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Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Learn more about Unhooked Academy: https://unhookedacademy.com What happens when you finally quit porn, but the shame, secrecy, and distance in your relationship are still there? For many men, quitting porn feels like the finish line. Stop watching, stay consistent, and everything else should eventually fall into place. But I've seen how much more complicated recovery can be. Porn often becomes a way to escape uncomfortable feelings. Stress, loneliness, insecurity, or simply not wanting to deal with what's happening in our lives. And when that habit starts affecting a relationship, the consequences don't necessarily disappear just because the behavior stops. In this special reshare from Relationship Renovation, I join couples therapists Tarah and EJ Kerwin to explore what genuine recovery looks like, especially when trust and intimacy have been affected. We talk about why porn use can become compulsive, what keeps people trapped in cycles of shame, and how to begin making changes that go deeper than maintaining a streak. In this episode, we explore: How to recognize when porn use has moved beyond occasional pleasure and become a way of avoiding difficult emotionsWhy constant novelty and unrealistic sexual expectations can create challenges with attraction and intimacy in real relationshipsHow to use the RAIN mindfulness practice to recognize cravings, allow uncomfortable feelings, investigate what's underneath them, and respond with greater self-compassionWhy couples need honest conversations about boundaries and broken agreements rather than assuming they share the same expectations around pornographyHow accountability and emotional awareness help rebuild self-respect while creating space for healthier relationships One of the most important things I've learned is that recovery isn't just about what you stop doing. It's about how you learn to show up for yourself and the people you care about. If you've been working hard to quit porn but still feel stuck in the same emotional patterns, I hope this conversation helps you see what the next part of recovery can look like. Timestamps 00:00 Opening: Understanding Porn Addiction 01:20 Jeremy Introduces the Relationship Renovation Reshare 03:23 Unhooked Podcast Introduction 04:03 Relationship Renovation Introduces the Conversation 05:59 Jeremy's Personal Experience With Porn Addiction 06:57 Recognizing the Impact of Porn 07:56 How Porn Affects Attraction and Intimacy 11:14 When Does Porn Use Become an Addiction? 13:23 The Wake-Up Call That Changed Jeremy's Life 16:03 Discovering Mindfulness and Buddhist Philosophy 18:41 Why Porn Is Often an Emotional Coping Mechanism 21:24 The Accessibility of Porn and Its Effects on Relationships 25:00 Shame, Secrecy, and the Addiction Cycle 29:10 How Meditation Helps You Regain Control 31:53 Why Sobriety Isn't the Same as Recovery 33:03 Understanding Your Default Future 38:11 Introducing the RAIN Mindfulness Practice 39:13 Using RAIN to Work With Cravings 41:20 Getting on the Same Page With Your Partner 42:58 Why Recovery Must Be Your Own Choice 43:23 The Unexpected Benefits of Quitting Porn 45:49 Advice for Men and Their Partners 46:23 Finding Support Without Shame 47:38 Why Your Partner's Porn Use Isn't Necessarily About You 50:47 Why Opening Up Gets Easier With Practice 51:24 Where to Find Jeremy and Unhooked Academy 52:48 Jeremy's Closing Message Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Learn more about Unhooked Academy: https://unhookedacademy.com

