A Chaplain’s Guide to

HELPING
THOSE
STRUGGLING
WITH A
PORNOGRAPHY
HABIT:
An introduction to the brain science
of addiction, its negative effects, and
therapy models for change
This booklet is dedicated to my wife Kaylee
and our five children, Bridger, Beckham,
Benson, Anderson, and Roslyn.

All photos used with permission from Pixabay.com

under their license and terms of service found at:
https://pixabay.com/service/license/

© All rights reserved, 2020

Authored by Jeremy Jarvis
Contact at jer.jarvis@gmail.com
 A Chaplain’s Guide to

HELPING
THOSE
STRUGGLING
WITH A
PORNOGRAPHY
HABIT:

An introduction to the brain science

of addiction, its negative effects, and
therapy models for change
Guidebook
OBJECTIVES:
Give chaplains a basic
understanding of the brain
science of addiction

Describe the negative impact

of pornography use on an
individual’s personal and
family life

Provide hope of recovery by

presenting the most effective
treatment models proven
through clinical research
I NTRODUCTION

Pornography is prolific in today’s

modern society. It is found on billboards,
the internet, in movies, music,
magazines, television, and literature.
It is often accessed easily with no cost
on internet-enabled cellular devices,
computers, tablets, and several other
ways.
With its easy access and pleasure-
producing capabilities, a significant
number adults and adolescents struggle
to discontinue its use once a habit has
been formed.
Once a behavior has become
habituated, the pull of pornography can
be difficult for some to resist.

1
 Tapping into one of the most powerful
and desirable human impulses—the
reproductive urge—pornography has
the potential to lure individuals into its
use (Cline, 2001). In a 2016 nationwide
study, an estimated 70 percent of
men and 40 percent of women in the
United States have admitted to viewing
pornography within the past year
(Regnerus et al., 2016).
Although viewing pornography
does not always form into a habit, the
estimated number of users may indicate
that pornography is being used as a
maladaptive coping strategy, and that is
what this booklet aims to look at.

2
 Although pornography is considered
potentially addictive (Hilton, Jr., 2013),
and brings with it a potential for
negative effects (Manning, 2006), there
is great hope in knowing that there is
effective treatment available that has
been shown to help individuals either
dramatically reduce or completely
eliminate pornography use from their
lives (Crosby and Twohig, 2016).
The purpose of this guidebook is to
give chaplains a greater understanding
of habitual pornography use, and also
more importantly, provide guidance
on how to assist those struggling with
a pornography habit find hope, with a
greater perspective and knowledge on

3
the subject.
While this guidebook by no means
aims to be comprehensive, the goal is
that it is used as a tool so that, along
with spiritual tools, success in recovery
can dramatically increase, along with its
associated benefits.

4
T HE BRAIN SCIENCE OF
ADDICTION:
For years, many people have simplified ad-
diction as a lack of personal control (Grubbs et
al., 2015). In the past 15 years, however, many
advances in neuroscience have demonstrated
that addiction is not merely a lack of self con-
trol, but instead a rather complicated matter
involving both brain pathways and emotional
regulation (ASAM.org).

Can a behavior become an addiction?

Donald L. Hilton Jr., MD, neurosurgeon
and researcher, has stated that “addiction
neurobiologists increasingly support the
concept of the existence of natural addictions,
as ... evidence continues to accumulate.” Hilton
states that the “natural addiction” model is
based on motivating brain chemicals which
come from the main pleasure-reward system
in the brain known as the mesolimbic reward
system (Hilton, 2013; Alavi et al., 2012).

In other words, behaviors can become

addictive, as similar brain chemicals released
in other addictions are released during
pornography use, providing pleasure and
pain relief which some use to cope with life’s
challenges (Hilton, 2013).

5
6
H OW DOES ADDICTION
WORK?
Two important aspects of addiction
are emotional dysregulation and neural
adaptations (re-wiring of brain pathways; see
Koob, 2019). This may explain why addiction
is so prevalent in our society.
With easy access to so many pleasure
producing substances, people today often
do not learn how to regulate their emotions
in a healthy manner, and instead turn to
pleasurable substances or behaviors to
temporarily “cope” with their emotions rather
than addressing them healthily (Chamberlain
and Steurer, 2011).

