CASTIMONIA

Sexual Purity Support & Recovery Group

sexual purity

By

The Elephant in the Room

An article written by one of our ministry leaders on understanding the trauma inflicted on our partners due to our sexual impurity issues.

The Elephant in the Room
By Jeff Hutchinson

It’s happened to all of us. The week has been going great, no talk of addiction, no questions, and she is even smiling. Then it happens. You may be in a restaurant, driving in your car, or watching TV….an attractive women walks past the table, you pass a certain road or part of town, or some lewd commercial comes on while you’re watching the ABC Family Network of all things. Whatever it may be, your once happy ignorant bliss is now covered in a thick heavy blanket of unease, making it hard for you to breathe while beads of sweat appear on your forehead. You noticed it; and regardless if you bounced your eyes, took a second look, drifted off into fantasy or turned away and captured your thoughts as Paul instructs us to do, Dumbo is now flying around.

Is she aware of what has just happened? Well, it’s not so difficult to notice an elephant with big ears flying around. If you’re a Star Wars fan you can equate it to a disturbance in the force. Still, as obvious as it is, we remain silent. We think that if we don’t acknowledge it we can somehow return to the way things were two seconds ago. Two seconds ago when she was happy. What the heck just happened? Just like you have certain triggers, so does your wife. And as sure as your triggers bring up things for you, so do hers.

I can’t really put into words the trauma our wives have endured. As a man I can’t even fathom it. If someone were to tell me to try and put myself in her place I simply couldn’t do it. If I’m honest with myself, and I think about if the table had been turned, I don’t think I would stay. I don’t know that I could bear the pain. Understanding the grace that our wives have extended us is a very difficult concept. The strength that it must take to persevere while being bombarded by constant reminders, nightmares, and visions is foreign to me. If you’re like me, I needed to “get it”. I had to try my best with my male brain to empathize, not only with what my wife has been through, but with what was happening to my wife during these times when she was triggered.

In Vietnam many American soldiers were subjected to horrible trauma, some were taken prisoner, and many who returned suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At the time PTSD was not mainstream, causing our vets to become isolated. Many soldiers thought it was weakness on their part. We’ve all seen the movies where a soldier has a flashback that manifests with intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating, hypervigilence). Movies like Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, and Born on the Fourth of July give us a visual image of what PTSD looks like. These movies unleash the inner mindset of combat veterans trying their best to cope with the trauma of war. Characters clearly exhibit classic symptoms of PTSD such as uncontrollable anger, emotional numbing, denial, keyed up startle responses, an interest in recreating traumatizing events, and substance abuse. Likewise, our wives often experience symptoms of PTSD.

Barbara Steffens, Ph.D., and Marsha Means, MA address “The Trauma Perspective” in their book, Your Sexually Addicted Spouse. “Prior to this discovery the person believed his or her partner loved only him or her and remained faithful. Suddenly their relationship holds danger and dark secrets. Discovering that much of your life is built on lies proves traumatizing and destroys one’s sense of safety and security”. Why can we accept this in others, but not in our wives? As husbands we have to be aware of what is going on and do whatever we can to help.

Insecurity vs. trust- It is ludicrous for us to believe that because our wives go into a defensive position every time they are reminded of our acting out, that they are “just being insecure”.

If you have some strange notion that just because it’s been six months or even five years and you feel she should be “over it” by now, then I want you to be honest and think back to some traumatic event that happened in your life and ask yourself how long it took you to get over it. Most of us have never had to deal with our issues sober, so next time you think that she should be “over it” think back to that one issue that you’re still not over. Remember we’ve had our “drug” to help cope. She’s doing this sober (hopefully), scared, alone, and shattered; fearing the worst while praying for the best. Don’t allow things to become obscured. It’s easy to look at how far you’ve come in your recovery and feel really good about yourself. I know about resentment and how it’s easy to feel like she’s not seeing any change. To me it seemed as if every time I was really making progress she would bring something up. I hated it; I didn’t want to revisit all the horrible things I had done. I assumed that she could just see that I was a changed man. I was under the delusion that trust could be built over night……it can’t.

Fear can be crippling. I remember feeling frozen when some of the truth about my addiction first came out. Even in the face of hard evidence, when my wife was pleading with me to tell her the truth, I couldn’t do it. So by telling you this let me say emphatically how much I understand the overwhelming urge to keep the peace and stay silent. It’s critical for us to empathize with our wife, and during her time of need, overcome your fears. All of us have a protective instinct. We just have to realize when our wives are in danger.

