*This presentation is available live only and will not be recorded.
This presentation will explore the biopsychosocial contributors to pornography addiction and problematic use. We’ll examine the roles of neurological reinforcement, neurotype, trauma, socialisation, attachment style, and minority stress in shaping patterns of use. The session will introduce the SHIFT model for treatment, which supports clinicians to identify addiction cycles, map perpetuating factors, and uncover the core drivers underlying each client’s relationship to pornography. Finally, we will outline key intervention points and evidence-informed treatment approaches, including behavioural strategies, cognitive techniques, trauma processing and sensate-focused interventions.
Dr Sarah Ashton (she/her) is the Director and Founder of Sexual Health and Intimacy Psychological Services (SHIPS) and the Institute of Sexual Health Psychology Australia (ISHPA). She is a registered psychologist and board-approved supervisor with AHPRA, and a member of the Society of Australian Sexologists. Dr Ashton is also a lecturer and academic at RMIT and Deakin University, where she recently co-authored Deakin’s first Sex and Sexuality Unit. Her research on pornography has been published in The Journal of Sex Research, Porn Studies, and Feminism & Psychology.
Selected Publications:
Ashton, S., McDonald, K., & Kirkman, M. (2018). Women’s experiences of pornography: A systematic review of research using qualitative methods. Journal of Sex Research, 55(3), 334–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2017.1364337
Ashton, S., McDonald, K., & Kirkman, M. (2019). Pornography and women’s sexual pleasure: Accounts from young women in Australia. Feminism & Psychology, 0(0), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353519833410
Ashton, S., McDonald, K., & Kirkman, M. (2019). What does “pornography” mean in the digital age? Revisiting a definition for researchers. Porn Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2018.1544096
Ashton, S., McDonald, K., & Kirkman, M. (2020). Pornography and sexual relationships: Discursive challenges for young women. Feminism & Psychology, 30(4), 489–507. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353520918164
Ashton, S., & Kirkman, M. (2019, May 10). Many young women find pleasure in sexually explicit material – but it still reinforces gender inequality. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/many-young-women-find-pleasure-in-sexually-explicit-material-but-it-still-reinforces-gender-inequality-114370
Ashton, S., & Kirkman, M. (2019, March 18). We need a new definition of pornography – with consent at the centre. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-new-definition-of-pornography-with-consent-at-the-centre-111994
