Many of the clients who have participated in the Mending The Armorprogram have been young men preparing for missions or returned missionaries who have slipped back into the addiction. As therapists working with LDS young men, we recognize the problem is real and that unfortunately, even returned missionaries sometimes need treatment for pornography addiction.
Dr. Don Hilton stated in his book He Restoreth My Soul wrote: “The current scenario of sending the young man on a mission after three to six months of “white knuckle’ sobriety is only setting him up for intermittent struggling throughout his mission, and/or quick relapse upon return and re-introduction into the overwhelming media barrage he will sure face”.
Speaking of returned missionaries he wrote: “Understand that the majority of young men returning from missions are slipping quickly into addiction, and we must be ready to support them with 12 Step support groups specific to pornography addiction immediately upon return from their mission. We should be as determined to support them as the adversary is to capture them as they emerge from a spiritual high and enter the world again. If we can change the current pattern of quick relapse after mission, we can begin to see dating and marriage patterns return to normalcy”.
Treatment specific to pornography addiction among LDS young men is greatly needed. Mending The Armor is designed to meet this need.
Using the YPAST (Youth Pornography Addiction Screening Tool) our outcome studies have shown that participants who have completed this program, participated in LDS addiction recovery meetings and worked closely with their bishops have experienced high rates of success in abstaining and managing pornography addiction and other unwanted sexual behaviors. The average pre-treatment YPAST score is a 57. The post-treatment YPAST score is a 19. These findings suggest significant improvement in reducing and eliminating pornography use among our clients.
It is important to note that the Mending The Armor program is not intended to replace the LDS Addiction Recovery Program, but rather to prepare youth and young adults to more fully benefit from recovery meetings. Participants are encouraged to participate in LDS twelve-step Recovery meetings in conjunction with the Mending The Armor program. Clients are prepared to transition from our treatment services into their local LDS Addiction Recovery Programs for long-term support and recovery.