POIS Compass

Trigger factor

Watching porn

People say porn makes things worse; some get headaches or anxiety from just watching, masturbating with porn is worse than without, and harder content is worse still.

28 remarks

What people said28

Community self-reports only — not medical advice. Do not use any medication without a prescription.
  • “If i even masturbait without porn and feel bad, it is very very different if i masturbate watching porn for 2 hours. I will feel myself incredebly bad with many struggles and severe sexual desire after several days. I will not be able to go outside for a week.”
  • “When I watch porn I can feel the dopamine going crazy in my brain and I get a headache after even if I don't fap. I also feel more anxious and socializing is harder”
  • “Thanks. I've actually beaten social anxiety as well as general anxiety and wet dreams years ago. But I started to watch porn again and now I'm suffering again.”
  • “Porn triggers it. Even if I don't fap. Also I get it from seeing an attractive woman in public. It's like a brain fog and pressure in the head.”
  • “I masturbate with... no porn. It reduces symptoms by 90%... when I masturbate with... porn... causes more symptoms.”
  • “I find the best thing is to not look at any sexual images/videos, and to make sure you’re always busy or with family/friends. I don’t take anything and I’ve managed to reduce mine so that I only have an orgasm once every 3 ish weeks.”
  • “Porn seems to make things much worse.”
  • “I realised that mine got worse when exposed to porn and masturbating. i'm thinking it could be anxiety”
  • “I was using porn and fapping everyday for hours each day! Sometimes like 5-6 hours a day. Even before it happened.”
  • “I have also noticed that watching pornography also leads to worsening of POIS”
  • “porn the latter which of course makes things even worse”
  • “When it comes to issues relating to the brain, I guess they could be catagorized into memory and cognitive functioning as in focus etc. For me personally the latter as is the case. With memory as you might know, porn use has an effect on it aswell.”
  • “My triggers are porn, excitement, social pressure, eating high histamine foods (leftovers, cheese, wine etc).”
  • “masturbating without orgasm for sure gives less symptoms for shorter duration of time. Porn overstimulated nerves and nerves cannot regenerate if you overstimulate them.”
  • “I notice a huge spike in PSSD/POIS symptoms when I look at porn and edge and don't ejaculate”
  • “avoid masturbating to outside material (pornography), edging, or godforbid having consecutive orgasms”
  • “Those who have POIS should avoid looking at erotic pictures/videos... touching or watching a sex scene in a movie will set it off again.”
  • “I have the same reaction to porn even without fapping. Too much dopamine triggers my pois”
  • “Holy shit I have the same exact experience with both porn and dating sites.”
  • “Not just with porn but also when I browse tinder and sometimes just when I see an attractive woman in public.”
  • “I agreed. Firs you must stop watching porn and masturbating forever, just forget about it.... For now i do not have a desire to have sex actually and i glad thet i do not feel this pain anymore.”
  • “I also get the same effect from just being excited about something (like going to a friends house or something) but not as severe as porn.”
  • “When I jack off to mild porn it's not as bad, but when it's some hardcore porn I have a horrible time.”
  • “my symptoms seem to correlate directly to the intensity of my orgasms, especially when watchin porn and edging”