Posted on 08/23/2006 6:43:07 AM PDT by scripter
At the APA Conference in New Orleans — where APA President Koocher commented about the ethicality of sexual reorientation therapy — Clinton Anderson, director of the APA Office of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns, offered further commentary.*
Mr. Anderson said he does not dispute that some people leave homosexuality. "I don't think that anyone disagrees with the idea that people can change, because we know that straight people become gay and lesbian — so it seems totally reasonable that some gay and lesbian people would become straight. The issue is not whether sexual orientation changes...the issue is whether therapy changes sexual orientation."
NARTH President Joseph Nicolosi commented: "Those of us who have fought so long for APA's recognition of the reality of change, greatly appreciate Mr. Anderson's concession — especially because he is the chairman of the gay and lesbian division of APA. But we are puzzled why he thinks change cannot happen inside the therapeutic office."
Dr. Nicolosi continued: "We would like Mr. Anderson to explain what is it about the inside of the office that blocks a sexual transformation that he admits can indeed happen outside the office."
"As anyone with a minimal understanding of the therapeutic process knows," said Dr. Nicolosi, "this 'inside-outside' distinction is false and misleading — since what happens during therapy better prepares the client to be receptive to transformative relational opportunities outside the office."
"People grow and change as a result of life experience, especially personal relations," Dr. Nicolosi noted. "Clearly, Mr. Anderson has made a false and misleading distinction."
There is no genetic test or procedure (experimental or otherwise) that can determine one's sexual orientation. When people claim to be gay and we believe them, what we're really doing is taking them at their word. We believe their claim, we believe their testimony and we believe their declaration that they are gay.
But there are some people who are suddenly skeptical when one claims to be ex-gay. They don't believe the ex-gay claim, they don't believe the ex-gay testimony nor their declaration that they are ex-gay.
When somebody uses a certain standard to measure the credibility of what one group says, but then refuses to use the same standard to measure the credibility of what another group says--thereby ignoring the claims of the second group (ex-gays)--he should ask himself why he believes one group and not the other... This is a double standard.
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That is indeed something Mr. Anderson should explain. He admits some heterosexuals become homosexual and some homosexuals become heterosexual, but not in therapy? Interesting...
What I found silly about this exchange was the idea that anyone would think that therapy can change *anything.* I mean, no psychological therapy can be to any degree effective unless the patient *wants* to change his own behaviors or attitudes.
The problem is that the APA thinks that if a patient comes in wanting to change his sexual orientation, that he should be discouraged from doing so (unless, of course, he wants to change from straight to gay).
People's genetics can change spontaneously?
Or it's a pseudoscientific lie that homosexuality is genetic?
Or are the cultural influences ingrained so deep that the change must come from within? And what are our chances of increasing the number of deviants by indoctrinating young students in the homosexual lifestyle?
They believe that people can be "bi-curious" but never believe that anyone who experiments with a member of the same sex may have made the WRONG choice.
Thanks for posting this, and the link to the video.
At least (or finally) the APA is admitting homosexuals can leave the lifestyle. For years they've been saying change is impossible or dangerous, but the growing number of ex-gays has, apparently, forced them to concede the obvious.
How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, but only if the light bulb really WANTS to change.
Shalom.
You oversimplify. What the APA has said is, if a person comes in to a therapist and says, "I'm having problems with homosexual thoughts" the therapist is supposed to help the person come to grips with the fact that he is gay. This is whether or not the person really wanted help keeping the homosexual thoughts at bay. In other words, the person doesn't need to want to change from straight to gay - the therapist is supposed to help him make that change anyway.
Shalom.
Well, only outside the therapeutic office. J
Or it's a pseudoscientific lie that homosexuality is genetic?
Of course there's no evidence genetics are responsible for homosexual behavior, but that hasn't, unfortunately, stopped people from buying the lie.
But there's hope, now, that they will finally admit what we've always known. Well, we can hope this is the first ray of light on their darkened minds.
That's a little different from what I heard: Only one, but it takes a long time and only if the light bulb really wants to change. J
I might have oversimplified a bit, but not too much, I don't think. The point is, why would the psychiatrist assume that the patient was "gay" because they were having homosexual thoughts? For example, many adolescents have such thoughts as a natural process of growing up, but they are not necessarily gay.
What if a gay man came in complaining about heterosexual thoughts? Would the therapist help him come to terms with the fact he was straight? I doubt it.
Where I oversimplified was when I said a patient might come in wanting to change. That sort of explicitness may be a bit rare. Usually people just want help.
Could it be that Anderson is getting consulting fees from
health organizations, the U.S. government, and drug companies, in order for them
to target "therapies" for AIDS, suicide prevention,
Hep B, and Hep C preventions, drug abuse and or therapy for
other diseases associated with the above situations?
Maybe he doesn't want the afflicted to get out of a lifestyle
that might help prevent them from the above.
Nah, no one would be that devious, or could they?
BINGO. This is how recruitment is done - even by those who would deny that they recruit. A boy talks about a problem he's having - people tease him for being a sissy, he can't seem to get a girlfriend, he has disturbing homosexual thoughts. The correct answer to this is "don't worry, this is natural. All boys are different and mature differently. Give it time and it will come around. In the meantime, you can talk to me about it." Instead someone says, "You should get comfortable with the fact that you are gay" and the beat goes on.
The worst part is, heterosexual men and women who should know better are now saying the same thing.
Shalom.
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