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co 🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ What if the freedom you're looking for isn't just about quitting porn, but reaching a point where you no longer feel the need to turn to it? For years, I was chasing happiness in all the places I thought I was supposed to find it. Success, relationships, sex, pleasure. On the outside, things seemed to be going well. But privately, I was struggling with porn addiction and a growing sense that something was missing. I remember reaching a point in college when I started questioning everything. If I was getting the things I wanted, why wasn't I happy? And if I kept living this way, would I ever be? That question eventually led me to meditation, Buddhist philosophy, and a completely different understanding of what it means to live a fulfilling life. In this special reshare from Thriving with Addiction, I join host Dr. John Avery to talk about that journey, the role shame played in keeping my struggles hidden, and what I've learned about genuine freedom in recovery. In this episode, we explore: How early experiences of sexual shame can teach us to hide behaviors rather than understand them, creating patterns that follow us into adulthoodWhy addressing the underlying craving for relief matters more than focusing exclusively on porn or any single addictive behaviorWhat years of silent meditation retreats taught me about experiencing uncomfortable emotions without immediately escaping themWhy finding a nonjudgmental community can be more effective than relying on motivation alone, especially when the initial excitement of quitting wears offWhat Buddhists call the bliss of blamelessness, and why living without secrecy can bring a deeper sense of peace than simply maintaining a streakOne of the most encouraging things I've experienced is that recovery doesn't have to feel like an endless fight. With time and practice, the urges that once seemed impossible to resist can become less frequent and easier to navigate. If you're somewhere on that journey, I hope this conversation reminds you that there's more to recovery than just stopping a behavior. There's an entire life waiting to be lived. Timestamps 00:00 Opening: How Shame and Addiction Begin 01:15 Introducing the Conversation With Dr. John Avery 02:20 The Unhooked App 03:14 Unhooked Podcast Introduction 03:53 Dr. John Avery Introduces Jeremy 04:35 Jeremy's Life in Thailand 05:21 How My Porn Addiction Started 07:06 Why Porn Became an Emotional Escape 09:00 Sexual Shame and Mixed Messages 10:11 Understanding the Root of Addiction 11:33 The Moment I Questioned My Happiness 13:17 How Buddhist Philosophy Changed My Perspective 15:23 Silent Retreats and Becoming a Buddhist Monk 17:33 Learning to Work With Cravings 19:47 Breaking the Silence Around Porn Addiction 21:54 The First Time I Publicly Shared My Story 24:30 Talking About Pornography and Children 26:16 Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation 27:53 Rebuilding Relationships and Intimacy 29:15 Why Community Matters in Recovery 31:39 The Unexpected Benefits of Quitting Porn 34:15 Inside Unhooked Academy 35:05 Why Shame Keeps Addiction Alive 36:24 Closing Thoughts Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Learn more about Unhooked Academy: https://unhookedacademy.com This conversation originally aired on Thriving with Addiction.

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co 🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ This week, I'm bringing back one of my favorite episodes because its message is just as relevant today as when I first recorded it. You've decided to quit porn. You're feeling motivated, you've set your goals, and you're ready to change. But then an urge hits, and suddenly all that determination feels a lot harder to hold on to. What do you actually do in that moment? In this rebroadcast of Unhooked, I break down eight practical strategies for dealing with cravings, including how to make urges less likely to arise and what to do when they show up anyway. One of the biggest mistakes people make in recovery is relying entirely on willpower. But lasting change isn't about fighting every urge that comes your way. It's about creating an environment that supports your goals while developing the ability to experience cravings without automatically acting on them. In this episode, you'll learn: How to identify your personal triggers and change the routines that keep pulling you back toward pornWhy simple changes to your environment, including where you keep your phone, can make recovery easierHow mindfulness creates space between experiencing an urge and choosing what to do nextWhat urge surfing is and how to practice it without fighting or suppressing your cravingsWhen to use physical movement, cold showers, or support from another person to get through a difficult momentThe goal isn't to spend the rest of your life avoiding temptation. It's to build the freedom to choose how you respond, even when an urge is strong. Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Learn more about Unhooked Academy: https://unhookedacademy.com

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co 🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ What happens when something you turn to for pleasure slowly starts shaping the way you see yourself, your relationships, and the world around you? In this reshare from Wake Up with Marci, I sit down with Marci Hopkins to share a part of my own story that changed the direction of my life. On the outside, things were going well. I had good grades, friends, and plenty of opportunities ahead of me. But privately, I was struggling with porn addiction, constantly chasing pleasure, and becoming increasingly dissatisfied with what I already had. Then one day, walking down the street in my early twenties, I had a realization that scared me. I could suddenly see the kind of man I was becoming, and I knew I didn't want that future. That moment led me to question everything I thought I knew about happiness, fulfillment, and what it actually means to be free. In this episode, we explore: Why porn can be especially difficult to quit, including the three factors that make it so accessible and habit-formingHow to recognize the difference between toxic shame that keeps you hiding and healthy remorse that helps you changeWhat I learned about happiness and neuroplasticity through Buddhist philosophy, and how it changed my approach to recoveryWhy trying to empty your mind during meditation can actually reinforce self-judgment, and what to practice insteadWhat partners often misunderstand about porn addiction, and why understanding the behavior doesn't mean excusing the harm it causesIf you've ever wondered why changing a behavior can feel so difficult, or why getting what you want doesn't always make you happy, I think you'll find something valuable in this conversation. Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co 🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Jeremy's Story: When Porn Addiction Became a Problem 03:32 Welcome to Wake Up with Marci 05:36 How Jeremy's Porn Addiction Started 08:00 When Porn Began Taking Over His Mind 10:00 The Moment Jeremy Saw Where His Addiction Was Taking Him 12:16 Porn, Alcohol, and Other Forms of Escape16:52 How Porn Changed the Way Jeremy Viewed Women 20:06 When Does Porn Become a Problem? 22:29 The Three A's of Porn Addiction 24:32 Why Porn Can Be So Difficult to Quit 25:45 Understanding the Shame Cycle 29:22 Healthy Shame vs. Toxic Shame 31:27 Moral Shame and Moral Dread 33:19 Trauma, Insecurity, and Filling the Void 35:58 Searching for a Different Kind of Happiness 38:25 How Buddhism and Neuroplasticity Changed Jeremy's Life 41:22 Mindfulness, Meditation, and Recovery 43:51 Meditation as a Gym for the Mind 46:18 Why Meditation Isn't About Clearing Your Mind 47:13 Recovery Is More Than Sobriety 49:10 How to Practice Mindfulness in Everyday Life 52:16 How to Start Meditating 53:03 Building a Practice of Gratitude 55:34 What Partners of Porn Addicts Need to Know 57:35 Porn Addiction as a Coping Mechanism 58:31 Where to Find Jeremy 59:06 You're Not Alone 01:01:29 Jeremy's Closing Message

Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co In this episode of Unhooked, I sit down with Ben Brown, host of The Shift podcast, to talk about his journey from years of compulsive sex, porn, validation-seeking, alcohol, and drugs into a life of recovery, purpose, and transformation. Ben shares what his life looked like before recovery, including the constant pursuit of women, escalating porn use, partying, and the feeling that he was becoming someone he thought he needed to be. We talk about the moments that finally made him realize something wasn't right, including a chance encounter with a stranger who told him how sex addiction had destroyed his life, and the experience that finally pushed Ben to walk into a recovery room. We also get into what actually helped him change: community, mentors, faith, willpower, small daily habits, and finding something meaningful to put his energy into. And Ben shares one of the biggest lessons from his recovery: you are not exempt. No matter how much shame you carry or how far gone you think you are, you can still change your life. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why addiction can become a way of escaping discomfort and seeking validation - What finally pushed Ben to seek recovery after years of compulsive behavior - Why willpower can help in the early stages but isn't enough for long-term recovery - How small daily wins can build momentum and create lasting change - Why finding a “mountain to climb” can help redirect sexual and creative energy into something meaningful Recovery doesn't happen all at once. Sometimes it starts with one small decision, one mentor, one meeting, or simply taking the first step. 🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Connect with Ben Ben Brown / The Shift Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-a-podcast-with-ben-brown/id1887649490 Instagram: @benbrown3000 https://www.instagram.com/benbrown3000/ YouTube: The Shift Podcast with Ben Brown https://www.youtube.com/@theshiftpodcastwithbenbrown Website: The Shift with Ben Brown https://www.theshiftwithbenbrown.com/

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co What if stopping porn isn't actually the thing that creates lasting recovery? In this episode of Unhooked, I’m resharing a conversation I had on Sam’s Healing Podcast about porn addiction, recovery, and what it really takes to build lasting freedom. We talk about why porn itself is often not the underlying problem, but instead a way of escaping uncomfortable emotions, stress, loneliness, boredom, insecurity, or other difficult experiences. I also explain why simply chasing a streak or practicing sobriety without doing the deeper inner work can leave the underlying issues untouched. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why sobriety alone isn't the same as recovery and why the underlying reasons behind the behavior matter - How porn can become a coping mechanism for stress, loneliness, boredom, insecurity, and other uncomfortable emotions - Why I describe meditation as strength training for the mind and how it can help build greater awareness and self-control - How the Reset → Rewire → Rebuild → Restore framework supports lasting transformation - Why learning to sit with discomfort instead of escaping it is an essential part of creating real freedom If you're early in recovery and looking for a clear, grounded overview of what this work actually involves, this is a good place to start. Ready to start your recovery? Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Timestamps: 00:00 Why Sobriety Isn’t Recovery 02:59 Welcome to Unhooked 03:37 Introducing Jeremy and Unhooked 04:47 Why I Created Unhooked 06:02 Why Do We Get Hooked on Porn? 09:05 Why Sobriety Alone Isn’t Enough 11:09 Cross-Addictions and Replacing Unhealthy Habits 12:29 Meditation as Strength Training for the Mind 15:23 Different Types of Meditation 17:01 How to Let Go of the Performance Mindset 18:22 Why a Structured Meditation Practice Matters 20:04 The Four Phases of Recovery 21:28 Reset: Getting Clear on Where You’re Going 23:32 Rewire: Using Neuroplasticity for Change 25:04 Rebuild: Changing Your Environment and Habits 26:59 Restore: Building a Life of Fulfillment 28:42 Solitude vs. Isolation 30:14 Why We Run From Unpleasant Experiences 31:56 Learning to Sit With Discomfort 32:56 Why You Have to Take Ownership of Your Recovery 34:21 Can You Really Break Free? 36:27 Where to Learn More About Unhooked 37:21 Sam’s Closing Thoughts 37:56 Final Thoughts

