.
Hypnotherapy is effective with all forms of addiction when carried out by a qualified, experienced therapist.
Hypnotherapy can help you overcome pornography addiction.