Porn Rewires The Brain

Often I am asked, “What’s the big deal with viewing porn? Everyone does it.” I answer this question by communicating how viewing pornography rewires the brain.

To begin, we must understand how our brains to learn quickly through repetition. Watch a infant begin to walk and you will see how his/her brain learns through repeated attempts, failure, learning, and eventually success.

Once the child’s brain repeats the behaviors a few times, it will learn how to do the behavior without hesitation. Adult brains are similar. Every thought, feeling, habit, skill, or behavior uses the brain’s neuropathways to interact with the body parts. If you add a reward (i.e., pleasure thru dopamine or oxytocin) to the function, the brain’s pathways learns even quickly.

PORN RELEASE REWARDING CHEMICALS

As a person’s brain reward circuitry gets used over-and-over, the brain rewires itself for addiction and new neuropathways are created. With each viewing of pornography, a person’s brain releases a burst of dopamine that strengthens the connection between cells.

The more reward released from viewing porn, the stronger the path of communication to repeat that behavior in search of more reward. The brain changing is referred to as plasticity. Whether the activity is playing the guitar, tying a shoe, using a spoon to feed oneself, or even looking at porn, the brain changes the more we utilize a specific neuropathway and the stronger that connection becomes for repeating that behavior.

PORN CREATES BRAIN NEUROPATHWAYS

Using porn over and over, activating the pleasure reward circuitry, is similar to walking the same path in a field of tall weeds. The more a person walks the same path makes, a trail is formed across the field, making it easier to follow that path rather than walking a different one.

Viewing porn rewires the brain making it easier to go that path rather than face real life challenges. Porn has become the alternative to feeling pain, experiencing rejection, potential of being judged, abandoned, or shamed. Our brains learn quickly that porn works to numb, medicated, and avoid the pain and discomfort that real life can send our way.

PORN COUNSELING CAN REBOOT THE BRAIN

If you are stuck in the loop of viewing porn, tried to stop but can’t, then please contact our center today to setup an individual counseling session with a qualified and certified sexual addiction therapist. Our counselors understand the battle and can help you reboot your brain and get set free from the porn loop