Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction

This book enabled me to link the required pain to PMO and apply the proper strategies and mindsets necessary to quit porn forever. Buy this book. Read it. Take notes. Apply it. Your brain will thank you.

It has the most up-to-date evidence and the most relevant self-reports from users. The scientific evidence isn't perfect, because it doesn't exist yet as we are at the beginning of observing this epidemic. As science sheds more light on this topic, this book will continually get better and more cogent with each new version published.

I recommend this book for anybody struggling with addiction of any sort, not just the internet or porn. I picked up this book as part of my "reboot" to overcome PIED and other porn-induced symptoms I was experiencing. Learning about all of the physical and chemical-based changes that occur in the brain when overindulging, and reading stories similar to mine were both a huge comfort in my struggle to overcome my porn addiction and resulting personal, emotional, mental, and physical trauma.

I loved reading the science behind porn addiction. I have been an porn user for over 15 years now and I didn't think it was a problem for a long time. It wasn't until I got further into fetishes and having performance issues with hook ups that i started to wonder what was wrong. I have to say the book was primarily written for str8 guys but I think gay men can find this book beneficial too.

Gary Wilson is a pioneer for the emerging issue of high-speed pornography and the addiction and sexual dysfunction it causes. In 180 or so pages, Gary Wilson succinctly and carefully covers essentially everything there is to know about the budding phenomenon. The overarching point that Wilson tries to emphasize is that the understanding of addiction is changing - addiction isn't about drugs and putting foreign substances into a body, but it's about the brain and how our brain responds to things. Pornography use causes powerful neurological activity in our brains that provide a tangible mechanism for addiction. The high-speed pornography of today provides users with such endless novelty and excitement that addiction is not only theoretically feasible, but highly probable.

Most importantly, Wilson highlights the sexual dysfunction (chiefly erectile dysfunction) that habitual pornography use can cause. Groups of men online have been emerging the last 7 years complaining of sexual dysfunction and they have only one variable in common - high-speed pornography use. Gary highlights that the extreme and unending content of internet pornography not only can create a dependency in its users, but also desensitizes users to the point where "real-life" sex doesn't get them off anymore. Habitual high-speed porn users are now dependent on the never-ending novelty of online porn and have created physical changes in their brain. Fortunately, Wilson shows that quitting porn and giving yourself a sexual restart (or reboot) can cure sufferers from these problems.

Bravo Mr. Wilson! While many books tackle the problems surrounding pornography use, none have done so in such a thorough and complete way.

Very informative and eye-opening. This is an epidemic that is hurting many. It's time for the truth to be known. It is written from a secular standpoint so Christians, like myself, will not agree with all the points, but the general truths pointed out in this book are great information.

This book is required reading for anyone who does pmo (porn, masturbation, orgasm). It will shed light on why one may feel depressed, unmotivated, or socially anxious. Many people don't realize that porn/masturbation is destroying their lives, this book will help steer one away from the destruction. I gave the book 4 stars instead of one because the beginning appears to push the ideology of altruism. Any follower of reason/objectivism knows that altruism (the ideology that one does not have a right to self-interest) resulted in mass democide under communist regimes and other anti-individual movements.

This book offers a lot in regards to modern streaming pornography. I think the author went a little overboard on the anecdotal stories but overall it was a good read. It definitely helped me understand my bodies cravings.

Very complete expose on the current state of research on the impacts of pornography, particularly on males of all ages. Wilson has compiled most current, authoritative and credible research and provided anecdotal validation of the findings through hundreds of collected interviews and shared statements from pornography users. The presentation is easy reading and very instructive about the physical, as well as behavioral impacts that short and long-term exposure and use of pornography have on the human brain. The findings are sobering, and the implications are frightening for men and women wanting to grow into rewarding and emotionally healthy sexual relationships. Wilson offers the path to escape from the addiction to porn, but there are vestiges of the initial harmful transformation that linger, perhaps for life. This is a great read for those accessing pornography past or present, those with adolescents who might consider accessing porn a social right of passage, and those wanting to help others through interpersonal support or through public policy development.

Reading this book was absolutely useful for me
I recommend everyone to to read it especially with the bombardment of modern pornography
This book is a real shift toward how watching porn is extremely painful

An important read to understand the extremely toxic nature of internet pornography, but it was quite open about what's done, and it made me sick after a while. I had to stop reading. It was pretty matter of fact, not salacious, but I could have done better with some effort at not repeating certain terms, using other modes of expression, for instance being more scientific in terminology or using terms that were more general and did not provoke visual images. However, I think the writer was speaking primarily to an intended audience of men who were caught in the webs of problems associated with this, and possibly they need it to be frankly spoken to avoid denial and be motivated to seek help.

