Mormon Stories #1225: Natasha Helfer Parker - I Am Not Broken (THRIVEDAY 2019)

Sexual Shame and Religious Upbringing: What Natasha Helfer Parker's Viral Presentation Reveals About Mormon Sexual Ethics

When mental health professional Natasha Helfer Parker titled her 2019 THRIVEDAY presentation "I Am Not Broken," she was naming something many Latter-day Saints experience but rarely discuss openly: the intersection of religious doctrine, sexual development, and psychological wellbeing. Her appearance on Mormon Stories podcast #1225 sparked conversations that continue to resonate within and beyond the faith community, raising fundamental questions about how the Church's approach to sexuality shapes members' lives, from childhood through adulthood.

The presentation matters because it documents a growing tension within Mormonism itself. For decades, the Church emphasized sexual purity as a cornerstone virtue, yet offered limited framework for understanding healthy sexuality within marriage. Helfer Parker's work fills that gap, drawing on clinical experience and personal narrative to challenge the narrative that sexual difficulty equals moral failure.

Background: The Church's Complex Relationship With Sexuality

The LDS Church has long maintained strict sexual teachings rooted in theological commitments to chastity, temple worthiness, and family structure. Official doctrine emphasizes that sexual relations belong exclusively within heterosexual marriage. However, the Church's official guidance on sexual development, boundaries, and healthy integration of sexuality into identity has been sparse, particularly compared to comprehensive secular sex education approaches.

This gap created what researchers and therapists call a "sex-negative" environment. Members received clear messages about what not to do sexually, but limited resources for understanding sexuality as a normal developmental process or as an aspect of human flourishing.