Faith Vs Sexuality | Ann Russo: You Don't Have To Choose Between God And Pleasure | #166
"I Had to Call My Dad's Partner 'The Roommate' For Years" – How One Therapist Turned Religious Trauma Into Revolutionary Healing
Picture this: You're a teenager in the 1980s, and you have to lie about your family every single day. Your dad's partner of years becomes "the roommate." Your polyamorous household becomes a shameful secret. And when you finally try to tell someone the truth about your life, you're "shaking like a leaf, crying, and freaking out."
This was Ann Russo's reality – and it nearly broke her.
But here's the plot twist that will give you chills: that painful experience of hiding her family's truth became the foundation for revolutionary work that's now helping thousands heal from religious trauma without losing their faith.
The Secret That Changed Everything
In this groundbreaking episode of Sex Reimagined Podcast with hosts Leah Piper and Dr. Willow Brown, therapist and author Ann Russo shares a story that will make you rethink everything you know about faith, sexuality, and healing.
Growing up in Long Beach, California, Ann's family lived in constant fear. Her gay fathers and polyamorous household were radical for the time – and dangerous to reveal. The secrecy wasn't just uncomfortable; it was survival.
"We were not allowed to talk about it. Like me and my sister, we couldn't even say... we had to act like we were a heteronormative family because my parents, my dad, his partner, my mom, you know, they were all scared," Ann reveals in the episode.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE CAN BE FOUND HERE
FULL AUDIO EPISODE HERE 🎧
FULL VIDEO EPISODE HERE 🎥
From Torturous Faith to Transformative Healing
But Ann's journey took an unexpected turn. At 18, desperate to understand why religious communities hurt people like her family, she joined an evangelical church. The experience was, in her words, "torturous."
Yet this painful exploration led her to advanced degrees in theology with a focus on queer liberation. She needed to understand the intersection of faith and harm – not to destroy religion, but to heal its wounds.
Today, Ann has transformed that trauma into something beautiful: a therapeutic practice that serves marginalized communities on a sliding scale, and a revolutionary approach to healing high control faith systems.
The Revelation That's Changing Lives
Here's what makes Ann's work so groundbreaking – she doesn't make people choose between their healing and their beliefs.
"What makes the work that I'm doing a little bit different... is what do you do for people that wanna remain within their faith?" Ann explains to Leah and Dr. Willow.
- Sexual empowerment redefined: "It's the ability to define what works for you sexually – not because it's pushed on you by society, religion, or family dynamics"
- Religious healing without judgment: Her therapeutic approach meets clients wherever they are spiritually – staying, leaving, or exploring
- The real work of relationships: Whether exploring polyamory or ethical non-monogamy, it requires addressing childhood trauma and attachment styles
- Political stress impacts intimacy: How hypervigilance from current events literally affects our ability to be vulnerable sexually
[ Upload YouTube Teaser Here ]
Why This Conversation Matters Right Now
With "open relationship" being the top trending relationship search term in 2024, and religious trauma syndrome gaining recognition in therapeutic spaces, Ann's work couldn't be more timely.
Her upcoming book on religious trauma treatment (publishing 2026) offers hope for anyone caught between their spiritual beliefs and their authentic sexuality.
As Ann powerfully states in the episode: "Exploring non-monogamy is the hardest work you'll ever do for yourself on your mental and emotional wellbeing, your childhood, your attachment style."
Sex Reimagined Podcast App Directory
The Healing That's Possible
Whether you're struggling with:
- Sexual shame from religious upbringing
- Questions about faith and sexuality
- Exploring alternative relationship styles
- Healing spiritual abuse
- Finding LGBTQ+-affirming therapy
Ann's story proves that transformation is possible – and that you don't have to choose between your spirituality and your sexuality.
Ready to Start Your Own Healing Journey?
- 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Sex Reimagined to hear Ann's complete story and get her specific strategies for healing religious trauma
- 📚 Connect with Ann at AnnRusso.org for resources and sliding-scale therapy options
- 💌 Subscribe to Sex Reimagined for more conversations about conscious sexuality, tantric practices, and spiritual healing
The truth? Sometimes our deepest wounds become our greatest gifts. Ann Russo's journey from family secrets to healing thousands proves that no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, authentic healing is possible.
Your faith and your sexuality don't have to be at war. There's another way – and Ann shows you how to find it.
religious trauma, sexual empowerment, polyamory, spiritual abuse, ethical non-monogamy, LGBTQ therapy, religious recovery, tantric practices, high control faith systems, Sex Reimagined podcast, Leah Piper, Dr. Willow Brown
EPISODE LINKS:
