Ask Christopher West Rehabilitating Sexual Desire, Pelvic Health Practice, and Embracing Masculinity | ACW318
Questions answered this episode:
- I’m 21, finishing up college soon and have been fighting for the past 6 years to overcome an addiction to porn and masturbation that started when I was first exposed to porn in 4th grade. The past 2 years have been especially tumultuous with lots of victory and defeat. However I believe God has been allowing these setbacks in order to purify me in numerous ways. Recently I started going on dates with a good friend of mine. As a result, I’ve noticed two particularly concerning things in myself. 1: I feel like I’ve resigned myself to the fact that God is the only one who would ever accept me. I can’t imagine someone knowing everything about me and still loving me fully. I want to be loved by more than just God but I see that as a fantasy. 2: I feel like my battle with porn has left me needing physical therapy for my sexual desire. I feel like I’ve been so hard against lust that I’ve lost the ability to experience sexual desire purely. Do you have any recommendations on how to rehabilitate my sexual desire?
- I’m a physical therapist specializing in pelvic health. I see prenatal and postpartum women, postmenopausal women, and men who also may suffer from pelvic pain or pelvic surgery. This is a wonderful profession which also opens a door to see a lot of suffering and life challenges. In my work I meet people from all walks of life and belief systems who are experiencing pain and sometimes trauma. Lately I’ve been asking myself how I can best help people when the help they want is not in keeping with my catholic faith. These are matters around sex, gender and all the values and teachings that come with these. How do I practice and stay true to my faith. Can I treat them according to their goals and tell myself is between them and God or am I complicit in their sin?
- How can I learn to embrace my masculinity in a healthy way when sometimes I do not feel like a complete normal man since I only have 1 testicle. I’ve always felt a little shy and inadequate even though I’ve excelled in many areas of life.
Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute President Christopher West and his beloved wife Wendy share their humor and wisdom, answering questions about marriage, relationships, life, and the Catholic faith, all in light of John Paul II’s beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body.
🔥 Get 3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on Theology of the Body
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](www.eatingthesunrise.com)
⚡️ Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute and have a better chance of us answering your question? Join our Patron Community!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
Help against porn playlist
Catholic Medical Association
National Catholic Bioethics Center
🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
⛷️ Join Christopher on a ski trip to Utah Click here
🏔️ Want to join us on one of our pilgrimages? Click here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.
Discover the Theology of the Body Institute.
If you enjoy the podcast, help us out by writing a review. Thanks for listening!
Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.
Featuring music by Mike Mangione.