THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON PORN

How this addiction damages your mind—and how to rewire it.

If some malevolent being held a competition to create the perfect delivery mechanism to enslave our human desire, Internet pornography would win the grand prize. Online pornography is fundamentally different from the Playboy or Penthouse of past generations. If the magazines, videos and DVDs of the past were like the Wright Brothers’ plane at Kitty Hawk, then Internet porn would be a supersonic jet.

Although supersonic jets are impressive for military use or high-speed travel, you wouldn’t want one landing in your backyard. But this is the impact Internet porn makes on the brain. Its sheer power and intensity create a heightened level of stimulation that your brain was never intended to experience. Because of this, the brain of a person regularly using porn can change and shape itself to resemble neuropathways similar to those of an alcoholic or drug addict.

Without understanding porn’s impact on the brain, too many people either quit trying to change or carry unnecessary guilt and shame when their spiritual zeal and will power aren’t enough. Can you relate? Here’s what you need to do to combat porn’s powerful hold on your mind.

First, know the basics
If you remember anything about the brain as it relates to porn, remember the chemical neurotransmitter dopamine. Known as the “gotta have it” molecule, dopamine has been described by one brain expert as the gas that fuels our desire engine. This neurotransmitter involves anticipation and expectation.

When we imagine eating at a favorite restaurant, shopping for a new gadget or having sex, the brain releases dopamine and our senses call out, Gimme, gimme, gimme! The more intense the experience, the more dopamine is released in the brain. Without this neurotransmitter, we would stay in bed all day with no motivation to eat or pursue meaningful goals, relationships, or sexual pleasure. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter behind all motivation in life.

How porn rewires your brain
Every thought, feeling, habit, skill, or behavior in your life has a corresponding neuropathway that fires in your brain. These pathways are designed to function optimally. However, as the brain’s reward circuitry gets entangled in a tug of war, the brain rewires itself for addiction and new neuropathways are created.

Every time a person views porn, or eventually even thinks about porn, the burst of dopamine strengthens the connections between cells. The stronger the connection, the easier it becomes for cells to communicate on that path. This idea of the brain changing itself is called neuroplasticity. Whether learning to ski, learning to speak a foreign language, or looking at porn, the more we use a particular neuropathway, the more our brain changes, making the pathway stronger.

These neuropathways are like footpaths across a field of waist-high grass. Walking across the field when the grass is so high requires significant effort. But each time you walk along the path, it gets easier. The grass gets trampled, worn down, and eventually becomes a dirt path.

Someone who doesn’t watch porn, or is not yet addicted, has yet to develop sensitized “weed-whacked” pathways. But the porn neuropathways of someone whose brain is addicted are weed-whacked and trampled down so that they have become the path of least resistance. Porn becomes the path of least resistance in the brain. And the easier the path, the more likely we are to take it, even when we don’t want to. The creation of this path of least resistance is called sensitization.

You can reboot your brain
The good news is, your brain can be changed in a positive and healthy direction. Our brains can be rewired from their addictive patterns. Just as you can reboot your computer and reset the hard drive, you can reboot your brain and restore the sensitivity of your brain circuits. On a computer, it’s as simple as pressing the power button or clicking a pull-down menu to restart. However, rebooting your brain may be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done.

How do you do it? Here are three ways to give your porn-saturated brain a reboot.

1. Practice intentional thinking. What you think about is ultimately what you become. What we once called “the power of positive thinking” is increasingly backed by scientific evidence. The more attention your brain pays to given input, the stronger and more elaborately it will be wired and retained in the brain. When we give our attention and focus to good things, like peace, joy, and self-control, our brains rewire themselves in a way that allows us to experience those good things. Wouldn’t it make sense, then, to be intentional about what we give ourselves to?

2. Pursue alternate passions. The famous philosopher, novelist, and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was right when he said we are shaped and fashioned by what we love. Certainly this applies to our brains. The life focus of a person struggling with porn leads to tunnel vision. When people view porn on a regular basis, their passions are held captive, and they forfeit the ability to direct their life in the way they would otherwise choose. Pursuing alternative passions expands your horizons and rewires your brain at the same time.

3. Employ the power of repetition. Studies show that repeated behaviors, over time, cause structural changes in the brain. These changes can be negative, causing compulsion and addiction. Or they can be positive, rewiring the brain so the stimuli of porn and lust are no longer a reflexive reaction. Repetition helps lock behaviors in the brain in the same way an athlete develops muscle memory. Be encouraged. Your struggle with porn is a learned response, in many ways, just like the athlete. Your brain can unlearn, and it can change

How will the people and things you love most be affected?

