Since working with Mark Laaser at Faithful and True as director of training for that recovery ministry -- I've always believed and taught that lasting recovery from sexual addiction (or ANY addiction) can only be had when people build a foundation of spiritual and emotional well-being.
When I stopped working with Faithful and True in 2012, I planned to leave the sex addiction field behind -- and focus my writing and teaching on more mainstream issues like spiritual self-care and emotionally healthy leadership. But things have changed ... our world has changed. Whether we want to call it "addiction" or not, sexual struggles have gone mainstream.
What's happening today is unprecedented: with the proliferation of high speed Internet and smart phone technology, 2/3 of the men in our churches, and over half of our pastors, are "regular users" of pornography. A recent extensive survey of over 30 Christian colleges showed numbers higher than that, and revealed that HALF of these young men acknowledged that they were "addicted" to pornography. (I put these words in quotes because they were the participants' own words,
not language suggested to them by researchers.)
Whether a man is a compulsive porn user or not, my belief is that this is a KEY battleground for most men in our world, and for many men, it is THE CENTRAL issue of struggle.
I am working on system that, I think, is unique in the mental health and recovery field, and will serve as a GREAT compliment to therapy and support groups. But before I go further with it, I would like to talk about it with some others, and make sure I'm not missing anything, and get help with tweaking my approach before I go further.
If you agree to participate in this call, I'll send you a brief overview of the program, and some sample materials. Then I'll be asking for some feedback in the zoom call. (Think of it like being in a focus group.)
What if the Time Doesn't Work for Me?
If you're interested in participating, but the time of the call doesn't work for you, sign up anyway, as long as: (a) you're willing to watch the recording (b) you're willing to give some sort of written feedback, based on the materials you send.
Why Would I Do This?
You might be wondering: "Why would I do this? What's in it for me?" Well, unlike a lot of focus groups, I'm not trying to incentivize anyone by offering to pay them, or give away free stuff. Instead, this is really for people who might be interested in something like this, and will give them a chance to help shape it. I would also suggest that participating in this call might give you some ideas for stepping up with your own recovery work.
