763: Natasha Helfer Parker - Mormon Sex Therapist Pt. 2
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.5 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 5 July 2017
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this series on Mormon Stories, we interview the fabulous Natasha Helfer Parker, MFT, CST — moderator of the Mormon Mental Health podcast — to finally hear her “Mormon story.”
This interview covers:
*Being raised in the Church with convert parents in Spain and her eventual move to the US
*Natasha and her family’s concerns about the practice of polygamy and frustration that their questions never seemed to be answered, yet remaining true-believers
*The impact of being a victim of sexual abuse as a child and teenager and how it influenced her experiences exploring her sexuality as a teenager and young adult
*Her removal from BYU because of her sexual experiences and her thoughts now about the unintended consequences of honor code enforcement
*How she met her husband and disclosed her sexual past in an act of transparency, and how it affected the first years of their marriage
*Her thoughts now about the difference between behavior and self-worth within the Church, especially as it relates to sexual behavior
*Her decision to become a sex therapist and how her move to the Midwest became an impetus to develop a wider online presence
*How being a believer in the faith, but having a nuanced view of sexuality led her to being widely known as the “Mormon Sex Therapist”
*How cracks developed in her Orthodox faith foundation
*Her feeling of being in a continuing faith transition for much of the 20+ years of her practice
http://www.mormonmentalhealth.org
https://www.symmetrysols.com
Transcript
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| 0:24.6 | building communities and programs of support for Mormons like you. Thanks for |
| 0:29.3 | supporting. |
| 0:46.3 | Welcome back everyone to part two of my interview with the amazing powerful |
| 0:52.0 | healing |
| 0:54.3 | Natasha Elfer Parker, Marriage and Family Therapist licensed certified sex |
| 0:59.8 | therapist and all around amazing person long time supporter of the |
| 1:04.9 | open stories foundation host of Mormon Mental Health podcast and also of Mormon |
| 1:09.4 | Sex Info which is a great podcast about how to get your sexy on. Is that what |
| 1:15.5 | it's about basically? It's about anything to do with sexuality and Mormons yet. |
| 1:20.2 | So check out Mormon Sex Info, it's great and and in episode one for those of you |
| 1:26.8 | who already have listened. Episode one Natasha shared with us her experience |
| 1:32.0 | when her parents joined the church as converts in Spain. What it was like being |
| 1:37.3 | in the churches as a young girl and then moving to the states. She talked about |
| 1:41.8 | some early sexual experiences as a teen and young adult of BYU. Some not so |
| 1:48.1 | great experiences with ecclesiastical leaders that culminated in her getting |
| 1:51.8 | kicked out of BYU and a lot of guilt and shame and and not healthy messages |
... |
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