Dr. Jennifer Weeks<p><strong>A Study on “No Fap” for Women?</strong></p> Originally Published on March 18th, 2025 at 09:45 am <p>Most often, when we talk about online communities for abstinence from pornography and masturbation, such as No Fap, we are talking about men. </p><p>Online forums purporting abstinence, particularly Reddit, are a predominantly male space. So, where do the women go? </p><p>While we know men more often report problematic sexual behavior than women, women do still struggle with PSB issues. Where is their safe space? A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior recently addressed this question.</p><p><strong>A No Fap Study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior</strong></p><p>The authors analyzed the posts from a women-only online forum called Porn Free Women. </p><p>Porn Free Women was developed because most pornography abstinence online spaces are dominated by men and many women did not feel comfortable or accepted participating in them.</p> <p>Do you believe you have an online pornography addiction? Take the <em>free</em> <a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/assessment/cyber-pornography-addiction-test-cypat/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cyber Pornography Addiction Test (CYPAT)</a> and have the results to speak with your therapist.</p> <p><strong>Therapeutic, Empowerment and Heteronormative</strong></p><p>The analysis of the discussions revealed 16 predominant topics that fell within three themes: </p><ul><li>Therapeutic</li><li>Empowerment</li><li>Heteronormative</li></ul><p>Half of the discussions fit the therapeutic theme. Pornography abstinence was discussed as overcoming adversity through healing and transformation. Here pornography was seen as addictive. </p><p>Over a quarter of the posts fit into the heteronormative theme. The discussions involved romantic relationships, identity anxiety and ideas of being a “real” woman. </p><p>The empowerment theme emphasized female empowerment and agency in building a supportive community to promote well-being. </p><p>Many of the women in the forum identified with the philosophy of pornography addiction. </p><p>Unlike men, many of these women use their own past sexual victimization to rationalize their entry into pornography addiction. </p><p>This study was interesting because it is one of the very few studies that look at a women’s perspective on desired abstinence from pornography. In a field dominated by heteronormative male voices, it is refreshing to see science finally take an interest in the female voices in the arena. </p><p><strong>Reference</strong></p><p>Zhang, X & Silva, D.E. (2024). “I feel like a fraud who acts like a feminist”: The discussion themes and sexual scripts in the Porn Free Women online forum. <em>Archives of Sexual Behavior. </em>Doi.org/10.1007/s10508-024-02858-w </p> <p>Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? <a href="https://sexualaddictiontreatmentservices.com/how-can-we-help/out-of-control-sexual-behavior-and-sexual-addiction/?utm_source=djrr&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=oocsb_banner" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Consult with a professional</a>.</p> <p>Are you a Licensed Professional Counselor seeking <a href="https://sexualaddictiontreatmentservices.com/licensed-professional-counselor-continuing-education-courses/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">engaging, unique Continuing Education courses</a>? Dr. Weeks offers accredited courses on her practice website on <a href="https://sexualaddictiontreatmentservices.com/course/what-pornography-abstinence-actually-does-article/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the effects of Pornography Abstinence</a> and other unique topics! </p> <p>Are you exploring your trauma? Do you feel your childhood experiences were detrimental to your current mental or physical health? Utilize this free, validated, self-report questionnaire to find out.</p><p><a href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/assessment/ace-questionnaire/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Take the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire</a></p> <p></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/abstinence/" target="_blank">#abstinence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/archives-of-sexual-behavior/" target="_blank">#ArchivesOfSexualBehavior</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/female-masturbation/" target="_blank">#femaleMasturbation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/female-masturbation-abstinence/" target="_blank">#femaleMasturbationAbstinence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/female-masturbation-addiction/" target="_blank">#femaleMasturbationAddiction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/female-pornography-abstinence/" target="_blank">#femalePornographyAbstinence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/female-pornography-addiction/" target="_blank">#femalePornographyAddiction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/female-pornography-use/" target="_blank">#femalePornographyUse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/i-feel-like-a-fraud-who-acts-like-a-feminist/" target="_blank">#IFeelLikeAFraudWhoActsLikeAFeminist</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/masturbation/" target="_blank">#masturbation</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/masturbation-abstinence/" target="_blank">#masturbationAbstinence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/masturbation-addiction/" target="_blank">#masturbationAddiction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/no-fap/" target="_blank">#noFap</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/porn-free-women/" target="_blank">#PornFreeWomen</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/pornography/" target="_blank">#pornography</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/pornography-abstinence/" target="_blank">#pornographyAbstinence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/pornography-addiction/" target="_blank">#pornographyAddiction</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/pornography-addiction-recovery/" target="_blank">#pornographyAddictionRecovery</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/problematic-pornography-use/" target="_blank">#problematicPornographyUse</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/problematic-pornography-use-ppu/" target="_blank">#problematicPornographyUsePPU_</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/problematic-sexual-behavior/" target="_blank">#problematicSexualBehavior</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/silva/" target="_blank">#Silva</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/study-on-pornography-abstinence/" target="_blank">#studyOnPornographyAbstinence</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://drjensrecoveryreadings.com/tag/zhang/" target="_blank">#Zhang</a></p>