How to Stop Masturbating
For many people, masturbation is a normal part of their sexual health. When it becomes compulsive, especially when tied to frequent porn use, it can start to erode your well being.
If you’re wondering how to stop masturbating or how to quit watching porn, this guide will gently walk you through the process.
Why Is Porn Addiction Bad?
Understanding why porn addiction is harmful can help you make sense of what you’re feeling. When you watch porn often, especially in high doses, your brain gets flooded with dopamine. This feel-good chemical reinforces the behavior, training your brain to crave more. Over time, this repeated stimulation can lead to desensitization. You need more extreme content just to feel the same level of excitement. This pattern mirrors what researchers observe in substance addiction¹.
Side effects of porn addiction can include:
- Porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED): Trouble getting aroused without porn
- Low motivation: Emotional burnout and reduced interest in everyday activities
- Relationship strain: Partners may feel disconnected, inadequate, or replaced
- Mental health struggles: Feelings of shame, anxiety, and even depression²
Stepping away from compulsive porn use and masturbation can open the door to emotional clarity and peace of mind.
Understanding Porn Addiction Therapy
Struggling to break the habit doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means your brain has built a pattern. Luckily patterns can be rewired, and that’s where therapy comes in.
Individual Therapy
Talking to a therapist gives you a safe space to unpack your behaviors without shame. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is often used to help you:
- Recognize what leads to the urge
- Build healthier coping strategies
- Set goals and build momentum over time
If you’ve been through trauma, EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) may help³. EMDR helps you reprocess difficult memories that can silently drive your behaviors.
How to Find a Porn Addiction Therapist
Group Therapy and Structured Support
Healing in community is powerful. If you’ve tried quitting solo and keep slipping, a more structured setting like an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or ITC (Integrative Therapeutic Coaching) like Nostos may be worth considering. These often include:
- Group therapy
- Accountability systems
- Psychoeducation on addiction and emotion regulation
- Guidance from licensed clinicians and peer mentors
How to Quit Watching Porn (and Stop Masturbating)
You don’t need to be perfect to get better. A plan, some patience, and support goes a long way.
1. Track Your Triggers
Start by noticing what leads to the urge. Is it late at night? After a stressful conversation? When you’re tired, lonely, or bored?
Log these moments. You’ll start to see a pattern, and that awareness gives you more control.
Free 2-Week Digital Detox Tracker
2. Create a Disruption Plan
The next time the urge hits, do something different—anything that moves your energy or shifts your state:
- Go for a quick walk
- Do 10 pushups
- Text someone you trust
- Play music, journal, or meditate
Even a 3-minute pause can help your brain reset.
3. Add Friction
Make it just a little harder to follow through on the habit:
- Use porn blockers
- Keep your phone out of the bedroom
- Log out of social media at night
- Use accountability software that alerts someone you trust
Even just a few seconds can create space for change.
4. Replace the Reward
Your brain still wants dopamine, just in a healthier form. Try things that feel good and build you up:
- Movement: Exercise, dance, stretch
- Creativity: Art, music, writing
- Connection: Call a friend, join a group, hug someone
- Nature and mindfulness: Go outside, breathe deeply, slow down
You’re not simply trying to quit something, but learning to reconnect with your life.
5. Get Support
There’s real strength in asking for help. A porn addiction therapist, accountability partner, or recovery program can help you stay grounded and motivated⁴.
There are a variety of ways to seek help, and know you’re never alone.
Porn Addiction Resources and Help
6. Prepare for Setbacks
You might slip. Most people do. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it simply means you’re human.
Instead of beating yourself up, ask:
- What led to this?
- What did I need in that moment?
- What can I change next time?
Progress isn’t linear. But every step, even the stumbles, count.
Quit Porn Addiction with Nostos
Change is possible. Even in the toughest moments healing can begin, and lasting transformation can follow.
Nostos provides an online group program that helps people overcome porn addiction. We use an evidence-based approach called Integrative Therapeutic Coaching (ITC). Sessions are led by licensed professionals, and help you take action to reclaim your life.
When you’re ready, we’re here. Book a confidential call today.