Currently experiencing Sexual Dysfunction caused by porn and it’s effects on the brain. Mostly (ED) is what brought me to this book but explained a plethora of other symptoms I have had such as; increased anxiety, constant brain fog, social awkwardness and depersonalization, (Premature-ejac) etc. slowly this problem has been getting worse for over two years and with this hopefully my current results will keep getting better. Blueberries, less social media(counts as porn), and trying to reduce stress(not as easy as people make it out to be but you got this) has also been a huge help. After this book you should read “The Penis Book” by Dr. Aaron Spitz M.D. also very informative for men and women who want to help their man. Good luck and give it a read and stay strong! :)

In this book, Gary Wilson presents a wealth of evidence that fast Internet porn can have harmful addictive effects. The series of highly favourable reviews of this newly-released book on both American and UK the store bear witness to just how relevant and helpful it has already been. The book is written in a simple clear language appropriate for expert and layperson alike and is rooted firmly within the principles of neuroscience, behavioural psychology and evolution theory. The suggested ways of addressing the problem are also based upon established principles of behavioural psychology and do not involve probing the depths of the unconscious mind or years of expensive therapy. The book does not preach a moralistic message. As an experimental psychologist, I have spent over 40 years researching the bases of motivation and I can confirm that Gary's analysis fits very well to all that I have found.
(Professor) Frederick Toates, Open University, England author of `How Sexual Desire Works: The Enigmatic Urge'.

Compassionate, free of moralistic bias and brilliant!
Gary Wilson, who for years has run a super-informative website about the neuroscience of pornography addiction has hit a home run with this masterful new book. Well-researched and compassionately written, this book steers clear of the moralizing so rampant in most books about sex addiction. It also steers clear of a not-so-sublte pitch for sex addiction therapy and rehabs. It offers an enlightening look at exactly how and why we get addicted to this cotton candy, artificial garbage instead of to the true nourishment inherent in real connections. Using brain science to clearly demonstrate his findings, he helps addicts unshackle the shame that almost always accompanies sexual compulsion. Once they understand the hows and whys of their brain's reward circuitry when flooded with the powerful endogenous chemicals released when viewing pornography, they can forego the moral browbeating and focus instead on the useful guidelines for quitting this anesthetizing and ultimately self-destructive compulsion. I highly recommend it for therapists, clergy, life coaches or anyone who's noticed the alarming upsurge of porn addicts in their waiting rooms. Share it with your colleagues and then keep a stack on hand for your clients/patients. They will thank you for it.

Read this book and you'll become a dopamine ninja! i.e. a person who understands the way his brain works and can fight back successfully against various urges of all kinds! I believe that this book truly holds at least some of the answers, not only for helping a person become free of pornography but for life. Anyone can benefit from reading this book because it goes into detail about how people become practitioners of certain habits and why certain behaviors are so hard to change! Who doesn't need to change up their habits every once in a while! Everyone does, I think.

No but seriously this book is pretty good. It features the benefits (which are fairly profound) of being able to turn back a porn addiction as well as the science of addiction itself in the brain. But that's not all: It also provides plenty of reasons, motivations and awareness tools to fight back while a person goes through the brain's "re-booting" process. Re-booting is a trickery slope for many people who are trying to quit porn and for me this book was a definite gift towards going in the right direction. While he is careful not to preach about what to do with the void one will inevitably have in one's life after quitting any bad habit, the author does do a good job of providing some general life activities to enjoy as well as others to avoid while still recovering. This is a definite plus as many books about breaking porn addiction are simply moralistic messages, while others simply try to say that porn is a good thing and shouldn't be messed with. The author takes a much more nuanced and dare I say it, kinder, self-loving approach than either of these and for that he is greatly appreciated.

Overall I learned a lot about the brain as well as human society as a whole, which Wilson critiques in his book as being too willing to throw the term "sex-negative" at anyone who says porn and masturbation might not be as good as generally accepted. I believe we need a whole new idea of what sex-negative, sex-positive and other terms can mean and this book will go a long way towards creating that if more people read it. So I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Gary Wilson has for years been helping guys and girls that have problems related to consumption of pornography.

He has studied the research, interviewed people and created a ton of articles, videos and podcasts that he's posts for free on his website. If he's not the father of the "nofap" movement, he's at least the wise, helpful uncle you can turn to when you're too embarrased with yourself to talk to anyone else.

This book is his masterpiece, where he draws together everything he has learned over the years and presents it in one comprehensive volume.

He starts explaining what the risks of porn consumption can be, often with examples quoted directly from sufferers themselves.

The second section is all about the science. How does pornography addiction work? Is it a real addiction? What does the research say about it? A little dry, and can safely be skimmed if you are more instersted in knowing how it affects you than what's happening behind the scenes.

