Are you someone who struggles with being addicted to internet porn?  If you are, you’ve probably noticed some changes in yourself when you’re using it compared to when you’re not.  With the help of a very interesting book, I can shed some light on the topic and possibly help you with what may be porn addiction.

Your Brain on Porn: The Book

I recently read the book Your Brain on Porn and watched it’s accompanying Youtube video:  The Great Porn Experiment, both by Gary Wilson, MD. I have to admit I was impressed, he cites a wealth of research on internet porn and related studies that identify internet porn as highly addictive for its users.  He does a very good job of showing how use of internet porn mimics substance use disorder in how it affects the brain. You may be someone who uses internet porn and notices how addicted it makes you feel. This is because it can be!  And if you’ve felt like you were in its grip, that very well may be true! I’m not trying to say internet porn is bad on the whole, but what the book and video helped me to figure out is that it can be very addictive. Not only that, but the earlier people start looking at internet porn (and it’s mostly males that use it), the more long-lasting are its effects.  

The High Points

There is a ton of research referenced and Dr. Wilson gives plenty of quotes from those who post on the ‘No Fap’ forums that have sprung up in response to the need of porn users to do a ‘reboot’ and go off porn for as long as possible.  He gives a good picture of what the porn addict suffers from and how much they suffer. Many of the symptoms of what being truly addicted to anything, be it a substance or any process addiction (like porn addiction) are identified in the pages of this book.  The stories of the improvement in symptoms of those who considered themselves addicted to porn are among the main high points of the book and the TED X talk.

The Low Points

All the stories of how bad porn addiction can be can be considered the low points.  There’s a lot of research articles cited, but that adds a lot of truth value to the points he makes in the book.  Some of the research isn’t pertinent to the points he is making, or is over 30 years old and applies to a time when there was no internet porn, as such.  There may still be validity to these studies, but in the attempt to be very true to research the author may have gone overboard. There are so many research studies cited it is overwhelming, and it would help if he only identified those necessary to make his points.

So What Does Your Brain on Porn Really Look Like?

It looks like a brain of any other person who has an addiction for the most part.  As far as what parts are active, there is a pronounced fish-hook pattern to it going from the brainstem to the front part of your brain.  This part gets reactivated any time you look at internet porn and it’s similar to the parts of a rat's brain that keep getting lit up when they press a bar that stimulates their pleasure center over and over and over again...until they eventually die.  Hopefully you don’t suffer a similar fate, but your brain becomes less active in other areas for other reasons if you confine your activities to those surrounding looking at internet porn. Not a pretty picture.

What To Do About The Problem

If you’re someone who suffers from being addicted to internet porn, one of the simplest things you can do is to join one of the many ‘No Fap’ forums that exist online.  You can also try one of the many in-person 12-step groups that exist to help those who feel they have a problem with sex addiction. You can call me or one of the other therapists that treat sex addiction or compulsive sexual behavior.  You can contact me at 512-648-3053 or fill out the form below to make an appointment for a free 45-minute screening appointment to see if working with me is a good idea.  The main thing is to not keep doing what you’ve always done, which may be to look at internet porn. Do this for your own sake and the sake of your brain, if not for the rest of your life as well!  

About the author:  Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland .  He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin.  He now works with adults and adolescents of all ages in private practice.

Visit our page on sex addiction therapy to learn more about how Scott can help you with porn addiction.