Behind the Cloak of Darkness – The Impact of Pornography on Interpersonal Violence
This session examines how today’s pornography—often violent and pervasive—shapes brain development, sexuality, and culture, and its links to exploitation, sexual violence, and victimization, while exploring how professionals can respond and promote healthier, safer communities.
Registration for this Webinar is FREE.
Upon completing Zoom Registration, you will receive a link to the training.
Attendees will receive certificates and 1 POST and/or FVIP credit.
Pornography has been a part of human existence since the conception of cave drawings. From cave walls and artistic renderings to photographs - silent talkies to technicolor - online to virtual reality – all media beckon from the shadows, shaping our culture deep within the core of who we are, or who we pretend to be. While capturing the images of humans involved in sexual acts is a historical constant, the most recent onslaught of the internet has permanently and dramatically changed the sexual landscape.
Porn is becoming the primary sex educator. Consider that, some sources cite up to 88% of all porn includes an act of violence, mostly violence against women and girls. This presentation will examine the influence of pornography on the neurobiology of the developing and already developed brain. It will seek to articulate that excessive porn use impacts an individual’s sexuality and body image, taking into consideration that the onslaught of hardcore images shapes and informs one’s sexual identity and practice. One major question often asked about porn is whether there is a causal correlation between porn and interpersonal violence. There are over 100 studies showing that pornography use is both correlated with and is the cause (shown through experimental studies) of a wide range of violent behaviors.
Over 50 studies show a strong connection between pornography and sexual violence. The presenter will specifically focus on aspects of pornography that may lead to victimization, such as the mainstreaming and national increase of choking and strangulation, BDSM (but without the typical and learned BDSM safety precautions), revenge porn, child rape/torture, and sex trafficking. We will also explore how sex industry workers experience the porn industry while uncovering some of the attitudes of producers.
This presentation will be beneficial to any professional working to understand and change the culture regarding interpersonal violence in any form. There will also be discussions on possible solutions, promising practices, and methodologies that can be utilized to begin the shift from a toxic sexual landscape to a possible healthy sexual reality. This presentation will include exploring the impact porn is having on the criminal justice system while exploring new tools of investigation, which may assist in a more successful prosecution.