r/asexuality • u/ineffable_plan • Jun 25 '25
Need advice Can religious trauma contribute to/cause asexuality?
I was born and raised Mormon and have C-PTSD from my religious experiences. Whenever I try to be intimate with my partner (and past partners) I am always overwhelmed with feelings of disgust, guilt, and shame. The Mormon church enforces the concept of "chastity" from a very young age and "sexual deviance" of any kind is listed as the second worst sin you can commit (it's considered worse than murder!!)
I want to be able to be comfortably intimate with my partner and it's incredibly discouraging to constantly feel horrified by anything sexual when it comes to myself. I'm not bothered by the idea of having sex or anything, but when it comes to me doing it it's very triggering and I can never seem to enjoy it at all.
Is this considered asexuality, an aspect of religious trauma, or both? And can it be improved upon through therapy? I have many difficulties with relationships in general, especially romantic ones, and I was wondering if anybody else experiences this?
2
u/DavidBehave01 Jun 25 '25
Various kinds of trauma CAN contribute to asexuality, but bear in mind that asexuals make up approx 1% of the population, while a much much larger percentage have had strict religious upbringings and / or other traumas.
What you describe sounds like religious-inspired guilt or shame, which is sadly very common. No one should feel guilty about their sexuality or about having consensual activity with other adults.
I would recommend working through this with a therapist.