Your Body Isn't the Enemy: Theology of the Body, Shame & Sexual Freedom

Can Theology of the Body actually deepen shame rather than heal it? And what does JP2's vision for the human person have to say about pornography addiction, scrupulosity, and the cycle of counterfeit love?

In this episode, Catholic therapist Adam Cross, LMFT (#116623) sits down again with Dr. Anthony Isacco, Program Director of the MS in Clinical Psychology program at St. Mary's University of Minnesota, to explore what happens when Theology of the Body meets the clinical realities of sexual shame and addiction.

Topics covered:

How scrupulosity can turn sexuality into a source of shame rather than a gift

Pornography addiction, age of first exposure, and understanding the shame cycle it creates

JP2's insight that arousal is a physiological response to something good, and how that reframes guilt

The concept of "use" from Love and Responsibility, objectification, and human dignity

Viewing addiction as a cry for what is missing rather than simply a behaviour to stop

Internal Family Systems, parts work, and how Catholic moral theology fits alongside it

Dopamine research and why persevering toward virtue matters more than achieving perfection

How St. Mary's University of Minnesota trains the next generation of Catholic clinicians with a full anthropological foundation

Theology of the Body applied to exercise, fasting, medication, and trauma healing