Reclaimed & Unashamed

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In this episode, special guest Ben joins us to share his story on overcoming pornography. Ben went through the Reclaimed 10-Week Journey and, all praise be to God, found lots of healing, hope, and growth. Listen in on his story and be encouraged — you CAN do something about the habit of pornography in your life. 

If you're looking to make a real change in this area of your life, go to community.reclaimedrecovery.com and request to join our private app. From there, you will find more resources to help you on your journey, as well as ways you can contact Kolton about going through the same coaching experience Ben went through as he describes it in this episode. 

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In part 2 of understanding root causes, we explore 5 more deep underlying causes that tend to work together synergistically to draw men into the struggle with porn:

1. Loneliness and isolation
2. Shame
3. Suffering from trauma and abuse
4. Living with misguided devotion
5. Allowing our good desires to be dulled and dampened

Understanding these underlying causes is a big first step to finding more freedom and self-control.  Knowledge is power, and the revealing comes before the healing.

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In this episode, we explore some of the most common root causes of a porn habit. In part 1, we will uncover 5 root causes that tend to work synergistically to draw men into the struggle with porn:

1. The nature of habit and the effects of porn on the Brain
2. Curiosity and imagination
3. Lack of vision, motivation, and purpose. Feelings of futility.
4. Hypersexualized Society (sex as a rite of passage, status, social significance)
5. Negative Emotions - Fear, Anxiety, depression (and our desire to avoid them)

Understanding these underlying causes is a big first step to finding more freedom and self-control.  Knowledge is power, and the revealing comes before the healing.

Stay tuned for the sequel to this episode, root causes part 2, where we will cover 5 more common root causes of unwanted behaviors related to pornography.

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If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

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In the third and final part of our testosterone series, we address some frequently asked questions and most debated topics regarding pornography, testosterone, erectile dysfunction, and more. 

We also wrap up this mini-series on science and pornography by tying together a few of the biggest takeaways from the last few episodes as we looked at dopamine, conditioning of the brain, and testosterone. 

The bottom line: There is good research to suggest that porn is unhealthy and unnatural to the brain. There are many opposing voices, but in our opinion, the evidence is hard to ignore along with the testimonies of hundreds of thousands of men online who have said that quitting porn was healthy and even life-changing for them. 

We also learned that when it comes to important hormones and molecules in our brains and bodies, it's important to integrate simple habits that will help us balance and optimize healthy baseline levels. This can make a huge difference in how we're feeling from day to day and should work synergistically with our efforts to quit a stubborn porn habit.

Last, we talked about how conditioning the brain overtime to certain stimulus actually 'rewires' the brain, and how this is probably the biggest reason why men struggle to walk away from it. It becomes a 'chemical support' for our brains that brings comfort and stability in various situations. 

For now, we are going to take a break from more science-heavy topics and move on to some other key points surrounding pornography - but we will return to the science very soon! 

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If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

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In testosterone part 2, we take a look at multiple factors that can affect our baseline levels of testosterone, especially sex and pornography, and we work to draw some conclusions about the harmful effects of porn and how it disrupts some of our natural biological processes. 

Learning about the hormones like testosterone and dopamine that drive your day-to-day energy, mood, and mindset is a part of our strategy to help you get unstuck and farther along in your journey to overcome porn.

Scientific information about testosterone for this podcast came from several reliable sources, but Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast episode on testosterone and estrogen was one of the primaries. If you want to dive deeper into the science of how these sex steroid hormones work, check out his 2-hour podcast episode on Youtube here.

https://reclaimedrecovery.com

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If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

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Testosterone is a hormone so vital to men's health, yet it's often overlooked in conversations related to identity, self-worth, and a man's journey to overcome pornography.

In part one of this topic, we begin with learning some basic scientific facts about testosterone and then transition into a discussion about what science can tell us about our identities as men and our struggles with porn.

Scientific information about testosterone for this podcast came from several reliable sources, but Dr. Andrew Huberman's podcast episode on testosterone and estrogen was one of the primaries. If you want to dive deeper into the science of how these sex steroid hormones work, check out his 2-hour podcast episode here.

If you're looking for coaching, community, and a hands-on approach to help you recover from a porn habit, reach out to us at Reclaimed Recovery by downloading our private app or visiting our website at https://reclaimedrecovery.com

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If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

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In this episode, we take a deep dive with guest Drew Boa to uncover the heart of the issue when it comes to pornography. Drew leads a community of men at Husband Material, where he coaches men on how to 'outgrow porn.' 

Key topics in this episode include 

1. Drew's story of struggling with porn and then breaking free from it.
2. What Drew considers to be the biggest issues men face when trying to overcome porn.
3. Drew's philosophy he uses to help men get unstuck and outgrow porn.
4. How important it is to consider healing the inner boy that feels hurt all these years later.
5. What it feels like to go on a healing journey and outgrow porn for good. 

Check out Drew's website at https://www.husbandmaterial.com.

