Most people feel ashamed about their sexual desires and fantasies at some point in their lives. This can lead to various forms of self-destructive behaviors that stem from guilt and fear, such as repression, avoidance, isolation, denial, projection, and acting out. In this article, we will explore how religious shame around sexuality manifests in dreams, fantasies, and unconscious behavior.
We start with dreams because they are often thought to reflect our deepest fears, anxieties, and wishes. Dreaming is part of our natural biological process and can reveal hidden aspects of ourselves we may have buried away consciously but still carry with us subliminally.
One study found that 81% of adults report having sexually explicit dreams, but they are rarely remembered due to societal stigmas around talking openly about them. When dreams do contain sexual imagery, it is often interpreted as symbolic or metaphorical rather than literal.
If we look deeper into the psyche, these dreams could be revealing something more profound.
Let's consider fantasies. The vast majority of men and women have fantasized about someone other than their spouse, usually engaging in taboo acts like cheating or group sex. While most people keep these fantasies private, some may act on them, leading to infidelity or riskier activities. Religious shame around sexuality can exacerbate this by making people feel guilty for wanting something forbidden. As a result, they may act out in secret while trying to suppress those desires in public. This can lead to conflicting behaviors such as seeking out pornography, masturbation, prostitution, or risky encounters while also attending church services and reading religious texts.
There is unconscious behavior. Many people repress their sexual desires into the unconscious mind, where they continue to influence our thoughts and actions without our awareness.
A man who feels ashamed about his attraction to women may find himself attracted to masculine traits in men instead, without realizing he is still gay. A woman who grew up with purity culture may suppress her sexual urges until she experiences an orgasm through rape. Such cases show how religion can create deep-seated patterns that shape our lives without us even being aware of it.
Religious shame around sexuality manifests in dreams, fantasies, and unconscious behavior. It leads to guilt, fear, denial, projection, and acting out that harm individuals and relationships. By recognizing and addressing these issues, we can start to heal and live more authentically.
How does religious shame around sexuality manifest in dreams, fantasies, and unconscious behavior?
Religious shame related to sexuality can manifest as repressed desires, fears of intimacy, and internalized beliefs that sex is bad or sinful. In dreams, this may take the form of recurring imagery of forbidden acts, while in fantasies it could lead to feelings of guilt or disgust towards one's own thoughts and urges.