Podcast #61: Seth Alan Taylor

20 September 9, 2015 by

61_finalIn this episode of DXP “we”—Jason and the listening audience—are granted privileged access into a private therapy session between Christian and porn-addict recovery specialist Seth Taylor (tackling such sensitive topics as “How does Christian know he’s actually clinically addicted?”; “How often is so often that it becomes a problem”; and “Masturbation-related injuries: what causes them and how they can be avoided in the future”). Semi-kidding aside, we were thrilled to have Seth on the show: he’s an author, mystic, and overall deep thinker who brings a whole lot of humanity to the table as we discuss spirituality, sexuality, and addiction (Jason imagines that this is precisely what Jesus would have done). Enjoy!

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20 Comments (click here to leave a comment)

  4. When you guys were talking about Bonhoeffer/Kant quotes about God, I was reminded of this quote from Saint Augustine:

    “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.

  8. In one sense, I really like the spirit of this quote. However, if I *truly* work as though everything depends on me, I will probably hit the wall (of despair) fairly quickly, because I’m only too aware of how weak I am. 🙂 My perspective is probably more like “Pray seriously, and work as though God will never give up on you and will always be there, even though you can’t always perceive that He’s there (i.e. Dark Night of the Soul).” It’s not catchy, but it helps me to stay sane! 🙂

  9. This was a very thought-provoking and heart-and-soul-moving interview. Thanks, guys!!

    One of the things that has been transformative for me, in terms of the whole “porn question/issue,” has been to really, seriously think about how certain actions have meanings. A clenched fist has a meaning– normally, a threatening one. A pair of open, welcoming arms, normally, has a very different meaning. Do sexual acts have real meaning, or are they simply forms of physical, and for many, emotional, release? I would argue that they do have real meaning, and I see it in much the same terms that Seth speaks of in the podcast. It gets to the core of what it means to be human and to be in deep communion with each other and with the God who made us, including our bodies and *all* of their various intricacies and capacities. When I think about what most porn *is*– essentially, strangers performing private, intimate, sexual acts in front of other strangers with cameras, for an audience of strangers, usually for money–, it starts to seem not only non-erotic but actually *anti-erotic*.

    As a woman who had been sexually abused for years, and who deeply longed for healthy emotional and sexual intimacy, once told me, pornography seemed, to her, about as erotic as dead babies. It has taken many, many years for her statement to truly resonate with me… but the more that I think about what most porn actually *is*, I really do believe that she had a good point. I won’t say that I never feel the draw of porn anymore, but when I stop to reflect on what most porn consists of, I find that I don’t want to go there. It involves too much deadening of my heart, mind, and soul for some short-term, twisted pleasure. In the long term, I feel more “alive,” and that I can see and appreciate people and things and life in general better, if I stay away from porn.

  10. I’m not sure how much I personally like the quote either. However, it counters my inclination towards passivity.

  11. When I think about what most porn *is*– essentially, strangers performing private, intimate, sexual acts in front of other strangers with cameras, for an audience of strangers, usually for money–, it starts to seem not only non-erotic but actually *anti-erotic*.

    Exactly. Sex is to intimately connect a man and woman in love. So intimately connected, in fact, that this act of love sometimes gets named – when new life springs forth from it! With this beautiful ideal in view, porn pales dramatically into some cheap lie performed by strangers for strangers with less the zero intimacy.

    I find that success comes not from simply trying to keep rules, but focusing on the ideal, the thing that actually want. Actually thinking about God’s love for me, and the love He desires for me, temptation fades.

  12. Now that is how conversations should go! Really good job guys! This was my favorite podcast for the last few months.

    PS,

    Whiskey comes from the Irish. Ive been in the hospitality industry for a while and I have NO CLUE what liquor “Christians drunk history” was referring to….. the only one I could think of was port wine, which was a happy accident of british shipments in barrels.

  16. Yes. I found that I had to replay several sections, due to the low levels on Seth. When CK or JS responded, too loud!

    Or is this really a call for donations….

  20. I cannot thank you enough for having Seth on the show. I purused the path he illuminated and ended up going to Anchorage and experiencing the kind of healing he talked about. Has. Changed. My. Life.

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