If you're looking for coaching, community, and a hands-on approach to help you recover from porn, contact either us at Reclaimed Recovery or reach out to Drew and his team at Husband Material. Either way, we'll get you on the right track, and there's no better time to start your recovery than now.

https://reclaimedrecovery.com/

Support the show

If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

Donate here with Paypal - help me release consistent, well-researched, and zero-cost-to-consumer content by making a monthly recurring donation.

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Ever wonder why your brain decides to light up for certain things and not for others? Have you found yourself craving unwanted habits and behaviors, without a real explanation as to why? This episode provides a basic understanding of how your brain is conditioned to desire pornography and other unwanted behaviors using the chemical dopamine and the psychological principle of conditioning. 

What we learn from conditioning is that sexual urges are paired with the instant gratification that porn offers to form a bond. This bond is strengthened over time and begins to condition our brains to expect a similar response each time we feel sexually aroused. This also helps explain why we may develop certain cues or triggers, such as times of the day or specific locations, which cause us to seek out porn for that familiar rush of dopamine. 

The great hope that science offers on this topic is that just as our brains can be conditioned for porn, they can be unconditioned. Reversing such strong conditioning often takes time and requires a multi-faceted approach, but it is possible and has been proven by science and by countless men who have made the journey already. 

Join us for this episode to learn how conditioning works and how you can begin to reverse the damage porn has done to your brain.

https://reclaimedrecovery.com

Here's a supplemental article at Fight the New Drug that offers a quick rundown of Pavlovian conditioning and why porn can be so hard to quit: https://fightthenewdrug.org/why-porn-can-be-difficult-to-quit/

Here's an article from simplypsychology.org that provides an explanation of Pavlovian conditioning using more scientific terms: https://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html#:~:text=Pavlov%20showed%20that%20dogs%20could,an%20unconditioned%20(innate)%20response.

A scary article from Your Brain on Porn that shows how porn can lead men to develop dangerous and unnatural tastes for sex due to repeated conditioning over time: https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/relevant-research-and-articles-about-the-studies/sexual-conditioning/ 

Support the show

If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

Donate here with Paypal - help me release consistent, well-researched, and zero-cost-to-consumer content by making a monthly recurring donation.

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Have you ever wondered why your brain keeps you coming back to addictive habits like pornography, even though you're trying really hard to stop? In this episode, Kolton gives an overview of how dopamine works to train your brain. We cover many essential questions related to dopamine, such as:

1. What role does dopamine play in my pornography habit? 
2. How is dopamine making it hard for me to quit porn? 
3. If I've done harm to my brain, is it possible to heal from this?

Understanding the neuroscience and behavioral science that goes with these questions can be very empowering in the struggle with porn. The good news is, our brains and bodies are capable of extraordinary things, and healing is one of those things. The same power that made us, is capable of healing us, and damage done to the brain can be reversed.

For this episode, we want to credit the Huberman Lab Podcast. We referenced Andrew Huberman (neuroscience teacher at Stanford University) and his 2-hour masterclass on dopamine to create some of our content in this episode. If you want to check out his podcast and take a deeper dive into dopamine, you can check it out here:
 https://open.spotify.com/episode/42F7z6Z4CB8hJAstRqMCiV?si=vJuiXkxdTOCjCS2hHTPwqg

Another great resource we cited in this episode was Gary Wilson's best-selling book, 'Your Brain on Porn', You can check out their website, which does a phenomenal job at explaining the neuroscience behind why porn is so harmful, here: https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/

See https://reclaimedrecovery.com/ for more helpful resources and tools Reclaimed has to equip men for overcoming their struggle with porn. 

Support the show

If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

Donate here with Paypal - help me release consistent, well-researched, and zero-cost-to-consumer content by making a monthly recurring donation.

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Send us a text with feedback about the show or questions you'd like to see addressed.

In this episode, we explain why the science behind porn recovery is so crucial for overcoming it. In the midst of other challenges we face in life, such as chronic pain and depression, porn can become even more alluring as an escape or a solution to our problems. That's why it's important to understand the science and how it can help us persevere in times when the struggle is real. Learning about how our body is capable of healing, adapting, and rebalancing can be empowering when it feels like we are losing hope.

Later in this episode, Kolton also shares a personal story about his struggle with chronic pain and his experience being treated in a clinical setting with the drug ketamine.  Kolton shares what he learned and took away from the experience, as well as how it opened his eyes to the importance of optimizing the chemicals in our brain and the hormones in our body.

This episode begins an important series on the science and psychology behind porn addiction and why it's applicable to faith-based men. 

If you'd like to read more about ketamine and how it's being used to treat chronic pain and depression, you can read more at Harvard Health by clicking this link here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ketamine-for-major-depression-new-tool-new-questions-2019052216673

To learn more about Reclaimed, please visit our website at https://reclaimedrecovery.com/

Support the show

If you're enjoying this podcast, Reclaimed and Unashamed, please consider leaving a review and making a donation to help us deliver more life-changing content!

Donate here with Paypal - help me release consistent, well-researched, and zero-cost-to-consumer content by making a monthly recurring donation.

Subscribe on Youtube
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