Purity Culture Dropout™
One Day Intensive
Shame Free Sex Education Seminar
The next ODI will happen in late January 2025.
Are you ready to jump start your post-purity culture sex education journey?
The One Day Intensive, an offering under The Purity Culture Dropout™ umbrella, is back!
“You are fantastic and this class was everything I hoped it would be and more. Thank you for creating such a safe, judgment-free, empathetic, empowering space for us to explore these topics.”
— 2023 One Day Intensive Student
If you were ever taught any or some of the following…
Your virginity was the most valuable thing about you
You should use your mind to control your body’s sinful nature
Your body can’t be trusted
You can't be both physically desired and respected at the same time
Gender roles and expectations are strict and clear, especially when it comes to sex and relationships
Women were responsible for keeping men from stumbling sexually
Men’s sexual thoughts and feelings were dangerous to everyone
Other genders and sexualities: you just didn’t exist
People who had sex before marriage were “damaged goods,” and sex before marriage was dangerous, emotionally painful, and left gaping wounds in your heart that would negatively affect marital sex
Women’s bodies should be covered and guarded to help keep men from struggling with lustful thoughts
Women view sex as a way to express love to their husband and procreate, while men just want it all the time
Sexual desire, fantasy, masturbation, etc were morally wrong
Good girls don’t think/talk about this stuff
Fear and silence were the way to approach the topic of sex
If you followed all the rules and precautions laid out in the Bible and by the church, then your marriage would be blessed and sex would be amazing
Then you may:
Struggle with confidence, fear, and uncertainty when it comes to sex
Feel uncomfortable about your lack of experience
Feel like your sexual exploration has been stunted
Not know what you like sexually, or how your body experiences pleasure
Feel afraid to date or have sex and relationships
Feel shame for your curiosity or desire to explore
Think that making peace with your sexuality is one of your big challenges
Struggle to understand what attraction even feels like
Worry that you have a delayed understanding of your sexual identity
Have a lot of fear and anxiety around pregnancy and STIs
Feel like you’re also confused by pop culture/ secular ideas about sex
Experience grief and anger around time and opportunity lost to purity culture trauma
Finally feel ready to do something about it
The One Day Intensive is a day designed to help you deal with the things you feel hopeless about.
I’ve taken everything I’ve learned from working with hundreds of post-purity culture clients and distilled it into one impactful experience.
This is an experience designed to help you:
Gain a perspective of sexuality that is not steeped in religion
Combat the shame you feel about sexuality in general
Learn how to actually explore your sexuality safely
Understand your sexual values post purity culture
Learn, step by step, how to speak up in and out of the bedroom
Allow yourself to seek pleasure without guilt, shame or any other limitations
Dispel the myths about sex and relationships that you were taught (probably some things that you don’t even realize are myths!)
Gain more confidence in your relationship to your own sexuality
Normalize your experiences and feelings when it comes to sex and what purity culture took from you
Teach you how to set boundaries- around sex and even around talking to your family
Explore what you desire and how to communicate that
Deal with the grief and anger over time lost to purity culture
Normalize your experiences- of being a late bloomer or even a married person who still feels affected by purity culture
Feel more freedom around being a sexual being
Gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to make your own decisions
Give you power over old core beliefs that still tie sexuality to morality
Come out the other side with more self-understanding, compassion, and tools to cope and thrive
Help you feel safe and joyful in your own body
Build your confidence in regard to talking about sex in general
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE PCD ONE DAY INTENSIVE?
A seven hour seminar covering crucial sex education topics, tailored specifically to people who were raised in high control religions.
But this isn’t just a sex ed class- that is, what you may perceive a sex ed class to be. Many people assume a sex education class is going to be a lot of lecturing about body parts, reproduction, and biology. While biology is an important aspect of sex (and one we’ll talk about), there are many other things that make sex education truly comprehensive.
Join me in an interactive class format via Zoom as we work on creating a new, healthier sexual ethic, learn about sex ed basics such as bodies, pleasure, sexual health, relationships/dating skills, dealing with shame, sexual communication, and more.