So how do we come to her aid? Communicate. Let me say that again… communicate. This is scary but vital. For most of us, male and female, the fear of the unknown is terrifying. That’s what your wife is struggling with. “How can he say he loves me and still look at other women?” or “Why am I not enough for him?” or “Is he fantasizing about that woman right now?”. These are but a few of the questions that have been posed to me in my own marriage. Men, you are going to see beautiful women, just as you are going to see nature’s beauty. I do not believe this is a sin, however let me be clear the fact that we are visually drawn to women does not make it ok to linger or give into lust.

So, when you feel the flapping of giant ears around you, become proactive! Reject passivity! Be the man your wife wants you to be, the man God has designed you to be (see 1 Timothy 1:11-12). It can be as simple as taking her hand in yours and giving it a light squeeze to let her know you are aware of what just happened or it can be as difficult as answering all her questions. Be ready, and be honest. The most important thing I’ve learned in my recovery is to be honest and forthright. If my wife asks me if I noticed a women I have to acknowledge if I did or didn’t. If she wants to know if I thought the woman was attractive….yes or no? It’s natural for us to want to avoid hurting our wives feelings but the honesty you provide will far outweigh the moments of discomfort. It’s your job to fill in the blanks. This will not be a pleasant experience but I am almost certain your wife will appreciate your honesty. Support her, comfort her, ask questions, and ask if you can pray with her……communicate. Destroy the fear of the unknown, break the silence, and watch Dumbo fly away.

Read more of Jeff’s material at http://www.caribouministries.com/

By

Hello, My Name is Sex Addiction

This is a post I found on another blog. I did not write it.

Hello My Name is Sexual Addiction
Date: 2012-02-07, 7:47AM

I will be your new best friend. I am the jealous type. I will push away all other friends, family, wives, husbands, girlfriends, co-workers, sense of loyalty, professional goals and hobbies. I will envelop you until you exist only to feed my appetite.

I’ll have you slipping into behaviors you will hardly believe or chat about with loved ones over your morning coffees. The previous night’s activities will haunt you through the week.

I will make you do things that make you question who you really are. I will show you what being lost inside yourself really feels like.

I will reward you with pleasures beyond anything you ever imagined. Because you will mingle with others just like you. You will all become brothers, sisters and cousins in this family of perversion. In time you will become as sexually engulfed as them. Stable minded, happy, even married individuals will be no match for your attention in the bedroom. You will become the seducer. You will destroy relationships. You will bend minds around your sex.

You will smother your emotional guilt with physical pleasure. And you will never see what a painfully endless contradiction this is. You will try to silence your screams of emptiness with moans of orgasm after orgasm. Yours, hers, his, theirs, its.

Cries of ecstasy will hide your tears of loneliness. Climaxes will become uncontrollable church-like confessions. You will suffer from fits of naked post-coital honesty; but only for a few minutes after

Your masturbation of denial will be legendary.

I will make you truly understand the need for weekly support meetings.

As you slip into deeper rings of my perversion others who have known you for years will take notice of your transformation. Some will be repulsed by the change and will cower away. Others will try and pull you away from me. But some…will lust for you. Ignoring themselves, their vows, and their integrity.

You will make them stray.

You will sleep with dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands and always be hungry. There will be no bottom to your pit.

And no matter how bad I treat you there will always be an unbreakable bond between us.

You will love me endless.

“Hello My Name is Sexual Addiction,” via Craigslist, Author Unknown. Image also via Craigslist

By

Toss Your Textbooks: Docs Redefine Sexual Behavior Addictions

Toss Your Textbooks: Docs Redefine Sexual Behavior Addictions

American Society of Addiction Medicine agrees to disagree with DSM
Published on September 15, 2011 by Gary Wilson in Cupid’s Poisoned Arrow
A major event has occurred in the realm of addiction science and treatment. America’s top addiction experts at The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) have just released their sweeping new definition of addiction. This new definition ends the debate over whether sex and porn addictions are “real addictions.”  They are.

The new definition resulted from an intensive, four‐year process with more than 80 experts actively working on it, including top addiction authorities, addiction medicine clinicians and leading neuroscience researchers from across the country. … Two decades of advancements in neurosciences convinced ASAM that addiction needed to be redefined by what’s going on in the brain.