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co What does it actually take to heal after infidelity, and why does defensiveness make rebuilding trust so difficult? In this episode of Unhooked, I sit down with Sam from Sam's Healing Podcast to talk about infidelity, addiction, and what real recovery looks like after betrayal. Sam shares his own journey after an affair that turned his life upside down. We talk about why radical honesty is the first step toward healing, how defensiveness gets in the way of rebuilding trust, and why taking ownership of your actions matters so much. We also explore how childhood wounds can shape destructive coping patterns, the role of community and mentorship in recovery, and why healing looks different for every person and relationship. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why radical honesty is the first step in recovery - How defensiveness and blame-shifting get in the way of healing - The difference between guilt and shame - Why self-acceptance and accountability go hand in hand - What recovery looks like for both the unfaithful and betrayed partner - Why healing takes time and what makes rebuilding trust possible If you're navigating addiction, infidelity, or the difficult process of rebuilding trust after betrayal, this conversation is for you. Ready to start your recovery? Explore the Unhooked app: https://unhookedapp.co Connect with Sam: Sam's Healing Podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@samshealingpodcast and podcast platforms https://www.samshealingpodcast.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Sam's story of despair and recovery 01:39 Episode introduction 03:32 Welcome to Unhooked 04:24 Sam's journey into recovery 08:44 Why radical honesty is the first step 12:53 Becoming a student of recovery and finding support 19:48 Understanding childhood wounds and the roots of addiction 24:08 The turning point: Feeling worthy of love 30:04 Self-acceptance and doing the next right thing 35:33 Balancing self-acceptance with personal growth 40:27 Why people become defensive in recovery 41:56 Shame, guilt, and taking responsibility 45:46 What healing looks like for the betrayed partner 49:59 How long does healing after infidelity take? 52:38 Can couples truly heal after infidelity? 55:34 Where to find Sam 56:57 Closing thoughts

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Interested in the Unhooked App? Join the waitlist here:  https://unhookedapp.co/ Jeremy Lipkowitz reshared his appearance on The Therapy Brothers podcast, where Brendan and Tyler Patrick interview him about how meditation and mindfulness can support recovery. Jeremy explains why mindfulness does not have to conflict with religious faith, and why it is better understood as a practical way to train attention, awareness, and intentional choice. He breaks down the space between stimulus and response and how learning to access that space can help interrupt automatic reactions like craving, anger, fear, and judgment. The conversation also explores neuroplasticity and Jeremy’s “meadow” analogy for how repeated thoughts and behaviors strengthen mental pathways over time. They unpack the meaning of equanimity, why groundedness matters when facing both discomfort and temptation, and how even a simple breath-awareness practice can begin strengthening concentration, self-compassion, emotional regulation, and the ability to respond rather than react. Chapters: 00:00 Why mindfulness matters in recovery 04:10 Welcome to the episode 04:54 Is meditation against religion? 06:40 What mindfulness really is 09:30 The mindset behind mindfulness-based recovery 13:36 How mindfulness helps with urges and reactions 14:14 Neuroplasticity: how the brain changes 17:01 The meadow analogy explained 18:22 What is equanimity? 20:29 How to begin meditating 23:09 Closing thoughts