We’ll even touch on sensitive topics like abortion and porn.
This isn’t “just” sex ed- it’s also an examination of the cultural forces that influence how we think and feel about sexuality.
This class is interactive (only if you want to- I won’t force anyone to interact!) and will include plenty of breaks.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE:
7 hours of live sex education lessons
Pep talks, wisdom, and tips for your post-purity culture sexuality journey
The ability to interact and ask me anything
Optional interaction with the other attendees
Over 19 additional hours of Erica’s recorded Purity Culture Dropout™ classes (Topics: Sexual Communication, Casual Sex & Dating, Porn, Discovering LGBTQ+ Identity, Parenting Without Sexual Shame, Preparing for Sexual Debut, Navigating Sexual Shame)
The latest edition of My Sexual Values Workbook for Purity Culture Dropouts
A Purity Culture Dropout™ Resource Guide for Further Learning and Support
(Additional $230 value)
“Erica absolutely changed my life. No matter where you are coming from, Erica meets you exactly where you are. At every point where I was taught to expect judgment and shame, Erica met me with compassion—and more importantly, she helped me begin to learn how to do that for myself.”
-Sadie
The next ODI will happen in late January 2025.
“Erica is extremely warm and safe to talk to. As a person coming out of purity culture it is so hard and scary talking about sex/sexual experiences and she received my nervous laughter, anger, chatter with nothing but warmth and acceptance. She is extremely knowledgeable and the tools and resources she gave me in our individual sessions were helpful to me long after we spoke and have made a huge shift in my experience processing purity culture. Talking with her and having guidance with specific resources has helped me to engage in a way that has been much more productive for me. I most appreciate Erica’s genuine care for and admiration of folks who are coming out of purity culture. It can be easy to feel like a freak having to learn/unlearn basic things about sex and dating and it truly means so much that she has focused on this particular experience in her work.”
-Hannah
Who is this for?
People raised in high control religions who were harmed by purity culture teachings and didn’t get the sex education you needed growing up. I welcome people of any age, any gender, any sexual orientation, and in any relationship structure. Are you a 20 year old nonbinary person? This is for you. Are you 45 and married to your high school sweetheart? This is for you. Are you 30 and worried you’ll never date or have a sexual experience? This is for you.
What if I’m still religious or undecided on where I stand with religion?
Your relationship to religion is none of my concern as your instructor. You’re welcome to attend whether you’re devout, an atheist or anything in between. I also welcome people from any religious background- my reference point is Christian purity culture, but the sex education is applicable to anyone who experienced a high control religion.
It’s for anyone who:
Knows that there are serious gaps in their sex education
Feels left in the dark by the silence and misinformation they received about sex
Knows that they need a good jump start to begin working through this stuff
Knows that there has to be something better on the other side of purity culture, but needs a roadmap and accurate, shame-free sex education in order to get there
“Erica exudes calm compassion in a way that makes triggering topics less triggering. She is the only person outside of purity culture I have ever encountered who is deeply knowledgeable about purity culture; her knowledge and outside status provide a soothing combination of normalization and validation. She was able to offer me information on how my early questions about gender and sexuality should have been addressed, which helped me gain clarity about my current needs and how I want to address them now. I recommend her to anyone in any stage of deconstruction from purity culture; whether they are still in the church or have left. You don't have to worry about Erica trying to sway your beliefs. She will just provide you with solid data and ask good questions to help you gain your own clarity while holding compassion for you during the whole process.”
-L.J.
Who is the teacher?
My name is Erica Smith, and I’ve been a sex educator for 24 years. I have a Master of Education from Widener University’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies, and decades of experience working with diverse populations doing one-on-one sex education, group teaching, classes, and more.
In 2019 I created The Purity Culture Dropout™ Program to help people learn all of the sex education that they missed growing up in purity culture- sex ed that is accurate, queer inclusive, trauma informed, compassionate, and comprehensive. I have since helped thousands of people develop a healthier relationship with their sexuality after high control religion.
