TODAY JUNE 4TH, 2025 ON HUMAN SEXUALITY & ADDICTION THERAPY
SECTION 1 (PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE TO ADDICTIONS)
How do you Administer healing to a person suffering from Chronic Addiction?
[An Addiction like Pornography, Betting & Gambling, Masturbation, Chemical addictions like drugs, alcohol]
There are several factors involved in Human Addiction
The psychological aspect
The Emotional Aspect
The spiritual aspect.
Psychologically, there are certain happenings in the brain that strengthens addictive behaviors.
Think of the brain as a gallery.
Whatsoever you put there stays.
The brain has it's wiring & rewiring system same way a guitar is tuned.
It can process up to a million of information in one day.
When you store up junks in the brain, it'll surely give out junks in your experiences- Garbage in, garbage out
When you store up quality information therein, it produce for you a healthy result as seen in your experiences too
The brain can be trained, likewise can also be harmed
When you involve the brain in new things like learning a new language, reading, gaining new skills, it will forms new pathways
& you'll notice what you start learning will sticks to your mind easily
When you involve the brain in destructive functions like excessive on-screen scrolling, pornography, drugs, it also form new pathways.
There are chemicals secreted by the brain. The common which is dopamine
Dopamine is a chemical secreted by the brain.
It's a feel good hormone which aids motivation, pleasure & emotions
The more you involve yourself in activities which spur high dopamine release like exercise, achieving your goals, then the more your body feels good
When you involve in activities that causes instant gratifications like excessive porn consumption, addictive scrolling, the brain secrets this dopamine but at a consequence
When you keep getting instant gratifications, it keeps secreting till the brain gets desensitized, unable to aquire the pleasure it once got easily before
That is how addictive patterns are formed
This same brain during it's secretion of dopamine also secrets stress hormones like cortisol which causes fatigue, anxiety & ultimately, depression.
Oversecretion affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain, responsible for memorizing details & making decisions
It's the reason why people who are addicted to anything, though feel good while at it, but in a short while, get stressed, feel guilt, anxious while some fall into chronic depression
They start craving for activities that gives more shock waves to the brain, forcing it to release more chemicals, since normal activities no longer get them pleased
HOW DO ONE BREAK FREE FROM ADDICTIONS
There are several ways but the most effective is brain re-wiring or Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is when the brain circuits are reorganized, changing it's reward system by replacing old pathways with new ones.
One addicted to let's say porn will first be placed on a withdrawal phase during clinical practices.
If (s)he saw those contents 5 times daily, they'll be told to reduce the timeframe from 5 times to maybe 3 daily..
During the withdrawal phase, new lifestyles & habits like "chewing an apple" replaces the former acts
Gradually, the reward system of the brain is being rewired
Steadily the old brain layers or cells begin to wear out & fresh new cells are formed
This is done via intense clinical practice.
Plasticity means change
Neuro-plasticity means a change in brain orientation
Note: when an addiction moves from its habitual phase to chronic, this clinical practices alone won't save such addict. What will save him is the saving grace in the blood of Christ to break yokes. The Power of God.
SECTION 2
THE EMOTIONAL SIDE TO ADDICTIONS
As we learnt during the onsite class phase, there's always an entry point to addictive behaviors.
This entry point then opens up the window to lots of other cycles like the habitual phase, the addictive phase & then chronic phase
For emotional addictions, the entry point often stems from traumatic experiences in the past.
Someone who was molested while growing tend to look forward to molesting others to feel a sense of satisfaction. If it lingers, such can be addicted to constant abuse of others.
An example is Sean Diddy
For some, emotional abuse could lead them to taking anti-depressants, painkillers, drugs to take their pains away. In this process, they become addicted to them.
For some, they become addicted to the feeling of being esteemed low to the point where any attempt to make them feel good or better becomes a direct attack on their personality.
Many are addicted to the emotional feelings of shame & guilt.
Many are addicted to stress and anxiety, and they'll always involve themselves in activities that releases high cortisol in their bodies.
For anxiety, some love the thrill that danger gives to the point where they feel totally off from someone who gives them an assurance of security
For some, it's emotional numbness. They are habitually addicted to being emotionally unavailable.
You see cases like this in homes where one of the parties are unavailable in the family, unavailable to their children.
You see this in beggars. They've lost every sense of self-dignity so they love the thrill they get from being shamed.They are addicted to being debased.
We'll be looking into EMOTIONAL TRIGGERS
There are emotional triggers of addictive behaviors in people
Emotional pains
Societal Pressure
Stress
These three things trigger addictive attitudes.
Someone suffering from a heartbreak as an entry point can be opened up to several addictive behaviors like stalking, drugs.
These are self explanatory.
