Hypnotherapist explains how you can fix a porn addiction as seven warning signs revealed
Porn is part of every day life for hundreds of millions of people across the world, but there can come a point where you feel like you're indulging a little too much.
Well, if that's you, one expert on the matter is here to offer some sage advice on how you might best tackle the issue.
First and foremost, exploring your sexual side is totally natural and something most adults do. A big part of that for many is spending your downtime checking out the latest adult videos on the likes of Pornhub or newer platforms like OnlyFans.
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Now, a doctor has offered her advice on the matter, issuing seven signs to watch out for when it comes to porn addiction.
Speaking to LADbible, an American pleasure coach and hypnotherapist has explained her way of approaching a porn addiction.
Kate Shelor, based in Las Vegas, helps people with all kinds of coaching, including fear, pleasure, and shame.
As part of that, she told us the second biggest concern people approach her about is porn addiction among men.
'Not a recognised diagnosis'
"Porn addiction is not a recognised diagnosis, that's the first thing to understand," she told LADbible.
"A lot of the emotions that men are feeling are related to the shame they feel about porn addiction, rather than necessary the porn they're watching or how much they're watching. Data supports the idea that men who feel they're addicted to porn are actually are watching a very average amount of porn.
"What they're experiencing in most cases is what they feel, and believe to be, an addiction to porn. And how that effects them negatively."
Understanding a person's porn habits
For Kate, the key to understanding a person's porn habits is comparing it to other 'compulsive behaviours'.
She says: "A lot of times you can approach it as an out of control compulsive behaviour. I like to talk to people about what triggers them to watch porn.
"Is it anxiety, boredom, loneliness? Often it's highly connected with anxiety and stress. And that's a really important tool.
"It's really dangerous if someone comes to me and says 'I'm addicted to porn' and you attack the problem by restricting porn, no more porn. The reason that is dangerous is because that is a surface level problem, not dealing with that's triggering the behaviour.
"You're setting someone up for failure with a pass or fail mode of dealing with it. Saying 'you're suppose to go on a porn cleanse'... what happens when you watch porn? You say you've 'failed' and now you feel horrible, and it triggers the same compulsive behaviour.
"That, I think, is really what happens to a lot of people when they try and deal with the problem."
Porn addiction triggers and 'enriching your life'
"I talk to people about what's happening in their lives, how do they deal with stress, anxiety, loneliness. What are their mechanisms now? For a lot of people it is porn," Kate says.
"It's about how you can enrich your life and how we can add, and make you somewhat less reliant on porn.
"The same thing could be said if you're scrolling all day on your phone. I think we all understand how compelled we are to be on our phones and looking at content."
Is it any different to being constantly on our phones?
For Kate, the issue should be treated the same as any other compulsive behaviour. And yes, that includes being addicted to our phones.
She says: "It's not just porn but we stigmatise porn because we stigmatise sex. How many of us use our phone and watch content online compulsively?
"We just don't shame ourselves about it because it is something accepted socially. It can get in the way of your relationships if you're on it while at dinner.
"It's about developing hobbies, connecting with friends. Looking at ways to add to life is so much better than just creating rules that you will probably break, feel like a failure, and continue that cycle."
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Tom Earnshaw