PORN ADDICTION THERAPY | ONLINE | LOS ANGELES COUNTY & VENTURA COUNTY
It’s time to change from feeling trapped & hating yourself to new possibilities.
What is Porn Addiction?
Porn addiction occurs when a person is not able to control whether he or she will view pornography, no matter how much they try. Despite the consequences that the individual is experiencing because of viewing pornography, they’re not able to stop. Often, people struggling with porn addiction have tried to stop using porn many times, deepening their shame.
Indeed, many who struggle with internet pornography addiction are intensely ashamed of their compulsive behavior. Most of the time, watching porn actually goes against their values or faith commitments, which makes the shame all the more unbearable. What’s more, they’re terrified about what would happen if their partners knew what they were doing. For these reasons, they can go to great lengths to keep their porn use a secret, so much so that they often feel as though they’re living a double life.
Often clients self-identify as being addicted to porn; others aren’t sure if they’re addicted. Regardless of whether your porn use meets the clinical threshold of addiction, we can support you in choosing goals that are right for you and help you get to where you want to be. Our caring porn addiction therapist is here to help you evaluate and make lasting changes in your porn use. We can support you in making and sustaining positive changes in your life.
What does pornography addiction look like?
If you’re reading this, maybe your pornography habit is getting out of control, or you know someone that might have a problem with porn or sexual addiction:
Escalating amounts of time spent watching pornography
Loss of time while viewing porn, with hours or sometimes even days lost to binging on porn
Growing interest in more unusual or extreme pornography
Continued use of porn despite attempts to stop and/or negative consequences because of porn use
Lying about or making efforts to hide the extent of pornography viewing
Anger, irritability, or defensiveness when confronted about watching porn
Escalation of out-of-control sexual behaviors from viewing pornography to seeking out sexual partners in real life, exchanging sexual photos, or other use of technology to secure casual or paid sexual encounters
Consequences of porn addiction or porn addiction withdrawal:
If you think you might be a porn addict, chances are you have experienced a number of consequences of your pornography habit:
Compulsive masturbation
Loss of sex drive
Inability to maintain an erection during sex (porn-induced erectile dysfunction)
Inability to orgasm during sex
Isolation and loneliness
Depression
Declining quality of work in school or in your job
Social anxiety
Premature ejaculation
Loss of attraction to partners in real life
Inability to concentrate
Loss of self-esteem
Decreased interest in spending time with friends, family, and in participating in non-porn activities like work, exercise, school, etc.
If your porn use is causing a problem, it is a problem.
How Porn Addiction Intensifies
People watch porn as a way of escaping or numbing painful feelings or getting away from overwhelming circumstances. Sometimes, these feelings are the result of unresolved emotional, sexual, or physical abuse or trauma.
Porn addicts, like most sex addicts, are trying to change the way they feel. They’re probably not looking to feel good or become sexually aroused. Rather, they want to feel less of their pain or (ideally) none of it.
The seductive promise of pornography is that it will make sex addicts feel “better” for a time, but after the laptop closes or the phone is turned off, he or she only (and often instantly) feels worse.
Hope Is Possible
If you resonate with this, you are not alone. If you’re ready to change your life, if you’ve had enough of the deadening shame, depression, anxiety, and fractured relationships, the self-loathing, spiritual emptiness, depression, anxiety, and shattered relationships, a way forward is possible. Our porn addiction counseling specializes in helping clients recover from pornography addiction and setting healthy boundaries—we also support their betrayed partners.
If you (or a loved one) are struggling with pornography addiction and are ready to restore balance in your life… our addiction therapists can help you.
Overcoming Porn Addiction: The Answer Is Connection
Pornography addiction often has its roots in unresolved pain resulting from emotional, physical, or sexual trauma. The pain is worsened by their shame as they often blame themselves for the emotional wounds that still fester inside them. As emotional intimacy involves feeling free to be oneself in the presence of another, sex addicts find it almost impossible to intimately connect with someone else. As a result, pornography addiction and emotional intimacy aren’t even in the same zip code. Instead, the addict learns to deal with unresolved pain by using porn in ways that actually make their depression, anxiety, and shame even worse.
Recovery starts with stopping problematic sexual compulsive behaviors and finding ways to reduce the chaos that accompanies porn addiction. However, because porn addiction is fundamentally a problem with intimacy, long-term healing must include emotional transformation that makes being in open, genuine relationships possible. We have training that enables us to do the “depth work” of the emotional transformation that can occur, helping clients connect and at last be their true selves with another person.
I am addicted to porn—what should I do now?
Starting porn addiction counseling can be tough because pornography addiction is often embarrassing and difficult to talk about. Reaching out for help is nothing to be ashamed of and can lead to a lifetime of sexual satisfaction and emotional health, and we applaud your courage to seek the support you need. Trust us; we know how you’re feeling and can help you navigate through the discomfort and awkwardness of change.
Porn Addiction Counseling and Therapy in Ventura County That Works
We’re a team of therapists who treat porn addiction, which means that we have received specific training and supervision to help porn addicts and their partners discover healing and lasting change. Supported by a growing body of research and proven clinical tools, the CSAT (Certified Sex Addiction Therapist) training is quickly becoming the field’s standard for all therapists working with individuals who suffer from addictive and compulsive sexual behaviors.
We also have training in contemporary psychoanalysis in trauma, addiction, couple and family relationships, shame, and other areas critical to long-term healing and change.
After you have regained a sense of stability and control in your life, understanding your unconscious coping patterns and managing your feelings will be paramount. Our goal is to help you learn how to relate to others and manage your feelings without the use of sexually compulsive behaviors and/or fantasies that you may have used to “numb” yourself to overwhelming and painful feelings.
The time to get help is now.
Drug, alcohol, and porn addiction counseling can be difficult to start, usually because you might be afraid of judgment or are wondering if harm reduction is the right approach. We applaud your courage in seeking the support you need. No matter what your circumstances may be, no matter how desperate your situation, change is possible.