Picking A Therapist That Understands Porn Addiction

I’m not too sure about therapists with nofap if there are many that understand porn addiction. Personally though I believe that when it comes to this you are your own best therapist and no matter what tools you have, it will in the end come down to you. Don’t know your specifics but I like to write down stuff in a journal or write goals and talk to myself about what’s really going on with me and that helps me stay on track. Again though not sure on what you’re going through specifically but that’s just what I do. There’s also lots of you tubers that y’all about nofap and the details with many relatable things and I watch some of those.

 

The second part of this is true but science heavily disagrees with the first part. Recovery rates with addiction, depression, anxiety, etc. are ridiculously high when you compare "toughing it out alone" vs. seeing a therapist. The scientific literature on this is massive.
So your belief that "you're your own best therapist" is usually and mostly wrong.

Good call OP on getting a therapist even if you're past the NoFap hump. It's a very wise idea. Also, if you're past the compulsive part of porn addiction, you'd probably be good seeking out a CBT or DBT practitioner for more general problems. Sex addiction clinics, though, regularly see and understand porn addiction, you're less likely to get the "Oh, everyone looks at porn nowadays!" response in sex addiction therapies because it's regularly ruining marriages (source, one of my coworkers worked in a sex addiction clinic and the breadth of porn cases was incredible.)

 

I do see where this person is coming from, I have heard that there are such terrible therapists out there who have absolute no clue about the impact of porn addiction. Some even say its normal and healthy and its all about embracing who you are... what a pile of nonsense! So with respect to the above quote, I do feel with respect to really bad therapists, sometimes being your own therapist is a far better approach then throwing your money at someone who doesn't really understand.

Saying that, I highly recommend the impact of working with an experienced and up to date therapist who understands the situation. In fact it is fundamental for some people to break the cycle. Talking to an experienced professional who truly understands is a refreshing experience, and it can very much help to break the cycle.

My recommendation is to do some research then try out a few diffetent therapists if possible to begin with - and see which one seems best for your purpose. Find out what their treatments are - most importantly try and find people who specifically deal with porn or sexual addiction problems.

 

I definitely understand that. Congrats on the huge streak by the way and good luck finding a therapist/professional to talk to about this.

 

I don’t speak for everyone and am just speaking through personal experience. For me with all the issues I have had with myself, I was my best therapist. I don’t really know the specific recovery rates and therapists can without a doubt help, but for me I was my best therapist when it came to overcoming mental challenges and I am not a part of those statistics. Again not speaking for everyone or every situation as they are all different, just speaking from personal experience and what helped me.

 

Addicts recovery can put you in touch with a csat- certified sexual addiction training therapist. I see one who is hands down the best. My husband goes to a different one but within the same group. They are trained for this!

 

Addo recovery- not addicts

 

I know addo recovery has therapist in the la area.

 

Hey Dalian,
Good thinking.
However with therapy it's often more important WHO the person is that what they know. Obviously, they have to be educated and professional and registered and all that, but the bottom line is that it's more important who they are as a person than what hangs on their walls.
So I would avoid looking online for therapists. Asking on this forum is not such a bad idea, but it might be even better to ask people in your real life.

If it is a good therapist, then I'm sure that they will be able to help you, even if they haven't been "specialised" in nofap. After all, if it is a good therapist they will have to, after seeing you, go and do their homework - meaning read everything about PMO before they see you next.

This is the kind of professional I would want to find.

 

You probably just need to do the legwork of making calls, though the specifics to narrow it down could be a short list of people who specialize in addiction recovery in the first place, (probably not ones that use the verbiage "substance" only) and then ask them point blank do they deal with non-substance issues, such as sex and porn. There are some who will say they are "anything" junkies, I think one I know has said so but he's not in your area.

 

I’m curious why you think he doesn’t have an issue with porn? He could be clean 5 years and still have an issue. Only he knows if he has an issue. He’s only been clean 5 months. That’s literally nothing.

 

No, it’s great, however too many addicts hit this point and think they are cured. You’ve been using for 13 years! 5 months is nothing when you look at it that way. My husband is a 40 year addict, he’s been clean a year and a half. I’m still seeing changes, a year and a half later. I also think it’s great that you understand it’s not just about porn, it’s deeper underlying issues. Great job realizing this and getting the help you need.

 

PMO addiction is frequently tied to psychological baggage from our younger years. It’s a learned coping mechanism that gets reinforced over many years. The core belief being that we are inherently “bad” and the toxic shame surrounding that belief is what perpetuates the addiction.

Seeing a sex addiction therapist is an excellent decision as it may well take your recovery to the next level. I would recommend seeing a therapist that specializes in sex and porn addiction vs a general therapist that may or may not believe pmo addiction is real, or may not have the necessary training to help.

 

Hey- I’m seeing a leading psychosexual therapist and have written about my experiences so far here: https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?t...experiences-with-therapy.265321/#post-2444072

It’ll give you an idea of what to look for and expect from a CBT trained psychosexual therapist. Definitely look for one who specifically understands sex/ porn addiction as behavioural/ compulsive addictions are a unique issue.