Pornography

Pornography use is corruptive and can cause good people to sacrifice something dear for trivial but immediate gratification. The number of people who have lost control over their pornography use has dramatically increased as the internet has become more prevalent.

Problem Categories:

• Overuse
• Partner or family conflict over pornography use
• Distress over unwanted exposure
• Development of deviant sexual interests
• Involvement with illegal pornography (i.e., child pornography)

Pornography can provide immediate gratification [or relief], and because we are vulnerable to the Problem of Immediate Gratification [the PIG] we are easily corrupted. Once established, ending this kind of pathogenic relationship is much more difficult than most people realize. Poorly conceived attempts to prevent relapse generally fail with tragic results.

Treatment for this problem is generally based on the 12-Step model of Alcoholics Anonymous and often requires participants to accept powerlessness over the problem and to "turning it over to a higher power." This strategy has not been shown to be effective with everyone.

This web site offers a model of the problem and its treatment that is quite different than medical model and treatment programs based on the 12-Step model of Alcoholics Anonymous. In contrast to getting an individual to admit powerlessness, the objective of this site is to enhance the individual's capability to exercise will.

A wide range of information and tools are available free of charge by following the links in the right column.

• Tina's musings provides a female psychologist's perspective on women's issues and relationships. Bill's PIG Review provides summaries of the professional literature on topics pertaining to the Problem of Immediate Gratification.
• The "Listen Now" section contains two free hypnotic inductions that you may download for use on an MP3 player to evoke states of focused attention and relaxation respectively.
• Other invitations to experience phenomena directly (rather than conceptualizing them abstractly) are presented throughout this web site. They are designed to help you develop your capability to exercise will. The procedural skills you will develop by accepting these invitations will enable you to make the irreversible changes required to achieve good long-term outcome.

 

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"The descent to Hell is easy; the gates stand open night and day; but to reclimb the slope, and escape to the upper air, this is labor."