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What is • Addiction to pornography addict to cope with is not primarily defined by psychological, emotional if, what, how often, or how or physical stress and The Brain and Porn long a person is using trauma. porn, but by their Treatment Models for motivation for using porn. • Porn addicts depend on high arousals, stimulated • Porn addicts rarely enjoy by explicit sexual imagery, Pornography Addiction their acting out. They do and tend to develop not want to feel ‘high’. lowered sexual They want to feel less. desire/libido with their real Presented by Heide McConkey, Director life partners. • Watching porn helps the

Trauma Histories Attachment Bond

• Most addicts disclose a • Emotional abuse, • Of the sexually addicted clients I have treated, most history of childhood neglect or physical shared a childhood history of unsafe or confused traumata abuse, sexual abuse attachment bond to their primary carer or carers.

• Emotionally rigid and • Absence of age • This gap in safe attachment/love is likely to be filled detached family of origin appropriate sex with alternative pleasure generating behaviours. education • Development of shame e.g. family or school • Such replacements later in life may include food, throughout childhood sugar, sex, , substance, money, possessions, • Low awareness of one’s gambling, work, • Early age own needs success, status.

American Society Institute for Addiction Study of Kevin McCauley MD, Salt Lake City, Utah Addiction is a primary chronic Addiction is characterised by • • ‘Addiction is a stress-induced defect acting on a genetic disease of brain reward, inability to control and • vulnerability in the reward-learning system of the motivation, memory and persistently abstain from midbrain (dopamine system) and the memory choice related circuitry, and not compulsive behaviours, system in the prefrontal cortex (glutamate system), simply a behavioural problem cravings and chronic relapse, leading to loss of control, cravings and persistent drug involving too much drugs, use despite negative consequences.’ alcohol, gambling and sex. • And a diminished ability to recognising significance of • The addicted individual problems, dysfunctional pathologically pursues reward emotional response, and and/or relief by sexual or dysfunctional interpersonal substance behaviour. relationship ability.

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SA/CSB is Identifiable & The Brain in Sex Addiction Diagnosable • fMRI results confirm • Amygdala • The recently (2014) released Cambridge research study is increased activation in (processing significance of a step forward to universal acceptance of ASAM’s three significant brain events and emotions) definition regions in porn addicts of . • Study samples mirrored • Ventral Striatum brain responses as seen • The study confirms the three regions of the brain are (processing rewards) in drug addicts similarly activated in sex addicts, when shown explicit sexual imagery, • Dorsal Anterior Cingulate • Research led by Dr. as compared to drug addicts, when exposed to drug (anticipating rewards) Valerie Voon, University of related imagery. Cambridge, UK, 2014 • Sex Addiction is currently not included in the DMS 5.

Sexual Health & Risk Consequences for the Untreated Sex Addict Behaviours • Watching Pornography in and delay urges may lead to • Behaviours escalate • Loss of (sexual) control itself does not include a risk to unsafe sexual practice and to STI a considerable risk of • Loss of primary • Distorted spirituality and infecting with, and spreading, relationship/love/family cognitive distortions, • Many Porn Addicts lose the sexually transmitted diseases increased anxiety distinction between fantasy, Breaking Through Denial • Loss of workplace reality and intimacy, and • Increased risk to physical escalate to explicit sexual • Sex Addicts display a • Loss of money/assets harm, illness, and STIs uses of e.g. their spouse, tendency to other non- casual partners, prostitutes, sexual adrenaline/PEA • Loss of friends • massage parlours, pursuing dependency behaviours, sex with strangers, and/or e.g living on the edge, • Isolation/ • Imprisonment dangerous sex dangerous sports, high finances, high success. • Loss of self respect, self- • Suicide • The addict’s inability to control hatred

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Summary References

• Sex Addiction is NOT a • Only about 10–15% of • Voon et al, PLOS, July11, 2014, Volume 9, Issue 7, Moral Failure. Pornography users e102419 ADDICT to Porn. Less • Sex Addiction Stigma than 2% receive treatment • Impulse Control Clinic University of Minnesota delays Treatment. http://www.impulsecontroldisorders.org/html/cravings.ht • The exact causes of ml • Sex Addiction is a Fully addiction are not known. Treatable Disorder of Sex addicts share • Institute for Addiction Study, Salt Lake City, Utah, Brain Rewards and histories of Kevin McCauley, (Vaccaro PhD 2010) Related Circuity. confused/unsafe childhood attachment • Pornography Addiction: A Neuroscience Perspective, • Psychiatric disorders may bonds, emotional Surgical Neurology International 20:2:19 published be underlying. Dual neglect/withdrawal, and online 2011 February 21. doi: 10.4103/2152- treatment approach is early childhood 7806.76977 recommended. sexualisation • American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), 2011, August 15 Press Release A New Definition of Addiction

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Thank You

• Thank You

• Discussion

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