7
E MOTIONAL DYSREGULATION

“We are hardwired from birth to

seek comfort when we feel distress
or pain. This reflex to reach toward
soothing happens faster than we can
even logically recognize it. It takes
about 100 milliseconds for our brain
to react emotionally in this way, and
yet about 600 milliseconds for our
thinking brain, our cortex, to register
the reaction.
These lightning-quick, subconscious
longings for relief and comfort
automatically orient us toward
activities we’ve experienced as
soothing. As a result, our inclinations
in such moments of need may result
more from conditioning than from
choice.”

-Mark Chamberlain and Geoff Steurer, Love You, Hate the Porn:
Healing a Relationship Damaged by Virtual Infidelity

8
W hy do people put addiction
before other things?
As mentioned, there are certain substances
or behaviors that can produce stimulation
and pleasure beyond what is found in average,
everyday life. These substances or behaviors
can become very hard to resist once they
have been used habitually as a way to cope, as
other forms of coping which do not create as
powerful of an immediate reward to not seem
as desirable (Hilton, Jr., 2013).

In a healthy brain, the prefrontal cortex

(the brain’s “brakes” that stop the body from
making poor choices; Van Der Kolk, 2014)
regulates emotions effectively as other areas
of the brain receive a steady, balanced dose of
dopamine—a chemical in the brain that acts
as a messenger (Etkin et al., 2011).

9
 This chemical messenger is also known as
a neurotransmitter (Nistico and Scapagnini,
2012).

Coming from the ventral tegmental area, or

VTA (the dopamine “storage and distribution
area” in the brain; see Solinas et al., 2019, and
Pignatelli and Bonci, 2015); dopamine serves
as a motivating neurotransmitter within the
body’s natural reward system (Lewis, 2015).

When functioning optimally, the amount

of dopamine distributed throughout the
mesolimbic reward system corresponds
appropriately to the specific level of arousal a
stimulus elicits. In other words, when a person
is exposed to a normally rewarding substance
such as a delicious meal, a proportionate
amount of dopamine is released, telling the
body that the experience is rewarding, without
“overdoing” it (Solinas et al., 2019). Rewards
that produce a sensation of pleasure are often
linked to behaviors correlated with survival,
such as obtaining food and engaging in sexual
reproduction (Koob, 2006; Hall, 2011).

10
N EURAL ADAPTATIONS

In the event of an extraordinary reward

(or stimulus that ends up being much more
rewarding than expected), the brain sets the
reward system into high gear and quickly
adapts to this new and exciting stimulus by
sending a large dose of dopamine throughout
the main dopamine receiving pathways (Koob
and Volkow, 2016).

The dopamine then spreads from those

locations and activates other parts of the brain
involved in learning and memory such as the
amygdala (the emotional center of the brain;
Wolf, 2016) and hippocampus (the memory
center of the brain; Van Der Kolk, 2014).

This creates new “neural pathways” or

networks in the brain, making future brain
communication leading to this reward easier
and faster. These pathways make it easier for the
brain to recreate the circumstances that led to
receiving the new, novel and highly stimulating
reward (Koob and Volkow, 2016).

11
 It is these neuroadaptations (neural
adaptations) in the brain pathways that
researchers have theorized to potentially be the
cause of the negative emotional states associated
with the discontinuation of an ingrained habit,
creating a vulnerability to future relapse as one
may wish to extinguish unpleasant emotional,
physical and psychological symptoms through
the behavior (Solinas et al., 2019).

12
P ORNOGRAPHY’S
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
Negative Effect #1: It Teaches Objectification

A recent review on objectifying sexual

scripts in pornography looked at several
different factors within the different types of
pornography that exist, and supported the
notion that pornography was essentially a
“teaching tool” for its consumers to objectify
or separate the person from the “body” (Fritz
and Paul, 2017).

Negative Effect #2: It Impacts Children

In a 2012 review on the research

regarding the impact of internet pornography
on adolescents, researchers found several
negative effects associated with frequent use,
including: “lower degrees of social integration,
increases in conduct problems, higher levels
of delinquent behavior, higher incidence
of depressive symptoms, and decreased
emotional bonding with caregivers” (Owens
et al., 2012).

13
Negative Effect #3: It Impacts Marriage and
Family

A 2008 Journal of Marital and Family

Therapy article mentions that “although many
users of cybersex view the issue as recreational
and private, a recent study showed that
cybersex addictions affect the entire family
system,” adding that “the use of the internet
itself has been linked with reductions in
family communication and social interaction
and increases in depression and loneliness
among family members.” While visible among
families, “when the component of cybersex is
added,” the article states, “the systemic effects
may be even greater” (Goldberg et al. 2008).