[Very Important: Please read all the way through.]

. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I failed you. I’m sorry I failed us.

I’m sorry I traded the best thing in my life for an hour of pleasure. I’m sorry I betrayed you. I destroyed everything we ever worked for.

I compromised the most intimate part of our marriage. I feel dirty, worthless and lost.

I’m supposed to be your hero but instead I caused you so much heartache. I’ve never seen you hurt or cry so much. The hardest part about this is knowing that nothing I say or do will ever change what I’ve done. You’ll always have a huge scar on your heart because of me. I’m so sorry.

I’m moving out for a while so you can come back home. I don’t expect you to answer my calls.

 I’m so sorry. I know you probably can’t comprehend what is happening or why everything has changed. I’m sorry that I hurt mummy. I’m sorry I can’t be home for a while. I know your friends are all talking about our family. I’m sorry for the shame I brought you.

I hope you can forgive me.

This is not what God designed marriage to be. I hope you someday find a man that is man enough to not do to you what I have just done to mom.

 I don’t know where to start. I feel like such a hypocrite. All those years of telling you there’s nothing like being in Gods story all down the drain? All in one night? I’m so sorry. I know I’ve lost all moral authority with you. I know you’ll never be able to hear another sermon I preach the same way.

I’m stepping down from leadership and all ministry.

Although Gods grace is enough for me, I know that no matter how much I repent, I’ll never be able to lead with the same capacity again. At least not for a long, long time. I’m sorry.

_______________________________________________________________________________
Sexual temptation banks on you having a short sighted perspective to be effective.
No one would take the plunge if we truly and fully considered the consequences.

If faced with an option between losing everything that matters to me because I committed adultery or saving it because I said no to 30 minutes of sexual pleasure, I think any reasonable person would agree that its not even close.

But yet everyday people choose option A. Its all perspective.

Regardless of whether you are single, married, virgin or not, I think one of the biggest safeguards you can have on this journey of purity is considering today the consequences of failing morally tomorrow.

Let me be clear; I'm NOT talking about 2nd chances. Gods grace will ALWAYS give us an opportunity to stand every time we fall. Every single time. No story is beyond redemption. This exercise is NOT meant to keep us defeated but rather to highlight the consequences of sexual failures.

Even though its not true and I’ve never cheated on my wife and i am not married yet, this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever written.

So, following my example, please thoughtfully consider the following question and share your honest answer. It’ll be hard but its an exercise that's bound to give you perspective.

What is at stake [consequences] if and when you compromise your sexuality through adultery, pornography, lust, pre-marital sex e.t.c?

How will the people and things you love most be affected?

JEREMIAH 32;18b

Help me Lord before there's no time left! 
Yea (I'm just breathin to death) 
This song right here is dedicated to all my people out there tryin to figure life out,
I know you've heard a lot of answers, (I'm just breathin to death) even been to church a couple times, but something's still not right (help me Lord before there's no time left)

It's like Im tired of life,
Lord I'm wrong, why I can't get right?
And when it's dark why I can't get light?
And why it can't be light?
It's so heavy why my sins wont let me see the end,
Come get me, please come get me,
My thoughts, my mind, my ways all evil,
I'm supposed to be your people,
I'm supposed to see your sequel,
I said I'd never leave you,
But I'm so left,
I aint right Lord I'm sleepin with death,
Man, I'm cheatin with death!
Am I def? It's like a don't hear ya,
I say that I'm a Christian but its like I don't fear ya,
I'm on a selfish island and I am nowhere near ya,
God, I really need you even though I don't appear to!
I'm drinkin out of broken cisterns,
I can never hold water in 
Im gonna get burned,
Though I try I never satisfy, You quench this yearn,
I hear you calling but it's like a fight for me to just turn,
Lord I deserve to burn!

(Chorus): Help me Lord before there's no time left! 
I aint livin I'm just breathin to death! I'm just breathin to death! (x2)
Help me Lord before there's no time left! 
I aint livin I'm just breathin to death! I'm just breathin to death! 
Your ways are perfect and they lead me to rest,
Mine are evil and they lead me to death! 

I'm feelin schizophrenic, maybe I aint saved,
Cuz I gotta get high, just to block out all the pain,
Seen death, seen hurt, seen a whole lot of things,
Instead of runnin from it, I'm runnin away from change,
It's like I'm outside in the ice-cold weather,
The rain's commin down, I keep getting wetter,
I know I'm getting sick and I can die any second,
But still I refuse to let your truths make me better,
Id rather eat flies and maggots instead of bread,
And it's killin me slow, but I can't get it through my head,
You were stabbed, your were murdered, and for me is why you bled,
But I spit on your bloody face, as if I never cared,
And Lord how dare I compare my pain,
Your Father turned His back, and you were left to hang,
I don't know why you did it, that I can't explain,
How could you love a sinner who's desecrated your name?
Lord I deserve the flames! 

