Reboot Battle

rainforth13

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I'm 25 and I've suffered from PMO for 13 years now. During that time, I've had months of victory here and there and then plenty more of times of defeat.

Over the past couple of years, I've learned from Gabe the negative effects that porn can have on my brain and it has greatly help my understanding of the science side. His testimony is an encouragement to all.

For me personally though, it has always been more of a spiritual battle even though I recognize that the physical aspect of it is still there. I just relate to the spiritual side of it more.

I'm starting my reboot battle now.
 

LTE

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It can get better with time. Literally, every second free from PMO is a time of healing. I was caught up for 43 years but have healed substantially in 14 months. That's a ratio of 36:1. Keep up the fight and you will win.
 

shake19

Member
I've been in PMO for about 10 years too. I know your state of mind.

Let's make current reboot a final stage - don't give up!

Sharing the story with other people who had or have the same problem is very helpful and motivating for me.

I wish you to stay strong!
You will be amazed after days, weeks, months how life can change for better.
 

rainforth13

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Over the weekend I went to a men's retreat with my church where I learned some eye-opening information that I would like to share.

I've always related my actions back to my thoughts and/or emotions which seems logical enough. However, it isn't deep enough! I stopped short of what ultimately influences my actions. That is my beliefs. This is true whether they are spiritual or not.

Take this model (Beliefs -> Thoughts -> Emotions -> Actions) and reverse the order to see how your belief brings about a certain action.

For example, my action is PMOing. I do this because I feel stressed (emotion). My thought behind the emotion is that my work is meaningless, stressful, and not fun. In most cases this seems like enough information to justify my action BUT take it one step further. My thought comes from my belief in that what I do defines me! And this is a lie!

What I do and where I am at or where I am going does not define me as a man or human, but we put so much emphasis on that in our world. How often is the question "What do you do?" or "What are you majoring in?" asked in a given conversation with someone you just met or don't know? A lot, in case you don't know. Just pay attention next time and you'll hear it soon enough.

It's never about who you are or who you are becoming. Who you are becoming is far more important than simply just what you are doing at the given time. Today I work in the medical field, tomorrow I quit and work in the oil industry. Jobs change, roles change, majors change but you are who you are and that's only changing for better or for worse, growing or decaying based on what we believe.

The flip side of this equation is to start over with the right beliefs:
Belief->Who I am in Christ defines me, Col. 2:8, 2 Cor. 3:5,  Ephesians 2:1-10, (pair this step with scripture to continue to renew your mind about the truth)->Thought->Work has a purpose but not to ultimately fulfill or define me->Emotion (a Fruit of the Spirit)->I'm at peace with what I do, I have patience and contentment with where I am at->Action->I work hard unto the Lord without stress and don't need to release something that doesn't exist (i.e. stress) by PMOing.

Try it for yourself with any action, not just PMOing, though that would be a good one to start with. See if you can trace it back to a belief that is a lie. Then reverse the order with a belief of truth.

Hope this helps!



 

LTE

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Moderator
rainforth13 said:
Over the weekend I went to a men's retreat with my church where I learned some eye-opening information that I would like to share.

I've always related my actions back to my thoughts and/or emotions which seems logical enough. However, it isn't deep enough! I stopped short of what ultimately influences my actions. That is my beliefs. This is true whether they are spiritual or not.

Take this model (Beliefs -> Thoughts -> Emotions -> Actions) and reverse the order to see how your belief brings about a certain action.

For example, my action is PMOing. I do this because I feel stressed (emotion). My thought behind the emotion is that my work is meaningless, stressful, and not fun. In most cases this seems like enough information to justify my action BUT take it one step further. My thought comes from my belief in that what I do defines me! And this is a lie!

What I do and where I am at or where I am going does not define me as a man or human, but we put so much emphasis on that in our world. How often is the question "What do you do?" or "What are you majoring in?" asked in a given conversation with someone you just met or don't know? A lot, in case you don't know. Just pay attention next time and you'll hear it soon enough.

It's never about who you are or who you are becoming. Who you are becoming is far more important than simply just what you are doing at the given time. Today I work in the medical field, tomorrow I quit and work in the oil industry. Jobs change, roles change, majors change but you are who you are and that's only changing for better or for worse, growing or decaying based on what we believe.

