The fact that you’re going through a flatline is evidence that you were heavily addicted, because that’s not going to happen in someone who’s mentally healthy around sexuality. Taking a break from sex is not going to cause everything to shut down [for them]. I believe that this whole “shutdown process”—it’s a side effect of your brain trying to rewire itself to a more natural and normal sexual dynamic. It’s like you’ve been bombarding it with all this stimulation, and so now it’s not getting that, it’s kind of like “Okay, crap. We got to change. So let’s just shut down the whole thing, and we’ll start rebooting it back up once things get a little healthier.”
Mark Queppet
For more, see What Is Flatline During NoFap / Porn Recovery? (Mark Queppet)