Withholding Spiritually - Intimacy anorexics can be very religious or a spiritual leader, but they rarely connect spiritually at home.​

The characteristic of withholding spiritually is also only noticed by the spouse. I have had clients that were even spiritual leaders, pastors, rabbis, and medicine men that didn’t connect spiritually with their spouse. Withholding spiritually is withholding spiritual connectedness from your spouse. This mean regardless of faith practices or lack thereof, there is no real spiritual connecting behavior with the spouse. The anorexic might be religious to the hilt, but lacks spiritual authenticity in the presence of their spouse.

Example: “My spouse will say a 20 second prayer with me at bed time. They will not pray with me otherwise, attend a Bible study, or talk about God.“