Other negative impacts:

“Changes in sleep patterns, demands
for privacy and isolation, disregard for
responsibilities, changes in personality,
loss of interest in partner sex and decline
in relationship investment”
(Goldberg et al., 2008).

14
T HERAPY MODELS FOR
RECOVERY
Thousands of scientific studies have been
dedicated specifically to the topic of addiction.
While a majority of them are focused on the
issue of substance abuse, many of the same
brain mechanisms activated during the
consumption of drugs of abuse are activated
upon the consumption of pornographic
material.

Due to this, many have applied these

therapeutic principles to an addiction
to pornography, since an addiction to
pornography at the neurobiological level may
function in similar ways (Zellner et al., 2011).

While much work has been put into the

psychoanalysis of drug and sex addicts, a few
models have emerged within the last 25 years
that have demonstrated to be more effective
than traditional therapies of the past (Love et
al., 2016).

15
16
 A couple of the models which have been
shown to demonstrate lasting, positive
changes in individuals include the therapy
models of Emotionally Focused Couples
Therapy (EFT), which sees addiction as an
attachment disorder and aims to repair the
attachment, and Acceptance Commitment
Therapy (ACT).

EFT—The “Most Effective”

Therapeutic Model?
As “hypersexual behavior can have a dev-
astating impact on attachments” (Reid and
Woolley, 2006), one of the most effective
methods to combat this has been a therapy
model whose overall goal is diametrically op-
posed to that negative impact—Emotionally
Focused Therapy.

A recent significant finding regarding

social attachment bonds stated that “when
social attachment bonds are broken through
separation or loss,” certain parts of the brain
“make the sufferer ‘feel bad’ in a particular
way,” yet at the same time “a specific kind of

17
pleasure arises with social contact and strong
attachment bonds, which is . . . thought to
be mediated by [endogenous] opioids,” and
“being close to significant others leads to
feelings of comfort, security, and pleasure”
(Zellner et al., 2011).

When applied to the concept of addiction,

this same study later states that “addiction
is a deranged form of attachment,” and in
regard to sexually compulsive behaviors such
as masturbation: “Masturbation is ultimately
an empty source of pleasure, in a very literal
sense. Masturbation involves satisfaction
of the pleasure-lust instinct . . . without
attachment, or worse: substitutive pleasure
in the absence of a specific longed-for object
(i.e., object of affection)” (Zellner et al., 2011).

But no matter the choice (pornography,

masturbation, drugs of abuse, or other
behaviors/substances), ultimately what
an “addict” is seeking in consuming a
drug, according to Zellner et al., is not the
“euphoria” alone, but rather a restoration of
lost attachments, which brings with it feelings
of pleasure in conjunction with the feelings of

18
safety and connection that ultimately satisfies
more than the substance or behavior alone
(Zellner et al., 2011).

Regarding the impact of pornography

use on pair-bond attachments, Zitzman and
Butler state:

“Evidence of psychosocial deterioration

and attachment relationship disintegration
associated with habitual pornography
use and concomitant deception suggests
the need for therapists to develop a
more sophisticated understanding
of the attachment implications of the
(promiscuous) sexuality script implicit in
pornography. The psychosocial dynamics
and effects of pornography use and
deception for the individual and the pair-
bond attachment relationship need to
be much more carefully and skeptically
scrutinized in this age of ubiquitous
Internet access. This study’s findings
confirm, extend, and elaborate the findings
of other studies that pornography use and
concomitant deception lead to a significant
deterioration of attachment security
and trust in the pair-bond relationship.”

19
 According to Zitzman and Butler, there
is some evidence that pornography may
impact attachment security with habitual use.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), on the
other hand, capitalizes on the concept and
power of secure attachment and attachment
repair, and is considered by various
professional therapists a “roadmap for the
path of couples’ healing.” EFT has even
been called by some the “most effective and
research-validated way to treat couples in
distress” (Chamberlain and Steurer, 2011).

The key points of this therapy can be

summarized through three basic concepts:
(1) Awareness, (2) Recognition, and,
(3) Connection, which all essentially come
down to emotional regulation.

The three words just mentioned form an

acronym which is very fitting in regard to the
expected outcome of the model—ARC. The
term “arc” is defined by Merriam Webster
as “a continuous progression or line of
development” (Merriam-Webster.com).

