Audrey Assad's Amazing Talk For Women on Porn Addiction

You have to listen to this presentation that Audrey Assad gave at SEEK 2015, a college and young adult conference led by FOCUS. Too often we place porn addiction at the feet of men and ignore the struggles of women with this sexual addiction. Artfully stated, she describes the contrasting experiences of male vs female porn addiction this way:

Though men and women alike struggle with pornography addiction, for the most part men are in jail together... While for the most part women are locked into individual cells in the same prison unaware that anyone else is even there.

First, her talk is eye-opening just on the nature of addiction. The first 15 minutes of her talk cover her childhood and upbringing that led to her porn addiction. So many people are just clueless about the disease of the mind that is addiction and I think her witness sheds some compassionate light on the subject.

Second, she constantly reiterates the saving mercy of God caught up in the throes of addictive behavior. At around minute 26 she does her "preaching" for about 2 minutes and the way she speaks past the self-hatred and misery that so many inflict upon themselves creates a simple and beautiful desire for wholeness, forgiveness and intimacy with Jesus Christ.

Third, she is utterly honest and vulnerable in a way that is reassuring and not alienating. She intelligently weaves technical language with her testimony that allows one to feel the gravity of porn addiction while at the same time not get lost in gritty details. Even when she speaks about the stark reality of porn and masturbation, about the shame and the guilt, there is a raw beauty to it all. 

I have heard hundreds of testimonies in my old age (32 years old) and this is by far the most engaging. Some shout and yell (like me) to get attention. Her words read off of a page speak much louder.