![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.wixstatic.com\/media\/42c76f_b08048c729ce41f0af4aecc882beb933~mv2.jpeg\/v1\/fill\/w_1000,h_667,al_c,q_85\/42c76f_b08048c729ce41f0af4aecc882beb933~mv2.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThrough the\u00a0process of working with the thousands of individuals and couples who have come to me for help with their sexuality, it has become clear to me that many of the people that reach out have a background\u00a0from conservative religious backgrounds that affected their sexual development in rigid, misinformed and shaming ways. These people are dealing with:<\/p>\n
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intense, immense and internalized sexual shame<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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sex-negative educational foundations<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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inappropriate meaning ruts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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inappropriate\u00a0self or partner blame<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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and developmental\u00a0stunting in their ability to enjoy the potential, joy and health that sex-positive relational sexuality has to offer<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
As a result they are often sad, depressed\u00a0and hopeless about their sex life and either have high amount of marital conflict or avoidance on the topic.<\/p>\n
Further Influential\u00a0Facts:<\/p>\n
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35% of Americans no longer affiliate with a religion.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Even those who do affiliate, hold more progressive and flexible doctrinal views than in the past. Meaning they are open to reinterpretations of their values and doctrinal beliefs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Most who come from religious backgrounds think sex should wait until marriage\u2026 and yet most have not lived up to that religiously imposed standard\u2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
To continue reading please visit Symmetry Solutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/153\/2019\/11\/42c76f_c52e0cf43b7b492e919aad90297a5272mv2_d_1536_1684_s_2.jpeg\")
Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT, CST, CSTS\u00a0<\/i><\/i>can be reached at\u00a0<\/i>natashaparker.org<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u00a0and runs an online practice,\u00a0<\/i>Symmetry Solutions<\/i><\/b><\/a>, which focuses on helping families and individuals with faith concerns, sexuality and mental health. She hosts the\u00a0<\/i>Mormon Mental Health<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u00a0and Mormon Sex Info<\/a> <\/strong>Podcasts, is the current past president of the\u00a0<\/i>Mormon Mental Health Association<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u00a0and runs a sex education program,\u00a0<\/i>Sex Talk with Natasha<\/i><\/b><\/a>. She has over 20 years of experience working with primarily an LDS\/Mormon clientele.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Through the\u00a0process of working with the thousands of individuals and couples who have come to me for help with their sexuality, it has become clear to me that many of the people that reach out have a background\u00a0from conservative religious backgrounds that affected their sexual development in rigid, misinformed and shaming ways. These people are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":766,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,154,20,45,78,21,48,138,75,25,16,170,43,1,80],"tags":[107,180,58,92,115,285,30,110],"class_list":["post-5988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boundaries","category-consent","category-emotional-abuse","category-gospel-teachings","category-male-issues","category-marriage","category-mental-health","category-mindfulness","category-relationships","category-righteousness","category-sexuality","category-spirituality","category-temple-issues","category-uncategorized","category-womens-issues","tag-emotional-abuse","tag-male-issues","tag-marriage-2","tag-mental-health","tag-relationships","tag-religion","tag-sexuality-2","tag-womens-issues"],"yoast_head":"\n
Flourishing Sexually after Orthodox Religious Upbringings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Through the\u00a0process of working with the thousands of individuals and couples who have come to me for help with their sexuality, it has become clear to me\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/mormontherapist\/2019\/11\/flourishing-sexually-after-orthodox-religious-upbringings.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flourishing Sexually after Orthodox Religious Upbringings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Through the\u00a0process of working with the thousands of individuals and couples who have come to me for help with their sexuality, it has become clear to me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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