1 Brand, M., Antons, S., Wegmann, E., & Potenza, M. N. (2019). The neurobiology of behavioral addictions: An update. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 90(8), 867–875. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2018-319440
2 Dwulit, A. D., & Rzymski, P. (2019). Social media use and attitudes towards sexuality: Implications for mental health and intimate relationships. Journal of Public Health, 27(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-019-01070-w
3 Pagani, M., Amann, B. L., Landin-Romero, R., & Carletto, S. (2017). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and slow wave sleep: A putative mechanism of action. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1935. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01935
4 Kraus, S. W., Martino, S., & Potenza, M. N. (2016). Clinical characteristics of men interested in seeking treatment for use of pornography. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 5(2), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.5.2016.016
How to Stop Masturbating
For many people, masturbation is a normal part of their sexual health. When it becomes compulsive, especially when tied to frequent porn use, it can start to erode your well being.
If you’re wondering how to stop masturbating or how to quit watching porn, this guide will gently walk you through the process.
Why Is Porn Addiction Bad?
Understanding why porn addiction is harmful can help you make sense of what you’re feeling. When you watch porn often, especially in high doses, your brain gets flooded with dopamine. This feel-good chemical reinforces the behavior, training your brain to crave more. Over time, this repeated stimulation can lead to desensitization. You need more extreme content just to feel the same level of excitement. This pattern mirrors what researchers observe in substance addiction¹.
Side effects of porn addiction can include:
- Porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED): Trouble getting aroused without porn
- Low motivation: Emotional burnout and reduced interest in everyday activities
- Relationship strain: Partners may feel disconnected, inadequate, or replaced
- Mental health struggles: Feelings of shame, anxiety, and even depression²
Stepping away from compulsive porn use and masturbation can open the door to emotional clarity and peace of mind.
Understanding Porn Addiction Therapy
Struggling to break the habit doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means your brain has built a pattern. Luckily patterns can be rewired, and that’s where therapy comes in.
Individual Therapy
Talking to a therapist gives you a safe space to unpack your behaviors without shame. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is often used to help you:
- Recognize what leads to the urge
- Build healthier coping strategies
- Set goals and build momentum over time
If you’ve been through trauma, EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) may help³. EMDR helps you reprocess difficult memories that can silently drive your behaviors.
How to Find a Porn Addiction Therapist
Group Therapy and Structured Support
Healing in community is powerful. If you’ve tried quitting solo and keep slipping, a more structured setting like an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or ITC (Integrative Therapeutic Coaching) like Nostos may be worth considering. These often include:
- Group therapy
- Accountability systems
- Psychoeducation on addiction and emotion regulation
- Guidance from licensed clinicians and peer mentors
How to Quit Watching Porn (and Stop Masturbating)
You don’t need to be perfect to get better. A plan, some patience, and support goes a long way.
1. Track Your Triggers
Start by noticing what leads to the urge. Is it late at night? After a stressful conversation? When you’re tired, lonely, or bored?
Log these moments. You’ll start to see a pattern, and that awareness gives you more control.
Free 2-Week Digital Detox Tracker
2. Create a Disruption Plan
The next time the urge hits, do something different—anything that moves your energy or shifts your state:
- Go for a quick walk
- Do 10 pushups
- Text someone you trust
- Play music, journal, or meditate
Even a 3-minute pause can help your brain reset.
3. Add Friction
Make it just a little harder to follow through on the habit:
- Use porn blockers
- Keep your phone out of the bedroom
- Log out of social media at night
- Use accountability software that alerts someone you trust
Even just a few seconds can create space for change.
4. Replace the Reward
Your brain still wants dopamine, just in a healthier form. Try things that feel good and build you up:
- Movement: Exercise, dance, stretch
- Creativity: Art, music, writing
- Connection: Call a friend, join a group, hug someone
- Nature and mindfulness: Go outside, breathe deeply, slow down
You’re not simply trying to quit something, but learning to reconnect with your life.
5. Get Support
There’s real strength in asking for help. A porn addiction therapist, accountability partner, or recovery program can help you stay grounded and motivated⁴.
There are a variety of ways to seek help, and know you’re never alone.
Porn Addiction Resources and Help
6. Prepare for Setbacks
You might slip. Most people do. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it simply means you’re human.
Instead of beating yourself up, ask:
- What led to this?
- What did I need in that moment?
- What can I change next time?
Progress isn’t linear. But every step, even the stumbles, count.
Quit Porn Addiction with Nostos
Change is possible. Even in the toughest moments healing can begin, and lasting transformation can follow.
Nostos provides an online group program that helps people overcome porn addiction. We use an evidence-based approach called Integrative Therapeutic Coaching (ITC). Sessions are led by licensed professionals, and help you take action to reclaim your life.
When you’re ready, we’re here. Book a confidential call today.
