10 year's freedom from pmo - my Catholic method

It could have been so because of the role of women in those times and even today. I don't remember heated theological debates with women. Either on youtube, tiktok, television, radio, or in books or articles. For sure there have been women who take / took part in such debates but they are ,as I said before, unique.

If saints had wanted to imitate Mary in this aspect you are writing then they wouldn't have written writings , even treatises against heresies of those times they lived. For example my favourite saint Augustine. He wrote about 5000 pages against the most dangerous heresy of his time - pelagianism.
One could ask - did Augustine waste his time doing so? His writings against pelagianism helped me to understand human nature and how graces - actual and habitual work. What and why I have used in my method is based roughly in 60% on his writings. The next 30% are writings of another saints plus theologians who described the errors in understanding God's graces in case of different groups of Protestants and some Catholic erroneous concepts ( Jansenism). But it's not only my fight with PMO. I use it in almost all aspects of my life. I wrote many times that for me a right true theology are life truths according to which I make decisions and take actions. If a theology is erroneous then plans, decisions and actions of a believer are erroneous. Let's take how we Catholics can help our family members after they died - we pray for them and they spend less painful time in purgatory. What do Protestants do for their deceased parents, children, grandparents, friends? Nothing beside of cleaning and decorating their graves which cannot help anybody. The false theology of no purgatory prevents them to pray for them. And how many more fatal mistakes resulting from their theology do they make? Who counted it? At the top of their misleading theology is the belief in 'ones saved always saved' - so many can think and do so that they cannot lose salvation provided they believe ( sins don't matter). If one is consequent in this belief then their salvation is really treatened. In this case the false theology can lead to everlasting damnation. Is there something more tragic?

 

817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin.

My comment: I accept all paragraph 817.

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers. . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."

My comment: I accept all paragraph 818. I can charge with the sin of the separation M. Luter and all the clergy men from that time who started destroying Catholic Church and all the clergy and believers of Catholic Church who living in sins prepared the way to the heresy and separation. I accept Protestants of today as brothers in Christ but I don't accept Protestant theology of which some points are erroneous and as a result damaging.

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."

My comment: I accept all paragraph 819.
How do I understand this? - 'Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation'
I'm sure that Christ's Spirit didn't want to establish Protestant faith and theology with its not few errors but there are some means of salvation in Protestant faith but (attention !) the power of the means of salvation doesn't come from Protestant denominations but from the Catholic Church. So attention, they think that grace given by God comes from their Protestant prayers, reading the Bible etc. as if God gave them graces as a reward or result of their separation from the Catholic Church and changing the faith. But it's their illusion. The truth is that the graces they have (and salvation) come from the Catholic Church (see the sentence in red).

Sorry, but in these paragraphs I can't see the call to support ecumenism. Or anybody can understand on his own what is ecumenism.
According to paragraphs 817 - 819 I can understand ecumenism as seeing Protestants as brothers in Christ (who I don't charge for the separation), who have some but not full means of salvation which come not from their churches or faith but from our Catholic Church. And for the division are not only Protestants but also Catholics to blame. Paragraph 819 contains no call to ecumenism but to "Catholic unity."

Concluding - in paragraphs 817 - 819 I couldn't find anything against what I do and what I sometimes do is to criticise some points of Protestant theology which are contradictory to catholic theology. I not only criticise the erroneous points but I try to show that the errors are not only abstract but that they have some damaging effects on the life of Protestants believers.
Or why do I do it (this criticism) - it's not that I want to show and prove them something like that - ' Look, your faith is full of theological errors but ours is the only right. Shame yourselves.'

It's rather what I would like to tell soldiers who want to fight a mortal enemy but go fighting being armed only with knives, bazookas, guns and hand grenades. I would like to tell them - 'attention! Your enemy can be much more dangerous than you think. They can have tanks, jet planes, missiles ... I can show you where there are tens of thousand of tanks, jet planes, missiles - as many as you want to secure your victory. It's better to go to this magazine (Catholic Theology, teaching).
This is my ecumenism.

