I can’t believe I’m doing this, I thought to myself as I took the exit ramp. He has the pornography problem and I’m going to a Christian sex therapist. We have officially become crazy people.
How could there even be such a thing as a Christian sex therapist? And why did she have to put in on her card like that. Why couldn’t it just say counselor? What if I crash and someone finds this in my car. That would be so typical. Jeff ruins our life and I get caught with a business card for a sex therapist.
As I parked and got out of the car, the thought occurred to just leave. This was too uncomfortable. As I sat in the waiting room, I kept thinking, it’s not too late to leave. This was going to be too awkward.
But where would I go? We had a problem. We had an intimacy problem. I was a Christian. This seemed like exactly the type of counselor that could help us. And really, who else was I going to talk to about this?
I didn’t know what a Christian sex therapist was or how she was going to help me, but I had to find out. For 11 years, we tried to make it work and it was only getting worse. As wary as I was, I was also desperate for help and I was willing to try this – even this – once. (And if it got weird or unbiblical, I could always just run out and never come back.)
I’m so glad that this first visit with Dr. Neal was the beginning of a turning point in our marriage. In the months to follow, the Lord used Dr. Neal, sermons, a slew of books and His Holy Word to lead me into amazing truths about myself, my husband and my marriage. Our appointments were often painful, leaving my heart exposed and my mind whirling with new revelations. But this was the journey to healing. It was a slow, painful march. One step forward and sometimes two steps back. But it was worth every excruciating step. I was experiencing the truth of Scripture and the healing of Jesus in a way I had never known.
Marsha Fisher is a professional communicator and a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Marsha’s world came to an abrupt hault when her husband’s pornography addiction was exposed ten years into their marriage. Marsha and her husband Jeff launched Porn To Purity to share hope, encouragement and resources to other individuals and couples struggling with sexual sin.