Treating Pornography Addiction: The Essential Tools for Recovery (Paperback)

by Ph.D. Kevin B. Skinner (Author) "As John sat down in front of me, I knew the problem before he began to speak..." (more)
Key Phrases: overcoming pornography, own reaction sequence, involvement with pornography, Stanton Peele (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
My hope is back. I feel like a new person. You have laid the foundation for my change. -- Thomas--in recovery

My hope is back. I feel like a new person. You have laid the foundation for my change. --Thomas--in recovery

Product Description
This book carefully walks someone struggling with porngraphy through the steps to recovery. This book begins with how pornography becomes a problem in the mind and how it becomes addictive. Then it teaches the reader how to rewrite the patterns in the mind. It closes with the key steps of recovery.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: GrowthClimate (September 1, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 097722080X
• ISBN-13: 978-0977220809
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The tools to help me progress in life, April 15, 2006

By	Kenneth Kohler - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dr. Skinner wrote the keys to overcoming pornography addiction and very helpful exercises to self-evaluate your addiction status. If you do the things asked in this book you will find yourself looking back at memories in your life that have effected you but you did not realize it. It helped me find key insights on why I was drawn to pornography, that it was a synthetic negative replacement of what I was really looking for and that I would be far happier in life pursuing other fulfilling endeavorer.

47 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A narrow view of addiction to pornography, with a moral overlay. , December 19, 2007

By	Lew Mills "ADHD Psychotherapist" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is important because pornography addiction still doesn't get the attention it deserves. For many people it is a real and serious problem. But I'm not convinced that Skinner adds much new to the discussion.

He does offer a powerful model for how to approach addictions in general, but not much nuance about the specific issues around pornography. Where the psychology of pornography addiction is touched on, it tends to be simplistic--about unsatisfying human relationships with others and so on. And there is a false presumption that once a teenage boy gets a look at a lingerie catalog that there will be an inexorable decline into depravity. People are actually more complex than that.

But my biggest issue with the book is the somewhat moralistic tone. There is not an acknowledgement of an appropriate role for erotica or sexual fantasy in a person's life. Sexual fantasy itself seems to be on trial, from a moralist's vantage point. One of the criticisms of pornography is that it erodes the spiritual life. Although that perspective could be important for many people, some will find that less relevant or even an obstacle. Another common problem caused by pornography addiction is the shame that usually accompanies it. But this book does nothing to address the negative attitudes about healthy sexuality that fuel that shame. In fact it could indirectly support those negative attitudes.

Maybe I'm asking for the equivalent of beer ads at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. But I think that sexual compulsions have to be understood in the context of what would be healthy sexuality.

If a moral/spiritual approach could work for you, or if you can sidestep that aspect of the book, this could be a useful roadmap.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The CDs are even better ! ! !, January 23, 2006

By	NeverSurrender (Springville, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This book is truly a great help for anyone wanting to free themselves from an obsession with pornography. Dr. Skinner also has CDs available under the same name at Amazon and they are worth the price! Whenever you want to review the information, you can just pop in a CD and get motivated all over again. It is also super for people who you may not be able to persuade to read a book. It is a great product and a valuable tool, indeed!