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Hi All,
I've been struggling with sometimes getting and more often, maintaining, an erection for intercourse ( I use meds for confidence, but even then, they aren't super effective), but I can when watching porn. I've abstained from porn for a fair few months now, but haven't noticed any improvements since quitting. I 'checked' by watching a bit of porn this afternoon(I won't go back to it) and was able to get and maintain an ok erection (about 7 out of 10 in terms of hardness).

What's going on and is it curable?

For the record, I'm 38, healthy, active and eat fairly well.

Anything induced by mental activity can be cured by mental activity. That's the good news.

The bad news is that it is sometimes more difficult to cure than it was to acquire.

Look up examples of deconditioning, habit-breaking, etc. If your brain has developed "pathways" of porn, sexual satisfaction synapses (linkages)- (sorry, I cannot resist alliteration), retraining may be problematic. But it CAN be done.

Sorry, I don't have any more practical advice than this:

Read up on deconditioning/deprogramming.

It is difficult to do by onesself. Aid of a professional counselor would be useful and probably worth the effort and cost. (And probably help with ancillary dysfunctions you may have picked up along the way, too).

Good luck.

P.S. I often inject an attempt at humor to lighten the mood. Sometimes it is appreciated, sometimes it is inappropriate. But I advise also to keep focused on the hope of a better outcome than your present circumstances. "Never give up. Never surrender." (Galaxy Quest, 1999)

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply. I was wondering whether it was something to do with dopamine levels/receptors, but I suppose it's all pretty closely linked.

The idea of Porn Induced ED is actually pretty poor science. All the talk about dopamine etc is simply not correct. The fact is, the porn is just not that powerful. What i am hearing is that you are experiencing anxiety when it comes to partnered sex. Anxiety is incredibly powerful. The porn did not cause that - something is going on that is creating anxiety. Of course masturbating to porn is easier! You are not judging yourself or feeling anxious. The problem is understanding the anxiety and dealing with that.

This is a good starting article on porn and ED - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... ysfunction

Great site - https://www.realyourbrainonporn.com/

Paul

Hi Paul,
Thanks for that, really appreciate it. Sounds like it's going to be quite a battle to fix this.

Way out west wrote:Hi Paul,
Thanks for that, really appreciate it. Sounds like it's going to be quite a battle to fix this.

WORTH IT!

Interaction with another human being is so much more substantial than masturbation/solo sex. Just trust in your partner.

That element of trust is key. If you don't interact intellectually and emotionally with your partner, it is just another form of masturbation. Masturbation, whether to porn, inner imagination or another human being is no substitute for actual sexual RELATIONS.

I have no idea if porn causes ED but it is filthy, degrading and I hate it with a passion. Stay away from that garbage and don't worry too much about sexual dysfunction, there are countless factors that may affect erections.

I think the whole idea of porn induced ED is just self fulfilling prophecy.
The real reason is people interact less and less and our society actively discourages and punishes spontaneous show of affection.
Young people have appalling social skills and have a hard time to develop close relationships. Add to that anxiety and this is what leads to psychological ED and people find porn a safer means to get off.
For me porn was big when I was a teenager. But when I started having sex it immediately lost its appeal. Who cares about masturbation when you can have the real thing. From time to time I got interested again, but get bored fast and take months and years without watching anything.
Right now I actually find it helping my ED. I watch some stuff to get me in the mood. It doesnt get my hard at all just starts me thinking about sex and then I find it easier to raise my arousal when the woman/women come.