Freedom From Pornography
Part 1 Interview with Steve Pokorny
Freedom From Pornography with Steve Pokorny, founder of Freedom Coaching (Freedom-Coaching.net), joined me to discuss his mission to set the captives free from the addiction to pornography. He grew up in Cleveland, OH, suburbs. His father was a Vietnam veteran and suffered from its lingering effects, particularly depression. He was an attorney and worked long hours. He got caught in a get-rich-quick scheme, and, to his knowledge, he had lost a lot of money, after which he attempted suicide. He did not complete the suicide attempt but remained without short-term memory because of the damage. He was very impaired and was moved to a nursing home. This left Steve very disconnected from his dad from the time he was five years old. This drastically interrupted his ability to connect to his father.
One day as a boy of 12 years old, he found in the middle of his street images of hard-core pornography. He had had no education about sexuality or education. He shared with other kids about the images and ended up selling them images to his friend for $20. For Steve as a boy, there was a space in him that created a perfect storm. Lust, anger, control, and fear were layered within him. He points out that lust leads to violence, as many serial killers start out with exposure to porn. It also leads to the violence of abortion.
For Steve, pornography was a poisoned apple that was dropped into an area of hunger. He was thirsting to have his masculinity affirmed. He felt fatherless, even though he had some good men in his life. He was searching for a connection and was left to settle for a counterfeit. This worsened things even more by filling him with shame. The shame left him afraid and hiding from the people he needed. Dr. Vincent Felitti once said in a talk I heard, “You can never get enough of what almost works.” He didn’t feel comfortable in his own skin and found it difficult to connect with others. He ended up feeling pain or numbness with feelings of guilt, shame, and self-hatred.
Make sure you turn in next week to hear Part 2 to hear how the Lord set Steve free and moved him into ministry to others!
May the Lord give you peace!
Margaret
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