1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
A study shows that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most useful and effective mental health interventions. Different types of disorders can be treated with CBT, as the approach targets distressing symptoms and teach people practical methods to use outside of therapy sessions. Researchers have found CBT effective for treating anxiety, depression, mood disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Internet addiction can also be treated with CBT.
CBT helps people explore the correlation between their thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT is commonly used to treat impulse control disorders or compulsive disorders by identifying the thoughts or environmental cues that trigger the behaviors the patient wants to resolve. CBT encourages identifying and changing distorted thoughts rather than focusing on specific behaviors. Positive thoughts can lead to changes in feelings and behavior.
CBT might also include cognitive approaches, such as challenging the beliefs about sexuality that lead to compulsive pornography. Another method is to suggest that the person goes to a safe place where they are less likely to use porn when they feel most vulnerable. Therapy using CBT may assist people who are addicted to pornography in finding alternative strategies to cope with triggers that drove them to use porn.
2. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
People with pornography use disorders can benefit from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a specific type of CBT. In ACT therapy, therapists encourage clients to identify triggering thoughts and practice accepting these thoughts without reacting to them.
People are not pressured into changing their thought patterns as in CBT, only how they respond to them. The researchers found that eight 1.5-hour sessions of ACT reduced porn viewing by 85 percent among those undergoing treatment. After three months treatment, this trend continued at 83 percent.
3. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Porn addiction can be treated through dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a variant of cognitive-behavioral therapy. DBT, the original treatment for borderline personality disorder, also works well to treat trauma-related disorders and substance abuse problems.
DBT provides skills that help people better regulate their emotions, interact with others, and cope with distress. Cognitive and mindfulness-based techniques are used to develop these skills. A dialectical behavior therapy treatment program helps people to recognize and accept distressing emotions and thoughts without acting upon them.
The aim of grounding techniques is to complement the process of developing a wise mind or the ability to observe internal emotions without judgment. People who partake in DBT can overcome feelings of self-loathing or embarrassment by practicing “Positive acceptance” and holding a nonjudgmental attitude.
Those who feel ashamed of their sexuality may begin to use porn in response. In order to free themselves from the powerful forces that lead to compulsive porn use, people need to examine their feelings and work to release them.
4. Psychodynamic Therapy
Therapy based on drives and hidden motivations based on psychological concepts is called psychodynamic therapy. Although psychodynamic therapy encompasses a wide range of techniques, nearly all of them focus on investigating early childhood experiences and how they affected adult behavior.
Trauma-based conditions can be effectively treated through psychodynamic therapy. People with mental health conditions that are shaped by their childhood experiences may be able to gain insight into why they feel a certain way and start releasing those negative feelings by gaining an understanding of those events.
In some cases, pornography use disorders develop as a result of early experiences that made people feel shame at their sexuality or led them to imagine sexual fantasies that were detrimental to their mental health.
Developing an understanding of the origins of feelings of shame, guilt, and anxiety can lead to challenging the beliefs that cause those feelings. As a result, shame loses its ability to influence behavior and is alleviated.
5. Couples Counseling
The use of pornography can have negative effects on romantic relationships. A relationship that includes one or both partners using porn may witness reduced sexual desire, diminished sexual interest, or even loss of sexual desire. As a result, an intimate partner may experience hurt or alienation related to sex due to these attitudes or perceptions.
People who are addicted to pornography can benefit from couples counseling because it has these benefits. Counselors who work with couples often use family therapy approaches such as structural therapy to uncover unspoken dynamics and rules that lead to functional problems in families and relationships. A number of studies have shown that couples struggling with the effects of porn addiction benefit from structural therapy.
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