Sexuality and Spirituality Pursuing Integration

This book is a response to such questions as: What is sexuality? Spirituality? How are they interrelated? What is healthy sex--and how can we achieve it? Are there different kinds of sexuality? What are female-male similarities and differences? What is the sense and nonsense of marital and nonmarital sex heterosexuality homosexuality masturbation sexual addictions and abstinence? My goal is to construct a model of sexuality and spirituality that engenders more health and satisfaction. My method is phenomenological. Theological truths are not explicitly included--I am a psychologist not a theologian. Nevertheless theologians and religious leaders across a broad spectrum have assured me that my vision is not incongruent with theirs and that it can serve as an infrastructure for their studies. My hope is that what follows will help married single and vowed celibate people to cope with grow from and enjoy their sexuality. --from the Preface