20
 The reason why this word fits so well in
the context of addiction is because of how
its definition correlates with the overarching
purpose of the EFT model—to help couples
establish a relationship based on “continuous
progression” and “development” in emotion-
ally-connecting interpersonal skills, which ul-
timately leads to a secure attachment.
HOW TO APPLY THE “ARC” PROCESS:
The first step in the Emotionally Focused
ARC process towards healing is learning to
become (A) more Aware of emotions, espe-
cially the emotions that are typically pushed
down for being petty, such as getting one’s
feelings hurt from a less-than-thoughtful
comment. “As we become more aware of our
emotions” says Dr. Mark Chamberlain, “we
gain an ability to choose how we want to act
in response to them” (Chamberlain and Steur-
er, 2011). And regaining the ability to choose
is a huge step forward in the recovery process.

The (R) in ARC says to Recognize dis-

tressing emotions. Once you become aware
of your emotions, recognizing what kind

21
of emotion it is and labeling it is a very
important tool for knowing how to talk
about it, to diffuse its distressing energy:

“Since unacknowledged feelings aren’t

[typically] granted full expression
both physically and emotionally, they
become stored inside the body. Many
individuals report feeling a sense of
relief when they begin to give a voice
to these stored emotions. The physical
relief you may feel as you put your
feelings into words is evidence that
the emotions are running their course
and doing what they were designed to
do” (Chamberlain and Steurer, 2011).

The last step in the ARC process, once

distressing emotions are recognized and ac-
knowledged, is to (C) Connect with some-
one you love and trust—particularly your
spouse in the context of healing a marriage
(or a trusted friend, mentor, chaplain, or
family member, if deployed or not married).

22
 “Husband and wife [or trusted friend] can
help each other if he (or she) recognizes and
shares the deeper emotions that drive the
cravings for relief. This will help her (or him)
see that he’s (or she is) coming to her (or him)
long before the emotions become sexualized
in the form of seeking relief through por-
nography” (Chamberlain and Steurer, 2011).

In sum, when we follow the Emotionally Fo-

cused ARC process of reaching out to others for
emotional relief, we no longer have the need
to reach toward our problematic habits, as the
soothing chemical oxytocin “calms the ner-
vous system, soothes us emotionally, and helps
[us] bond” (Chamberlain and Steurer, 2011).

23
WHY USE EFT?

“Instead of reaching out for support

when we’re emotionally distressed,
we keep our feelings inside. We try
to stuff our feelings back down when
they threaten to bubble up to the
surface. We pretend that what hurts
us emotionally or unsettles our world
a bit really doesn’t. We may become
so good at pretending we’re not upset
by upsetting stuff that we convince
ourselves to not reach out and open
up. However, emotions that have been
buried alive don’t just die off. All of
their potency and energy remains
primed and ready to drive us—if not in
the direction of expressing ourselves
in a way that enables those emotions
to discharge as they’re shared, then in
the direction of our most self-defeating
habit. The feelings that prime us to seek
emotional connection and relationship
support can also prime us to relapse to
our addiction.”

-Mark Chamberlain and Geoff Steurer

24
ACT—Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy
In an article on the effectiveness of “mind-
fulness-based” approaches to therapy (such
as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy),
Julie Fraumeni-McBride states: “Mindful-
ness-based therapies for addiction have
emerged recently as validated forms of clin-
ical therapy comparable to and in certain
situations or cases superior to traditional
forms of therapy such as CBT,” adding later
that “mindfulness, more specifically accep-
tance and commitment therapy, may be the
optimal form of therapy in treating problem-
atic pornography use—use that may qual-
ify as addiction, which falls in the realm of
sex addiction” (Fraumeni-McBride, 2019).

A clinical study published in 2016 indicat-

ed the potential of ACT in the context of por-
nography addiction, being “the first [study] to
examine a treatment for this problem,” where
“from pretreatment to posttreatment, 14 of
26 participants (54%) had a 100% reduc-
tion in hours viewing, 17 (66%) had at least a
90% reduction, 20 (78%) had at least an 80%

25
reduction, and 24 (93%) had at least a 70%
reduction” (Crosby and Twohig, 2016). These
statistics are beyond what is considered suc-
cessful in a clinical trial, and it is possible that
these numbers may have caught the attention
of psychotherapists in the last several years.
.
THE BASIC MODEL OF ACT
In a 2006 review of ACT, researchers list
what they call the “Six core processes of ACT”
where the overall goal of ACT is increasing
“psychological flexibility” (Hayes et al., 2006).

