Porn addiction is defined as compulsive consumption of pornography that has become damaging to the individual and/or those in their lives. Often this consumption is more compulsive in an effort to escape certain emotions or trauma and less pleasure-driven. The World Health Organization calls this Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder and they have classified it as a disease by including it in the International Classification of Diseases as of 2022.

Though some don’t see the seriousness of this problem, a compulsive engagement in either viewing pornography or engaging in excessive masturbation can be considerably disruptive to one’s life. In fact, Rory Ried, a research psychologist at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, talks about how some men spend “half their income on Only Fans/Escorts, and office workers who surf the web for porn despite warnings that they’ll lose their job.” Porn addiction puts one’s life at risk by disrupting their social life, risking personal relationships, risking their career, and even harming their mental and physical health. You can take a free Problematic Porn Consumption Scale to determine the extent of your relationship with porn consumption - this assessment is the industry standard.

Fortunately, there is help to be found in porn addiction therapy and this post is here to help you find the right type of therapy for challenges with porn addiction.

What Type of Therapy Can Help Porn Addiction?

Porn addiction therapy aims to help those living with sexually compulsive behavior by combing a variety of treatment options. Depending upon the severity of the porn addiction and the needs of the individual, treatments can vary.

These include:

There are three different types of basic porn addiction treatment.

• Individual Therapy: Considered traditional therapy, this option entails having a 50-minute session with a mental health professional who can help you through your problems. The therapist will have specialized training and focus on your sexually compulsive behaviors, no matter what they are, as well as any other co-occurring disorders. This therapy can help by offering a qualified “outsider” to offer a different perspective on your situation. Because they have no personal ties to you, you have no worry about feeling judged as you detail your problems. You can book a free virtual initial consult here.

• Group Therapy: By using positive social interaction, group therapy aims to help patients by showing them that they are not alone in their addiction. The group should be led by an expert and aims to create a community where individuals can feel safe and affirmed throughout their healing process. All are welcome to join Blair’s men’s group which meets every other Thursday, 8:30 PM EST, you can sign up by clicking here.

• Couples / Marriage Counseling: Porn addiction can be especially detrimental if the patient is married or in a serious relationship. Stress can be put on their partner via excessive time spent consuming porn, acting out and/or crafting a life of deceit and secrecy. In these couple’s sessions, the porn addict and their partner can work to get to the root of their porn addiction, especially if it has roots in feelings of inadequacy, resentment, boredom, or problems in the relationship.

• Partner Therapy: Partners of sex and porn addicts can deal with a lot of betrayal trauma. Unfortunately, trauma often stacks on top of itself and many people who are in these relationships also have past relational traumas. These sessions focus on helping the partner of the porn addict understand how these compulsive behaviors originated while confidently answering the question, “How do I know this compulsive porn addiciton behavior won’t return in the future?”

Some common approaches to treating sex addiction. 

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): This therapy focuses on the driving mental aspect of porn addiction. By focusing on behaviors, emotions, and thoughts that are all connected, this treatment aims to change negative, triggering thoughts into positive ones through self-talk and affirmations. Through this therapy patients can gain a better self-image. By engaging in self-talk, they learn how to identify their triggers, understand their thoughts and feelings, and accept themselves and their shortcomings throughout the process.

• Psychodynamic Therapy: For those who feel they may be suffering from sex addiction due to a past trauma or abuse, psychodynamic therapy is built upon the premise that repressed memories are a source that affect behavior. This therapy aims to uncover the hidden memories and conflicts from childhood or current stimuli that are fueling the addiction. Through this therapy, patients usually gain affirmation that what they’re struggling with is not their fault. With porn addiction, there is often a lot of shame and self-loathing; this approach shows the patient that they aren’t the one to blame.

• Mindfulness Approaches: It’s important for people who are dealing with porn addiction to become more aware of different experiences in their bodies. Most relapses occur because of how someone deals with difficult emotions. Mindfulness helps clients learn about emotions, but also helps them tolerate more difficult emotions.

• Sex-Positive Sexual Reintegration: Unfortunately, sexual compulsivity can lead to a lot of shame around sex. But shame about sex isn’t only a consequence of porn addiction. It’s also often a cause. Therefore, a lot of recovery work involves acceptance of who you are and what you want. It also involves identifying boundaries for clients and their relationships. Finally, this type of work focuses on helping clients learn how to better communicate their needs.

It is important to understand that seeking porn addiction therapy is a very brave step toward recovery. It’s not easy to admit to an addiction of any kind, but accepting it and seeking treatment is the beginning of a better life. No matter what type of therapy you choose, you will gain peace of mind, a release from shame, and control over your life that you may feel you have lost because of your porn addiction. Each of these treatment options are effective and can help to heal the addiction over time.

If you’d like to work with Blair, you can schedule a free initial virtual consult by clicking here.

If you’d like to join my men’s sexual integrity group, we meet e/o Thursday 8:30 PM EST, you can book here.

For all other questions, please feel free to reach out at blair@bpbcounseling.com.