REALLY IMPORTANT - The GREATEST problem: When you HAVEN'T the flatline.

Yep, i agree 100%.

There are real objective stages to this recovery process that is not an exception to anyone. For Heavy Porn addicts, Flat line is an inevitability; its not a matter of if, but when. It usually comes after the honey moon phase, where addicts feel better than normal, then gradually feel worse. I will supply my own link as well

https://terrygorski.com/2014/07/11/the-matrix-model/

Pornography works in the brain in correlation to any substance abused drug. Therefore treatment protocols should be treated with such.

Best,
Mateo

 

Rebootnog,

thank you for your questions,

1. I would say I'm around the adjustment phase, perhaps nearing the resolution phase. I am still in a flatline however, and dont have a working libido yet. However every other aspect of my life has improved. My brain fog is disappearing, my moods are stabalizing, more energy, and whole bunch of significant improvements. So my brain has healed a TON, but yet theres so much to do. Just gives me perspective on how heavily addicted I must have been, if its taking this long, and the huge difference I am now compared to just 2 months ago.

2. Flatline is a necessary part of recovery and a positive sign that your brain has started to undergo maintanence. In my opinion I would categorize the flatline phase into 2 general categories:
a. Withdrawal Flatline Phase
-This phase is the hardest as you feel like shit, depressed, anxious, irritable, urges, etc.
b. Coasting Flatline Phase
-Once reaching this phase, most of your withdrawals are over, your moods are stabalizing, you feel better mentally etc, HOWEVER you still dont have a working libido. No real attraction to girls etc. So thats your only issue during this phase. I am currently in this phase, and what motivates me during this time is posting here, contributing and helping others in their journey.

3. I actually made a post to specifcally address that question
https://www.NoFap.com/forum/index.php?threads/realistic-timeline-for-no-pmo-recovery.90402/

It would depend generally on how long youve been watching it, and what age you started. A rough ballpark estimate would be 1 month per year youve been watching it. For me it was 10 years, so i expect to continue to see recovery till month 10 at least.

Best,
Mateo

 

This is a very informative post. Thanks for the link.

I've wondered about flatline because I have never really gone through it.

After a PMO episode, I don't have strong urges because I've spent them in ejaculation.

Still, I can become aroused, and this isn't post-PMO flatline.

There have been weeks when I've had no sexual interest of any kind.

That seems like flatline, but those have been periods of stress, which kills the libido.

Certainly, I do not want to be stressed and exhausted all the time as a cure for PMO.

When I have had strong urges again, I have seen those as good signs of relieved stress and wellness.

However, my wellness then again is ruined when I indulge those urges in PMO.


The post you referenced explains why I have not gone through flatline.

And, it points to a way of reducing overwhelming urges.

During times of abstinence, I naturally get very horny.

Then, my interest in women is greater, and there are many women around me every day for me to see.

I don't not stare at them, but I do take surreptitious glances at their faces and bodies.

I actually like getting horny because that makes this glancing so much more enjoyable.

While this may be somewhat natural for a male, I can see from this post that this is impeding my recovery.

Looking at women is feeding my PMO problem by keeping me constantly stimulated sexually.

Hence, I do not flatline, and I am continually setting myself up for relapse.

This points to a huge problem in my recovery and to what I must work on now.


My discipline must be to simply "keep my eyes to myself."

That should enable my dopamine levels to return to normal.

By not feeding my urges, those too should weaken.

When we look at women and sexualize them, we are essentially producing our own porn and using it.

That itself is a kind of relapse, and then an actual relapse with full-blown masturbation is a short step away.

Urges can be tormenting, and I have been trying to find a way to reduce them so that they will not be hard to resist when they arise.

The plan I can get from this gives me hope.


As with so many things in NoFap, recovery must take place every minute of every day.

This is not just about what we are not supposed to do in front of a computer screen.

 

The article on reddit says "no triggers allowed"
Unless you lock yourself in a dark room, there is like always a risk to get triggered, right?
Yesterday for example, I did watch an episode of a series, I already know all characters from previous episodes but in this one, I´ve noticed that someone looks familiar with a porn actress, after that, mister urge came along and knocked at my door.

As well as in our hyper sexual society, where a newspaper looks like the brand new playboy magazine from far, it´s tricky to not getting triggered by accident

 

I don't feel like my flat-line was so bad.. at least compared to the stories i read of other people's flat-lines on this site. But I had been working very hard to get a good streak for a long time before I discovered this site. Then I decided to do the reboot. That reddit post has made me think a little.. am I looking at girls in public too sexually?? I often find myself just staring at girls, or trying to resist the urge so I don't look like an idiot. My libido seems to be working fine; But I just haven't had a lot of success with girls lately. I'm not sure why. But I think the reboot will help. That is my flat-line story

 

I haven´t had flatline yet.. I´m not so sure that the 100% of people that have recovered have had flatline... Can anyone with experience say something about this?

 

I don't whole heartedly agree. I went through a flatline period that was small. Like maybe a week and a half to two weeks at the most. Not like these 6 weeks to 6 month to 2 year ordeal that everyone speaks about. I feel more confident, happier than ever, and I now still occasionally fantasize or ogle a woman here and there. It's a cross between "wow she's super beautiful" and "I'd like to make love to her." I'm by no means cured as I'm only on what? Day 26?

However I will say that if you haven't had a glimmer of flatline experience, then maybe you are doing something weird, of looking at psubs or something, but I feel like if you eliminate those then you will eventually stop thinking about them.

Like the only way not to get triggered by how our society now is, is simply locking yourself into a dark closet for 90 days.

 

Personally my flatlines mostly lasted about a week or so

 

This sounds right. As someone that had a couple of decades 'under his belt', it took me near on two years to come right.

 

Now what is that? Is that amount of time you've viewed porn? Hardcore porn? Started MO? Had PIED?

 

Well, that just refers to my thirties and early forties where I was progressively viewing porn. Our generation started with the odd magazine, and then the odd video. When the internet hit we never even saw the danger. Until we realized at a later date we were addicts.

I'd say I started to seriously fight back a few years ago, where I started gathering my strength back. The big breakthrough, I call it my blitzkrieg moment, came a few months ago when I was finally strong enough to overcome it. It seems like a defeated enemy now, with the odd mopping up operation here and there [no pun intended].

 

Thank you for this, I wasn't sure why my emotions were so haywire these past 3 days. I'm on Day 9 currently, definitely still in my withdrawal stage . Been trying to quit nofap since the time I read about it a couple of months ago, only recently joined this community and already I feel much more motivated and inspired.