🔵 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Interested in the Unhooked App? Join the waitlist here:  https://unhookedapp.co/ Jeremy Lipkowitz hosts Brannon and Tyler Patrick on Unhooked to discuss why sobriety and recovery are not the same thing. The brothers are licensed clinicians with about forty years of combined experience treating porn addiction and betrayal trauma, and they host The Therapy Brothers podcast. They explain why a heavy emphasis on sobriety is a prelude to relapse, why focusing on inputs beats chasing a streak, and why recovery worked for a spouse always collapses. Tyler breaks down their trust equation for rebuilding trust after betrayal: shame resiliency on both sides plus rigorous honesty, empathy, and consistent action over time. They also cover what real humility is, the hero's journey framework behind their men's program, healthy disclosure versus probation officer check-ins, and what a betrayed partner is really asking underneath the questions about details. Chapters: 00:00:00 The energy that actually sustains recovery  00:01:01 The cave you fear to enter  00:01:50 Episode intro and the Unhooked app waitlist  00:04:35 Welcome Tyler and Brannon Patrick  00:05:42 Taking men from untrustworthy to trustworthy  00:06:55 What twenty years changed about their approach  00:10:32 How each brother found this work  00:14:08 Sobriety versus recovery  00:17:31 The paradox: does that mean relapse is fine?  00:20:28 Guys who do not know their sobriety date  00:22:17 When sobriety becomes a weapon  00:23:38 Trap one: getting humility backwards  00:24:54 Trap two: recovering for your spouse  00:28:31 Resentment, and turning your partner into your god  00:28:57 Why the instinct to perform makes sense  00:30:39 Corrective experiences and the challenges they run  00:35:30 The hero's journey  00:36:25 Tyler's map of energies, from coercion to love  00:39:05 When a man will not step over the threshold  00:42:26 The parable of the snake and the apples  00:44:53 Where rebuilding trust starts: rigorous honesty  00:46:11 When your partner draws a hard line  00:48:39 Disclosure, lines of defense, and check ins that work  00:49:03 The trust equation  00:51:43 What a betrayed partner is really asking  00:52:58 What actually needs to be disclosed  00:56:35 Harnessing sexuality instead of killing it  00:58:30 What they want couples to hear  01:03:03 Where to find Tyler and Brannon  01:03:45 Closing The Therapy Brothers, for Unhooked listeners: therapybrothers.org/unhooked  Unhooked Academy: unhookedacademy.com  Unhooked app waitlist: unhookedapp.co

🔹 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Jeremy Lipkowitz hosts Alessandro on Unhooked to discuss his mission of helping men become husbands, fathers, and human beings they admire, inspired by what he lacked in role models and his marriage. Alessandro explains Dr. Arne Rubenstein’s boy-to-man framework, contrasting boy traits like self-centered power, emotional reactivity, blame, and wanting a “mother” with mature ideals such as service to the team, emotional humility, integrity and ownership, and equanimity in relating to the feminine. They explore how Western culture lacks rites of passage, and Alessandro outlines four initiation components: shared stories, challenge, honoring, and vision for the future. The conversation also covers why men avoid ownership, how men’s circles help disclose porn struggles, distinguishing ownership from shame, stream-of-consciousness journaling, and why being a better husband often means reconnecting with oneself while nourishing the household. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:32 Mission Beyond Alpha 03:21 Conscious Masculinity Basics 04:22 Boy to Man Framework 10:54 Applying Traits to Marriage 14:11 Understanding the Feminine 17:19 What Initiation Means 19:41 Rites of Passage Four Parts 27:12 Why Ownership Is Hard 30:34 Handyman Trigger Origins 31:54 Owning Your Feelings 32:36 Recovery Check Ins 35:23 Beyond Performative Apologies 36:24 Resistance And Hard Talks 39:16 Mens Circle Confession 41:37 Ownership Versus Shame 42:22 Shoveling The Shit 48:53 Morning Pages Practice 51:29 Stop Appeasing Your Wife 54:51 Mission Nourish Household 58:34 Lightness Without Excuses 01:01:14 Walking Forward Balance 01:04:29 Final Takeaways And Outro Connect with Alessandro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alessandro_frosali

