Enlightened Sexuality: Exploring the Implications of Sacred Sexuality

Abstract

For many Christians spirituality and sexuality are kept in separate compartments of life, limiting both spiritual formation and adult sexual development. This study explored a concept of sacred sexuality, how it might fit into adult sexual development, how it might be expressed across path preferences, and its association with sexual satisfaction. A nonrandom convenience sample of adults was recruited to measure the relationship and strength between the prevalence of sacred qualities during sexual episodes and sexual satisfaction using a multiple regression analysis. It was determined that sacred qualities uniquely predicted a significant portion (12%) of sexual satisfaction after accounting for dyadic adjustment. This study can assist clinicians and spiritual directors in advancing the sexual welfare of their communities, leading to a sexuality that is truly salt and light in the world.

‘I feel so much better in myself’: Exploring meaningful non-erotic outcomes of BDSM participation

“…By adopting this non-erotic lens, the article has examined the powerful transformative and transcendent aspects of BDSM thus making a valuable contribution to the research that has advocated for the depathologization of BDSM and the recognition of BDSM as a spiritual and/or therapeutic practice (Barker et al, 2007a(Barker et al, , 2007bBeckmann, 2001Beckmann, , 2007Beckmann, , 2009Carlisle, 2018;Polhemus and Randall, 1994). The findings and subsequent discussion clearly indicate that these are considered to be important aspects of the lived experience of BDSM for these participants.…”