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This episode is a rebroadcast of a conversation I had with Todd Rennebohm on the Bunny Hugs podcast. Todd runs a mental health show that isn't afraid to go into the territory most podcasts avoid, and this conversation went deep.
We covered my personal story from the beginning. How it started innocent enough, looking at lingerie catalogs as a kid, and slowly escalated over years into a daily habit that was quietly rewiring my brain. By college, I was logging on every night for an hour, sometimes two. And even though my life looked great on paper, I felt completely empty inside.
In this episode we talk about:
- The moment I realized I was a slave to lust, and what it actually felt like from the inside
- How porn hijacks the dopamine system and why the "hunt" is more addictive than the content itself
- The realm of hungry ghosts, a Buddhist concept that perfectly describes what addiction feels like
- Why porn addiction is uniquely hard to break free from compared to alcohol or substances
- How I went from PhD student at Duke to Buddhist monk to meditation teacher to recovery coach
- Why the shame-based, willpower-driven approach almost always backfires
- What neuroplasticity actually means for your recovery, and why it's good news
- How to meditate without falling asleep (and why falling asleep isn't actually the problem)
- AI companions, escalation, and where all of this is headed
This is one of the more wide-ranging conversations I've had. If you're new to this work, it's a good place to start. If you've been around for a while, I think you'll still find something in it.
00:00 Empty Chase
00:50 Meet Jeremy
01:37 How It Started
03:15 Daily Habit
04:59 Control And Coping
06:07 Brain Rewiring
07:15 Novelty Escalation
09:20 Seeing The Future
11:10 Hungry Ghosts
13:33 Neuroplasticity Lust
15:10 Gratitude Training
18:29 Desire Vs Craving
20:31 Meditation Skills
23:11 Tech And AI Risks
24:57 Is It Ever Good
27:14 AI Companions Dystopia
28:30 Moderation Debate
28:37 Moderation vs Abstinence
30:11 Ethics of Porn Industry
33:02 Why Porn Hooks Dopamine
37:15 Rock Bottom Realization
42:43 Finding Happiness Through Mindfulness
46:09 Non Shame Recovery Approach
50:11 Meditation Basics That Work
54:02 Grounded Not Woo Woo
54:49 Where to Find Jeremy
55:26 Final Wrap and Support
Check out Todd's show, Bunny Hugs, at bunnyhugspodcast.com
Resources mentioned:
Unhooked Academy: unhookedacademy.com
14-Day Slip Reset: unhookedacademy.com/reset
Connect with Jeremy:
🌍 Website: JeremyLipkowitz.com
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremylipkowitz/
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyLipkowitz
📩 Email: jeremy@unhookedacademy.com
Jeremy’s Online Course: Unhooked – Step-by-Step Guide to Quitting Porn: https://www.unhookedacademy.com/
