The Root of Addiction

David was addicted to porn.⁣ His wife caught him him a few years ago and it caused a marital crisis.⁣

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David stopped watching porn but then started again.⁣

David was at his wits end.⁣ For many reasons, he really, really, wanted to stop.⁣

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Watching porn was against his values and religious beliefs. Every time he watched he felt like a piece of garbage. The shame spiral made him feel terrible but nothing changed. The shame seemed to make it even worse.⁣ Even more confounding was that David knew that if his wife found out that he was watching again, the marriage would be over.⁣ David hated himself. He couldnt grasp why he knew how damaging porn was to his life but remained stuck.⁣

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David's dilemma was at the heart of addiction is. On the one hand knowing that you are destroying your life but at the same time that knowledge has no impact.⁣

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There is a brain mechanism that causes this.⁣

It's called dissociation.⁣ Dissociation is when the brain shields you from reality. It either helps you to deny reality or it at minimum blocks you from experiencing the harsh truth of the reality that you know to be true.⁣

⁣Dissociation is a protective mechanism. When you need it, such as in life threatening situations when feeling the panic will stop you from doing what you need to do, its life saving.⁣

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In addiction, its what allows you to continue destroying your life because you dismiss, rationalize or feel nothing at the prospect of the havoc it wreaks. Dissociation is the gasoline that addiction needs to survive.⁣

⁣CAP helped David get off porn by adressing the dissociation.⁣ CAP induces a state known as peak experience.⁣ Peak experience is a state of mind in which there is heightened clarity, focus and awareness as well as a lowering of all psychological defenses including dissociation.⁣

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The CAP therapy method, when applied during peak experience, allowed David to 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 the havoc his addiction was causing to his life, to experience his loss of integrity to his values and the harsh reality of divorce if he continued.⁣

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Experiencing that reality is very different than knowing it logically. You can know something but be dissociated from it. Experiencing it means you are fully connected to the reality. ⁣

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Most CAP sessions feel amazing, this CAP session didn't feel good at all. But it gave David what he needed to get better: Reality. Sometimes reality feels good, sometimes it doesn't, but connecting to reality ALWAYS leads to growth, healing and change.

(Some details have been changed to preserve anonymity)