Welcome to "Healthy Living!"
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I'm your host Margot Marshall.
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Today we explore research
on the connection between
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sex addiction and mental health.
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We recommend parental
guidance for this program.
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We live in a sex-crazed society,
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are there negative
consequences to that?
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Let's ask our
guest, Dr. Eddie Ramirez.
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Welcome Eddie! Thank you.
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We're looking forward
to what you have to tell us
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about this
connection with mental health.
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Yes, this is an extremely
important subject because
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there are many people
struggling with this subject.
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And you know, in the
old days, #1- It was less
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available and #2- If you
wanted access to this type of
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material like pornography,
you have to show up your face.
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You have to go to the store and
people could see you, etc., etc.
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But today, many people
with the advent of the internet
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have easy access to
these types of material.
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And, many people
actually struggle and they would
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like a solution
from this, so stay-tuned,
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we will give you
some good strategies
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for you to conquer this,
and the reason why is that
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we have quite a bit
of experience with this
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because we have a residential
mental health program,
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and I can tell you
that many of those patients
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actually have a history of
using these type of materials,
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and we know that in
order for them to get better,
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they actually need
to deal with this issue.
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So that's a contributing
factor to their mental illness?
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That's right, in fact,
I have published in the
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"Journal of Sexual
Health," two important papers.
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One of them showing how
sexual relationships outside
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of marriage are
related to worsened depression,
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and that included
masturbation in that sample.
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It was a big
sample, 5,600 participants.
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In the second study
that is also published in the
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"Journal of Sexual
Medicine," is how this behavior
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also decreases what is
called "emotional intelligence."
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Emotional intelligence
is related to your ability
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to interact with other people,
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so it's a very
important factor in success.
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If you want to find
this research, search
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"ResearchGate
Ramirez and Depression,"
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and you will find
that in your Google.
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Alright, then
"Ramirez," and you're spelling
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that
"R-a-m-i-r-e-z?" Correct! Okay.
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And you know, there are
some interesting studies that
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have been done with animals.
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For example, you get a
female rat that is receptive
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and you put, in that same
cage, a male - immediately
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the male will start to do
his romantic-type of approaches;
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there will be copulation and
this will be repeated, repeated
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until it slows down and
he doesn't want anymore.
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You introduce another female
to the cage and, you know,
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the pattern starts again.
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It starts getting
romantic, copulation takes place
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with the new rat, but
also he gets tired of her.
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You introduce another one
and the same pattern continues.
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This happens until this male
rat is completely exhausted.
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This effect has been
given a name and we call this
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"The Coolidge
Effect" in which with novelty
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these patterns start to restart.
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And you know, this is
exactly the same situation
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that happens with
humans and pornography.
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The reason why is that there
is novelty and the availability
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of something new and the pattern
repeats and repeats and repeats,
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but this has negative
effects in mental health
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as we will talk
about it in a minute.
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Yes, that's a really
big concern, I mean, I don't
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know whether people
have made that connection
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that there's also
an effect on your mind
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or your mental health, really,
not just on physical aspects.
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So talk more about that.
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And by the way, this
not only happens in males,
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but this effect also
can occur in females,
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and, if given the opportunity,
both males and females
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will behave in this way.
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So in order to understand
this topic, we need to review
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a little bit an
important chemical that we have
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in our brain that
is called "dopamine."
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And the reason why you
pursue sex is because you are
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pursuing this dopamine.
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And you know, this reward
circuit is a very important
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part of our brain -
there's a reason why it's there.
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And we can see on the
screen a little bit about this
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dopamine reward system.
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We see that on top of
that we have food, sex, love,
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friendship, novelty and
this naturally reinforces
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are contrasted with
natural addictive substances.
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And the reason why we
have this circuit, the Creator
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put it there for a reason
because when we are active,
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we are focusing in work,
in something else - school
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and so forth, we are
very focused on that.
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The reason why God put that
in us is because those things
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reminds us that there are other
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important things
in life like eating.
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If not, you would be
working so focused in your work,
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you would forget about eating.
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You would forget about resting
and there are things that
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gives us this pleasure
when we do it - so that we can
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break our focus and
concentrate in other things that
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actually help us
with our survival.
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So when you are
aware that you're hungry
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via the dopamine
system, then you start thinking,
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"Well, what am I going to
eat? Where am I going to eat?