The recovery process for the EMOTIONAL phase of addiction is primarily self-compassion
mindfulness & self awareness
Emotional regulations
Supportive relationships.
For self compassion, it is when the addictive person is taught to love himself. This stems from a love for God.
When you love God, you'll learn to love yourself.
If someone is addictive to the feeling of guilt; such doesn't love himself/herself.
Such person have to understand the power of forgiveness in the blood of Christ.
Then such person must be taught to start loving themselves.
If someone is emotionally debased to the point where they get opened up to sexually abusing children as a coping mechanism to feel good, such person must first understand the Gospel, then must be discipled and with time they'll be set free.
If the entry point gave access to drug abuse, they must be told that their lives will become better if they stopped what they are doing..
They'll continue, but they must be told oftentimes.
"Your life will become 100% better if you stop drugs than if you continue"
MINDFULNESS AND SELF AWARENESS.
People suffering from this disease called addiction must be made to understand that a life of purpose will be the end of their sickness.
When a man has a purpose, a reason for living, he will find it hard sinking in the pit of addiction.
Such must also engage in improving his well-being physically.
Exercising and consistent body building practices also helps cure emotional addictions.
Exercise has a lot to do with the mind than the body
For Emotional Regulations, such must be opened up to new lifestyles that aids emotional control. There are games that aids this. Reading certain books, novels and materials helps
Lastly, supportive relationships will help lift the weights of emotional addictions.
People suffering from this malady who are willing to be set free must belong to a family of God who will show them love & care.
They should also be in touch with their earthly family who can help refresh their minds in communication...
Note: there has to be extreme caution while relating with people suffering from emotional addictions.
SECTION 3
THE SPIRIT SIDE TO ADDICTIONS
THE LAST ASPECT IS SPIRITUAL FACTOR IN HUMAN ADDICTIONS.
Every minister of the Gospel must be well furnished in administering healing to such people suffering from this
Considering this case study, as a minister of the Gospel, you must try understand what could be the cause. This in spiritual terms is called discernment
Whether it's a brain issue - psychological addiction
Whether it's a heart issue - emotional addiction
Whether it's a spirit issue-
spiritual case influenced by demonic spirits
BUT IN THIS MINISTRY CLASS, EVEN AFTER DISCERNING THE ROOT CAUSE, YOU MUST EXAMINE THE PATIENT THROUGH THESE THREE STAGES.
We must understand as ministers that when an addiction becomes uncontrollable, it is a high indication there is or there are demonic influences hanging on such addiction
When a behavioral pattern moves from habitual phase to an addictive phase, through the help of Neuro plasticity, brain rewiring and other clinical practices, such patient can be healed
BUT WHEN the cycle enters the chronic phase, it's no longer natural and as such, there's a need for a spiritual intensive care unit.
For spiritually influenced addictions, there are always entry points as the others.
There are three of them according to theological findings
The first which is Ignorance of the Word
The second which is Disobedience
The third which is covenants
We'll use pornography & masturbation as a case study..
Someone who started seeing these contents at age 15, the first three, four times he gets exposed to this, he can still break out of such act..
The fifth time he sees it, his brain starts releasing several chemicals which makes his body feel good from orgasmic releases.
It reaches a point when he notice he wants the real thing, the presence of a woman to practice such act but because he lacks the effontery to approach, he resort to keep seeing such content.
It becomes a habit. At this point, his soul can still be saved from it..
When he eventually can't do without seeing such content on a daily, to the point where he sees it twice or thrice and masturbates with it, it becomes an addiction
Even at this point, his soul can still be saved even through psychotherapy; brain recovery, withdrawal processes in clinics
When such person starts experiencing the negative downsides to practicing these, extreme stress, low drive, reduced energy, wasted time., and even when he doesn't want to do it but he yet does it 8 to 9 times daily, then it has moved to the chronic phase
At this point, there are presence of demons in such person's mind, forming a stronghold.
Remember the story of the madman of Gadarene in Matthew 8:28-34..
He lived in tombs, called himself a legion
In military terms, a legion represents 6000 soldiers; 3000 on foot, 3000 on horsebacks.
The madman of Gadarene had 6000 demon in him.
Mary Magdalene had seven unclean spirits casted out of her
The more the demonic entities, the severe the afflictions they cause the host: called the demoniac
In the case of someone chronically addicted to porn & masturbation, the more the demons who gain access to his mind via the screens, the severe the afflictions of the mind such suffer from.
DEMONS AND THEIR CHARACTERS: A BRIEF PRELIMINARY TOPOLOGY
Demons are products of the unholy union between the sons of God (Ben Elohim) and the daughters of men.
In the garden of Eden, there was a curse laid on the serpent and on Eve.
The seed of the serpent will bruise the heel of Eve's seed and the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent's head.
