Fight the Demon of Lust
This page contains information, resources, and a blog for Orthodox men in the battle for purification, the first critical step in the spiritual life.
In the Trenches
Among my specialties as a counselor is sex addiction recovery.
This is a critical yet rare clinical specialty in our day. My training included a one-year internship at a clinic specializing in sex addiction. I trained under a highly-credentialed and experienced supervisor and took advanced education from two well-known institutes leading the way in sex addiction recovery.
These days, I often find myself informally helping men in the Orthodox Church (usually local men) as an accountability partner or semi-mentor as a brother in Christ.
There are developments where I may be joining a (non-professional counseling) grass-roots movement in the Church to help even more men with their accountability and mentorship nationwide. We will see what efforts God may bless.
Either way, I am developing avenues to forge the recovery training I received into a more uniquely-Orthodox approach for use in non-clinical and pastoral scenarios.
I developed this simple page for my website as a deposit for resources and communication for men in the trenches fighting the demon of lust.
Feel free to contact me about these issues using the Contact Form to the right.
Contact form
If you wish to be free of the prelest of the enemy and to overcome him, take up at once this trusty weapon against him and obey immediately in actual deed the good thoughts and promptings coming from the Lord and calling you to repent.
St. Theophan the Recluse, Unseen Warfare, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, p. 162.
Helpful resources
I used the book and workbooks displayed below by Patrick Carnes with success in counseling back in my private practice days. Carnes was an early leader in sex addiction recovery counseling. The addiction science, psychology, and interventions in these books, in general terms, are not opposed to an Orthodox Christian worldview or way of life. They may be a handmaid to the primary work of spiritual discipline and faithfulness to Christ in the Church. As with any resource, however, wisdom and discernment is required if one decides to use them in consultation with one’s priest or spiritual father.
Scroll through the slider to see all three resources.
In the Trenches – Sex Addiction Blog
Learn about one of today’s most prevalent addictions among men and growing among women. This blog originated when I was in private practice. I am revising my articles and developing new ones to refelect the teaching tradition of the Orthodox Church. Come back often to check the progress! Contact me with questions and sign up for updates.
Addiction as Construct
Terming something a construct is simply a recognition that we try our best to put a label and a definition on a cluster of pheromone that seem related to each other.
Addiction – A Disease?
The disease model of addiction is the dominant model of addiction. When I first heard alcoholism was a disease many years ago, I thought two things at once. First, I thought, "Oh wow, that explains it." Then I thought, "Wait a minute, how do you catch alcoholism?"...
Continuing Despite Consequences
Sex Addiction 101 - Elements of Addiction – Continuing Despite Consequences We discussed the definition of sex addiction in the previous post, Is It Really Sex Addiction? Within the discussion, we differentiated between Hypersexuality, Obsessive-Compuslive Disorder,...
Is It Really Sex Addiction?
Sex Addiction 101 - Definition of Addiction - Differentiating Between Disorders In another blog post, Addiction as Construct, I introduced the notion of a construct. In this article, we examine addiction in clinical terms and move toward definitions. We do this to...