It's Not About Using More Will Power

Many priests report that sexual sins are the most common heard in the confessional. Often, the same person comes back time and time again to confess the same sexual sin, sincerely resolving to "never do it again"! The traditional approach to conquering masturbation usually involves using sheer willpower—"When the temptation hits me, I just need to fight as hard as I can to not give in!" Many also believe that avoiding the thoughts and urges is the answer—"I'll just force the temptation out of my mind."

At best, both of these strategies only bring about temporary relief, and often fail altogether. Fearing, fighting or avoiding the thoughts and urges to masturbate is not the answer. These approaches only make matters worse, cause shame and lead to an even more intense battle to stop.

Success can be found in working with your brain rather than fighting against it.  Read these Testimonials from RECLAiM students who discovered how to implement the Brain Science of Change, faith practices, and Theology of the Body to break free from the Masturbation Avoidance Cycle.

Masturbation was my Crutch

One Single Woman's Struggle with Masturbation

You Can Replace Masturbation With Healthy Outlets

Through repetition over time, the pleasure center of your brain has learned to escape to masturbation as one of its favorite outlets for self-medication.

Through RECLAiM, you will learn how to recognize your "triggers" early—the people, situations and emotions that drive you to seek escape through masturbation. You will learn how to choose healthy pleasure outlets and literally "retrain" your brain so that masturbation ceases to be a problem in your life.

Read these testimonials from RECLAiM students who have broken free from this addiction by learning how to replace masturbation with healthy activities and connections:

I Have Been Struggling

One Single Woman's Struggle with Masturbation Addiction

Physical Effects of Masturbation

With repetition, your brain can learn to prefer sexual fantasy and masturbation to real sexual intimacy with your spouse. In fact, your brain's "arousal circuitry" can become so dominantly wired for "self-sex" that physical intimacy with your spouse can become increasingly difficult and eventually virtually impossible.  (Also, see podcast excerpts from the Reclaim Online Recovery Program titled "Is Masturbation OK?" in the video section of our website.)

Sexual Fantasy & Masturbation = Impotence

In my clinic, I often work with individuals, both men and women, who suffer from sexual impotence. A common situation among men who engage in compulsive masturbation and sexual fantasy, is they have increasing difficulty becoming aroused by their partner. Some time back, a struggling individual left a message on one of our blogs. Masturbation and sexual fantasy were creating a major barrier to having healthy, fulfilling relationships. See if you can relate—

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