“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10)
Consider: A man who sinks into deep depression can feel the joy of life drain away as all emotions, joy, desire, anger, sadness, and fear, collapse into a pervasive numbness or a heavy, unrelenting sorrow that leaves life empty and numb.
A man who falls into pornography addiction can experience a similar emotional numbness to varying degrees.
Realize: Research shows that pornography initially excites by delivering intense pleasurable stimulation and surges of brain chemicals such as dopamine, which motivate a man to seek more pleasure through novelty, arousal, and release. Chronic pornography use can gradually rewire the brain to fixate on porn and physical release while disrupting other brain chemicals such as serotonin. This can lead to emotional flattening and reduced emotional responsiveness, making ordinary life feel flat, dull, and unrewarding. Over time, a pornified man’s emotional life can collapse into cycles of craving and emptiness, leaving him restless, depressed, distressed, numb, and unable to experience the fullness of emotion and the depth of connection, happiness, and vitality that make life truly human.
Resolution: Today, I practice Heroic Sexual Self-discipline so I can more fully experience emotion and the joy of Chastity.
Lord Jesus, I thank You for giving me emotions that enrich human life and are meant to be ordered toward the good and governed by reason and grace (CCC 1762–1770). I reject the false and damning “highs” of pornography because porn is sinful and gravely disordered (CCC 2354), and because it is addictive, destructive, and can deaden my emotional life. With Your magnificent grace, I can abstain from pornography and heal my emotional life, so that I can experience the full, beautiful, and healthy range of human emotions (e.g., joy, righteous anger, fear, desire, and even appropriate sadness) and love You and others with vigor and sincerity (Jn 10:10; Gal 5:22–23). If depression has become overwhelming, guide me to prudently seek appropriate professional medical care, which can be a responsible act of stewardship ordered toward the restoration of a healthy and vibrant life. Almighty Father, I trust that You created me for the fullness of human emotion and will help restore my emotional life.
Examine: Have I noticed emotional numbness, flatness, or reduced empathy in my life?
Pray: Holy Spirit, give me the Gift of Knowledge so I may rightly perceive the effects of pornography on my emotional life and receive Your help to return to and protect the fullness of emotional experience God desires for me. Amen.