Finally, and most importantly, he tells you what to do about it if your own pornography consumption is out of control. A lot of good advice from the thousands of people he's assisted through this process is posted there.

As an ex porn-addict myself, and the author of my own book on the subject ("Porned Out"), I am familiar with the subject both experientially and academically, and Gary delivers strongly on both aspects here.

I'd recommend this book for everyone: Porn Addicts wondering what is going on with them and how to give it up, their friends and family wondering the same, nofap vetarans that want to learn more, and everyone else curious about the effects of porn addiction. This is the most comprehensive, readable and strongly argued book on the subject I have seen yet.

This book is an absolute must for anybody who wants to understand how the apparent endless fascination of today's internet can unwittingly impact on the brain and our sexual pleasure centres, suppressing our potential for relationship happiness. Wilson builds on his illuminating TEDx talk, The Great Porn Experiment, that has already scored over 3 million hits worldwide and been translated into more than a dozen languages. He is a born teacher and with humour makes sense of the complex area of neuroscience for the non-scientific. Too many books and articles by well meaning psychologists miss the key biological information that we need to understand the effects of the supernormal stimuli that flood our environment today. With real life stories of hope, struggle and triumph, he illustrates how we can achieve genuine happiness in our deepest relationships through understanding and taking control of our appetites. I have been recommending it in my workshops, to fellow professionals and to my friends and family.

Until now, the current climate in our society regarding internet porn use and it's effect on the brain has been devoid of an important voice; that of thousands of people with the direct experience of becoming addicted to it's use.

The stigma of guilt and shame that surrounds the often debilitating cycle of internet porn addiction and masturbation, makes it a subject that leaves the addict feeling all the more willing to stay isolated and suffer in silence, and those that are closest to the addict, their spouses, family and friends suffer an equally painful ordeal that they feel nobody else could possibly understand.

In this book, Gary Wilson boldly removes the shroud of secrecy behind what's actually going on with this addiction, giving the reader the "how" and "why" by including the most current, up to date and, fully documented brain research possible on this subject.

What makes this book so valuable are the personal accounts in the words of the addicts themselves, stories that are consistent with the brain research and confirm that this is indeed an addiction that is just as real as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol addiction. The good news is that most of the harm done by internet porn addiction is reversible by simply stopping the habit.

Your Brain On Porn by Gary Wilson is by far the most important book ever written on this subject to date.

What we can understand in this book is that, we don't know everything we think we know, especially when it comes to the internet. What adds insult to injury is that the so-called "experts", the current medical establishment and the psychotherapy community are even more in the dark and have been at best, asleep at the wheel and, at the worst, have misled and misdiagnosed tens of thousands, if not millions of patients causing new and even more serious and irreversible problems that could have been avoided by simply stopping their porn use.

The old and worn-out paradigm that exists in current mainstream psychotherapy, one that exacerbates this current internet porn addiction epidemic, is the obsessive clinging to the old and tired idea of pornography being " good for you" because therapists are too afraid to rock the boat and be viewed as not being "sex positive".

In the world of today's high speed HD "tube" sites where the human brain is being hijacked by the supernormal stimulus of internet porn, causing incredible pain and suffering to the addict and those around them, the idea that we should remain "sex positive" to porn at risk of being sexually repressed is madness.

It's not only madness, it fits the definition of insanity, that is; doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Therefore, today, in this current world we live in, this idea that somehow internet porn is, "good for you", "good for couples" and, is "good" for our mental and physical health is insane.

It's like the mainstream medical/psychiatric/psychotherapy community is clinging to a life raft with a slow leak that they can't detect, in the middle of the ocean and we're all watching them about to be fish food.

This book is as good as it gets, bold, brave and full of truth.

Thank you Gary Wilson.

Weaving together cutting-edge neuroscience, sound advice and compassion, Gary Wilson sheds light on a modern epidemic, ...and then tells us how we can recover.

This is THE book on the emerging threat of porn addiction, and the single best resource for anyone looking to climb out of the cybersex abyss.

Fear mongering book based on pseudoscience. Author uses fake medical arguments to conceal his moral agenda against porn. Author argues strongly against fetishes and sexual diversity; (indirectly) stigmatizes LGBT community. Spins research and cherry picks studies. No mention of the studies that show porn addiction isn't a real thing.

It's worth noting that the owner runs a site with his wife called reuniting, where they demonize masturbation and orgasm in all its forms. They claim orgasm is detrimental to relationships. They promote a very narrow minded, repressive view on sexuality. Toxic message which can be very harmful especially so for vulnerable people who suffer from social anxiety, depression, OCD or other issues. Porn doesn't cause these issues, but such issues can lead to above average porn use. The underlying issues are the problem, not porn itself.

Please avoid this cult.