🔹 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ In this episode, Jeremy Lipkowitz—former genetics researcher, ordained Buddhist monk, mindfulness teacher, executive coach, and founder of Unhooked Academy—shares his personal journey from early exposure to pornography through daily use in college and into recovery. He discusses how porn’s accessibility, affordability, and anonymity fuel addiction, while underlying drivers often include boredom, loneliness, disconnection, and emotional avoidance. The conversation explores how novelty and endless scrolling train dissatisfaction, how porn can reshape intimacy and create secrecy and shame, and why sobriety alone isn’t the same as recovery—unaddressed roots can lead to cross-addictions. Jeremy highlights the role of community, mindfulness, self-compassion, and present-moment awareness to create choice between stimulus and response, and warns that AI-generated porn and AI companions are already accelerating these risks. He also points to porn’s exploitative underbelly and invites listeners to assess whether harms outweigh perceived benefits. 00:00 Meet Jeremy Lipkowitz 00:26 His Recovery Journey 01:27 Triggers and Three As 03:17 When It Became a Problem 07:01 Sobriety Versus Recovery 08:14 Compulsion or Addiction 10:02 Why Porn Hooks You 13:48 Roots of Addiction 17:10 Connection and Environment 18:41 Men Versus Women 20:23 Slow Burn Consequences 23:06 Signs You Have a Problem 25:28 Porn Warps Intimacy 27:47 Shame and Taboo 28:13 Courage to Reach Out 28:45 Wedding Trigger Story 30:53 Self Deception Narratives 32:33 Powerless vs Powerful 34:56 Beliefs Shape Outcomes 36:13 Stress Anxiety Reframe 37:37 AI Porn Future Risks 40:49 Recovery Community Work 43:31 Presence and Choice Space 46:07 Equanimity with Discomfort 48:30 Porn Industry Reality Check 51:18 OnlyFans Dopamine Escalation 53:39 Cost Benefit Clarity 54:45 Where to Find Jeremy 55:36 Final Wrap Up Connect with Darren Magee here: https://www.youtube.com/c/DarrenFMagee

🔹 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Jeremy Lipkowitz joins Piers Cross on An Evolving Man to discuss how porn addiction is driven and worsened by craving, shame, and avoidance of unpleasant emotions like boredom, loneliness, anxiety, and lack of purpose. Jeremy shares his own history of early porn exposure, how Buddhism and Matthieu Ricard’s book Happiness helped him understand neuroplasticity (“neurons that fire together, wire together”) and craving as suffering, and why recovery requires more than willpower. They explore why modern porn is uniquely addictive through affordability, accessibility, anonymity, and infinite novelty, and why taking distance from porn reveals impacts on clarity, confidence, and integrity. The conversation emphasizes mindfulness as awareness across the “six sense doors,” community and men’s groups to dissolve isolation and shame, skillful moral shame/dread (hiri and ottappa), and how the attention economy and tech design mimic slot machines to capture attention. 00:00 Shame And Escape 01:18 Rebroadcast And Themes 02:40 Meet Jeremy Lipkowitz 03:54 Porn Habit Origins 06:41 Buddhism Changes Everything 08:46 Neuroplasticity And Craving 12:29 Beyond Meditation Recovery 14:17 Porn Culture And Taboo 16:57 Smartphone Porn Explosion 21:04 Why Porn Hooks Us 24:50 Reclaiming Healthy Sexuality 26:49 Triggers And Emotional Avoidance 29:33 Feeling Emotions In The Body 31:56 Slow Down The Urge 32:59 Mindful Smoking Insight 33:48 Mindfulness In Recovery 35:21 Shame And Community 39:40 Porn Shame Stigma 42:39 Healthy Moral Shame 47:42 Four Truths Reflection 49:31 Attention Economy Trap 55:24 Reclaiming Your Attention 57:31 What Mindfulness Means 59:28 Six Sense Doors Practice 01:01:22 Closing And Resources

🔹 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ This rebroadcast from Jonah Primo’s The Overexamined Life features Jeremy Lipkowitz (former Buddhist monk, meditation teacher, executive coach, and host of the Unhooked podcast) discussing pornography as a lens for addiction, shame, and compulsive behavior. They cover how widespread porn use is among men and increasingly women, early exposure in childhood, and how porn’s normalization alongside taboo can fuel addiction. Lipkowitz argues porn is often used for emotional regulation (boredom, loneliness, anxiety), can distort expectations of intimacy, train novelty-seeking dopamine patterns, and contribute to a shame-driven double life. They address ethical concerns about performer exploitation, whether moderate use is defensible, the distinction between porn and masturbation, and rising risks from AI-generated porn, non-consensual deepfakes, and related technologies. Treatment emphasizes mindfulness, men’s groups, integrity, and Viktor Frankl’s “space between stimulus and response” over reliance on blockers; Lipkowitz recommends abstinence first if moderation is attempted. 00:00 Rebroadcast Introduction 01:34 Meet Jeremy Lipkowitz 04:19 Who Watches Porn 05:28 Taboo Meets Normalized 07:04 Kids And Early Exposure 12:49 Porn Scripts And Consent 15:47 Porn As Emotional Coping 20:11 Shame Fuels Addiction 26:52 Making It Less Shameful 28:01 Men's Groups Explained 33:44 Performers And Exploitation 39:36 Is Any Use Safe 42:55 Subtle Long Term Effects 47:11 Hungry Ghost Origin Story 48:43 From Catalogs to Tube Sites 49:30 When Lust Becomes Suffering 50:46 Hungry Ghosts Explained 52:26 Pros and Cons of Quitting 54:59 Masturbation Without Porn 56:50 Engineered to Be Addictive 59:52 AI Porn Pandora Box 01:05:15 Skillful vs Unskillful Desire 01:07:55 Life After Porn Benefits 01:12:54 Relapse and the Three As 01:15:58 Mindfulness Space to Choose 01:20:01 Abstinence vs Moderation 01:22:13 Rapid Fire and Farewell