The Six Core Processes:

(1) Acceptance (as an alternative to ex-

periential avoidance, or, in other words, just
“feeling” an emotion rather than trying to
change or avoid it);

(2) Cognitive Defusion (changing the way

one views their thoughts, which includes
techniques such as saying the thought “out
loud” repeatedly until its impact or meaning is
diminished, and/or “labeling” a thought, such
as saying “I am thinking that I am worthless”);

26
(3) Being Present (ongoing non-judg-
mental contact with one’s own psychological
events, including thoughts, just as they oc-
cur);

(4) Self as Context (being aware of one’s

own “flow of experiences” without emotion-
ally attaching to them);

(5) Values (chosen qualities that can never

be obtained but can be expressed moment to
moment, such as “being a good dad”); and

(6) Committed Action (the development

of larger and larger patterns of effective ac-
tion linked to chosen values; which, in the
context of pornography addiction, would be
longer and longer gaps between setbacks)

In the “commitment” portion of the model,

ACT protocols “almost always involve therapy
work and homework linked to short, medium,
and long-term behavior change goals that
in turn occasion identifying and working
through psychological barriers that show up
along the way” throughout the duration of the
ACT process (Hayes et al., 2006).

27
 ACT claims to be one of the most effective
treatments for addictions when compared
to other therapy models, especially among
highly religious populations (as mentioned in
Crosby and Twohig’s study on ACT for treating
problematic internet pornography use). This
is because “many religious systems define
certain sexual practices as permissible and
others as problematic,” hence the perceived
problematic practices can often lead to “guilt
and shame” (Grubbs et al., 2015).

Since pornography use is commonly seen

as one of the “problematic” sexual practices
in the context of religion, “guilt and shame”
manifests as “unhappiness and depressive
tendencies” (Grubbs et al., 2015). In ACT,
however, one of the ways shame is addressed
is through the application of the concepts of
Being Present and Self As Context, where
things such as automatic thoughts or “urges”
that have the potential to come into the mind
or body automatically are merely “observed”
without judgement rather than attaching a
meaning to them or labeling the self as “bad”
(Adams and Robinson, 2001).

28
 Shame is labeled by Kenneth Adams and
Donald Robinson as one of the “three key
barriers” that “prevent addicts from breaking
the compulsive cycle,” and is defined by them
as “self-contempt, feelings of inadequacy,
and painful disapproval of the self (seeing
one’s self as “bad” rather than making poor
choices)” (Adams and Robinson, 2001).

Therefore “strategies to reduce shame

and alter the subsequent belief system … are
paramount to sexual addiction treatment”
(Adams and Robinson, 2001).

One of the key strategies to reducing

shame:

Includes the changing of one’s negative

core beliefs that reinforce shame (Adams and
Robinson, 2001). This is addressed specifical-
ly within the context of ACT, where the client is,

“not being defined by inner experiences,”

where core beliefs reside, and is able to
develop “psychological flexibility, which is
the ability to move in a meaningful direc-
tion without particular regard for any in-
ner experience.” (Twohig and Crosby, 2010)

29
 Another way ACT is effective in the context
of healing from pornography addiction and
sexual compulsivity is where “high levels of
experiential avoidance” (avoiding or attempt-
ing to eliminate “unpleasant” events such as
boredom and loneliness with techniques such
as distraction) can be “related to increases in
sexual urges” (Wetterneck et al., 2012).

ACT “specifically targets experiential

avoidance” (Wetterneck et al., 2012), which
“significantly reduced” reported avoidance
levels in the Twohig and Crosby research re-
sults, which in turn dramatically reduced the
time the subjects spent consuming online
pornography in the following weeks of the
study (Twohig and Crosby, 2010).

Lastly, in the context of healthy and bal-

anced sexuality, the ACT model followed by
Crosby in his 2011 Ph.D dissertation ad-
dresses a common ineffective strategy found
among those struggling with compulsive
pornography use, which he defines as “tra-
ditional thought suppression or distraction
techniques,” which “may actually be counter-
productive in addressing this problem,” and

30
could “lead to an increase” rather than a de-
crease of these types of “inner experiences”
and “subsequent behaviors” (Crosby, 2011).
This is important to know as a pastoral coun-
selor, as sometimes the “traditional” methods
for overcoming bad habits are actually the last
thing you would want to do.

What did Crosby suggest instead?

In the “treatment manual” portion of

his dissertation’s appendix, the script for
the introductory session of ACT therapy
for compulsive pornography users has
the therapist ask the client: “If I gave you
$100,000 for 1 month of no viewing, could you
do it? How long could you go? What if I said
that I would give you $200,000 for 1 month
of no urges to view?” From the first lesson in
this particular model, the client is learning
that there is a difference between thoughts
and urges, and the manual specifically states
to “make sure the participant recognizes that
they have control over behavior, but not over
the urges to view” (Crosby, 2011).