The new definition leaves no doubt that all addictions—whether to alcohol, heroin or sex, say—are fundamentally the same. Dr. Raju Haleja, former president of the Canadian Society for Addiction Medicine and the chair of the ASAM committee that crafted the new definition, told The Fix, “We are looking at addiction as one disease, as opposed to those who see them as separate diseases. Addiction is addiction. It doesn’t matter what cranks your brain in that direction, once it has changed direction, you’re vulnerable to all addiction.” …Sex or gambling or food addiction [are] every bit as medically valid as addiction to alcohol or heroin or crystal meth.

Click the link below for the full article as well as other great posts on sexual addiction issues.

Psychology Today Sex Addiction Article

By

Castimonia Saturday Morning Meeting Topic – 3/31/2012

The Iceberg Model

In today’s Castimonia meeting I presented what is referred to as the “Iceberg” Model of behavior and addiction.   I was fortunate enough to come across these two great articles (linked at the bottom) on the front page of the Focus on the Family website.  I remember reviewing the Iceberg Model in my Sex Addiction Specialist training but it seems we did not spend enough time on it.  However, the two-part article linked at the bottom does an excellent job at explaining the concept.  For the sake of the meeting time and group sharing, I will try to summarize it to the best of my ability.

The diagram to the left was passed out during our meeting.  It displays the overall concept of the Iceberg Model.  In understanding this model a reference to the Titanic was made.  This reference, quoted below, came from the first part of the article linked at the bottom.

Titanic Parallel Quote:

“A computer simulation of the crash indicated there would have been less damage and loss of life if the ship had hit the iceberg head-on, instead of trying to skirt around it at the last minute. That point hits close to home, too, doesn’t it? Even when our foolhardy behaviors lead us on a collision course, we do all we can to avoid the impact, rather than face our struggle head on. We deny, lie, ignore, shift blame, lash out, and further medicate ourselves to avoid coming to the conclusion that our life is quickly sinking.”

Many times during our addiction-filled years, when a partner caught us, we tried to minimize the behavior or problem.  We used lines such as “every guy does it” or “it’s not as bad as you think.”  It is only when we confront the problem with the truth, that we begin to find healing!

Behaviors:

At the top of the iceberg and above the water line are the behaviors.  These behaviors are what are noticeable to others and to ourselves (particularly when we step out of our denial).  These “acting-out” behaviors can be explosive rage and anger, excessive alcohol drinking, illegal drug use, use of pornography, or sexually acting out in destructive ways.  These behaviors are visible and tangible items.  In recovery, we learn to stop these behaviors.  However, that is not enough.  Simply stopping the behaviors will not allow God to heal us.  Other destructive behaviors may come forward to take the place of the subdued behavior.  A sex addict may being compulsive eating.  An alcoholic may have fits of anger and rage.  A drug user may begin acting out sexually.  We call this the “whack-a-mole” syndrome.  When one acting out behavior is subdued, another one pops up elsewhere!

Thoughts:

One level beneath the water surface are our thoughts.  We examine what we are thinking and why.  We look at ourselves and what we think about ourselves, what negative thoughts we have been fed or have fed ourselves.  We look at our “stinking thinking” and bring it out to the open.  In the open, we can analyze and allow for clarity and healing.  We use our recovery tools to stop these intrusive thoughts, even sexual ones!

Emotions:

Moving down to the next section, we view our personal emotions.  We need to be able to ask ourselves, “What am I feeling?” or “Why am I feeling this way?”  It may not seem “manly” to get in touch with our feelings, but this is a very important part of why we act out.

“Left untreated, emotional wounds fester, leading to pain worse than the original wound. Paradoxically, until the painful consequences of our reactive behavior feels worse than the emotional pain we’re trying to medicate, we will continue to engage in harmful behaviors. In other words, we only stop when the iceberg sinks us.”

We need to understand our feelings in order to find healing.  As the old saying goes, “God heals what I feel.”

Spirit:

Finally, at the base, we look at our spirit.  Our spirit is where we are most like God.  I believe God has designed us to need and want him.  The quote below summarizes this concept.

“Many refer to the “God-shaped void” we supposedly have inside us. A more complete view of our spirit reveals that God created us to need, above all else, intimacy. By our nature, we are driven to seek an intimate connection with Him. No drug, religion, person, sex act, or consuming hobby can ever take the place of that connection.”

