In this blog we examine hypnotherapy for pornography addiction; what is pornography addiction, are you addicted, how hypnotherapy can help, issues of confidentiality and what is involved.
Pornography and pornography addiction
Pornography is a normal part of life for huge number of people, with one yougov.co.uk report finding that 76% of men and 53% of women had viewed pornography. Only a small number of people would be considered heavy users with only 13% of men and less than 1% of women accessing porn weekly. However, for some pornography use can become problematic or even addictive.
Are you a pornography addict ?
There is no single widely agreed upon definition of pornography addiction. Attempts to define it have generally focused upon frequency of pornography use. However, many authorities reject frequency of use as too simplistic preferring to let the person themselves decide if they have a problem based on the impact pornography use has on their life. Commonly, people who identify as having a pornography addition will highlighting the;
- Damage to relationships.
- Impact on their real sex life.
- Amount of time they spend viewing pornography each day.
However it is defined, it is clear that for some people there is a problem. So how can hypnotherapy help?
Hypnotherapy for pornography addiction
Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis to create beneficial change, either as a direct tool of to enhance or support the use of another therapy approach. It has been accepted as a therapeutic tool since the eighteen hundreds and has proven adaptable to the most modern of problems. There are a number of ways in which hypnotherapy can provide help to someone experiencing pornography addiction;
- Hypnotherapy may help pinpoint and reduce the triggers for pornography use. Triggers could be obvious, such as feeling sexually aroused after seeing a sexy picture whilst generally online. Or, they might be less obvious, such as feeling sad or bored. A hypnotherapist will help find these triggers and then give help to reducing their impact.
- They may help you to adjust thoughts and beliefs regarding desires. This would typically look to change the belief that a desire has to be acted upon to something which encourages coping with it and letting it pass.
- A hypnotherapist may develop, in collaboration with their client, ways of redirecting energy towards healthier outcomes. This could be paying more attention to a partner or filling life with more meaningful activities. They would then support these changes with hypnotherapeutic suggestions.
- They may help to reduce craving directly through the use of suggestion and systematic desensitisation.
- They may help identity and address underlying life problems which the pornography has been used to compensate for, such as problems in sex life, or unhappiness more generally.
- They may discuss life changes which support reduced pornography use, such as; leaving devices in public areas, dating or doing exercise. Where appropriate they may then support these changes with formal hypnosis work.
As can be seen there are many approaches in hypnotherapy to helping with pornography addiction.
The ACT approach to hypnotherapy for pornography addiction
As a hypnotherapist I tend to start out using an acceptance and commitment therapy model (ACT) approach. I use ACT as it was developed as an approach with addiction problems in mind, and evidence for its effectiveness(1). ACT encourages;
- living in line with your values.
- Mindfulness in your life.
- Treating thoughts and feelings as pieces of information rather than imperative to be acted upon immediately.
Further, large elements of ACT adapt well to the hypnotherapy way of working.
Confidentiality in hypnotherapy for pornography addiction.
With such a sensitive subject for many people confidentiality is often a concern. Hypnotherapists, just like all psychological therapists, maintain confidentiality for their clients and patients information. This confidentiality is guided by the legal requirements of the region they work in such as the UK general data protection regulations (GDPR). Further, most therapist will adopt the spirit of confidentiality as much as the legal letter of it.
The limits of confidentiality.
Although this is irrelevant to the vast majority of pornography addicts it is important to flag up the limits of confidentiality. There are times when UK law not only allows, but requires, that confidentiality be broken. One of these areas is with the abuse of children. Any therapist receiving information about abusive and exploitative images of the under aged is obligated by law to report this and they will.
Hypnotherapy for pornography addiction – practical issues
Making substantial change in life can be hard work, even with the help of hypnotherapy, here are some of things to be aware of in advance.
- Think in terms of a minimum 6 sessions.
- Sessions can be either in-person or online.
- Look for a therapist who has experience and expertise in pornography addiction.
- Take a free consultation, this will allow you to find out if you are relaxed enough to do this kind of personal work with them.
Hopefully this has provided you with enough information to get you started, but if you have any questions please get in touch.
The author
Dr Matt Krouwel PhD is a hypnotherapist with over 25 years experience of working with addictions, anxiety and related conditions. he is a member of the both the BSCH and the NCH
- Ghazanfarpour M, Babakhanian M, Keshtkar A, Kiani M. A systematic review and meta-analysis of three clinical trials with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for problematic pornography use. Alcoholism and Drug Addiction/Alkoholizm i Narkomania. 2020;33(3):275-82.