This perspective allows the client to start

31
 There is a difference between sexual arousal and sexual
behavior. Following James Crosby’s ACT model for pornography
addiction, “make sure the participant recognizes that they
have control over behavior, but not over the urges to view.”

32
to distinguish the difference between sexual
urges (arousal)—which are “a normal part of
being human”—and sexual behaviors, which
are consciously chosen and which they have
control of (Twohig and Crosby, 2010). This
is important as it allows the client to likely
reduce, or even eliminate, the shame they
experience when they encounter a desire
that is inherent in virtually all humans, if that
(shame) is what they have been experiencing.

Acceptance is one of the fundamental

strategies in ACT, and is the key to its
effectiveness. It not only reduces shame
but also allows the addict to be more
compassionate and accepting of their own
self. This, in turn, leads to healing, wholeness,
happiness, and balance, as small goals based
on personal values turn into medium goals,
medium goals evolve into larger ones—and
eventually, a person becomes integrated with
what they have been trying to become all
along.

33
Two Other Therapy Aids Backed by
Science:
#1: Exercise
Regarding the potential of exercise in helping
overcome an addiction, in his 2011 study
Christopher Olsen states:

“Unlike natural rewards ... most

studies have found that exposure
to exercise attenuates the effects
of drugs of abuse. For example,
self-administration of morphine,
ethanol, and cocaine are all
reduced following exercise.”

34
 He adds in the conclusion of his study that,
in addition to reducing “relapse to drugs of
abuse,” exercise also “reduces withdrawal
symptoms and relapse in abstinent smokers,”
and even mentions that “one drug recovery
program has seen success in participants that
train for and compete in a marathon as part of
the program.”

#2: Environmental Enrichment

Also in his 2011 study on natural rewards
and “non-drug addictions,” Christopher Olsen
mentioned the therapeutic effect of environ-
mental enrichment, where he said:

“Environmental enrichment has been pro-

posed as both a preventative and a treat-
ment measure for drug addiction based on
preclinical studies with several drugs of
abuse,” adding that “studies of human in-
mates suggest that environmental enrich-
ment through the use of ‘therapeutic com-
munities’ is in fact an effective treatment
option.”

35
36
H ow to help those
struggling:
As mentioned in the introduction, this
guidebook was not meant to be a comprehen-
sive recovery manual for pornography or re-
lated addictions.

However, its intention was to be a guide

to help chaplains and other spiritual leaders
have a better understanding of the nature of
this addiction, and know what to do when
someone approaches you with the problem.

As mentioned in the book Love You, Hate the

Porn by Mark Chamberlain and Geoff Steur-
er, pornography addiction is almost always
a result of “attempting to meet healthy
needs in unhealthy ways.” (Chamberlain
and Steurer, 2011) Because of this, there is of-
ten a root to the problem that is deeper than
expected. The behavior had to start some-
where for some particular reason. And the
behavior continues for some (or many) par-
ticular reason(s).

37
 The key to recovery, then, is finding how
deep the roots go and taking care of the prob-
lem from the ground level up.

While some chaplains may be trained

professionally in Marriage and Family
Therapy, Social Work, or other related
counseling fields, I created this booklet
with the understanding that many chap-
lains may not have this type of training...

After many hours of research, however,

and discovering how effective the EFT and
ACT therapy models are in helping men and
women recover from pornography addiction
(often in conjunction), I felt that these would
likely be two effective models that could help
those struggling with a deeply rooted pornog-
raphy habit.

Because of this, the best way to implement

the understanding gained from reading this
booklet is not to try and use the therapeutic
techniques if you are not professionally or ad-

38
equately trained in them. The best way to use
this book, however, is to study it thoroughly to
gain a better understanding of addiction, to be
able to better understand those who approach
you, and listen to them with love.

If you happen to be trained in either EFT

or ACT (or both), great! If not, the most effec-
tive thing to do as a spiritual counselor at that
point is to refer the person under your care to
a professionally trained counselor (in EFT or
ACT, or both), and, with your continual spiri-
tual assistance and emotional support, prog-
ress will accelerate faster than you could have
ever imagined.

39
“In reality, the pull of pornography
results ... from unmanaged
emotional and relationship pain.
Think of it as attempting to meet
healthy needs in unhealthy ways.”
-Mark Chamberlain and Geoff Steurer

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R eferences
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