It is also important to distinguish between religion and a relationship with God.  What we need in recovery is a relationship with God.  Unfortunately, many of us (myself included) have dived into a religion rather than a relationship with God.  It is the relationship we need to seek to fill the void inside us.  No religious ritual will ever replace an intimate relationship with God.  A perfect example in the way I have set a barrier is in trusting God. “Am I able to transfer trust to God when it comes to issues like my relational, emotional, spiritual, and physical security? ”  This is a question I will want to quickly answer “yes” until I think about my family.  I am very quick to take all power from God and hold it for myself when it comes to the security and safety of my family.  This is one place I want to let go and let God.  Baby steps….

Take what you like and leave the rest!

ARTICLE: Understanding Intimacy Disorder and Addictions 1

ARTICLE: Understanding Intimacy Disorder and Addictions 2

By

Colombian Prostitutes!

“The scandal was made public Saturday. As many as 11 agents and 10 military  servicemembers allegedly brought prostitutes back to their hotel in Cartagena,  Colombia, while doing advance work before the president’s arrival for a trade  summit.”

Seriously? Another scandal dealing with Sexual Purity issues and public employees?  Why does this not surprise me?  I didn’t even bother to watch or read a single news story on the subject of the Secret Service agents and Marines who used the services of 20+ Colombian prostitutes the week before the president made his trip to the South American country.  I understood what was going on, just from the headlines.  I actually had to search for the story in order to read more about it!

The sad reality is, in today’s mainstream society, it is almost acceptable for a man, especially overseas, to partake in this type sexual immorality.  The news stories keep referencing a “secret culture” in the Secret Service that seems to have been in place for a while.  However, as “mainstream” as it is for men to visit prostitutes or act out sexually in affairs, self gratification, or pornography, this should never be acceptable.  Accepting that a co-worker engage in such activity is just as bad as you supporting them in that activity!  The “secret culture” they speak of is a culture of immorality and looking the other way, accepting this type of behavior as normal behavior, both by the Secret Service and Military members.  I believe that the problem is that of “group think” where many men have done this for so long and passed it on to others, that when someone new asks the question “why?” the other men accuse him of not being a “team player” but in reality don’t even know where, when, or how this “secret culture” became acceptable, they just accept and partake!

Their actions will have major ramifications not only for themselves and their loved ones, but for the entire agency.  The head of the Secret Service agency is now under scrutiny.  Why didn’t he stop this “secret culture” when he took the job?  Perhaps he was part of that culture and either engaged in the immoral behavior or simply looked the other way.  From my knowledge of members of the Secret Service, this type of activity is nothing new.  Many participate and those that do not, simply look the other way!

At what point do your friends or co-workers confront you on your sexually immoral behaviors?  Is it after you’ve been caught or while you are acting out?  A man who struggles with sexual immorality as much as these guys do are perhaps in a deep denial that they have a problem.  Furthermore, their “friends” don’t do anything to help the man and just enable his actions, some by joining the “fun” and other by looking the other way.  In my case, I wish I “real” friends would have said something to me about my problem with sexual impurity before I went as far as I did.

Have you ever been in a position where you saw a coworker acting in an immoral manner and failed to say or do something about it?  Were you just a team player and even joined in on the fun?  How about at your church?  Do you know the men at your church intimately enough to know they might struggle with sexual purity?  Perhaps you have been in a support or recovery group long enough where you can take the initiative and be courageous enough to step forward and do what is right and help out a fellow man.  Sometimes, these men need to be brought into the light by brothers who struggle with the same issues.

Sexual impurity, however, is a very secretive issue.  So how can a man in recovery help bring out those that need help?  It’s easy (sort of).  You can help others simply by being open and honest with your own struggles, not caring what the other men or women think about you or your past activities.  You never know who might be listening, perhaps someone who is so far “down the scale” that they desperately need to hear about hope in getting out of the pit of sexual immorality.  Perhaps one of these Secret Service agents could have had the support to say “No” to sexual immorality had someone at their church given their testimony on how they were a slave to sexual immorality or addiction!

We don’t really know how God will use us or our testimony, just at the right time, for the right person, for the right reason, to advance His kingdom and help a lost man living in the dark, come to the light and enter a spiritual program of recovery.