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When am I going to eat?
With whom am I going to eat?"
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And so forth, then your
mind starts planning due to the
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reminder that this
dopamine circuit gives you.
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And you know, this is
very fascinating - the more
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you want something, the
more the amount of dopamine
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that will be secreted.
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So if there is no dopamine,
you usually will ignore that.
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For example, chocolate cake,
ice cream - those you have a
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big amount of dopamine,
while celery - not that much.
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And you know, sexual
stimulation and orgasm
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are one of the biggest natural
secretors of that dopamine
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in the brain - that's
why the people seek that.
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And that's why this
dopamine has been called
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"the molecule of
addiction." Okay.
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So when this mechanism
is used with moderation
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and so forth, it's a
big blessing, you know.
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You actually tend to have
more of a balance in your life
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and so forth.
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But when this reward
system is being overloaded
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with excess or with
material like pornography,
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things start going out
of that balance and this is
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when you actually start
having a very negative effect
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in your whole being because
not only your mental health
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suffers but also things
like productivity and creativity
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get affected by this.
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And you know, these supernormal
stimulants, for example
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the novelty of the pornography
and so forth, override
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your brain satiation
mechanisms that would say,
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"You know, this is enough."
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But you're bringing
that overstimulation and
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this actually rewires the brain.
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In other words, the
brain changed - so instead of
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saying, "I'm done," the
person wants more of this
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dopamine stimulation and
this has negative effects.
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So the negative effects are -
what are we talking about here?
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What we were talking at
the beginning such as mental
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depression, low
emotional intelligence, but also
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an unbalance in life.
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So these things start to
run your life, and you know,
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you're supposed to go
to work, enjoy your work
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and play with friends and
talk to family and so forth,
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but you're so concentrated
in seeking the stimulation
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of the dopamine in your brain,
that there is an unbalance
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and you start neglecting things
that are a normal part of life
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in order to seek
the super stimulation
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by the novelty of the
material and so forth.
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So things like unhealthy
food, unhealthy sexuality,
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are more addictive,
according to neuroscientists,
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than alcohol and the
anticipation of the reward
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and the novelty amplifies
the signal of the dopamine
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and this and that
changing a part of your brain
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that is called
the "limbic system."
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Okay, that's where you have
your feelings, your emotions.
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That's right and
things go out of control.
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Your frontal lobe should
be what humans should use
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to guide their
decisions, but when you are
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overstimulating your
dopamine reward system,
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your limbic system is
the one that takes control,
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and it is like putting a child
as president - for example,
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it is disaster! Yes.
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You know, because it is,
"Oh, I want this, I want that,"
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not thinking about
consequences and long-term
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effects and so forth.
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So there are some stages that
the brain starts to go through
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as this overstimulation
of the dopamine system
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is taking place.
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#1... You start
losing your sensitivity.
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And those receptors in
your brain that are supposed to
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receive the signal of the
dopamine - start to decrease.
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That means that in
order to get the same high
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or the same pleasurable
effect in your brain,
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You need higher and
higher stimulation, and you know
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this is a big problem worldwide.
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People start getting into more
of a hard material and so forth,
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even to the level of
pedophilia and so forth because
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the usual one doesn't even
give them that dopamine pleasure
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and that's why they
seek that more perverse-type
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of material and so forth.
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And, the interesting
thing is that the more pleasure
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they seek for their dopamine
reward system - the less
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pleasure they get.
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That's interesting isn't it?
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It's just the very opposite
of what you would hope for.
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And this is what Solomon
experienced - if you read
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Solomon's Book, he describes
- Oh King Solomon, yes.
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Ecclesiastes, that's
right, how he was seeking
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all the pleasure that he wanted.
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What happened to him?
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He ended up depressed
exactly because of that.
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If you are not familiar with
that, Google on the internet
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the Book of Ecclesiastes,
it's a very interesting study,
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how pleasure instead
of creating a happy king,
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he actually became
a miserable person.
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He had quite a bit of excess
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when it came to
women, didn't he?
00:14:02.27\00:14:03.64
Women and building
and food, and whatever
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he wanted, he got it.
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I think he had something
like 900 women all together.
00:14:09.31\00:14:12.58
That's right! And he
lost the pleasure of having
00:14:12.61\00:14:18.32
you know, a normal relationship
as God had designed it.
