The Porn Trap: The Essential Guide to Overcoming Problems Caused by Pornography (Hardcover)

by Wendy Maltz (Author), Larry Maltz (Author)
Key Phrases: getting motivated, sensual pleasuring, quitting porn, Becoming Aware, Relapse Zone, See-The Consequences of Porn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"An excellent, thoughtful, and hopeful guide providing effective help for those who struggle with our newest and most challenging mental health problem--pornography addiction." -- Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., author of Don't Call It Love and In the Shadows of the Net

"An extremely helpful and much needed resource for a very destructive addiction. The Porn Trap includes clear and practical guidance for healing the emptiness caused by porn. I highly recommend it." -- Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., author of Getting the Love You Want and Receiving Love

"Groundbreaking. This is the best book on the market to help compulsive porn users and the people who love them to confront and change this destructive pattern." -- Barry McCarthy, Ph.D., author of Men's Sexual Health and Rekindling Desire

"Larry and Wendy have done a masterful job of defining the problem of porn and giving the reader a marvelous plethora of treatment options. This is a must read for anyone who cares about someone hurt by porn addiction. For those struggling themselves, this book is a lifesaver!" -- Dr. Ted Roberts, pastor, counselor, and author of Pure Desire

"This intelligent book brings a healing voice to an issue that too often divides and devastates partners-it goes way beyond ‘just say no,’ to offer heart-opening guidance that will help you explore new dimensions of sexual desire and intimacy." -- Gina Ogden, Ph.D., author of The Heart and Soul of Sex and The Return of Desire

"With clarity, compassion, and understanding, Wendy and Larry Maltz help readers comprehend the magnitude of the problem and porn’s highly addictive nature. Their vast knowledge of healing and regaining a healthy sexuality embedded in a true relationship, provides readers with a wise and helpful guide." -- Charlotte Sophia Kasl, Ph.D., author of Women, Sex, and Addiction and If the Buddha Dated

Review
"With clarity, compassion, and understanding, Wendy and Larry Maltz help readers comprehend the magnitude of the problem and porn's highly addictive nature. Their vast knowledge of healing and regaining a healthy sexuality embedded in a true relationship, provides readers with a wise and helpful guide." (Charlotte Sophia Kasl, Ph.D., author of Women, Sex, and Addiction and If the Buddha Dated )

"Groundbreaking. This is the best book on the market to help compulsive porn users and the people who love them to confront and change this destructive pattern." (Barry McCarthy, Ph.D., author of Men's Sexual Health and Rekindling Desire )

"An excellent, thoughtful, and hopeful guide providing effective help for those who struggle with our newest and most challenging mental health problem--pornography addiction." (Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., author of Don't Call It Love and In the Shadows of the Net )

"This intelligent book brings a healing voice to an issue that too often divides and devastates partners-it goes way beyond 'just say no,' to offer heart-opening guidance that will help you explore new dimensions of sexual desire and intimacy." (Gina Ogden, Ph.D., author of The Heart and Soul of Sex and The Return of Desire )

"Larry and Wendy have done a masterful job of defining the problem of porn and giving the reader a marvelous plethora of treatment options. This is a must read for anyone who cares about someone hurt by porn addiction. For those struggling themselves, this book is a lifesaver!" (Dr. Ted Roberts, pastor, counselor, and author of Pure Desire )

"An extremely helpful and much needed resource for a very destructive addiction. The Porn Trap includes clear and practical guidance for healing the emptiness caused by porn. I highly recommend it." (Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., author of Getting the Love You Want and Receiving Love )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006123186X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061231865
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,808 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Porn Trap - A Superb Recovery Book, May 7, 2008

By	Matthew Moses - See all my reviews

As someone who knows the ravages porn addiction can inflict on a person's life, and on the lives of others, I'm SO GRATEFUL this book has come along. At last there's a clear, compassionate, open-minded guide for people who identify themselves as having a porn problem, and for their intimate partners and families.

Step by step, this book helps you evaluate your own situation, understand how you or someone you love got into porn, and see your way clear to making changes if and when you're ready. There are questionnaires throughout to help you relate your own particular situation to what's being discussed.

I liked the book's everyday language and clear organization. It maps everything out for you and gives you a plan of action with many alternatives. That's very comforting when you're in distress and things are falling apart or could at any minute.

The authors interviewed real people as the basis for their research. These stories, often in the people's own words, helped me feel less alone. They ring true, and cover a wide range of situations and personalities. Both men and women can relate to this book, and so can people of any religion or those with a secular perspective.

I found the chapters on Partners in Pain and Healing as a Couple especially helpful. I think the authors really understand the dynamics of intimate relationships. They walk you through a multi-step approach for addressing these painful challenges. You realize you have a shot at healing your relationship. And I was glad to find chapters on preventing relapses and approaching sex in new ways, again with very specific suggestions.

I never got the impression that the authors were anti-sex or against all forms of erotica, and they certainly weren't shaming or blaming. What came through instead was simply a desire to help people who've become unhappily caught up in pornography. They give options for improving the quality of your life in ways of your own choosing. I've read a couple of other books by Wendy Maltz, including one on the joyful exploration of women's sexual fantasies, and she's by no means a prude. Her writings underscore the importance of sexual pleasure.

All in all, The Porn Trap helped me understand the nature of porn addiction and gave me hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, without one's family relationships and self-esteem being destroyed forever. It's a SUPERB RECOVERY BOOK and I highly recommend it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When porn becomes a problem, May 18, 2008

By	Joe Kort "www.joekort.com" (Royal Oak, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book for those individuals struggling with pornography where loss of control, failed attempts to stop as well as overall preferences for pornography over having actual sex with individuals.

Reading this book, I do not see it as pathologizing pornography for everyone. Instead it speaks to how it can become abused in terms of psychology and physiology and how to get out of the addictive cycle of using it.

There are those for whom pornography is healthy and useful to their sexual expression. This book is not for these individuals.

I highly recommend this book to those who struggle with compulsive pornography use and for those in relationship to those individuals.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strength Based Solutions for Taboo Subject, May 10, 2008

By	David L. Moeglein (Walnut Creek, California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a provider of Sex Offender Treatment at a State Forensic Hospital for the Mentally Disabled, I have seen first hand the devastation that can be caused by the compulsive use of pornography in the lives of the individuals we serve. Wendy and Larry Maltz exhibit not only excellent insight, but solutions for one of the leading crises of our time.

They have created a road map for those who find either themselves or those they care for isolated and alone in a dark place as a result of the compulsive use of porn. Through stories and information, they give us what is necessary to successfully address these complexities.

A comprehensive solution to this issue must include an understanding of spirituality, intra/inter-personal dynamics, human development, and neurochemistry. They give hope for intimacy in trust filled relationships, and concrete steps to achieve this end. I am grateful for the human face that they have put on this issue. I will use their work as a resource in treating those I serve.

David L. Moeglein, MSW, ASW, LPT
Clinical Social Worker
Psychiatric Technician