Several Hillsdale students had tears in their eyes in the final minutes of the film “Brain Heart World” as young adults talked about healing from pornography addictions. 

“The compassion I saw in the video was really touching,” sophomore Clare Horvath said. “The way we’re going to help people is by showing compassion and giving them hope.”

Eighty students packed into a basement classroom in Lane Hall Oct. 30 to watch the third part of a documentary about the harmful effects of pornography. The screening, organized by the Hillsdale College Catholic Society, was followed by a Q&A with Hillsdale faculty, their spouses, and campus ministers. 

The event was the last of three successive Monday evenings dedicated to a showing of the three-part documentary made by Fight the New Drug, an anti-pornography, non-religious nonprofit.

Junior Charlie Miggins said conversations about pornography in Professor of Philosophy and Religion Nathan Schlueter’s Love, Sex, and Marriage class, which he took as a sophomore, inspired him to organize the series.

“This has always been something I want to attack and help others attack,” Miggins said. “I hope these screenings spread awareness and start conversations. I hope students walk away with some ammunition to help their battle and their friends’ battles.”

The video series focused on how pornography can change individuals through altering their brain chemistry, then examined the negative impact of pornography on relationships, concluding with a look at the influence of the pornography and human trafficking industries on individuals.

After discussing the way pornography negatively affected their lives, the young adult subjects of the documentary concluded on a hopeful note. The documentary emphasized how, according to neuroscience, the brain can heal from a pornography addiction.

“It wasn’t me that was bad, it was the porn,” one speaker said. 

The victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation interviewed in the final segment of the documentary attested to the healing power of relationships. 

“I’m more free than I ever thought I would be. I never thought anyone would want me after everything that I have been through,” said one survivor, pictured with her husband. 

The panel offered advice and hope to students dealing with pornography in their own lives or in relationships with others. 

Elizabeth Schlueter, wife of Nathan Schlueter, stressed the biological impact of pornography on the human person. 

“I think it can’t be emphasized enough how this is not just a moral issue,” she said. 

Dean of Women Rebekah Dell advised students to find support in edifying activities, particularly when dealing with a friend or partner’s pornography issue. 

“Make sure, no matter what your struggles are, that you have mentorship and community, and that you’re engaged in healthy activities outside of your relationship,” Dell said.

Dean of Men Aaron Petersen stressed the value of levity in dealing with the sensitive topic of pornography use. 

“In struggling with these things, you just get mad and beat yourself up,” Petersen said. “I’ve learned through years of spiritual direction to have a warm humble smile. This is human nature. These are human struggles.”

Nathan Schlueter advised students to learn about the nature of addiction when helping friends and partners overcome a pornography problem. He said the accessibility and anonymity of the internet exacerbates pornography addiction. 

“There’s way too much of a stigma, and too much shame,” Schlueter said. “Become more educated about the reality of pornography usage and try not to contribute to the stigma.”

Senior Robert Anderson said he appreciated the levity with which the documentary and speakers treated the issue. 

“I think the sense of humor was a key part of the video,” Anderson said. 

Associate Professor of Theology Jordan Wales said students need to do more than merely cutting themselves off from pornography consumption.

“Pornography hijacks and distorts a fundamentally relational capacity that we have,” Wales said. “The path of healing is not simply to stop doing something, but to cultivate one’s capacity for authentic human relationship.”