Psychologists: Gays shouldn't be advised to change

[bobbie (imported)]

It is about time.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/200 ... odule_News

What took them so long?

Text of article

NEW YORK (AP) — The American Psychological Association (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topi ... ssociation) declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments.

Instead, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options — that could range from celibacy to switching churches — for helping clients whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflict.

FAITH & REASON: 'Be straight or go away' (http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... 68496120/1)

YOUNG ADULTS: 'Don't want to be defined by gender, orientation' (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/200 ... ence_N.htm)

In a resolution adopted on a 125-to-4 vote by the APA's governing council, and in a comprehensive report based on two years of research, the 150,000-member association put itself firmly on record in opposition of so-called "reparative therapy" which seeks to change sexual orientation.

No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the report, and some research suggests that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies.

The APA had criticized reparative therapy in the past, but a six-member task force added weight to this position by examining 83 studies on sexual orientation change conducted since 1960. Its comprehensive report was endorsed by the APA's governing council in Toronto, where the association's annual meeting is being held this weekend.

The report breaks new ground in its detailed and nuanced assessment of how therapists should deal with gay clients struggling to remain loyal to a religious faith that disapproves of homosexuality.

Judith Glassgold, a Highland Park, N.J., psychologist who chaired the task force, said she hoped the document could help calm the polarized debate between religious conservatives who believe in the possibility of changing sexual orientation and the many mental health professionals who reject that option.

"Both sides have to educate themselves better," Glassgold said in an interview. "The religious psychotherapists have to open up their eyes to the potential positive aspects of being gay or lesbian. Secular therapists have to recognize that some people will choose their faith over their sexuality."

In dealing with gay clients from conservative faiths, says the report, therapists should be "very cautious" about suggesting treatments aimed at altering their same-sex attractions.

"Practitioners can assist clients through therapies that do not attempt to change sexual orientation, but rather involve acceptance, support and identity exploration and development without imposing a specific identity outcome," the report says.

"We have to challenge people to be creative," said Glassgold.

She suggested that devout clients could focus on overarching aspects of religion such as hope and forgiveness in order to transcend negative beliefs about homosexuality, and either remain part of their original faith within its limits — for example, by embracing celibacy — or find a faith that welcomes gays.

"There's no evidence to say that change therapies work, but these vulnerable people are tempted to try them, and when they don't work, they feel doubly terrified," Glassgold said. "You should be honest with people and say, 'This is not likely to change your sexual orientation, but we can help explore what options you have.'"

One of the largest organizations promoting the possibility of changing sexual orientation is Exodus International, a network of ministries whose core message is "Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topi ... hets/Jesus)."

Its president, Alan Chambers, describes himself as someone who "overcame unwanted same-sex attraction." He and other evangelicals met with APA representatives after the task force formed in 2007, and he expressed satisfaction with parts of the report that emerged.

"It's a positive step — simply respecting someone's faith is a huge leap in the right direction," Chambers said. "But I'd go further. Don't deny the possibility that someone's feelings might change."

An evangelical psychologist, Mark Yarhouse of Regent University (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topi ... University), praised the APA report for urging a creative approach to gay clients' religious beliefs but — like Chambers — disagreed with its skepticism about changing sexual orientation.

Yarhouse and a colleague, Professor Stanton Jones of Wheaton College, will be releasing findings at the APA meeting Friday from their six-year study of people who went through Exodus programs. More than half of 61 subjects either converted to heterosexuality or "disidentified" with homosexuality while embracing chastity, their study said.

To Jones and Yarhouse, their findings prove change is possible for some people, and on average the attempt to change will not be harmful.

The APA task force took as a starting point the belief that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexuality, not a disorder, and that it nonetheless remains stigmatized in ways that can have negative consequences.

The report said the subgroup of gays interested in changing their sexual orientation has evolved over the decades and now is comprised mostly of well-educated white men whose religion is an important part of their lives and who participate in conservative faiths that frown on homosexuality.

"Religious faith and psychology do not have to be seen as being opposed to each other," the report says, endorsing approaches "that integrate concepts from the psychology of religion and the modern psychology of sexual orientation."

Perry Halkitis, a New York University (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topi ... University) psychologist who chairs the APA committee dealing with gay and lesbian issues, praised the report for its balance.

"Anyone who makes decisions based on good science will be satisfied," he said. "As a clinician, you have to deal with the whole person, and for some people, faith is a very important aspect of who they are."

The report also addressed the issue of whether adolescents should be subjected to therapy aimed at altering their sexual orientation. Any such approach should "maximize self-determination" and be undertaken only with the youth's consent, the report said.

Wayne Besen (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Wayne+Besen), a gay-rights activist who has sought to discredit the so-called "ex-gay" movement, welcomed the APA findings.

