America, we have a pornography problem. If you or a loved one is addicted to pornography, you are not alone. Hypnotherapy may offer you the freedom you need from this most devastating addiction.
Pornography, in one form or another, has always plagued mankind. While the advent of the printing press and the rise in magazines may have led to a spike in the usage of and the problems associated with porn, those cannot compare to the impact that we have experienced with the onset of the digital age. Pornography is simply a few clicks away, practically anywhere at any time.
Thirty percent of all data transferred across the Internet is porn-related. Pornography is a twelve billion dollar industry in the United State, and $97 billion worldwide. Sites dedicated to pornography are visited more often than Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter combined.
Individually, the statistics are overwhelming. Sixty-four percent of all young people ages 13-24 seek out porn at least weekly. By college, 90% of both college males and females are using porn. Just under 50% of males of all age groups and just under 20% of all women use porn weekly.
The usage of pornography affects not only individuals, but also families and communities as a whole. Studies show that men and women who view porn regularly are most likely to be verbally and physically aggressive. Girls between the ages of 14 – 19 who view pornography are more likely to be sexually harassed or assaulted. Divorce rates are twice as high in marriages where one spouse is a porn user, and that number is even greater among young couples. It is estimated that over half of all divorces are directly impacted by pornography.
So, when does viewing pornography become addicting? At what point should a person consider therapy? When a person feels the need to view porn in order to get through the day, or when he or she feels helpless to stop or that the habit is out of control, help is needed. Like drug addicts, a porn viewer may feel the need for more or stronger pornography. Many addicts spend as many as ten hours a day or more viewing porn. While there may be physical signs that accompany porn use, the most serious problems are the ones that impact relationships, family, and employment. With any of these issues, people must seek the help that they need.
Pornography is particularly devastating because of the spiral of destruction that it creates. The fantasy it creates may lead to an increased dissatisfaction with existing relationships, which in turn leads to increased porn use, which leads to increased dissatisfaction in the relationships. The barrier porn creates in the relationship tends to lead to loneliness, which leads to increased porn use. The pattern continues, and the user never really finds a sense of fulfillment.
Once a person can admit that, at least to some extent, he has lost control, he is admitting that “Something in me is running my life that I can’t control ‘consciously’.” Thus, the Middle Mind, beyond the typical reach of the conscious mind, is in play with this addiction. As we have already discussed in the Hypnosis Explained section, hypnosis is the best tool to use to reprogram that Middle Mind so that an addict may change his behavior.
In hypnotherapy, we deconstruct the pornography addiction. The therapy allows the client to relax, letting his world that seems so out of control begin to slow down. He moves toward reestablishing control over his life and to consciously alter his behavior. He will repeatedly strengthen that control in therapy, building greater confidence as he progresses.
Undoubtedly, the addiction to pornography will have generated damage, misconceptions, and practical consequences that the client will need to address. Whether the addiction is a totally private matter or whether it has drawn the attention of family members or colleagues, the client may face guilt, humiliation, or embarrassment. Beyond that, recovering from porn addiction means healing broken or bruised relationships, not just remedying prior damage, but also establishing healthier views of what a real, loving relationship means.
As a part of healing those relationships, clients in general need to change their views from using people as objects for self-gratification to seeing individuals as having value, deserving respect, worthy of admiration, and needing nurturing. Ultimately, as people go through therapy, they will learn to rearrange their worlds to some degree, restoring balance, increasing productivity, and managing time more efficiently.
As ugly as pornography addiction is, hypnotherapy offers the tools necessary to clean it up and to free a soul.