00:14:18.35\00:14:24.93
There's a saying in Spain
that says, "The one that has
00:14:24.96\00:14:31.23
slept with one woman -
has slept with all of them;
00:14:31.27\00:14:36.00
the one that has slept with all
of them - has slept with none."
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And there is very much truth
in that saying - how you lose,
00:14:39.11\00:14:45.25
you know, that
blessing and pleasure that God
00:14:45.28\00:14:49.15
wanted human beings
to experience as you take
00:14:49.18\00:14:52.22
this to excess has
negative consequences.
00:14:52.25\00:14:54.79
So they start having
something that is called,
00:14:54.82\00:14:56.93
"a super memory of pleasure."
00:14:56.96\00:15:00.06
And you know, the person
starts seeking this pleasure
00:15:00.10\00:15:04.83
cutting corners, lying
and having behaviors that
00:15:04.87\00:15:11.94
are negative in order to
accomplish that - and they
00:15:11.97\00:15:16.44
need higher amounts and
this is the stage in which
00:15:16.48\00:15:21.98
depression starts coming
in, anxiety starts coming up,
00:15:22.02\00:15:26.82
and things start not to go well.
00:15:26.86\00:15:30.39
Then you go to the
third stage which is called,
00:15:30.43\00:15:33.09
"hypofrontality," the
frontal lobes of the brain
00:15:33.13\00:15:37.20
that are supposed
to be the guide and
00:15:37.23\00:15:40.77
where you take your decisions,
start not to work very much
00:15:40.80\00:15:46.21
because the limbic system - the
animal part of the human brain
00:15:46.24\00:15:51.31
starts to take over
and this actually leads to
00:15:51.35\00:15:56.89
very bad consequences.
00:15:56.92\00:15:58.72
And the thing of it
is that there's actually
00:15:58.75\00:16:00.49
a rewiring at the level of
the brain - the neurons start to
00:16:00.52\00:16:05.49
connect in different
patterns and so forth.
00:16:05.53\00:16:08.60
So there's actually something
physical happening in the brain,
00:16:09.16\00:16:12.27
physical changes rewiring, yes.
00:16:12.30\00:16:15.54
The impulses are reduced
- your ability to control
00:16:15.57\00:16:20.88
your impulse as your will
is weakened and you're not
00:16:20.91\00:16:26.18
able to foresee the
consequences of your actions.
00:16:26.21\00:16:30.82
And here, the limbic system
is guiding; frontal lobe is
00:16:30.85\00:16:34.89
decreasing and that is
actually not very good.
00:16:34.92\00:16:37.99
Now during that time in
which there is that decrease
00:16:38.03\00:16:44.00
in the relationship of a
normal couple, there's a reason
00:16:44.03\00:16:48.74
why the desire comes down.
00:16:48.77\00:16:51.21
It is because the brain
needs some rest; the body needs
00:16:51.24\00:16:56.11
some regeneration and so
forth, and when you are forcing
00:16:56.14\00:17:00.32
the body beyond that
point, you actually end up
00:17:00.35\00:17:04.89
having negative consequences.
00:17:04.92\00:17:07.06
There's research that
shows that androgen receptors
00:17:07.09\00:17:11.76
decrease, estrogen
increases. And you know -
00:17:11.79\00:17:15.63
Tell us about androgen
receptors. That's right.
00:17:16.70\00:17:19.57
This is when the testosterone
comes in and we can see
00:17:19.60\00:17:24.37
here on the screen -
reduced androgen receptors,
00:17:24.41\00:17:28.01
higher estrogen receptors
- an increase in opioids
00:17:28.04\00:17:31.61
that dampen the libido.
00:17:31.65\00:17:34.15
And the androgen receptors
is what gives the drive
00:17:34.18\00:17:40.16
to a human being.
00:17:40.19\00:17:42.52
The reason why, you know, some
people have these leadership
00:17:42.56\00:17:48.20
abilities and so
forth, androgen receptors are
00:17:48.23\00:17:51.80
working very well -
enough levels of testosterone
00:17:51.83\00:17:55.57
are present and we can
see here about the importance
00:17:55.60\00:17:59.34
of the testosterone
and the androgen receptors.
00:17:59.37\00:18:03.04
This is what brings creativity;
this is what brings persistence;
00:18:03.08\00:18:07.15
this is what brings courage!
