IS PORN A PROBLEM IN YOUR LIFE? Mental Health: Written by: Caleb Thomas, M.A. LMHC Hello Urban Experience Readers. If you noticed I added a few letters behind my name, you know LMHC stands for Licensed Mental Health Counselor, but you may not be familiar with the SPARC, that stands for Sex and Porn Addictions Recovery Coach. This month I want to discuss Porn and the impact it has on people from all walks of life. First, I want to tell you why I became a Sex and Porn Addictions Recovery Coach (SPARC). I can only do justice by telling you from the start, having seen many clients, who revealed they were struggling with Porn and wanted to know how to stop. I felt I had an obligation to give my client(s) the best professional information and intervention starting with educating myself from a best practice stance. Porn had gotten many into trouble, which had disrupted their lives as well as daily living. I took their concerns seriously as their ages ranged from pre-teens to adults, married, single, from the Pastor in the pulpit to the congregation in the pews, porn is a problem. Secondly, I don’t stand before you as if I’ve never watched porn, I have and I’m guilty, and I have repented. Was it a problem for me? Yes, it was, as it started me down the road of lust and early pre-marital sex as a teen. Some of you may be thinking well what’s wrong with that, most teens are going to have sex anyway, so it’s no big deal. There’s plenty wrong, to name a few things such as the risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s), and the risk of a Teen Pregnancy (as well as who is going to take care of the baby if the teen decides to go through with the pregnancy). This leads to another dilemma as you’ll find 1 of 3 things happen with teen pregnancy; many teens will either have an abortion, or the baby is put up for adoption or the baby gets raised by the grandparent (s) which in some cases the biological mom doesn’t get to develop a real relationship with their child. The other problem which is something we tend to ignore about pre-marital sex, is the Bible tells us fornicators will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. As a therapist noting I had so many clients struggling with this issue, I wanted to learn more about porn addiction, and it happened as part of my Continuing Education Courses (professional learning), I took the course and learned more about porn and how I could be a help to my clients and others. I’ve learned not only is porn psychological and physiological, but it can also cause anyone who watches porn to become addicted to porn. It can also cause depression and anxiety, as well as erectile dysfunction. As I dove deeper into my studies the Holy Spirit revealed to me porn is also spiritual. This is something most professionals and scholars in this field and research will not tell you. You may be wondering how it is spiritual, well I can tell you that anytime we go against the word of God’s design this gives Satan an open door and a legal right to come in and begin the path of destruction for your life. Porn and masturbation cause you to release a chemical God designed in our minds called dopamine, also known as “the feel-good chemical”. This chemical should be released in moderation such as having intimacy with your husband or wife, however if dopamine gets released more frequently and has an accumulative effect on your brain and wants more of that feel good feeling. This can throw people into a negative downward spiral,
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