This course is intentionally, particularly focused on those who identify as women and those who identify as non-binary who are comfortable in a space that centers around the female bodied experience of those who grew up in purity culture. While I strive to create an inclusive space that is diverse and safe for all bodies- I have recognized that those who were socialized to be women need a starting point to be able to ask hard questions and engage material for the first time. This course is designed as a 101 (that is to say beginner) course for folks just starting to engage deconstructing from religious dogma around sexuality and gender. While this course is LGBTQIA+ affirming- it is very much an introduction into the understanding of sexuality and gender as fluid. I myself have been on a journey for the last 7 years deconstructing my understanding and beliefs of sexuality and gender, and while I have done extensive research and personal work around these areas I recognize and acknowledge that I am still working to unpack my own bias’ and internalized messaging. This is a life-long journey that I am committed to. I realize that I won’t do everything perfectly, but I am deeply committed to repair and to learning. I often say that I am the biggest learner of what I teach! I am a white, straight, cis, able bodied, married woman- therefore my teachings and facilitation will be located from my own identity and experience. Please take a moment to learn more about the origin and intent of this course HERE.

For those who are a bit further down the journey of sexual and gender exploration, and/or who do not resonate with the audience of this particular course- I highly recommend the following professionals who do this work from bodies of Color and/or LGBTQ+ bodies:

Rafaella Smith-Fiallo, LCSW: https://www.healingxchg.com/

Rafaella Smith-Fiallo (she/ella) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, sexual liberation activist, pleasure advocate, and therapist. She specializes in holding space for exploring the body and the narratives it holds, mainly through relationship, sex, and trauma therapy. She owns Healing Exchange LLC, a therapy private practice, and co-founded Afrosexology, a sex-positive, pleasure-based sexuality education business.

Matthias Roberts, LMHC: https://matthiasroberts.com/

Matthias Roberts (he/him) is a psychotherapist, author of Beyond Shame: Creating a Healthy Sex Life on Your Own Terms (Fortress/Broadleaf, 2020), and host of Queerology: A Podcast on Belief and Being. He holds two master’s degrees, one in Theology & Culture and one in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. In his psychotherapy practice, Matthias specializes in helping LGBTQ+ people recover from religious and spiritual trauma so they might live confident and fulfilling lives. Matthias writes and speaks nationwide about the intersections between gender, sexuality, mental health, and theology.

Jayda Shuavarnnnasri: https://auntiejayda.com/About

Jayda Shuavarnnnasri (she/they) is a queer Southeast Asian sexuality & relationship educator. Also known as Sex Positive Asian Auntie, she works to liberate folks from sexual shame by creating space for authentic conversations about sexuality, relationships, identity and healing.

Sage Hayes, SEP, LMT: https://www.sagehayes.com/

Sage Hayes (she/he/they) Sage offers an integral healing mix of modalities at Embodied Liberation. Sage offers one-on-one healing work, consultation and education. Sage combines Somatic Experiencing, biodynamic craniosacral therapy and systemic constellations through an anti-oppression lens. Their work is dynamically grounded in the present moment and encompasses the micro to the meta, the now and intergenerational, and brings a strong non-binary approach to healing work.

I myself grew up in one of the epicenters of purity culture in the 1990’s. I have first hand experience of the devastation, confusion, and shame that one can endure within and coming out of purity culture. I have also experienced the immense freedom and presence that can come through understanding the history of purity culture and a new relationship with my own body. I also have been in private practice for the last 6 years working with primarily white cisgendered women who grew up in fundamentalist Christianity who are wanting to heal from the impacts of harmful doctrine and dogma. After thousands of hours of hearing stories similar to mine- I wanted to create a resource for folks who also experienced harm and shame in the purity movement to be able to deconstruct the dogmas they experienced, to find a sexual ethic that resonates with them, and to know that they are not alone. I also wanted to create a space that does not only center on individual healing and liberation- but addresses issues of social justice and harmful normative categories. I made this course because I want folks to be more free in their individual bodies and to strive to create safety in communities that honor the full spectrum of racial, gendered, and sexual identities.

No. This course is not therapy, mental health counseling, or any other mental or medical care. Participating in this course does not put us in a therapeutic relationship. This course is strictly for educational and experiential purposes only. It is highly recommended, in fact, that you have a therapist or someone who can help you journey through this process. There are often triggering and painful memories and sensations that can come up when engaging some of the rhetoric and experiences in purity culture, and unfortunately there are many mental health practitioners who are unaware of what purity culture is. If you have a therapist that you love, but they don’t quite understand the ins and outs of purity culture, or if you are a therapist yourself who work with individuals who grew up in purity culture- I hope that this course will be a helpful asset to the valuable work you are doing. I will also provide you with referrals to therapists who understand the complexities of purity culture if you ask me!

• 9 professionally filmed and edited videos that are situated in online modules with additional visuals and writing to expand on each module. Closed Captioning provided.

• 10 audio recorded somatic exercises for you to do (to your comfort level) in the safety of your home. Closed Captioning provided.

• A workbook with further visuals, writing, and thought prompts to help you integrate all that you’re discovering through the course content.

The course includes over 10 hours of video and audio content + a PDF workbook that is over 100 pages. There are also a many, many resources for you to continue exploring your embodied sexuality!

Absolutely! there is so much rich content for you to be able to discuss and process. If you have a safe community to explore your story with purity culture and your embodied sexuality - absolutely do this course as a group! In order to make this course sustainable each person who does it must purchase their own copy. If you’d like to receive a group rate for larger groups of people- email me at jennifer@indwellcounseling.com

Great question! Purity culture is the ideology of “purity” that impacts the thoughts and actions of individuals and collectives. Purity is evasive and pervasive. It has tributaries in “racial” purity and “sexual” purity. These two facets of purity culture saw a huge infusion of passion and dedication in the 1990’s. Through movements such as True Love Waits, and books like I Kissed Dating Goodbye millions of young folks were pledging their purity (that is to say virginity) until marriage. This movement stemmed from Evangelical Christianity, and through the presidency of George W. Bush it also was further infused into public discourse through abstinence only education. Purity culture seems to be a hot topic these days, and one of the reasons for it is that the generations of folks who grew up in the 80’s through the early 2000’s are at the age of reckoning. They are wondering “what the heck was that?” and “am I alone?” This course is intended to answer those questions- the latter is a simple one, NO. You are not alone. Millions of people are feeling shame, confusion, anger, isolation, and pain…but also finding healing as they deconstruct the messages they heard. As far as “what the heck was that?” That is going to take some time to explain, and by the time you finish this course you’ll have a much more thorough understanding of purity culture and its impact on individuals and society. You will also likely walk away with more questions about race, sexuality, religion, and their various intersections. That is intentional! My hope is that this course is a thorough introduction to you to a lifelong journey of engaging your embodied sexuality.

The Embodied Sexuality Course is intentionally self-directed. The frame for this course is for you to get to take it at your own time and revisit it as often as you need to. I won’t be presenting live calls or groups for the Embodied Sexuality Course; however, if you purchase the course you will be eligible to apply for upcoming Embodied Sexuality Story Groups with me. These will be separate from the course, but will be occurring in conjunction with the online course. For more information about groups you can sign up for my newsletter!