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For people of deep faith, struggles with sexuality often come wrapped in intense shame. At Therapy Utah, we help clients understand and heal that shame — including the religious obsessive–compulsive distress known as scrupulosity — without asking them to set aside their beliefs.
Shame, Scrupulosity, and “Perceived Addiction”
Research consistently shows that for religious individuals, feeling “addicted” to pornography is strongly predicted by religiosity and moral disapproval — even after accounting for actual use (Grubbs et al., 2015). A later study tied self-perceived addiction to religiosity, obsessive–compulsive symptoms, scrupulosity, and shame (Grubbs et al., 2020). This matters because shame-driven distress needs different care than behavioral compulsion.
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Healing the Shame
Shame says you are bad; healthy guilt says a behavior can change. Therapy helps separate your worth from your behavior — a distinction that often fits naturally with teachings about grace and repentance. Learn more in our guide to faith-sensitive therapy, and see how this connects to compulsive sexual behavior.
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Educational information, not a substitute for clinical care. Sources: Grubbs et al. (2015) and (2020), Archives of Sexual Behavior.