On the heels of a recent Time Magazine article highlighting the myriad ways that porn can hijack your sexual response and negatively impact your sex life, Utah governor Gary Herbert signed a resolution that declared pornography to be a public health crisis.
While we at AIHG don't agree with the conservative perspective on pornography, and we support healthy adults' rights to engage in consensual activities that don't harm anyone, we have to agree with the assertion that porn can be dangerous to one's sexual functioning and relationships. We have seen firsthand how devastating porn can be to the libido, to sexual response, and to our clients' ability to connect with their partners.
We are now facing a generation of young men who have grown up watching porn on a regular basis, many of whom now consequently are unable to get an erection when in a sexual situation with a real woman. Their brains have been wired to respond to a certain type of visual and mental stimulation that is in most cases unrealistic, and in many cases unhealthy. We at AIHG have also seen many middle-aged and older men, who did not grow up on a steady diet of porn, turning to porn after being divorced or widowed and experiencing similar detrimental effects on their sexual functioning. And with nearly 90% of porn scenes depicting physical aggression toward women, porn may be desensitizing men toward women's feelings and teaching women that their needs are secondary to men's in sexual situations.
If you find that you are habitually viewing porn in order to relieve stress, anxiety, or boredom, and are concerned that it may be negatively affecting your libido and/or sexual functioning, we can help. Contact us to set up an appointment and let us gently guide you back to the flesh-and-blood world of healthy sexuality.