The polygraph can be used as a therapeutic and accountability tool to help recovering sex and pornography addicts using two forms of specialised examination: the full therapeutic disclosure polygraph test and the sobriety polygraph test. Full therapeutic disclosure tests occur after 90 days of clinical treatment and sobriety, and assess the recovering addict’s commitment to recovery as well as detailing the patterns and actions around their addiction. It also serves to release trauma and disclose information the other party needs to hear (e.g., if the addict has engaged in specific sexual behaviour).
The Silent Relationship Killer
If you have felt betrayed by a partner who has been outed with a sex and pornography addiction - or perhaps you are an addict looking for a way to sobriety, there is a way through it. The polygraph examination.
Unsure If They Are Truthful About Disclosure Or Recovery?
Get To The Bottom Of It With Polygraph Australia
But if they say they have quit the habit, how can you know for sure? This is where regular sobriety maintenance polygraph examinations can help. This keeps recovering addicts accountable and show the betrayed partner they are no longer being deceived, giving them a sense of security.
Over a quarter of a century as a polygraph examiner, I’ve tested over 11,000 people using a strictly controlled polygraph examination to determine whether a subject’s responses to baseline and specific questions are truthful or deceptive. The polygraph, is up to 98% accurate in determining truth or falsehood – which is just as, or even more accurate than eyewitness testimony, fingerprint evidence, and forensic DNA tests. You can read all about the scientific studies and evidence backing these claims up here.
It helps addicts maintain their truthfulness, transparency, and accountability – which are all pillars of sobriety. To the betrayed partner, it can give them the safety and security of getting the truth from their partner, and perhaps gain their verifiable trust once more. But is sex and pornography addiction common in Australia?
Is Sex & Pornography Addiction Common?
According to sex addiction therapy centre the Cabin, Australia ranks eighth in the world for pornography consumption, and has some of the longest viewing times. In a representative clinical survey of about 20,000 Australian adults, 84% of men and 54% of women said they “had ever looked at pornographic material” – and 4% of men and 1% of women considered themselves addicted to watching or consuming pornography on a regular basis. According to a clinical quantitative survey of recovering Sex and Pornography Addicts and their partners, 78% of partners had no idea their significant other had problems with sex and pornography addiction before committing to the relationship.
Mostly men are addicted to sex and pornography at the same time. It is wrapped up in shame, guilt, and societal taboos. Most Sex and Pornography Addicts may not see their consumption as a problem; but it can have impacts on the lives of not only the addict, but their partners and loved ones. Sex and pornography addiction is also just as potent as any other drug or substance like cocaine, alcohol, or sugar.
Pornography Changes The Brain – Studies
Pornography is everywhere. It can be accessed for free, on demand, and in high resolution through any internet enabled device. As of 2020, about 4% of the entire internet is made up of pornography.
A Journal of the American Medical Association study in 2014 found that the more porn men watched, the less volume and activity they had in the regions of the brain linked to reward processing and motivation – the dopamine pathway. This is perpetuated by what’s known as the “Coolidge effect.” In short, the more novel partners a male can copulate with, the more driven he is to do it. In experiments, rats have often copulated themselves to death if new partners are presented to him.
The Coolidge Effect basically “rewards” addicts with more dopamine for every “novel” partner they “have sex with” (or masturbate to). These brain cells or neurons will carve a new pathway for reward and cause desensitisation, cravings, and even withdrawal symptoms for addicts that attempt to quit “cold turkey.”
Over time, Pornography Addicts will need more novel experiences to chase the same “high.” This may veer into hardcore pornography, BDSM pornography, extreme pornography, or even illegal or illicit forms of pornography. They may seek other pornographic experiences such as viewing live adult performances, buying lap dances, hiring prostitutes, or engaging in extreme sex acts like bondage or fetish play.
Sex & Pornography Addiction And Its Impact On Relationships
Since the Coolidge Effect is so potent, it can destroy loving relationships. That is, it decreases arousal for their wives, girlfriends/boyfriends, etc. which can also lead to sexual dysfunction.
Pornography addiction is hard to spot – even if you’re living with an addict. Addicts will deny it; which leads to them hiding it better. They may lie about working late when in fact they are at sex clubs or with prostitutes. They may spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for porn sites or OnlyFans memberships, which they struggle to cover up or explain away.
The betrayal is twofold; the deceit and the intimate neglect, as addicts choose pornography over having sex with their loving partner.
This can lead women (or male partners) to feel neglected, disrespected, and unloved. It leads to an overall disconnection with real intimacy. According to Dr. Jill Manning, upon discovering their committed partner was addicted to sex and porn, 69% of intimate partners say they suffered a deep trauma, with 57% describing the betrayal as “the most traumatic event of [their] life.”
A Case Study - Using Polygraph To Keep Recovering Addicts Accountable
Countless studies have shown that the polygraph is up to 98% accurate in determining truth or deceit in response to controlled questions. The use of polygraph in keeping recovering addicts accountable is an invaluable tool to establish the truthfulness and faith of sobriety assertions.
Once being revealed, over 90% of people asked their recovering addict for more information. 28% asked for general terms of reference, while 72% asked for the full details – everything and anything related to the addiction.
16.7% of partners reported their recovering addict took a polygraph examination as part of their addiction evaluation or recovery plan.
Dr. Manning says regular polygraph examinations revealed 46.7% of partners found the results confirmed what their recovering addict partner had already told them, 20% reported the results helped them trust or begin to trust their partner again, and 26.7% reported the results helped their relationship. An equal number of people reported the results were extremely upsetting. A link to this study can be found here.
Sometimes, polygraph exams can reveal codependency or co-addiction (i.e., two sex addicts perpetuating their own addiction.) 41.3% of partners reported that the term “co-addict” or “codependent” described their situation. This can lead to both parties getting help for their addiction using polygraph and other therapies.
The process contributes to building a sense of emotional health and safety, as well as being accountable to one’s partner, one’s fellowship, and treatment team. Polygraph also provides assistance if the betrayed partner is triggered later on and starts to wonder if all parts of their recovering addict’s sexual misconduct have been disclosed and whether they are keeping up with their promises and practice of sobriety.
In a practical way, polygraph examinations establish a method for the truth to be obtained and maintained – and as a way for a betrayed partner to trust their recovering addict through their healing and journey towards sobriety. Examinations aim to restore some semblance of power over what a betrayed partner has lost in terms of mental health, time, and self-worth after potentially years of constant deceit by their partner.
Polygraph may be an indispensable therapeutic tool, as relapse for sex and porn addiction is common. Dr Manning observed that 27.2% of those surveyed reported one relapse; 33.3% reported 2-5 relapses; 7.4% reported 6–10 relapses, and 32.1% reported more than 10 relapses – which means relapses can and will occur, even if an addict is undergoing treatment. Clients in my practice have told me that regular sobriety tests reinforce their boundaries, motivate their recovery, and encourage them to disclose their relapses to their partners within a specific time frame (usually 24 hours or fewer.)
Polygraph is often the last resort for partners to get to the truth of any matter, and some truly incredible transformations have occurred with ongoing polygraph examinations in therapeutic disclosure and sobriety settings – and asking a partner to take such a test can be considered another step in 12-step fellowship – making amends for past misdeeds while under the influence. For the experience of countless families, polygraph has been proven to be an invaluable method of achieving acceptance, peace, and healing.
If you want to get to the bottom of a Sex and Pornography Addiction that may be plaguing your relationship
contact Polygraph Australia for a confidential and discreet enquiry into polygraph examinations and sessions.
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