Module 8: High Control Religion and Sex

This module explores how high-control religious systems impose restrictive and shame-based definitions of sexuality that disconnect individuals from their bodies, desires, and agency. Clinicians will examine three core limitations within these frameworks: sexuality is reduced to moral behavior rather than a somatic and relational experience; desire is framed as inherently sinful; and consent, curiosity, and exploration are omitted altogether. These teachings often result in lasting shame, fear of intimacy, and confusion about bodily autonomy, especially among women and LGBTQ+ individuals. Participants will analyze how these messages function to enforce spiritual obedience through sexual repression and moral purity, leading to deeply internalized binaries around desire, worthiness, and sin.