🔹 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ Piers Cross on Trauma, Addiction, and Self-Compassion Most men walk around with stones in their shoes their whole lives. They don't know the stones are there. They just know something hurts, and they've learned to keep walking anyway. That's one of the most powerful things Piers Cross said in this conversation. And it captures something I see all the time in the men I work with — unprocessed trauma quietly running the show, showing up as compulsive behavior, isolation, a relentless inner critic that won't let them rest. Piers's own story is one of the more remarkable ones I've encountered. He grew up with an alcoholic father, ran away to boarding school, watched a friend die by suicide, and was then sexually abused by the priest the school sent them to for support. He suppressed all of it, built a successful career in finance, and slowly fell apart. At his lowest point he was homeless, struggling with drugs and alcohol, and tried to take his own life. What turned it around was ending up at a Buddhist monastery — where he stayed for over 1,000 days. He's been sober for 24 years. In this episode we talk about: How suppressed childhood trauma shows up in adult addiction, even when the connection isn't obviousWhy going back to touch trauma can re-traumatize you — and what to do insteadWhat EFT tapping is, how it works neurologically, and why Piers uses it with every clientThe three ingredients Robert Moore says are required for real initiation to happenWhy the monastery was a rite of passage from boy to man — and what that has to do with recoveryThe inner critic loop that keeps men stuck, and how to step out of itWhy alcohol and porn relapse are more connected than most people realizeA five-minute safety meditation practice you can start todayWhat Piers wants every man struggling with addiction to hear before anything elseThe self-compassion piece in this one is worth the whole conversation. The image Piers uses — of picking a child up 100 times when they fall — is the kind of thing that stays with you. Connect with Piers Cross: Coaching: piers-cross.com Leadership work: compassionateleadersglobal.com Podcast: An Evolving Man Documentary: Boarding on Insanity Resources from Jeremy: Unhooked Academy: unhookedacademy.com 14-Day Slip Reset: unhookedacademy.com/reset

🔹 Want to break free? Join Unhooked Academy now: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/ This week's episode is a conversation I had on the Enter the Lionheart podcast with host Lawrence Dunling. Lawrence was kind enough to let us reshare it here on Unhooked. We get into my own unusual path: leaving a PhD program at Duke, training as a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, and eventually building my coaching practice in Thailand. From there we dig into the trap almost all of us fall into, the belief that the next zero in the bank account, the next win, the next relationship will finally make us happy, and why that chase never actually delivers. We talk through some core Buddhist concepts and how they apply to everyday life: the bliss of blamelessness, the eight worldly winds, and the middle path between renouncing everything and chasing pleasure. And we spend real time on porn and compulsive behavior specifically: why the consequences are often subtle and easy to miss, how it rewires your brain's relationship to novelty and intimacy, and the Rat Park experiment, one of the clearest illustrations out there of why addiction is about an unmet need, not a moral failing. We also get into modern dating, OnlyFans, the loneliness underneath a lot of it, and why community and close male friendships matter more than most guys realize. Resources: Unhooked Academy: unhookedacademy.com 14-Day Slip Reset: unhookedacademy.com/reset Connect with Jeremy: 🌍 Website: JeremyLipkowitz.com 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremylipkowitz/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyLipkowitz 📩 Email: [email protected] Jeremy’s Online Course: Unhooked – Step-by-Step Guide to Quitting Porn: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/