00:18:07.18\00:18:09.88
And you know, we also
know that some of the greatest
00:18:09.92\00:18:14.86
physical and mental
accomplishments are done
00:18:14.89\00:18:18.19
among single
people before marriage.
00:18:18.23\00:18:21.80
And these positive associations
between testosterone level
00:18:21.83\00:18:25.20
and spatial
cognitive function and memory
00:18:25.23\00:18:28.07
for verbal and visual stimuli
are less in males - so you can
00:18:28.10\00:18:34.14
see that this is very important.
00:18:34.18\00:18:37.61
So what couples tend to
do when they start reducing
00:18:37.65\00:18:43.42
having these types of
situations, is that sometimes
00:18:43.45\00:18:48.86
they try to awaken this by
artificial stimulation such as
00:18:48.89\00:18:58.40
they go ahead and try to
use, if they're a couple,
00:18:58.43\00:19:03.17
they try to have access
to pornography and so forth,
00:19:03.20\00:19:06.11
possibly to spice
up a little bit the
00:19:06.14\00:19:08.74
relationship and so forth.
00:19:08.78\00:19:10.51
And you know, this actually
has negative consequences
00:19:10.55\00:19:15.52
because this starts to
actually, instead of making
00:19:15.55\00:19:22.26
the emotions between the couples
more strong, you actually
00:19:22.29\00:19:26.73
end up separating and then
strange forms are introduced
00:19:26.76\00:19:32.20
such as bonding and pain
inflicted-type of situations
00:19:32.23\00:19:40.48
and all kinds of
aberrations in order to somehow
00:19:40.51\00:19:45.15
overstimulate that dopamine
system - that is there's a
00:19:45.18\00:19:51.55
reason why saying, "You
know, calm down," because
00:19:51.59\00:19:55.32
regeneration takes place
and this actually creates
00:19:55.36\00:19:59.69
many emotional and problems
00:19:59.73\00:20:04.63
between the relation of
the male and the female. Yes.
00:20:04.67\00:20:07.37
Well I was just thinking about,
you know, this overstimulation
00:20:07.40\00:20:09.87
and a very similar kind
of thing can happen with food
00:20:09.90\00:20:13.31
where you really have had
enough - you know you have
00:20:13.34\00:20:16.28
and you're feeling full
and you even get to the point
00:20:16.31\00:20:18.21
of feeling like, "Oh, I think
I'll be sick if I have any more,
00:20:18.25\00:20:21.18
but it tastes so good."
00:20:21.22\00:20:23.25
And do you know, I seem to
recall that (was it the Romans?)
00:20:23.28\00:20:28.02
they would probably go out and
vomit, so they could come back
00:20:28.06\00:20:31.59
and eat more. To come
and eat again - that's right.
00:20:31.63\00:20:33.73
And keep doing it, and
it's like is this the same kind
00:20:33.76\00:20:36.97
of thing going on
here. It's something similar,
00:20:37.00\00:20:38.33
that's right - that's right.
00:20:38.37\00:20:39.70
The body is saying,
"Enough, I cannot deal
00:20:39.73\00:20:43.00
with anymore of this,"
and I guess too that constant
00:20:43.04\00:20:47.74
sexual activity would
deplete a lot of other things
00:20:47.78\00:20:51.01
in the body - I don't
know about that, but there
00:20:51.05\00:20:54.45
must be some kind of depletion.
00:20:54.48\00:20:56.05
Vitamin B12 and
other things actually get
00:20:56.08\00:20:59.15
depleted as a
result of this. Yes.
00:20:59.19\00:21:02.02
And the same thing happens,
you know this experiment
00:21:02.06\00:21:04.73
with the rat that I was
mentioning, the same thing
00:21:04.76\00:21:06.76
happens with monkeys.
00:21:06.80\00:21:08.70
They get this female
monkey, they actually gave her
00:21:08.73\00:21:11.57
hormones so that she is
very receptive - you put a male
00:21:11.60\00:21:15.87
monkey and suddenly
he's going to get tired of
00:21:15.90\00:21:18.31
that female monkey and then
you introduce another female
00:21:18.34\00:21:23.65
monkey with stimulation
with the hormones and the monkey
00:21:23.68\00:21:30.05
again wakes up and so forth,
and we're understanding now
00:21:30.09\00:21:33.36
that actually dopamine is the
one that is saying, "stop it."
