We all carry sexual shame. Whether we grew up in the repressive purity culture of American Evangelical Christianity or not, we've all been taught in subtle and not-so-subtle ways that sex (outside of very specific contexts) is immoral and taboo. Psychotherapist Matthias Roberts helps readers overcome their shame around sex by overcoming three unhealthy coping mechanisms we use to manage that shame. Beyond Shame encourages each of us to determine our own definition of healthy sex, while avoiding the ditches of boundaryless sex positivity on the one hand and strict moralistic boundaries on the other. Define your sexual values on your own terms, overcome your shame, and start having great, healthy sex.

"Patrick Moore boldly argues that the promiscuous gay men of the 1970s were actually artists and that AIDS derailed an esthetic community and sexual adventure. This quietly personal book reclaims the past for young gay men and makes it useable."--Edmund White, author of A Boy's Own Story "A personal, tender, honest book about a past that can never be regained, but must not be forgotten." --Sarah Schulman, author of After Delores "Patrick Moore reminds us of the extravagant creativity of gay self-fashioning in the 1970s, in the hope that such historical awareness can help us bring about an extravagant, creative gay future."--Carolyn Dinshaw, Director of the Center for Gender & Sexuality, New York University "Moore's exceptional study considers those men who fashioned an underground gay life that still resonates today."--Felice Picano, author of Like People In History and a founding member of the Violet Quill Club

All Noelle Cunningham has ever wanted was a life beyond--beyond her stifling role as a prim and proper councilman's daughter, and beyond the walls of the patriarchal city of Eden, the only remnants of safety in a world destroyed by solar storms decades earlier. But when she's banished for violating the prohibition against immorality, she's unprepared for the lawless world outside the city's walls. The sectors surrounding Eden house those abandoned to fend for themselves--men like Jasper McCray, bootlegger and cage fighter. Jas clawed his way up from nothing to stand at the right hand of Sector Four's ruthless leader, and he'll defend the O'Kane gang with his life. But fighting hasn't prepared him for dealing with a sheltered City princess who falls at his feet. Her innocence is undeniable, but so is her intense sexual curiosity. Soon they're exploring every dark fantasy she's ever been ashamed to have. But if Noelle wants to claim her place with the O'Kanes and at Jas's side, she'll have to find the courage to embrace something even more terrifying than her own desires. Her own power. *** The Beyond Series is dystopian erotic romance. While the books explore kink and sex with multiple partners in a dark and decadent world, all sex between characters is 100% consensual.

Forgiveness, like apple pie, is something most people want more of, but few know how to achieve genuinely. This book will provide fresh ideas on how to appropriate more of this psychologically powerful commodity to a discouraged world.

- Why are some kids magnets for bullying? - Why do gay teens commit suicide four times as frequently as "straight" teens? - Why do we have more men and women in prison than any other country in the world? - Why are school shootings and acts of domestic terrorism on the rise? What could possibly be the theme that ties all of these questions together, which provides a window into so many aspects of the darker aspects of human behavior? In a word, shame.

Weve lived for eons with a set of rules guiding how we have relationships with one another. These Old Rules have, without question, been inadvertently passed, without examination, from generation to generation by our families. Its past time to expose them to the light of day. Why? Together, these Old Rules create a toxic environment we accept as inviolate. We struggle against others and against ourselves, not realizing that the shame-based Old Rules hold us back from being who we are meant to be and doing what we are meant to do. When feelings of undeserved shame (something is wrong with us) become part of how we think of ourselves, two things are true: 1) our true selves become more defended and less available to ourselves and others, and 2) we become more easily manipulated to serve someone elses needs in ways that are not in our best interests. That sense of shame and the Old Rules reinforce each other. One look at them and its easy to see how they make it difficult to have healthy relationships. They are definitely not conducive to happiness. We know better. We just need to know how to do better, one rule at a time. Unmasking and replacing Old Rules with even one of the New Rules begins to change everything Change the rules, change the game.

Introducing the first self-help workbook for moral injury, featuring a powerful approach grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you heal in the midst of moral pain and connect with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. If you’ve experienced, witnessed, or failed to prevent an act that violates your own deeply held values—such as harming someone in an automobile accident, or failing to save someone from a dangerous situation—you may suffer from moral injury, an enduring psychological and spiritual pain that is often accompanied by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance abuse, and other mental health conditions. In order to begin healing, you need to (re)connect with your values and what really matters to you as a human being. Written by a renowned team of PTSD and trauma professionals, this workbook can help. The Moral Injury Workbook is the first workbook of its kind to offer a powerful step-by-step program to help you move beyond moral pain. With this guide, you’ll learn to work through difficult thoughts, emotions, and spiritual troubles; (re)connect with your deeply held sense of self, values, or spiritual beliefs; and gain the psychological flexibility you need to begin healing and live a full and meaningful life. Links to downloadable worksheets for veterans and clinicians are also included. Whether you’ve experienced moral injury yourself, work in the field of mental health, or are a pastoral advisor seeking new ways to help facilitate moral healing, this workbook is an effective and much-needed resource.