(Chorus)

I know I tell lies, I know I do dirt,
Apart from you I'm nothing, but you can give me worth,
I don't know if I know ya, but still I know I should,
I know these days are evil, and only you are good,
I've come to this conclusion; I would like to change,
Cuz all of the world's money and fame cannot sustain,
I know that I should turn, but that's the hardest thing,
Cuz do I really feel it having Jesus as my King? 
The world is so tempting, Satan is a beast!
He hypnotizes my eyes to say the least! 
But Jesus be my treasure! To know you is to live!
And I am here dying tryin everything there is,
All I need here is you! Help me turn away from sin!
Lord give me grace to turn away the feeling I give in,
I know that I'm not perfect, but I can rest in Him,
I know I don't deserve it, but still I take your hand,
Lord let me take your hand!

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH......NOTHING BUT THE NAKED TRUTH

Days are long my nights are even longer The weight so heavy on my back I can't move Could somebody help me where do I turn to?Since I was a youngi i have been shouldering it all on my own ,all alone never asking for help I just carry it on my own And turnin to God seemed to be an opium and was so entrenched in me that it was for the weaklings as i look into life through weak lens even though it telescoped the reality of the circumstances that sorrounded me

It's sweat pourin down from the years I done tried To be my own savior ,forgrtting that there is only one true God and i am not HIM!!!!!!.lI have never had the righteousness it took to save myself So this is where I turn confess believe That Jesus is the only savior that I'll ever need I repent,God,if there is anything worth saving in me,u for sure can have me unreservedly,i give myself away.take my form it,take my mind transfom it,my will conform it to YOURS!!!!

There I go again fallin,Tryin to stand on my own, still I'm just crawlin,Tryin be the man I should be that's my callin. But no matter how hard I try I don't ever really  fulfil that.I'm one the verge of bawlin often I'm feelin like I'm hopeless Feelin like I failed . I grit my teeth and I strive each moment,Trying to be strong but daily I've blown it, I don't know what's going to happen.I see Some change  happen in me and still yet i am  weak and some kinda power's lackin in me I need grace that'd be sweet Is there anyone to turn to give grace and peace Do I really have to  earn grace and truth? Can I be forgiven for the time that I burned?There I go again  I blew it .Everything I don't wanna do I keep doing.Why do I abuse all the grace that you given me? It's like I can't win man, I still got sin in me,And I struggle just believin you forgiven me.Your grace is extravangantly amazin look where you went for me,On them wooden beams u took my responsibility,i cant describe it better than Isaiah 53;1-12.I  will keep repentin til the day I leave.

“Most of us associate[holiness] with some kind of grimness or solemnity. We think holy people are those who look as if they have been steeped in vinegar or soaked in embalming fluid.”No wonder few Christians aspire to be holy In Leviticus 19, we see that holiness involves more than special ceremonies and special holy days and going to asacred place, the tabernacle, where rites were performed  by a special priestly class. We see a very practical,everyday kind of holiness—honoring parents and displaying honesty, kindness, compassion, and justice. In    essence, holiness is practiced by loving one’s neighbor as one’s self (v.18)
i found this reasoning intresting,the propaganda that my mind has propagate;
1.God made them beautiful on purpose.Of course you should look.He intended that for you!
2.It wont hurt anything..........you are only looking.''
3.Life is unbearable if you are going to live by such tight standards.God couldnt possibly intended that for you.Go ahead and look.He loves you and wants you to live life more abundantly.
4.So what if your galfriend is bothered when you look at other women?she is immature.she has issues,not you!
BY the end of my third posting of naked truth series,hope dawned as i began to win about as often as i failed.i cant overemphasize how dramatic and suprising this change was for me.God's blessings and gifts truly go beyond what we can ask or think,for when we sow righteousness,only the mind of God can conceive of the blessing we will reap.that veil betweens us is disintegrating.
If you are getting regular orgasm through masturbation,oral sex,mutual masturbation,or whatever,and if you are living in a constant state of visual foreplay,then the crest of your sex drive has risen to a height where its flooding every dike and riverbank that God put in place for you.in other words you are out of control.
if you are constantly masturbating.an orgasm releases a flood of ''feel good''brain chemicals-endorphins-into the blood stream,and the act gives you a bigger kick than anything that comes through the eyes.your body craves that feeling agiain,and thats why some guys masturbate three,four,even more times a day,even though this goes  far beyond the demands of any natural sex drive.
if you reading this and going'' seriously!!!!!??????like the Father in the prodigal son story,your heavenly Father is thrilled just to see you at the crest of the hill walking towards Him.if you stumble,let me not deliberate that out of context to make you feel awlful.if you stumble abit or biiiiig time as you come home,it wont change the fact that He is eagerly waiting for you to arrive,just get up and get wallking again.reject discouragement and fall into His arms.
some say God's standard arent fair,but i think His standards are plenty fair.what is unfair about Basic Instructions Before Leaving.Earth?!
 LORD, our Lord,    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
   You have set your glory    in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,    to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens,    the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,    which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,    human beings that you care for them?
 5 You have made them] a little lower than the angels    and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;    you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds,    and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky,    and the fish in the sea,    all that swim the paths of the seas.
 9 LORD, our Lord,    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
if you still are not convinced,consider this further.
He is jealous for me Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me. Oh, how He loves us so Oh, how He loves us How He loves us so.

