POP 154 - The Human Brain, Neuroplasticity & Porn Addiction - Part 2

Can you relate to this cycle?

A man looks at pornography... and it makes him feel good!

There's a rush of adrenaline... there's a sense of eroticism... there's a sense of pleasure... and there's a sense of euphoria.

Together these sensations literally create a kind of "high".

The reason for this is because looking at porn causes an EXPLOSION of the 4 "feel good" chemicals in the brain:

(1) Dopamine - the chemical of PLEASURE!

(2) Oxytocin - the chemical of BONDING!

(3) Serotonin - the chemical of MOOD!

(4) Endorphins - the chemical of SATISFACTION!

Together these 4 "happy" chemicals produce an intense sense of pleasure very similar to the "high" an addict experiences from a drug such as heroine.

And this is a PROBLEM... because when the brain experiences this intense pleasure... it intuitively wants MORE... and MORE... and MORE... and MORE!

So a man feels compelled to look at porn... AGAIN... and AGAIN... and AGAIN... and AGAIN.

And each time he looks... there's another EXPLOSION of the 4 "happy" chemicals in his brain... which embeds the desire to look DEEPER... and DEEPER... and DEEPER.. and DEEPER... within him... which makes it harder and harder for him to resist the ongoing temptation!

Said another way... what's happening in a man's brain is typically a GIGANTIC part of his struggle with porn... or any other addictive behavior.

The GOOD NEWS is that it IS possible for a man to literally retrain his brain... and to create new neuro-pathways that will enable him to resist temptation... and to honor God with the expression of his sexual gift.

In this series of episodes Tony does his best to explain... on his own kindergarten level...

The Human Brain.. Neuroplasticity... and Porn Addiction!