Pornography Addiction: Myths and Common Mistakes

When it comes to a viewing addiction, many believe it is only about willpower or "psychology." But Dr. Saulitis points to the mechanism itself: what you watch regularly physically grows in the brain as stable connections. This reframes the usual myths.

Myth 1: "They're just images, they don't affect anything"

Every time you watch something, the brain makes a "film." If the same association repeats often, the connection between neurons grows and becomes fixed — like Pavlov's conditioned reflex. What you watch over and over builds a pattern, and that pattern then determines which "reality" you see.

"Whichever wolf you watch more, that's the film you'll live in."

Myth 2: "It doesn't condition me, I decide for myself"

The doctor stresses: the information you receive and the environment you live in shape the brain's pattern. Through conditioning, a "ready-grown road" is built along which the impulse travels. The mistake is to assume the choice is fully free when the circuit has already been built for you.

A common mistake: fighting the symptom without seeing the mechanism

First it is important to understand "what it is and how it works" — to see the mechanism itself, not just to condemn the habit. The ability not to give in to influence, not to be hypnotized, is what lets a person move forward. Once you recognize which "wolf" you are feeding, you can consciously stop feeding the film you do not want to live in.