How to quit porn - Inspired by William

This is my little how to quit porn, I got inspired by William. First of all, what made me finally understand how was this: http://yourbrainonporn.com/rewire-your-brain-using-ocd-neuroscience About half-way you can read about when the addiction starts to loose its grip. I'm 35 days in and I have finally realized what it is you can do to quit porn, more importantly getting over urges. Yesterday I realized, also through reading another post, that urges are your wake-up call, the body is telling you to do whatever is a little dopamine rushing. That's also something that I read in the article on yourbainonporn.com

What I do is as fast as I get an urge I either excercise (running), eat a snack, do anything that makes me feel a little bit better. I do it instantly and that seems to do the trick. And how to get over the images, thoughts or emotions that pop up was a hard one to crack for me but eventually I understood that I need to ask myself the following question when something like that arise: What sensation lies behind the image, emotion or thought that keep popping up in my head. It can be a tightness, softness, electric, fuzzy, whatever the body describes the sensation as and then I try to localize where that sensation is in my body, in my head, torso, shoulder, legs, wherever it is and then gently focus on it so that it starts to shift to something else, or if that's difficult I just try to language it, like: I had a thought of "put any example here", the underlying "fuzziness", "softness", "electric", "tight", "mushy" sensation is in my "head", "right/left shoulder", "right/left leg", "right/left arm". My sentence could be: I just had an emotion of a certain scenario, the sensation I had behind it is a jelly sensation in the left side of my head. And then it just starts to shift by itself. If it feels like it won't move, shift into another sensation or just move along then ask yourself what the sensation wants to do, like maybe strike with the hand, run with the legs, move a shoulder and do it. And do it just a little, then the sensation will start to move along more easily and shift into something else. Now since the sensation that lies behind any thought, emotion or image that pops up (since all images, thoughts emotions stems from the hind-brain which is responsible for all the sensations we have) and that we change the sensation just by simply feeling it gently or language whatever lies behind it, the thought will now not pop up all the time or build in intensity. As a result you will most likely not have the thought, image and emotion pop up again during the day, and if it does, or another one pops up just redo the process and you can then go along with your day as you wish.

This is what have worked for me, especially the language thing of behind lying sensation of images, thoughts or emotions. Specifically since it doesn't attack any of these head on, and that I don't have to worry about releasing dopa-mine since it's a softer way of releasing annoying pop-ups of images, thoughts or emotions in my head. I can just go on with my day and not worry so much about it popping up again.

At first I had real trouble with finding any hobbies that could give some kind of natural dopa-mine reward, but then I found this image and understood that it was kind of easy: http://www.engineeringbuddies.com/pdata/t/l-236.jpg - 50 ways to take a break.

Now after 30 days I start to feel that I really need those activities in my life, such as drinking a cup of tea with ginger and honey (snack), or go out and run (sometimes in the night), or fly my rc-plane, talk to any of my parents, go see what my brother is doing. Anything that will get me a little jolt of a natural-high.

Realize that there will be a little bit of resistance when an urge hits, but that's a sign of now you really can do something to change your life. I always feel really good when I succeed doing something else when an urge hits me, it feels life-changing.

This is what at least have worked for me, and I feel that I am really changing. Hope that sheds some light on this whole process of quitting and changing, the how-to-part.

Honeybadger

 

Thanks.

 

Hehe, I understand. It has to do with, it's fairly unknown, but by focusing on any sensation in your body you are regulating your nervous system (which give rise to all sensations, emotions and thoughts). Therefore when an urge comes up, by noticing what sensation lie behind the "urge" you can just mindfully let it be there, let it pass and continue on with your day. That is how the body regulates stress normally, we western people aren't just as aware of it.

Thanks.