Overview
Tried 12-step programs, accountability partners, or other approaches to overcoming pornography and masturbation without lasting success? Discover Beyond Abstinence, a new Catholic sex therapy group that goes beyond simply resisting unwanted behaviors to address their underlying psychological and emotional drivers. Learn how this approach combines clinical sex therapy, practical strategies, and Catholic values to support meaningful, lasting change.
You've tried quitting pornography. Perhaps you've attended Sexaholics Anonymous (SA), participated in a 12-step program, installed accountability software, or enlisted a trusted friend to help you stay on track. You've made resolutions, established boundaries, and committed yourself to change.
And yet, despite your best efforts, you keep returning to the same behaviors.
If this sounds familiar, you aren't alone. Many Catholics struggle with unwanted pornography use and masturbation, sometimes for years, despite sincerely wanting to change. While accountability and abstinence-based programs can be helpful, they don't always address the psychological and emotional factors that sustain these behaviors.
So, where do you go when simply trying harder isn't working?
Understanding What Pornography Is Doing for You
When someone struggles with problematic sexual behaviors, the focus often falls almost exclusively on stopping the behavior. How do we avoid temptation? How do we resist urges? How do we prevent another relapse?
These are important questions, but they aren't the only questions we should be asking.
We also need to understand why the behavior keeps returning.
For some individuals, pornography provides temporary relief from stress or anxiety. For others, it becomes a response to loneliness, boredom, emotional discomfort, or difficulties with intimacy. Over time, these behaviors can become deeply ingrained habits, reinforced by the temporary relief or pleasure they provide.
Understanding these patterns doesn't excuse behaviors that conflict with one's values. Rather, it helps us identify what needs to change for lasting progress to become possible.
Moving Beyond Simply Saying No
Imagine a glass filled with wine. One approach to removing the wine would be to focus entirely on emptying the glass. Another would be to continually introduce clean water, gradually displacing what was there before.
This illustrates an important principle in our therapeutic approach: lasting behavioral change involves more than removing unwanted behaviors. It also requires developing healthier alternatives that fulfill the needs those behaviors have been serving.
Rather than focusing exclusively on resisting pornography or masturbation, we help individuals identify their triggers, understand their emotional responses, strengthen self-regulation, develop healthier habits, and cultivate more fulfilling relationships.
Accountability remains valuable, but it becomes part of a broader process of personal growth rather than the entire strategy.
The goal isn't merely to become better at resisting temptation. It's to build a life in which unwanted sexual behaviors no longer occupy the same psychological and emotional role.
Introducing Beyond Abstinence: A Catholic Sex Therapy Group
To help Catholics struggling with these concerns, Archangel Catholic is introducing Beyond Abstinence, an ongoing online sex therapy process group facilitated by James Boyd Walther, Marriage and Family Therapy Intern and Certified Sexologist.
This group offers a different approach to addressing problematic pornography use and masturbation, integrating Catholic moral teaching with clinical sex therapy.
Through psychoeducation, guided therapeutic discussions, practical behavioral interventions, and accountability, participants will explore the patterns underlying their sexual behaviors and develop strategies for meaningful change.
Unlike programs focused primarily on abstinence, Beyond Abstinence emphasizes understanding the whole person, including emotional needs, psychological patterns, relationships, and personal values.
The group welcomes both men and women, recognizing that problematic pornography use and masturbation are not exclusively men's concerns. Depending on enrollment, groups may be co-ed or organized separately for men and women.
Participants will have opportunities to learn from one another, share experiences, and receive professional therapeutic guidance in a confidential, supportive environment.
Group Details
Beyond Abstinence is an ongoing weekly online therapy group provided through Archangel Catholic.
When: Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. Mountain / 7:00 p.m. Pacific
Cost: $35 per person, per session
Group size: 6–12 participants
Eligibility: Individuals located in Colorado, Idaho, or Washington
Commitment: Ongoing enrollment with no minimum number of sessions required
Prospective participants will complete an initial consultation and clinical screening to determine whether the group is appropriate for their needs.
Take the Next Step
If you've tried accountability partners, 12-step programs, or other approaches without achieving the changes you desire, it may be time to explore a different path.
You don't have to abandon your Catholic convictions to seek effective psychological treatment. Faith and clinical sex therapy can work together to help you better understand your behaviors, develop healthier patterns, and pursue greater freedom in your life.
Beyond Abstinence offers an opportunity to move beyond simply trying to stop and begin building something better.
To inquire about joining the group, visit Archangel Catholic's contact page and indicate that you're interested in working with James Walther in the Beyond Abstinence group.
