1. Session 6: X3pure Men’s Series
Brain’s Reward System & Sexual
Addiction

2. Review

3. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System

4. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System
• Nucleus Accumbens

5. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System
• Nucleus Accumbens
• Prefrontal Cortex

6. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System
• Nucleus Accumbens
• Prefrontal Cortex
• Amygdala

7. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System
• Nucleus Accumbens
- When dopamine is released here, you experience that sense of pleasure
associated with a given reward.
• Prefrontal Cortex
• Amygdala

8. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System
• Nucleus Accumbens
- When dopamine is released here, you experience that sense of pleasure
associated with a given reward.
• Prefrontal Cortex
- When dopamine is released here, your reasoning, ability to think and
make good decisions, is slowed down.
• Amygdala

9. Review
• Three parts of the Brain’s Reward System
• Nucleus Accumbens
- When dopamine is released here, you experience that sense of pleasure
associated with a given reward.
• Prefrontal Cortex
- When dopamine is released here, your reasoning, ability to think and
make good decisions, is slowed down.
• Amygdala
- When dopamine is released here you remember the sights, sounds,
smells, tastes, textures and emotions associated with acquiring a given
reward.

10. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction

11. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction

12. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction
- Chemical addiction

13. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction
- Chemical addiction
- Behavioral addiction

14. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction
- Chemical addiction
- Behavioral addiction
• Chemical addiction

15. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction
- Chemical addiction
- Behavioral addiction
• Chemical addiction
- A substance introduced into the body (cocaine, methamphetamine,
alcohol, etc.) that causes the brain to release neurochemicals that give us
a high.

16. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction
- Chemical addiction
- Behavioral addiction
• Chemical addiction
- A substance introduced into the body (cocaine, methamphetamine,
alcohol, etc.) that causes the brain to release neurochemicals that give us
a high.
• Behavioral addiction

17. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Two types of addiction
- Chemical addiction
- Behavioral addiction
• Chemical addiction
- A substance introduced into the body (cocaine, methamphetamine,
alcohol, etc.) that causes the brain to release neurochemicals that give us
a high.
• Behavioral addiction
- An external stimulus (food, gambling, masturbation, pornography,
sex, etc.) that causes the body to release neurochemicals that give us
a high.

18. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction

19. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Regardless of the substance of abuse, whether
chemical or behavioral, dopamine is the driving
force of the high and addiction

20. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Regardless of the substance of abuse, whether
chemical or behavioral, dopamine is the driving
force of the high and addiction
• Chemical vs. Behavioral

21. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Regardless of the substance of abuse, whether
chemical or behavioral, dopamine is the driving
force of the high and addiction
• Chemical vs. Behavioral
- Unwanted Sexual Behavior is less like a bad habit and more like a
substance abuse problem.

22. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Regardless of the substance of abuse, whether
chemical or behavioral, dopamine is the driving
force of the high and addiction
• Chemical vs. Behavioral
- Unwanted Sexual Behavior is less like a bad habit and more like a
substance abuse problem.
- Addiction, whether chemical or behavioral, is highly genetic.

23. Brain’s Reward System & Addiction
• Regardless of the substance of abuse, whether
chemical or behavioral, dopamine is the driving
force of the high and addiction
• Chemical vs. Behavioral
- Unwanted Sexual Behavior is less like a bad habit and more like a
substance abuse problem.
- Addiction, whether chemical or behavioral, is highly genetic.
- If chemical and behavioral addictions are similar physiologically, then the
recovery processes for both are very similar.

24. Why Sex?

25. Why Sex?
• Four A’s of internet sexual addiction

26. Why Sex?
• Four A’s of internet sexual addiction
- Affordable

27. Why Sex?
• Four A’s of internet sexual addiction
- Affordable
- Accessible

28. Why Sex?
• Four A’s of internet sexual addiction
- Affordable
- Accessible
- Anonymous

29. Why Sex?
• Four A’s of internet sexual addiction
- Affordable
- Accessible
- Anonymous
- Aggressive

30. Why Sex?
• Four A’s of internet sexual addiction
- Affordable
- Accessible
- Anonymous
- Aggressive
• With other addictions, like to alcohol or
drugs, there is a 5% increase, per year, of the
chance of addiction in adulthood if the
developing brain is exposed just once to
substances of abuse.

31. Reward System & Sexual Addiction

32. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• For some, the desire to use pornography, sex,
or masturbation is not just about the pleasure
of doing it, but because the brain is so used to
doing it that it simply cannot stop.

33. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• For some, the desire to use pornography, sex,
or masturbation is not just about the pleasure
of doing it, but because the brain is so used to
doing it that it simply cannot stop.
• “Addicted to being addicted.”

34. Example

35. Example
• “Joe Schmo”

36. Example
• “Joe Schmo”
- Certain things in his environment reminded him of the object of his
addiction.

37. Example
• “Joe Schmo”
- Certain things in his environment reminded him of the object of his
addiction.
- When someone like Joe is reminded of the object of his addiction, we
say he is triggered.

38. Reward System & Sexual Addiction

39. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• Once the neurons in the brain have been
wired to want certain sexual stimuli they are
attached to the situations, circumstances and
tools needed to acquire the substance of
abuse.

40. Reward System & Sexual Addiction

41. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:

42. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:
• Sexual Triggers

43. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:
• Sexual Triggers
• Non-Sexual Environment Triggers

44. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:
• Sexual Triggers
• Non-Sexual Environment Triggers
• Non-Sexual Emotional Triggers

45. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:
• Sexual Triggers
- Occur when the brain registers something sexual through sight, hearing,
touch, taste or smell. (Ex. Someone naked, a sex scene, etc.)
• Non-Sexual Environment Triggers
• Non-Sexual Emotional Triggers

46. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:
• Sexual Triggers
- Occur when the brain registers something sexual through sight, hearing,
touch, taste or smell. (Ex. Someone naked, a sex scene, etc.)
• Non-Sexual Environment Triggers
- Anything that has been present or previously aided someone in acting
out sexually.
• Non-Sexual Emotional Triggers

47. Reward System & Sexual Addiction
• 3 types of triggers:
• Sexual Triggers
- Occur when the brain registers something sexual through sight, hearing,
touch, taste or smell. (Ex. Someone naked, a sex scene, etc.)
• Non-Sexual Environment Triggers
- Anything that has been present or previously aided someone in acting
out sexually.
• Non-Sexual Emotional Triggers
- Happen when emotions that led to acting out sexually in the past are
present at the moment.

48. Assignment

49. Assignment
• Be courageous enough to tackle this issue