Power Over Pornography

A pornography viewer typically doesn’t even think between being tempted and viewing. Just as our brain helps us efficiently develop basic habits like brushing our teeth, viewers’ brains develop pathways through their brain that bypass logical processing. When a temptation comes, it’s as if your brain says, “Do not pass go. Head straight to viewing pornography.” No thinking required.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

There is a simple mind trick in the way you react to the porn-viewing temptation that you’ll find surprisingly powerful. Here it is:

Choose Consequences.

Let me explain. The next time you’re tempted to view porn, interrupt the automatic viewing that follows with a simple statement of the consequences of viewing. For example, when the temptation hits, say to yourself, “If I choose to view, I choose anger, low-self-esteem, and erectile dysfunction. If I choose to live a loving life (not viewing), I choose love, meaningful relationships, and strong self-confidence.”

Choosing consequences powers you through the porn-viewing temptation as if it were a small speed bump in the road.

Don’t forget the other steps before choosing consequences. Once you state the temptation out loud in your mind and accept it as normal (we covered the importance of these two steps in the article “Porn Triggers: How avoiding them doesn’t work and what to do instead” at https://poweroverpornography.com/porn-triggers-avoiding-doesnt-work), you choose consequences.

We tend to give more weight to short-term consequences than long-term consequences. That leads us to make decisions that are not in our best interest. In addition, our natural, rationalizing mind likes to minimize the consequences of our actions to justify them. To defeat the rationalizer, you need to face the actual consequences, both short and long-term. Do some research (see https://poweroverpornography.com/consequences for a compilation of the consequences of porn viewing) to select the consequences most impactful to you.

Once you become a consequence chooser, you will no longer make as many penny-wise and pound-foolish decisions. Choosing consequences helps in all aspects of your life. Not only will you be better equipped to overcome pornography temptations, but you can use it to eat healthier and be more productive:

Choosing consequences instead of actions isn’t the only step you need to overcome a pornography viewing habit, but it will help. To discover the other steps, check out the book Power Over Pornography. You can find the eBook and hard copy at Amazon or get it for free (+ shipping and handling) at https://freebook.poweroverpornography.com.