00:21:33.39\00:21:36.99
And if you are going
above that, you actually end up
00:21:37.03\00:21:41.56
rewiring the brain
in a negative sense.
00:21:41.60\00:21:44.40
And there's another
important hormone there called,
00:21:44.43\00:21:47.34
"PEA," and that PEA is
the reason why when there
00:21:47.37\00:21:53.84
is a new relationship,
you start getting in love
00:21:53.88\00:21:58.31
and so forth - you kind of
become blind to the situation.
00:21:58.35\00:22:03.95
And people say, "Oh
are you blind or what's
00:22:03.99\00:22:05.75
happening to you?"
00:22:05.79\00:22:07.22
It is because that
PEA makes you take away
00:22:07.26\00:22:16.00
from the
important things and you're
00:22:16.03\00:22:17.70
just focusing on that particular
situation because you want to
00:22:17.73\00:22:21.60
advance it and so forth.
00:22:21.64\00:22:23.34
So now we explain, you
know, what's the problem
00:22:23.37\00:22:26.74
and what are the implications
of this - why don't we talk
00:22:26.78\00:22:30.45
about some solutions?
Are we doomed by this?
00:22:30.48\00:22:34.45
Absolutely not!
00:22:34.48\00:22:36.48
And what we do is that
when we are overstimulating
00:22:36.52\00:22:43.02
the system, we can see
on the screen, this can have
00:22:43.06\00:22:47.40
some negative consequences.
00:22:47.43\00:22:50.63
When you are under
that overstimulation,
00:22:50.67\00:22:54.87
there are plastic changes -
your head is literally changing.
00:22:54.90\00:23:00.04
And, you reduce those estrogens,
there's higher estrogen and
00:23:00.08\00:23:04.01
there is an increase in opioids.
00:23:04.05\00:23:06.15
So how can we
come back to normality?
00:23:06.18\00:23:11.35
See, what we need to
do, we need to do what we
00:23:11.39\00:23:15.22
apply to our participants - that
is called, "the 90-day reboot,"
00:23:15.26\00:23:21.96
that's the name of this
method that we like to utilize
00:23:22.00\00:23:26.37
with our participants.
00:23:26.40\00:23:28.37
In that 90-day reboot, we asked
participants - no pornography,
00:23:28.40\00:23:34.48
no masturbation and if
you are married - no excess
00:23:34.51\00:23:41.82
in your relationships
- we would like to keep
00:23:41.85\00:23:46.12
that to once a week.
00:23:46.15\00:23:48.09
During those 90 days,
if you are not married,
00:23:48.12\00:23:53.43
we would like for you
not to get involved in
00:23:53.46\00:23:56.46
any type of sexual stimulation,
00:23:56.50\00:24:00.20
and you know what happens,
the brain starts to rewire.
00:24:00.24\00:24:05.61
So we're looking at about
3 months here. That's right!
00:24:05.64\00:24:09.34
It takes DISCIPLINE!
00:24:09.38\00:24:11.51
And you know, we have many,
many testimonies about this.
00:24:11.55\00:24:16.69
In fact, there is a
good website if somebody
00:24:16.72\00:24:20.32
is dealing with this situation.
00:24:20.36\00:24:23.49
The name of the
website is yourbrainonporn.com
00:24:23.53\00:24:28.23
It is a forum with many people
if you are struggling with
00:24:28.26\00:24:32.43
this, you can access
that, this is completely free.
00:24:32.47\00:24:35.30
Just say that
again, the website.
00:24:35.34\00:24:36.67
yourbrainonporn.com
(your brain on porn.com)
00:24:36.71\00:24:40.08
And people that are seeking
help - for example, let me
00:24:40.11\00:24:43.98
read you one of the
testimonies from the website.
00:24:44.01\00:24:48.02
It said: "Masturbated
5 times today and all the
00:24:48.05\00:24:50.92
old depressive
feelings came back.
00:24:50.95\00:24:53.02
I could clearly see that
the depression was not because
00:24:53.05\00:24:56.96
I felt bad about
relapsing, but because I didn't.
00:24:56.99\00:25:01.13
It was all about my brain,
it got depressed, paranoid
00:25:01.16\00:25:05.73
and very anxious 30
minutes after my binge.
