I was researching articles relating to pornography addiction and my attention was drawn to something from Doctor Trish Leigh on You Tube. It struck me immediately as something we all need to be aware of. The topic she was discussing was, ‘edging’. I am the first to admit I had no idea what this referred to but when I took the time to watch her video I quickly recognised it was something I had been doing for a very long time. I definitely recommend you take the time to view this and many of her other educational videos. She covers everything ‘mind’ related – not just pornography addictions.
So what is edging?
In short – it is when we prolong the masturbation to orgasm cycle. In my case, I would spend hours skimming through pornographic images and videos constantly searching for something better. I would deliberately take myself to the edge and then distract myself to avoid orgasm. Over time I became more experienced at extending the period that I could be engaged in pornography abuse.
This often extended to consecutive days but always left me feeling worse when my body finally decided to complete the sexual cycle. I reached a point where it was more enjoyable holding off from orgasm than actually experiencing one. It was very addictive and increased the volume of material I would search during each session. What I did not consider was the additional damage I was causing my brain and reward centres. I will leave Dr Trish to explain this for you…
Clearly, our intention at Men of Hope is to support and guide sexual addicts away from pornography. But we must also recognise that we can only do this by taking achievable, ‘little steps’. It is a tough battle eliminating pornography entirely from your life so if you recognise edging as a practice you indulge then can I suggest your first goal is to stop this.
In the early stages of fighting it is definitely a ‘step forward’ if you can reduce your pornograhy usage to a short immediate activity.
Membership Update:
Having finished off the Stage One units with Jack and Chaz I was given a small period of rest in which I was able to review the Crypt Chat process. I have now done a lot of work structuring the session templates I use for each Self Help Unit. This means that members are definitely required to complete the unit before their next chat. Within the chat session I now also introduce additional material that is not covered in the units.
Stage 2 is still a work in progress though there are several completed units that would benefit any member who has had a relapse since finishing Stage 1. If you are interested then let me know so I can arrange for an additional chat session and provide the password you will need to access the files.
I would also like our members to pray for Jim who has completed four units but is yet to re-arrange his next cryptchat session. We all know how easy it is to let this important routine slip…so everybodies prayers are needed!
And finally – I would like to welcome back one of our first members, Leo. I’m sure he would not be upset if I mentioned just how many times he has ‘dropped off the radar’ trying to complete this course. Actually, the number is unimportant, what is more inspirational is the amount of times he has humbled himself to return and start afresh.
So welcome back Leo – let’s hope you finally complete Stage I and gain some control over this aspect of your life.
Yours in Jesus, Mary & Joseph,
SA James
