Maybe you have been secretly asking yourself this question for a long time. This statement here does not regard itself as definitive answer to this question either, but rather as further material for reflection.

Almost certainly, this supposedly 'harmless' masturbation still has such a grip on you. Hence, you are taking this course right now and are addressing this because deep down you are not at peace with your actions.

And that is exactly where I was! As you can see from the rest of the course material, God has made me completely free of masturbation and I am very grateful to Him for that today. I have long convinced myself that because of the lack of pornographic images, what I do has no consequences on me. Sadly, this is not true at all.

With every orgasm - no matter how induced - hormones are released. Your desire for more of exactly these substances grows - that is, your desire to have more orgasms becomes stronger and stronger. What is meant by this? The more I deal with sexuality, the more I want it. But in addition, this spiral towards more desire is not linear. In the long run, the same act will not lead to the same satisfaction. The desire for more is increased. For example, this can lead to more consumption, or even to pornography.

But the real problem of masturbation lies much deeper.

We try to obtain peace with our own strength, instead of entrusting ourselves to the One who knows all of our needs; who is peace.

Why do you want to masturbate in the first place? I hope you have already found answers to this in the online course.

In conclusion, I want to state that masturbation, even without pornographic images, still harms you because you bind yourself to a dependency that always increases your desire for it. Moreover, this addiction robs you of peace. Instead of "giving peace to yourself" by binding yourself to an unhealthy behavior, I want to encourage you to be open with your needs and discuss them with Jesus and trustworthy people. Self-gratification such as masturbation, is a supposedly easy path, that, on closer inspection, brings with it a great many unpleasant companions.