The flip side of this equation is to start over with the right beliefs:
Belief->Who I am in Christ defines me, Col. 2:8, 2 Cor. 3:5,  Ephesians 2:1-10, (pair this step with scripture to continue to renew your mind about the truth)->Thought->Work has a purpose but not to ultimately fulfill or define me->Emotion (a Fruit of the Spirit)->I'm at peace with what I do, I have patience and contentment with where I am at->Action->I work hard unto the Lord without stress and don't need to release something that doesn't exist (i.e. stress) by PMOing.

Try it for yourself with any action, not just PMOing, though that would be a good one to start with. See if you can trace it back to a belief that is a lie. Then reverse the order with a belief of truth.

Hope this helps!
Great idea. I know that I had a lot of inaccurate information about sex, masturbation, etc. The spiritual approach, IMHO, is a huge help in this matter. The one other thing I had to learn sounds simplistic, but it was important to me; refuse to touch yourself for pleasure. It was a huge part of my recovery.
 

fcjl8

Active Member
rainforth13 said:
Over the weekend I went to a men's retreat with my church where I learned some eye-opening information that I would like to share.

I've always related my actions back to my thoughts and/or emotions which seems logical enough. However, it isn't deep enough! I stopped short of what ultimately influences my actions. That is my beliefs. This is true whether they are spiritual or not.

Take this model (Beliefs -> Thoughts -> Emotions -> Actions) and reverse the order to see how your belief brings about a certain action.

For example, my action is PMOing. I do this because I feel stressed (emotion). My thought behind the emotion is that my work is meaningless, stressful, and not fun. In most cases this seems like enough information to justify my action BUT take it one step further. My thought comes from my belief in that what I do defines me! And this is a lie!

What I do and where I am at or where I am going does not define me as a man or human, but we put so much emphasis on that in our world. How often is the question "What do you do?" or "What are you majoring in?" asked in a given conversation with someone you just met or don't know? A lot, in case you don't know. Just pay attention next time and you'll hear it soon enough.

It's never about who you are or who you are becoming. Who you are becoming is far more important than simply just what you are doing at the given time. Today I work in the medical field, tomorrow I quit and work in the oil industry. Jobs change, roles change, majors change but you are who you are and that's only changing for better or for worse, growing or decaying based on what we believe.

The flip side of this equation is to start over with the right beliefs:
Belief->Who I am in Christ defines me, Col. 2:8, 2 Cor. 3:5,  Ephesians 2:1-10, (pair this step with scripture to continue to renew your mind about the truth)->Thought->Work has a purpose but not to ultimately fulfill or define me->Emotion (a Fruit of the Spirit)->I'm at peace with what I do, I have patience and contentment with where I am at->Action->I work hard unto the Lord without stress and don't need to release something that doesn't exist (i.e. stress) by PMOing.

Try it for yourself with any action, not just PMOing, though that would be a good one to start with. See if you can trace it back to a belief that is a lie. Then reverse the order with a belief of truth.

Hope this helps!

Hi rainforth13,

I'm sorry if I may sound a bit over the top but... this is brilliant. I am a recovering PMO addict in the older guys group. I have been working at this recovery for about 4 years, the last 3 have seen much progress but still 2 relapses.

I began my efforts to face my addiction, which I had hidden for decades, largely as a result of a very spiritual encounter I had. It was a very cathartic moment and even a numbskull like me had to pay attention. I began to learn more and attempt to get away from this behavior I was beginning to see the truth about. So , like you my reasons for being on this path have much to do with "my beliefs" and as a result my walk with Christ has grown daily.

I wonder if I could get your permission to share this at another largely Christian forum I hang out at a bit? I just think there is so much in that simple string equation.

Thank you for sharing this with us, I hope others see what this leads to , regardless of their spiritual leanings.
 

rainforth13

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Staff member
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Hi fcjl8!

You may absolutely share this with others! I enjoy the equation because it is simple and yet deep at the same time which is a lot like the gospel.

Your story is encouraging and I'm glad God got ahold of you, numbskull or not ;)

If you take the time to do the equation yourself, I'd love for you to post it on here!

Below is the actual piece of paper that came with it. Hope it helps! Keep fighting the good fight, and press on!

BTEA.jpg
 
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