All About Porn Addiction and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Porn Addiction?

Porn Addiction is a growing problem due mainly to free access to pornography websites and a greater number of internet users.

The problem became noticeably worse during the Coronavirus pandemic lock-downs as people spent more time at home.

Watching pornography itself is not particularly harmful and for many people it does not become problematic.

However, if you get to the stage where you spend too much time viewing porn it may become an obsession.

You can read about Addiction in general here.

Porn addiction can place an enormous amount of strain & stress on a relationship, particularly if the partner of a porn addict views the sexual satisfaction gained through the watching of porn as meaning they are in some way ‘inadequate’ or not ‘attractive’ anymore.

Partners of porn users may also consider the use of pornographic material to be equivalent to an act of infidelity, particularly if the porn usage has been carried out secretly.

What are the symptoms of porn addiction?

Porn Addicts will often demonstrate a single-mindedness in the pursuit of a sexual release and the following symptoms or behaviours could indicate a Porn Addiction:-

• Lack of sexual satisfaction in normal sexual encounters
• Secretive use of the internet
• Spending lots of time on-line
• Becoming socially withdrawn
• Developing unrealistic expectations about the sexual act
• Making demands for unusual sexual preferences from partners
• Becoming less satisfied with normal sex

Porn addiction displays the classic characteristics of any addictive type behaviour in that it is often performed frequently whilst disregarding the consequences.

The sexual ‘release’ (when accompanied by masturbation) associated with viewing porn results in a flood of endorphins into the bloodstream which produces a highly pleasurable experience.

It is this chemical pleasure that addicts are so focused on repeating, and this is particularly true if ‘feeling good’ becomes the solution to ‘feeling bad’ due to the stress and anxiety associated with modern living.

Therapy & Counselling for Porn Addiction

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Porn Addiction and sexual problems.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had the problem.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your problem is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy we offer on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Porn Addiction
• Counselling for Porn Addiction
• Pluralistic Therapy for Porn-Related Problems

Although all therapies use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Research suggests that this therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Behaviour Change Framework – BCF

All of our counselling sessions and programmes are enhanced by applying the Behaviour Change Framework (BCF).

This scientifically proven protocol clearly defines the incremental stages of behaviour change that you need to go through in order to achieve long lasting and sustainable change.

Drawn from the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (TTM), the framework provides a roadmap that not only gauges the current stage of progression through the change process, but also indicates if more change is required before entering the next phase of therapy or coaching.

In this way, we are able to ensure that you get the best possible level of support in overcoming your problems as well as ensuring that we don’t terminate the change process prematurely.

You can read more about the Science of Change here.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming porn addiction or recovering from any of your mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular issues and the different types of mental health counselling we offer (including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – CBT) without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.