Table of contents:
- Various therapies to overcome pornography addiction
- 1. Inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation therapy
- 2. Group rehabilitation therapy
- 3. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- 4. Psychodynamic therapy
- 5. Marriage or family counseling
Pornography addiction tends to occur when a person wants to escape from reality or as a distraction from negative emotions. To treat this effectively, people who are addicted to pornography need to undergo therapy with a mental health professional such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Then, what types of therapy can be done?
Various therapies to overcome pornography addiction
Before undergoing treatment, a therapist needs to first explore the factors behind pornography addiction.
This will make the therapy more effective so that the psychologist or psychiatrist can help prevent the same behavior from recurring.
Taking into account the patient's background and condition when treatment was started, the therapist can initiate therapy through the following methods:
1. Inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation therapy
Rehabilitation therapy for pornography addiction can be done either in an inpatient or outpatient setting. During hospitalization, the patient will be continuously monitored by the therapist.
The goal is to overcome addiction triggers so that the patient can divert his emotions in a better direction.
After completing inpatient rehabilitation, the patient can continue with outpatient therapy.
This program aims to provide patients with a healthier lifestyle and emotional distraction. That way, patients no longer rely on pornography as a solution.
2. Group rehabilitation therapy
Source: Verywell Mind
Group rehabilitation therapy generally involves about 5-15 patients who have a similar case, in this case, pornography addiction.
This therapy is useful for providing more support, increasing social skills, encouraging progress in rehabilitation, and providing new perspectives for participants.
One group therapy session can last from 60 minutes to 2 hours. During the therapy session, participants will sit in a circle, introduce themselves to each other, then share their condition.
All therapy sessions will be guided by a psychologist.
3. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Source: Psykologvejen
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the therapy most often used to treat pornography addiction.
Reporting from the NHS page, this therapy is aimed at changing thought patterns and habits so that patients can slowly overcome their addictions.
During the CBT session, the therapist will help the patient explore the problem. A problem is divided into several parts which include feelings, physical sensations that arise, and behaviors that are carried out.
The therapist and patient then analyze all of these aspects to find out which areas are problematic and how to change them.
The therapist will ask the patient to apply these changes and see the results at the next therapy session.
4. Psychodynamic therapy
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on past experiences, emotions, and beliefs that cause patients to become addicted to pornography.
This therapy is carried out by providing the opportunity for the patient to talk freely about the problems he is facing.
In this way, patients are expected to be able to recognize, express, and deal with negative emotions that cause addiction.
Patients will also learn to cope with the problems they are experiencing so that they no longer trigger addictions in the future.
5. Marriage or family counseling
Marriage and family counseling is a type of therapy that involves a partner, parent, child, or other family member.
In addition to focusing on dealing with patient problems, therapists also provide understanding to partners and families to help with rehabilitation.
This therapy is highly recommended if the problem of pornography addiction has affected the people around the patient.
Therapy with loved ones can restore trust, reduce shame and guilt, and restore relationships.
The problem of pornography addiction can be overcome by various methods. Every patient has different conditions so a method that works for one person may not work for another.
Therefore, patients need to work together with the therapist in exploring the background of the problem. The rehabilitation process is not short, but the benefits are enormous for the quality of life of the patient and those closest to him.