"Ex-gay therapy is a profound travesty that has led to pointless tragedies, and we are pleased that the APA has addressed this psychological scourge," Besen said.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[OneBallBoi (imported)]

From what I know the churches position was always that were suppose to stay celibate if you were homosexual.. I think there has been homosexuals for as long as there has been an earth but the church felt you were suppose to stay hidden as essence. Groups like Exodus International has had some "Success" in counseling you to believe that you can change. And as a result people learn to live a heterosexual lifestyle while inside there heart continues to say they are homosexual. The stastics that I have seen from Exodus International is: for every one that we are able to help, there are 10 that never make it though the program. I think that in itself says the program really don't work.

Still you have issue between you and God.. How do I make my peace with God? Homosexuality and Christianity.. For me it was to seek castration. Pretty near my whole reason for castration was my homosexuality along with my strong faith in Jesus Christ. And you know for me, at least mentally it really helped.

[jemagirl (imported)]

Clearly Exodus International is all wet and has been for quite some time. As far as the "Church" and it's history are concerned, there is not one single view on Homosexuality, and it would be a shame to get clipped if that is the only reason. It is after all much easier to find a different church than it is to find a doctor willing to remove your tackle.

There are many legitimate reasons for having an orchiectomy but shame probably isn't one of them.

[moi621 (imported)]

Thread Duplication

http://www.eunuch.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=16282

Porquai Bobbie ?

:-\

[Kortpeel (imported)]

Still (if you are gay)

you have issue between you and God.. How do I make my peace with God? Homosexuality and Christianity..

Surely there needs to be no conflict with God if you are gay and religious?

After all, the religious person's position should be 'God made you in his own image, and he had His reasons for doing so.' That applies to everyone, gay or straight. Admittedly we seldom know what his reasons were but if He put your soul into a body whose brain was wired up to be gay there is no reason to feel guilty about it.

The aim should be for each person to do the best he or she can during their incarnation, make the best possible use of the talents and abilities they've been given and get on with their lives. It could be that He is watching to see how you deal with the curved ones that life throws at you.

Be critical in your interpretation of biblical texts. Remember that some of those old guys who wrote the texts were merely axe grinding their own point of view. Not all of the bible is divine inspiration.

Also, if any psychiatrist thinks he can 'cure' a person of being gay then he is an idiot or a charlatan.

[bobover3 (imported)]

Religion is supposed to be consoling. People turn to the supernatural for answers to big questions and for comfort in time of trouble. How sad when the tail begins to wag the dog, and people are driven to despair because they think the supernatural powers demand it of them. The cure is not to deny the truth of people's natures, it's to deny the truth of the beliefs which torment them. If there's a just cause for despair, it's the thought of the centuries of cruelty wrought by the "faithful."

[gareth19 (imported)]

Pretty near my whole reason for castration was my homosexuality along with my strong faith in Jesus Christ.

What makes you think that Jesus (as opposed to His self-appointed spokesmen) has any issue with homosexuality? After all, He promised His disciples that they didn't have to cruise the Sea of Galilee for fish because He would show them how to cruise for men.

[Solaris (imported)]

That was very naughtie!

[OneBallBoi (imported)]

What makes you think that Jesus (as opposed to His self-appointed spokesmen) has any issue with homosexuality? After all, He promised His disciples that they didn't have to cruise the Sea of Galilee for fish because He would show them how to cruise for men.

It is not a matter of how you apply scripture or anything.. It is really how your brain applies it.. It is a mental thing.. And to me I am Christian and I value my relationship to God. So being castration was my way of making peace with God in my brain. For me it was the thing to do.. Perhaps no one else in this world has the same thoughts and feelings, but to me it was the answer.

[Solaris (imported)]

As in the case of anything else in our lives, it is the motive that influences our religious affairs, which gives us the feeling of "right" and "wrong" in our thoughts, words, and actions. But, then a decision arising from a particular circumstance, may be similarly experienced by someone else, and yet lead to a different outcome because of equally valid motives.

I, too, believe that our God is a God of Love, and it is our motives that are perceived and understood by Him, and I think that He wants us to express our love in ways that are personal and individual to ourselves. To one devout worshipper, that may include undergoing a castration, according to a long line of religious tradition. Or it might express itself in the sacrificing of an already established athletic career, as in the case of a famous British sportsman. Or, yet, it may come out in the form of the loyal and inspiring kind of friendship that helps us to get through the crises of our lives.

It is my opinion that, if our personal expression of love to our God, is not based on fear or guilt, does not hurt anyone else, and feels right for us, then we have made an appropriate decision for ourselves, although not necessarily for someone else.