Yeah, He loves us Woah, how He loves us Woah, how He loves us Woah, how He loves.

So we are His portion and He is our prize, Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes If grace is an ocean we're all sinking So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way

That he loves us, Woah, how He loves us Woah, how He loves us Woah, how He loves

I AM A SOUL SURVIVOUR.I have learnt not to shoot at my our wounded soldiers

Miss Traveller: Of Amazing Races……..

Miss Traveller: Of Amazing Races……..: O f Amazing Races……..   I can Clearly remember the last time I watched T.V with my mouth wide open, rooting for a team, holding my breath...

Never Give Up! The Fruit of Longsuffering What Is Gods Will? - Nancy Missler - Koinonia House

Never Give Up! The Fruit of Longsuffering What Is Gods Will? - Nancy Missler - Koinonia House

baptized in dirty waters

One thing I have done is that I have been learning from many many slips. It took me several slips and relapses to learn. One thing i also basically do is to learn to accept the fact that urges and triggers won't accept us into eternity. It will reach a top level and then wear off, it's not worth giving into at all.  Been really busy,having alot in my plate, relaxing and enjoying today when things just trip out of their axis. Had some major triggers and lusts that was screaming at me about 1 hour ago. But I stood up from bed, got myself a shower and concluded that now when i soon finished 1/369 of my 369 day self recovery it's not worth going back to point zero. Slipping automatically puts me back to day 1. 

 Many people confess to the downward spiral of watching pornography. What starts with curiosity turns into a habit and then becomes an obsession. What starts as soft-core turns to hardcore. What starts as pictures on a screen turns to a desire to act out these fantasies with real people.true.pornography feeds a warped understanding of intimacy.. Pornography always costs somebody something. pornography, it is, by its very nature, exploitative and dehumanizing. If men want to stop being a part of the problem and starting being a part of the solution to sexual exploitation in our culture, then they need to stop buying into the glossy media that equates a person’s worth to their sexual prowess or the sum of their body parts..

No, not all escalate the same way, but research shows the more porn we consume, the more we want to consume it. You need to see that the path of porn leads only to more isolation, guilt, alienation, and pain. Whether single or married, such a reset to normal is the only thing that can ever equip you to become a pure, loving, attentive, sacrificial husband. But you already know you need to change. Few Christian men indulge in porn without realizing they need to quit. Every Christian guy who looks at porn wants to stop, but many of us want to stop just a little bit less than we want to keep going. The problem isn't knowledge-it's desire and ability. So sin prevails. Here's a promise. You'll never stop until you begin to see the monstrous nature of the sin you're committing. You'll never stop until the sin is more horrifying to you than the commission of the sin is enjoyable.I know that most men who battle porn understand the darkness that lies underneath the porn industry.  I would readily admit that it is horrific.  But that knowledge alone is not enough to cause them to turn aside from the web pages.

Porn wrecks your view of sex. 

Porn wrecks your view of women. 

Porn wrecks women’s view of themselves. 

The porn industry abuses women. 

Porn is a sin against your wife. . . . If you’re not yet married, porn is a sin against your future wife. 

Porn wrecks families. 

Porn is enslaving. 

Porn erodes your character. 

Porn wastes your time, energy, and money. 

Porn weakens your relationship with God. 

Porn weakens your service. 

God’s wrath is against people who use porn.

But many people know all these things to be true and still look at porn on a regular basis.  How can we structure our lives beyond just knowing these things to be true and actually fighting for purity from the lies of porn?