Many people take online “sex/porn addiction” assessments to see if they would qualify for the “diagnosis” that I’ve already noted does not exist. None of these assessment tools have been approved by any governing mental health body. Most of the questions are completely subjective and make it so that many people could easily qualify…. for example — are you preoccupied with sex? does your spouse complain about your sexual behavior? do you feel badly about your sexual behavior? do you... Read more
I have written and talked a lot about the controversial issues surrounding “sex/porn addiction.” This has been such an important topic for me to focus on because of the large amounts of LDS people who have come through my office having either self-diagnosed or spouse-diagnosed as an addict (for usually much less behavior than the general population), organized their sexuality around a shame-based/disease model, and often times spent years and large sums of money getting treatment that is inappropriate to... Read more
Today’s guest post is written by Nick Einbender. Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author. Nick and Spencer Mickelson met at the annual Affirmation Conference in 2014 and, as they say, the rest is history. Nick is a dentist in the United States Air Force and Spencer works as a fitness instructor in addition to several creative pursuits. Recently relocated from Hawaii to Washington DC, Nick and Spencer regularly attend church, are open... Read more
What is meant when you use the term “sex positive?” This is an excellent question. And like many terms (i.e. feminism, spirituality, academics, philosophy, etc.), it can be defined in different ways by different people and organizations. However, I will try to explain the basis of how we generally use this term within the mental health profession and fields of sexology. The following definitions provide framing to the term: “…the cultural philosophy that understands sexuality as a potentially positive force... Read more
Today’s guest post is written by Alisa Bolander. Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author. Alisha Bolander is a project manager at a global financial company, a mother of a child with special needs, an adoring wife, and an enthusiastic ice skater who loves visiting teaching visits and lives in the friendliest LDS ward in Sandy, UT. Two days ago, I wrote about what it is like to be questioned about why... Read more
Today’s guest post is written by Holly Welker. Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author. Holly Welker is a writer and a critical analyst. She is the editor of Baring Witness: 36 Mormon Women Talk Candidly about Love, Sex and Marriage and has been interviewed on Mormon Mental Health in regards to her experiences when she was an LDS missionary. Yesterday I wrote about what it is like to be questioned... Read more
I do not understand how any sex positive person would choose to be Mormon. It is a battle. I am not going to be PC. I just do not get it. You are not going to change Mormonism. Why stay?? This is a question I received on a Facebook feed from a colleague of mine and my subsequent answer: I guess I don’t know how to answer this in a few sentences on a Facebook feed. My journey within my... Read more
I’m excited to announce that I will be leading the following retreat, Navigating a Healthy Mormon Journey, with my colleague Dr. Marty Erickson and fellow podcast host, Dan Wotherspoon. These types of retreats have been very highly ranked in the past and we are excited to be offering this format to Mormons looking to stay engaged with their culture, beliefs and/or practice. There are a limited amount of spots available and we only have a few weeks to go – so... Read more
Today’s guest post is written by Lori Bolland Embree. Opinions shared on guest posts may not completely reflect the positions of the blog’s author. Lori Bolland Embree is from Parker, Idaho, raised by a Lutheran father and an LDS mother. She was a high school teacher and debate coach for many years, and now teaches interpersonal communication, public speaking, and communication essentials part time at the university level. Lori is a Mama Dragon and sees a huge need for acceptance and... Read more
I don’t want to use triggering or sensational language at a time like we are currently facing within the LDS community. So I use the term crisis, because it is so. The LDS community lost three LGBT youth members and one LGBT young adult member to death by suicide just this week. There was also one other suicide death of a minor. All occurring within the state of Utah. Some reality we have to face regarding statistics: According to the... Read more
The Mormon Therapist
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In