Watching Dr Trish Leigh (thanks TAN!) and a video about healing your brain from porn, and want to share some of the learning and reflections from watching it:
1. The key is commitment. Sounds obvious, and is similar to what I keep calling motivation. Commitment sounds more serious though, more solid, because motivation will wax and wane with energy levels and mood, but a commitment brings to mind a sacred bond with myself to create a better life, better sex, and a better self. Find your motivator for commitment and revisit it often.
2. Then she says knowledge and action steps - learning about the problem, getting on here and reading and sharing, working recovery (for me this involves meditation, journalling public and privately, focusing on what I want and who I want to be. Learning to deal with stress or other emotions differently - interrupting patterns. There may be withdrawals, anxiety, interrupted sleep, porn dreams - showing the brain craving that dopamine deluge. Early recovery is about coping with a dopamine deficit, or what feels like one after the flooding from porn addiction, and finding new ways to feel good and a new sense of purpose. Relapse is a sign your brain can't take it, or the commitment has become more fluid. So after relapse I have to revisit and solidify the commitment, and refocus on what I can do to make it easier to cope with the dopamine levels etc
3. Support - again I find journalling on here gives me that and an opportunity to give support to others. I feel less confident helping others right now due to a string of failures, but we all have something worth sharing I guess! Reading journals on here makes me feel inspired, gives a sense of brotherhood and shared battles, and I love the way we encourage each other on here. Maybe 12 step groups or a coach or therapist, but i have a few friends I can talk to about this stuff which helps.
4. Plan - strategies and alternatives. Reading threads on here gives me ideas, but for me these are distraction at first (whatever it takes - movies, games, getting outside etc) then more healthy alternatives that build me up like exercise, dancing (and connection with friends and women) meditation, hypnosis, time in nature, writing, and maybe later ways to do healthy M if I haven’t got a chance to have sex (dangerous, but I also want to retrain my body) This time I am trying hard mode again and really want to do the 90 days. It feels overwhelming, but am just trying to keep it in the day. I am very aware how crazy I felt after 40 days, and will just have to make sure my commitment is rock solid and that I actually act on the strategies and keep that up.
5. Celebrating small victories. Each time we avoid acting out there is a small dopamine hit, sure its nothing compared to the dopamine feast porn can give, but it also comes with dignity and self-respect. I am going to start the habit of kind of reviewing the day before sleep, hopefully congratulating myself, reflecting on the feelings that arose, strategies I used, temptations overcame, trying to get that small hit and tune into self respect, but also focusing on gratitude and the gift I am giving myself and all the people (and resources) who help me give it. Gratitude can lead to a lovely feeling, so I am guessing its a fantastic dopamine substitute that helps us feel good about ourselves and our life and feel positive.
1. The key is commitment. Sounds obvious, and is similar to what I keep calling motivation. Commitment sounds more serious though, more solid, because motivation will wax and wane with energy levels and mood, but a commitment brings to mind a sacred bond with myself to create a better life, better sex, and a better self. Find your motivator for commitment and revisit it often.
2. Then she says knowledge and action steps - learning about the problem, getting on here and reading and sharing, working recovery (for me this involves meditation, journalling public and privately, focusing on what I want and who I want to be. Learning to deal with stress or other emotions differently - interrupting patterns. There may be withdrawals, anxiety, interrupted sleep, porn dreams - showing the brain craving that dopamine deluge. Early recovery is about coping with a dopamine deficit, or what feels like one after the flooding from porn addiction, and finding new ways to feel good and a new sense of purpose. Relapse is a sign your brain can't take it, or the commitment has become more fluid. So after relapse I have to revisit and solidify the commitment, and refocus on what I can do to make it easier to cope with the dopamine levels etc
3. Support - again I find journalling on here gives me that and an opportunity to give support to others. I feel less confident helping others right now due to a string of failures, but we all have something worth sharing I guess! Reading journals on here makes me feel inspired, gives a sense of brotherhood and shared battles, and I love the way we encourage each other on here. Maybe 12 step groups or a coach or therapist, but i have a few friends I can talk to about this stuff which helps.
4. Plan - strategies and alternatives. Reading threads on here gives me ideas, but for me these are distraction at first (whatever it takes - movies, games, getting outside etc) then more healthy alternatives that build me up like exercise, dancing (and connection with friends and women) meditation, hypnosis, time in nature, writing, and maybe later ways to do healthy M if I haven’t got a chance to have sex (dangerous, but I also want to retrain my body) This time I am trying hard mode again and really want to do the 90 days. It feels overwhelming, but am just trying to keep it in the day. I am very aware how crazy I felt after 40 days, and will just have to make sure my commitment is rock solid and that I actually act on the strategies and keep that up.
5. Celebrating small victories. Each time we avoid acting out there is a small dopamine hit, sure its nothing compared to the dopamine feast porn can give, but it also comes with dignity and self-respect. I am going to start the habit of kind of reviewing the day before sleep, hopefully congratulating myself, reflecting on the feelings that arose, strategies I used, temptations overcame, trying to get that small hit and tune into self respect, but also focusing on gratitude and the gift I am giving myself and all the people (and resources) who help me give it. Gratitude can lead to a lovely feeling, so I am guessing its a fantastic dopamine substitute that helps us feel good about ourselves and our life and feel positive.