Sex & Pornography Addiction Therapy
Many adults watch and look at pornography, and with the development of technology, pornography has become more accessible for everyone, causing porn to become a daily part of many people’s lives. While watching pornography itself is not always harmful, it can become negative when it begins to disrupt your daily routine or cause you to lose interest in previous hobbies, fail to meet commitments or fulfill responsibilities.
Sex tends to be an uncomfortable topic that most people avoid. However, when compulsive sexual behaviors start to impact your life, it’s time to bring this topic to light. An addiction to pornography is one of the most common forms of sexual addiction. A sex and porn addiction therapist can help you develop a healthier relationship with sex and intimacy.
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Johanna Horstman, MA, LPC
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Sex and Porn Addiction Counseling
At Taylor Counseling Group, our goal is to make counseling affordable, reliable and accessible. Our private pay rate is $100 per hour session and we accept major insurance plans. If you need counseling but the cost is a barrier, we also have an affordable car policy.
Our professionally-trained clinicians provide a supportive and nonjudgmental environment so you can focus on healing. We allow 24/7 online scheduling, so you don’t need to speak with a person with your condition to book an appointment. We also allow online canceling of your appointment with no fee if you give us at least 24-hour notice.
Admitting that you’re addicted to sex or porn isn’t easy. At Taylor Counseling Group, we offer a judgment-free environment where you can learn how to address sex or porn addiction’s hold over your life and discover strategies to overcome. Let us walk beside you as you recover from sexual addiction. Schedule your first appointment today to learn more.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Porn Addiction
One of the most effective treatment methods for pornography addiction is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Our porn addiction therapists target symptoms causing distress and provide patients with practical methods they can use inside and outside of treatment.
With CBT for pornography dependence, your therapist may have you challenge negative thoughts about sexuality to begin overcoming your addiction. Other strategies include having a person go to a safe place where they are less likely to engage in their porn habit. They may also work on developing a healthy coping strategy for the trigger that has previously caused them to engage with their porn dependency.
Pornography Addiction Help
A porn addiction can have a significant impact on a person’s life. It can cause:
- Difficulties in relationships and sexual intimacy with a partner.
- Career limitations and even disciplinary action.
- Public embarrassment.
- Loss of time for important tasks.
- Financial losses.
- Vulnerability to blackmail.
- Risk-taking behaviors.
- Exposure to STIs.
It is a challenge to seek porn addiction therapy. People who are overly dependent on sex may simply think they overly enjoy sex or may justify the behavior. Our society often makes us ashamed of sexual behavior, so it can be difficult to admit to porn addiction.
Therapy can allow individuals to recover. Those with a sexual addiction can learn skills to regain their lives. Treatment can allow for better relationships with intimate partners, less risk-taking behavior and a healthier approach to sex.
What Is Sex Addiction?
Most people enjoy sex and seek it out from time to time. However, sexual addiction takes this enjoyment and crosses the line into obsession.
Those addicted to sex are consumed by thoughts of sexual encounters or intense fantasies. They begin to prioritize sex over family and friends or even their personal and professional responsibilities. As time goes on, they may engage in increasing amounts of sex or unusual forms of sexual gratification.
Often, sex addiction is paired with an addiction to pornography. Those with a porn addiction have lost control over their use of pornography, often spending upwards of 10 hours a day searching for and watching porn.
Common Signs of Sexual or Porn Addiction
Here are a few signs that could indicate that you have a sexual or pornography addiction:
- Loss of control over your use of pornography
- Excessive masturbation
- Negative consequences directly related to the use of pornography
- Promiscuous behavior with multiple partners
- Frequent one-night-stands or unsafe sex
- Extreme use of cybersex or sexting
- Use of prostitutes
- Multiple instances of infidelity
- Engaging in exhibitionism or voyeurism
People in Relationships Addicted to Porn
Healthy relationships rely on honesty, trust and communication to function. While engaging with porn alone and when you are in a relationship is healthy and normal, if it becomes one partner’s main priority, it can result in a decline in the levels of honesty and communication present or negatively impact the relationship.
If one or both partners have a porn addiction, it can also cause unrealistic expectations regarding real sex that the other partner cannot deliver. For men, pornography addiction can cause issues in forming genuine connections with their sexual partners. Meanwhile, women with a porn addiction can experience sex at a lower quality and may have difficulty reaching an orgasm.
Individuals that view pornography as a manual for engaging in high-quality sex are also at a disadvantage. Given that pornography is carefully directed, there is no way it can accurately teach individuals how to improve sexual satisfaction for themselves or their partners.
Women Addicted to Pornography
While many believe only men can have a porn dependence, it is common for women to develop a porn addiction, as well. However, this condition can affect women a lot differently than men.
Because pornography can be antagonistic toward women in that it can glorify sexual assault, abuse or negative body images, women who watch porn at unhealthy levels may find these negative behaviors more acceptable than women who do not. These negative experiences, combined with societal feelings of guilt and shame associated with watching porn, can cause many women to hide their addiction and fail to seek the help they need.