Stress-Free Saint Valentine’s Day: Rekindling Marital Intimacy Without the Pressure
Valentine’s Day often conjures images of red roses, heart-shaped chocolates, and candlelit dinners. But beneath the surface of this hyper-commercialized celebration lies the story of Saint Valentine, a martyr whose life was marked by sacrifice and love. As modern society pushes us to equate love with extravagant gifts and grand gestures, many couples find themselves burdened by unrealistic expectations that can strain rather than strengthen their marriages.
The Harmful Relational Effects of Withholding Sex in Marriage
In coaching, it’s not uncommon to hear a spouse (often the wife) say, “I won’t be intimate until we emotionally connect,” or “I don’t feel close enough for sex.” While emotional connection is crucial in marriage, using sex as leverage can be profoundly damaging. This article explores the positive role of marital intimacy, the risks of withholding it, and how couples can break harmful patterns to restore their relationship within Catholic values.
Two Weeks to Valentine’s Day: Make it Meaningful for Your Marriage
As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s the perfect time to focus on nurturing the sacred bond of love and intimacy in your marriage. This celebration of love is an opportunity to reflect on the beauty of your union, deepen your connection, and honor God in your relationship. At Catholic Intimacy, we’re here to help you make this Valentine’s Day meaningful, romantic, and spiritually fulfilling.
Faith and Love: Strengthening Catholic Marriages in Military Life
The Catholic Military Ordinariate of Australia has officially recognized Catholic Intimacy as a valuable resource, marking a significant step in our shared mission to support Catholic couples in fostering faith-centered marriages—particularly within the unique challenges of military life.
What Catholic Sex Coaching Is and Isn't
Catholic sex coaching is a specialized ministry that helps married couples enhance their intimacy while respecting the sanctity of marriage. Unlike secular sex coaching, this approach integrates spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions within the framework of the Church’s teachings.
Screaming at Trees Counseling
Now one tool that Megan likes is having her clients scream at trees. Yes, you read that right. They are supposed to roll down their windows on a back country road and scream at the trees. Of course, there is more to it than just that, but you would have to talk to her about the details of the exercise. This may sound a bit far-fetched, but for trauma clients, it can be incredibly cathartic and a useful exercise in learning when and how to express their emotions. So, she has named her practice Screaming At Trees Counseling (SATCo).
Reignite Your Marriage: Make This Year the Start of a Faithful, Fulfilling Sex Life
Six weeks later, he gave his wife her first orgasm in over six years. Two months later the wife told me during a session that their children had noticed the transformation, one of them telling his mother that she seemed to like dad.
Catholic Intimacy’s 2024 Year-in-Review
As we close the chapter on 2024, we are filled with gratitude for the growth, challenges, and countless blessings this year has brought. Catholic Intimacy continues to be a space for married couples to grow closer to each other and God, building healthy, holy, and intimate relationships rooted in faith. This year has been one of expansion, resilience, and exciting steps forward.
Porn and How to Overcome It
Pornography has become a pervasive issue in today’s society, affecting both men and women across all walks of life. While many may view pornography as harmless or even normal, its impact on marriage and intimacy can be deeply damaging. From the perspective of Catholic teaching, pornography undermines the dignity of the human person and distorts God’s plan for sexuality. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states, “Pornography… offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other” (CCC 2354). For married couples, addressing this issue is critical for preserving trust, intimacy, and the sacramental bond.
Merry Christmas
Christmas is a season of love, hope, and unity in the joy of Our Savior and His Holy Family. A world overwhelmed with hustle and bustle can, at this solemn season, be an opportunity to turn our lives around: to slow down, open up our hearts, and imitate Our Lord’s love.
Intimacy During the Christmas Season
The Christmas season is a time of joy, togetherness, and celebration, but it can also bring stress, packed schedules, and exhaustion. Between shopping, hosting, and navigating extended family dynamics, it’s easy for marital intimacy to take a back seat. However, with intention and grace, this season can become an opportunity to strengthen the bond with your spouse, fostering a deeper connection that carries you into the new year.
The Marital Debt & Marital Rape
Responses to Katie and SadTrad
“Does Pope Saint John Paul II have anything to say on the topic of martial debt?” - Katie
“Lots of people today deny the existence of the marital debt, thinking that they’re protecting women, but this is only putting them in greater danger…The older I get the more convinced I become that besides Jesus, all men are sociopaths.” - SadTrad
Erotic Lactation: Sexy or Strange?
“My question is on the theme of breastfeeding (i.e., a husband orally drawing breast milk from his wife's breasts). I have seen the act called "adult breastfeeding" and even "erotic lactation" on secular sites.”
Take the Life Ring!
Although the rates are lower than the general population, Catholics do get divorced. Far more live for years and even the rest of their lives in unhappy marriages. For many couples, including those who would say that their marriage is strong, sex is a point of division rather than unity. This can come from a variety of factors. There may be sexual trauma, sex may be painful, there may be a fear of getting pregnant, there may be emotional or physical abuse or neglect. For some couples, sex is a bargaining chip or a manipulation tool.
NFP and Intimacy
Guest Post by Haley Yeager, FCP, MA
Natural family planning is used for much more than timing conception. Time and time again, as an NFP instructor myself, I see couples starting to communicate better, gain more trust in each other, and even have better sex because of their commitment to NFP.
Catholic and Kinky
Guest Post by Joe Williams
Sex between spouses must be an expression of mutual self-giving love. It cannot be harmful or degrading even if it is open to procreation. This begs the question of the licitness of so called kinky sexual practices such as BDSM.
Common Objections to Coaching
Even after doing this for a couple of years, I still get excited when I get a new client. I really enjoy helping people to have more satisfying and fulfilling sex lives and in turn better marriages. It has been such a blessing for me to see marriages transform through this process. This transformation is what Catholic Intimacy is all about. It is what we pray for, have masses offered for, and have even suffered for. But not everyone is ready for change.
Can Catholics Manscape?
"I would like your opinion on a specific issue: the topic of pubic hair grooming. Some Catholic sources suggest that complete shaving can be considered inappropriate or sinful, often citing concerns about motives and potential deceitfulness (because you're trying to make yourself look like a child). However, these sources typically do say anything about grooming based on the preferences to your spouse.
Could you please share your thoughts on this? Thanks a ton." - James A.
Can Catholics Practice BDSM?
"Also, what are your thoughts on BDSM? Clearly the overwhelming vast majority of it seems sinful and wicked, but is it to be condemned anbsolutely and without residue?" - John S.
Catholic Intimacy Turns Two
Two years ago today, Megan and I went down a rabbit hole and she came up with this crazy idea. That night I bought catholicintimacy.com and we started brainstorming the business plan.