The devil, pre-flood era, sought ways to corrupt the seed of men because he feared that the seed of the woman will destroy his power which he stole from Adam..
So he corrupted the DNA of men by manipulating the angels in heaven into going in with the daughters of men
The product of this union was a grosteque kind of creature, extremely wicked and evil on the earth. They were called Nephilims.
God decided to wipe out that corrupted race and he caused the flood to wipe them out.
When they died, their spirits couldn't enter Hades (Paradise or the bottomless pit). They hovered around the earth seeking for resting place
Now spirits don't have access to the earth. Any entity that will live on the earth must possess a human body.. It's the reason why we don't see spirits walking physically during the day
Likewise flesh and blood can't enter the spirit realm.
So these disembodied spirits had to start living in both human and animal bodies. They are what we call demons today.
Note: also, some of the fallen angels who fell with Satan also constitute these demonic cadres too.
They seek for legal grounds upon which access can be granted into bodies.
Sin- Ignorance of God's word
Disobedience- or rebellion
And then covenants or oaths
When these demonic entities aren't tabernacled in the human body, they are in a perpetual state of discomfort, helplessness and chaos.
They seek for the body, soul & spirits of men because men are the apex & zenith of God's creation.
And note: No human vessel on the earth currently is empty. Everyone you see around you is either possessed by the Spirit of God or by demons.
The Spirit of Satan can also possess humans
There is a huge difference between possession and influence.
The man who believes in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, who has accepted Christ into his life as his Lord and Savior is already possessed in his spirit by the Spirit of Christ; the HOLY SPIRIT
So whether you believe it or not or whether you feel it or not, so long as you genuinely believe Yeshua is Lord, you are possessed by God in your spirit
On the other hand, the soul (the mind, will, intellect, desires, emotions) and the body of such a believer can still be heavily influenced by demonic spirits.
The reason is because the works of salvation covers fully the salvation of the spirit now, but as the believer grows in the knowledge of God's word and in obedience, his soul & body receives partial regeneration..
The complete regeneration of the soul and the body (the adoption) will happen at the end of all things
So the unbeliever; anyone who doesn't believe Christ rose from the dead is possessed by the god he serves.
No one can sit on the fence.
So as ministers, when faced with an addiction issue (chronic), we must discern to know if it's a complete possession or it's a case of demonic afflictions in the soul & body.
COVENANTS : ACCESS POINT TO DEMONIC INFLUENCES CAUSING ADDICTIONS.
Revisiting the case of the guy, a believer chronically addicted to pornography, we've established the fact that it's a demonic influence, not just clinical.
Considering covenant as an entry point, such might be under a covenant he is or isn't aware of.
A covenant is an oath taken by a person under the influence of a familiar spirit enacted by blood on an altar.
These covenants cause a generational pattern which finds expression across centuries.
Such a guys grandfather could probably have been heavily addicted to adultery because of the oath his own forefathers swore to an unclean spirit.
Altars even if destroyed physically could still run it's programming on those under the yoke of such covenant.
Locality doesn't affect the strength of covenants. Even if you travel to USA fleeing from a generational pattern, it'll still be such an one's experience.
So that same unclean spirit which plagued his own grandfather via women in the village, which also plagued his dad is now plaguing him but now digitally.
When you see sodomy, a man & a man, a woman and a woman addicted to having intercourse, it's a covenant issue.
FINALLY, HOW TO CAST OUT OR ADMINISTER HEALING TO SUCH A DEMONIAC
One who is chronically addicted to eating faeces, who wouldn't gain sexual satisfaction without involving in such act is surely demonically influenced or possessed.
There are no two ways to casting out or administering healing to such addiction than to speak the name of Jesus to such situation.
At the name of Jesus, altars are permanently broken, yokes are broken, generational patterns of addictions are expelled and demons flee.
It's the reason why it's highly expedient for Ministers to know & understand their authority in Christ.
It would be a sign of incompetence to stand in the presence of someone chronically addicted to drugs, cocaine, zobolo, wee-wee or Chelsea gin without knowing what to do.
Note: You can shout the name of Jesus without anything happening.
There has to be an authority, an understanding backing up your proclamation.
After casting out the unclean spirit, if such isn't born again, then get him/her saved and filled with the Spirit
If he says he believes, try ask him questions to know if he truly believes. There are many folks today who claim they are saved in Church but they aren't.
Note: After doing all this, those demonic influences will still return to see is such person is really strong. It's expedient to keep such person under discipleship, learning, unlearning and relearning new creation truths, praying fervently in the spirit and fasting.
If such is left undisciplined, their former state will be way better than their last.
They won't just be chronically addicted, it would be a case of complete possession, where they get addicted to doing the unimaginable.
END
Your Brother
Daniel Ezeokeke (Lead Instructor at the Oasis Life Network Theological Seminary)
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