Module 8: High Control Religion and Sex

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Laura Anderson, PhD, LMFT

APA CE Credits: 1.25

This program is co-sponsored with Traumastry. Traumastry is approved by the American Psychological Association and NBCC to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Traumastry maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to analyze three limitations of sexual frameworks promoted in high-control religious environments and evaluate two mechanisms through which these frameworks reinforce shame, sexual stigma, and behavioral control.
• Participants will be able to apply three trauma-informed, body-based intervention strategies that support restoration of sexual agency, reduction of shame-related responses, and development of embodied sexual self-awareness among clients recovering from purity culture or religious sexual repression.

Program Summary and Justification

This program provides psychologists and licensed mental health professionals with an evidence-informed framework for understanding how sexual ideologies promoted within high-control religious systems may influence psychological functioning, identity development, and relational health. Research examining purity culture and abstinence-focused sexual education indicates that these frameworks often define sexuality narrowly as a set of moral behaviors rather than as a multidimensional aspect of identity, embodiment, and relational well-being (Carr & Packham, 2017; Fox et al., 2019). Such approaches frequently emphasize sexual restriction, gendered expectations regarding purity, and behavioral compliance, which can contribute to internalized shame, sexual stigma, and distorted beliefs about desire and bodily autonomy. Emerging research examining the psychological consequences of purity culture further suggests that these narratives may negatively influence sexual well-being and reinforce shame-based beliefs about sexuality, particularly among individuals socialized within conservative religious environments (Coates et al., 2025; Owens et al., 2021).

Additional scholarship examining sexual ideology and gender norms indicates that moralized constructions of sexuality may reinforce patriarchal expectations and gendered sexual scripts, including the Madonna–Whore dichotomy, which positions women’s sexuality as either morally pure or morally deviant (Bareket et al., 2018). These frameworks may also function as mechanisms of behavioral and social control by linking sexual behavior to moral worthiness, spiritual legitimacy, or community belonging. Research examining coercive control and religious authority further demonstrates that systems of moralized behavioral regulation—including those related to sexuality—can contribute to psychological distress and difficulties with autonomy and self-trust (Lohmann et al., 2023; Mulvihill et al., 2022). For individuals exiting high-control religious systems, these internalized narratives may manifest clinically as sexual shame, fear of desire, dissociation during intimacy, or confusion regarding consent and bodily agency.

In addition to psychological and relational impacts, trauma research suggests that experiences of coercive control and moralized sexual shame may influence bodily awareness, emotional regulation, and perceptions of safety within intimate contexts. Studies examining trauma and mental health outcomes indicate that exposure to coercive or controlling environments can contribute to disruptions in emotional regulation and self-concept, which may persist even after individuals leave those environments (Lohmann et al., 2023; McGraw et al., 2019). Research examining sexual trauma recovery and trauma-informed sexual health interventions further suggests that body-based therapeutic approaches may support healing by strengthening awareness of internal bodily cues and restoring a sense of safety, consent, and agency within intimate relationships (Gewirtz-Meydan, 2025; Weiner, 2022).

Building on this empirical foundation, the program introduces trauma-informed, body-based intervention strategies designed to help individuals reconnect with embodied sexuality and develop self-directed sexual ethics following experiences of purity culture or religious sexual repression. Research examining embodied and movement-based trauma interventions suggests that practices emphasizing bodily awareness, sensory integration, and gradual exposure to safe physical experience can support recovery among survivors of interpersonal trauma (Cristobal, 2018; Nixon, 2023). By integrating empirical research from trauma psychology, sexual health research, and studies of religious sexual ideology, this program equips psychologists with clinically applicable tools for assessing and addressing the psychological and somatic effects of purity culture and religious sexual control. Participants will strengthen their ability to identify the psychological mechanisms through which religious sexual frameworks may influence clients’ mental health and apply evidence-informed interventions that support sexual agency, emotional safety, and embodied autonomy in trauma recovery.