 

Today marks 10 years since I have been PMO free.

 

I'm very happy because within these 10 years of PMO freedom I did some things I would have never been able to. For instance I have been able to do Brazilian jujitsu almost for 3 years now despite of very hard and exhausting trainings and lots of difficult psychological moments.
I know that if I still was a PMO addict I wouldn't be able to accept such psychological emotional and physical burden because being an addict one searches for pleasure, relax, emotional comfort ... and one avoids anything connected with effort, lack of mental / physical pleasure etc. That's why as an addict I wouldn't have enough toughness, I would be only weak and inconsistent.

 

Any Catholic can achieve the same and much more.
I'm successful fighting PMO not because I'm rarely strong or rarely consequent or rarely etc.
In fact I'm a psychologically and physically rather weak person. My case is a proof what can do God's graces of healing, strengthening, illumination etc. in cooperation with an individual ( here, with my cooperation).
It's impossible that I would be PMO free for 10 years without praying and other means of salvation.
It's impossible either if I had only been passive waiting for and wanting God's graces. Because God wants cooperation with the man ( if one starts praying one cooperates, if one promises something to God one cooperates, if one goes to confession one cooperates, if one decides to forgive anybody one cooperates, if one reads the Bible and Cathechism of RCC one cooperates, if one gives their free time for their family one cooperates etc.) and without such a cooperation God usually doesn't give His graces. Although there are a few exemptions to the rule.

The ten PMO free years show too that Catholic theology, Catholic faith is true because if it would be erronious then it wouldn't work. Something erronious doesn't work or works in a counterproductive way or works in an insufficient way.
There are lots of erronious or incomplete instructions on this and another anti PMO foras how to get rid of PMO and they don't work or work insufficiently ( for some more or less limited time). The time shows what is useful but what not.

Catholic faith, means of salvation work good enough in fight against various addictions. One only must use it and one must know what and how to use it.
This what and how is written in my journal if somebody wants to have at least 10 PMO free years then it's enough to do what I have been doing for 10 years because it's not my theoretical tips but proven in fight means.

 

First I'll write about myself. It depends what kind are the images and scenes. If their direct aim is to build some sexual desire then it annoys me and I change the channel ( after the scene I can come back) or don't watch the photo but read the text below ( webpage) or change the page when the aim of it is to lead me to some erotic or more pages. If I read something then I read almost all that interests me because written word doesn't work on me so much as pictures. What I actively finish watching ( in TV or the net) is women in bikini, lingerie, a passionately kissing couple etc. because I feel that allowing myself to watch it will lead me to a point of no return. I'll add that from the begin on I have had an open Internet, always my smartphone at the reach of my hand 24 hours a day. I simply feel that the tandem prayer at the time of temptation /bad feeling plus temporary promises to God of no PMO are sufficient for me after the years of sobriety.

Another case is for the beginners. I think any amount of 'risky' material is potentially destructive for them. When I see back how I reacted at my beginnings then I remember me being more rigorous.
The detox will never end. We will never be immune to such images even in small ' innocent' amounts. Somebody who broke his leg in the past - that leg bone will always be weaker and more vulnarable than the healthy leg. That's why I know that to be safe I will always have to pray at the time of temptation and promise temporarily no PMO plus no watching too 'risky' pictures.

If they happen to see as adds or the like then I can watch them. It doesn't work on me.

In , let's say , the first two years I think there must be avoided almost all suspicious after one glance or two. If it follows the third glace then our fall starts to be inevitable. The point of no return.

 

I would say rather anybody who has remained addiction free for more than let's say 5 years knows the way and anybody who remains addicted doesn't know what is the most important and what's only secondary and what's addition.

It's very good you have read this because if not, I would tell you to read it first.