00:25:05.77\00:25:09.80
I finally understood it now,
not just in the abstract but
00:25:09.84\00:25:14.84
as a matter of experience,
I recognize the feelings
00:25:14.88\00:25:17.88
that often made me
depressed and socially awkward.
00:25:17.91\00:25:20.85
My solution was all
the time the problem.
00:25:20.88\00:25:23.52
I never suspected
masturbation had this big impact
00:25:23.55\00:25:27.12
on my whole life."
00:25:27.16\00:25:28.96
And you know, there are
so many positive effects
00:25:28.99\00:25:32.89
when somebody has
that 90-day reboot.
00:25:32.93\00:25:38.13
People report feeling
much better, feeling alive,
00:25:38.17\00:25:42.90
feeling like a man
again, interacting much better
00:25:42.94\00:25:46.94
with people,
thinking more clearly.
00:25:46.98\00:25:50.01
Physically, they feel
stronger; mentally, their memory
00:25:50.05\00:25:53.98
works better and I could
tell you story after story
00:25:54.02\00:25:58.19
about what a blessing this is.
00:25:58.22\00:26:01.36
And I want to leave the viewers
with one last resource that
00:26:01.39\00:26:05.23
that I have seen in
the clinical experience
00:26:05.26\00:26:08.63
that it works very well
and that is a little book
00:26:08.66\00:26:12.53
by the name of:
"Steps to Christ,"
00:26:12.57\00:26:15.74
or I know they also
have another name of it?
00:26:15.77\00:26:17.74
Oh, it's also being
put out under the title:
00:26:18.74\00:26:20.28
"Paths to Peace," but
it's exactly the same book.
00:26:20.31\00:26:28.48
That is a public domain
book, you can access that book
00:26:28.52\00:26:32.45
on your tablet, on
your computer or you can
00:26:32.49\00:26:36.69
Google and order
either one of those copies.
00:26:36.73\00:26:39.83
It's just a tiny, little
book that will help you get
00:26:39.86\00:26:43.97
victory over
this type of behavior.
00:26:44.00\00:26:46.03
The author of that book was
a prolific writer, more than
00:26:46.07\00:26:50.61
100 years ago and she is the
most translated female author
00:26:50.64\00:26:55.74
in the history of literature.
00:26:55.78\00:26:57.65
She was named by the
"Smithsonian Institute"
00:26:57.68\00:27:02.65
as one of the 100
most influential Americans
00:27:02.68\00:27:07.29
of all time - up
there with Abraham Lincoln
00:27:07.32\00:27:10.63
and Heller Keller, and so on.
00:27:10.66\00:27:13.43
So she is a very respected
author and writes beautifully,
00:27:13.46\00:27:17.63
and even though that book has
been written a long time ago,
00:27:17.67\00:27:21.17
it has been translated
to well over 100 languages.
00:27:21.20\00:27:24.14
And we know that very well
among addictions, you know.
00:27:24.17\00:27:28.44
If you analyze, for
example, the steps that the
00:27:28.48\00:27:34.68
Alcoholic Anonymous
do, even though that is not
00:27:34.72\00:27:38.92
per se a religious
program, the last steps there
00:27:38.95\00:27:44.13
talk about recognizing
that there is a God and asking
00:27:44.16\00:27:48.43
that God for victory!
00:27:48.46\00:27:50.40
Believe me, He has the
power to help you go ahead
00:27:50.43\00:27:54.77
and experience
it in your own life.
00:27:54.80\00:27:56.87
In fact, that program didn't
work until they introduced the
00:27:56.91\00:28:00.68
spiritual component and
this book is her masterpiece
00:28:00.71\00:28:04.48
on spirituality -
there is nothing better
00:28:04.51\00:28:06.65
than "Steps to Christ," so
yes, I would really think that
00:28:06.68\00:28:09.35
was a great way to go.
00:28:09.38\00:28:11.32
So in closing, I would
encourage you to tap into your
00:28:11.35\00:28:14.92
spiritual resources to
help you to take charge of your
00:28:14.96\00:28:18.03
whole life and if you'd like
to watch our programs on demand,
00:28:18.06\00:28:22.23
just go to our website
at 3abnaustralia.org.au
00:28:22.26\00:28:26.94
Just click on the watch
button, and God bless you!
00:28:26.97\00:28:30.11