When Porn Is The Issue: Working With Couples & Individuals

We’re seeing more and more couples in conflict over one partner’s porn use.

To help us work more deeply with such cases, this workshop focusses on treating intrapsychic conflicts, power struggles, and existential issues relating to porn use. We’ll look at how one or both partners may be acting out body image issues; and why “porn addiction” is not a helpful concept.

We’ll explore how conflict about pornography is often used to avoid confronting a sexual relationship’s deficits. And we’ll look at various sexual issues—such as desire, arousal, and masturbation—that should be raised when working with these cases.

We’ll also discuss working with individuals who:

• Feel out of control about porn;
• Are upset about their preferred porn content;
• Feel guilty about their low desire for their partner;
• Keep making poor choices about how much, when, and where to view.

How do we work with these people without adding to their shame, self-criticism, and sense of isolation?