It's more simple than you assume - words don't matter or better said they matter not much. What is crucial is to be aware of the real presence of God during the whole prayer. His presence heals but not the words we say. How to do it? Prayer is a battle as you know, it's not a recited poem. The words are only useful if they help to keep our attention on His presence. The content of the words is secondary although it's good to tell the words to God but only if we try to say them honestly, not too fast etc.
The words of prayer can be very simple and few - for instance ' Jesus, rescue me...' , 'Jesus, I can't endure, save me..' etc. or Our Father... especially focusing on - '..And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.'
Of course your focus on God's presence and (secondary) on the words you tell him will be broken every 10, 20 or so seconds (such is our nature) but our battle is to come back to the state of being aware that He is present first of all. We strive to feel which emotion He is giving, maybe a thought, thoughts (as His answer) but we can easily confuse this with our mind games, phantasies, recollections etc. so when we recognise that we think about anything other than the presence of God and (secondary) on the words of prayer then we must give up these attractive (or painful) thoughts and come back to the awareness. So praying the process of us healing continuous.
How long to pray? - not so long because praying in such a manner causes mental fatigue. It can last for a few or several minutes (3-15 or 20) then it's better too break the prayer and renew it after some time. (if the temptation isn't going away then we can renew prayer after 10 or 15 minutes and so on).
As addicts, especially at the beginning (when we often fall) we must pray often. This is our medicine.
But notice that you find prayer not only in your room but in mass, adoration, reading Psalms as a prayer, breviary etc. So we must gradually introduce in many other forms of prayer all we use during private prayer.
Such prayer is and will be difficult. this is our daily battle, merciless because our addiction is merciless too.

1.I make a promise
2. the first temptations is coming I start praying (in the manner I described above)
3. I cease praying because I'm tired of it.
4. If the first temptation is continuing I start praying for the second time.
5. I repeat points 2 to 4 if the first temptation isn't going away (I repeat it until it goes away - the time doesn't matter - it can be even hours but as a rule the first temptation finishes after less time than half an hour.
6. I thank God that he destroyed the first temptation.
7. After some time (the matter of minutes or hours there comes the second temptation so I go through the points (2 - 6) until it goes away.
8. Then comes the third temptation and my procedure are the points 2 - 6 (if the time of the previous promise is over then another promise is needed ).
9. Later come another temptations (they will always come because nobody promised us (even Jesus) that they'll end. After our death they'll end.
10. When another temptations come I do the same as in point (1 - 9)

The same procedure I use in the case of bad emotions, thoughts, - they always lead to a point when the temptation to PMO awaits us. they always lead to a thought - ' I'm feeling so bad, I'm afraid, angry, tired .... 'I must have some relief .... the best one is PMO !!!!!'

So use the procedure (2- 9) when bad feelings, thoughts occur.

For how long is your first (second...promise?). Don't be impatient. Be careful to make not for too long time promises - it's the basic mistake making all the promise method futile.

To clarify point '1. I make a promise '
I made an 'everlasting' promise a month ago so until my death. But it was after 10 years of successfully keeping less time lasting promises. Nobody should promise something for too long if they are heavily addicted.


Ask about whatever you want to. I'll be praying for you for as long as you try to use this method.

 

Good attitude. ( very) small steps are the best.

Now you feel so but after some time when you notice that you have kept a few 24 hours promises you'll be eager to prolong them beyond 24 hours. For example a 28 or 30 hour promise. Your mind and your will will tell you - ' I have been able to keep a 24 hour promise 5 times and what's the difference between 24 hours and 28 hours? It's only a bit more. Let's try it because I like the time of being so secure under the shield of a promise when I have the most possible motivation and determination to keep the promised time clean from PMO. It's so good to feel the freedom.'
...and after some time there will come a thought - what about 35 hours? .. etc.
What are you unable now to you will be able after some time of 'training'. It's like going to a gym. One is unable to lift 60 kg now but if trained on a regular basis one will be able to lift 100 kg.