The significance of religious messages in sexual addiction

This qualitative study investigated the relationship between religious messages and sexual addiction. Surveyed were thirty volunteers from Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, a twelve-step recovery group for people recovering from sexual addiction. From those surveyed, five subjects representing gender and sexual preference were each invited to participate in two in-depth interviews. A semi-structured interview format was designed based on each client\u27s response to three surveys: (1) Survey of Religious Attitudes; (2) Survey of Anxiety (adaptation of Manifest Taylor Anxiety scale); (3) Survey of Religious Messages. The responses were categorized and used in facilitating the self-description of each subject\u27s religious and sexual history, including the significance of religious messages in sexual development. Total interview time for each subject ranged from three to four hours. A profile of each subject was described and analyzed. Recurrent themes discussed were: (1) rebellion and defiance towards a wrathful God; (2) shame surrounding one\u27s worth; (3) objectification of body and sexuality; (4) emotional withdrawal as a form of punishment; (5) concurrent and contradictory presentations of God throughout formation. Based on findings, twenty-two hypothetical considerations were constructed as well as implications for research and practice