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Reparative and similar therapies
Introduction
Sponsored link.
Topics covered in this essay:
 | Quotations |
| Overview |
| Terminology |
| History |
| Health insurance aspects |
| Is a change in sexual orientation possible? |
| Acceptance |
| Safety |
| Effectiveness |
Quotations:
| "There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation". American Psychiatric Association's 1997 Fact Sheet on Homosexual and Bisexual Issues. |
| "Exodus upholds redemption for the homosexual person as the process whereby sin's power is broken, and the individual is freed to know and experience true identity as discovered in Christ and His Church. That process entails the freedom to grow into heterosexuality". Exodus International's statement of belief. |
| "Relationship with Jesus Christ and a life of prayer are the keys to changing homosexual desires and fostering the development of healthy, nonsexual intimate relationships." Martha Kleder, Focus on the Family. 33 |
| "There is no documentary evidence showing someone’s sexual preference can be changed by therapy. There is only anecdotal evidence, mostly from the therapists themselves, claiming that what they do works. That’s not very scientific. On the other hand, there’s no scientific evidence to show that this is impossible...It hasn’t been studied." Dr. Robert Spitzer, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. In 2001, after he made this statement, he reported on a study that he had made. It indicated that reparative therapy has as a high failure rate. |
Overview:
The term "reparative therapy" (a.k.a. "conversion therapy," "reorientation therapy," and "RT") has multiple definitions:
| Some define it as a specific secular counseling technique. It involves helping a gay or lesbian bond in a close, intimate but non-sexual relationship with an adult member of the same gender. This is supposed to substitute for the bond between the client and their same-sex parent which therapists allege did not properly form during childhood. |
| Others define the term reparative therapy more inclusively to be any formal attempt to change a person's sexual orientation -- typically from homosexual to heterosexual. It thus includes attempts by conservative Christian transformational ministries to use prayer, religious conversion, one-on-one and group counseling, etc. to change a person's sexual orientation. |
A person's "sexual orientation" is normally defined by the gender of those to whom the person is sexually attracted; homosexuals are attracted only to members of the same sex; bisexuals are attracted to both men and women, but not necessarily to an equal degree. However, promoters of these therapies often define "sexual orientation" in terms of sexual behavior.
The effectiveness of these therapies has yet to be properly evaluated. They may be found to be helpful; it may turn out to be useless; they may be eventually recognized as ineffective and potentially harmful. Many information sources do agree that:
| No research into the effectiveness and safety of reparative therapy has ever been published in a peer-reviewed journal. |
| No accurate, longitudinal survey has been conducted to track the outcome of clients who have completed these therapies. |
Although there have been a few studies, all have serious deficiencies. Some anecdotal evidence is available -- both negative and positive.
Therapists who engage in these therapies are exposing their clients to an unproven, experimental treatment. Clients should realize that little is known about the potential benefits or dangers of these therapies. Dr. Jack Drescher, a medical doctor who works extensively with homosexuals stated: "It is not clear...if reparative therapists ever provide informed consent to explain these substantial risks to the patients they treat, or even if they are fully aware of the costs to the unrepaired."
Many recent, experimental forms of therapy have proven disastrous to the quality of life of the client-victims. Recovered memory therapy was one; another is multiple personality disorder therapy (a.k.a. dissociative identity disorder). Both triggered many suicides and caused a great deal of pain, at both the personal and family level. Therapies which attempt to change sexual orientation may be similarly dangerous.
Terminology used:
There are two "solitudes" within society dealing with homosexual issues:
| Many conservative Christians individuals, therapists, ministries, and groups believe that homosexual behavior is abnormal, unnatural, chosen and sinful. They promote these therapies as helpful and safe techniques to "cure" homosexuality. |
| Essentially all gays, lesbians, mental health professionals, human sexuality researchers and religious liberals accept that a homosexual orientation is normal and natural for a minority of people. They believe that sexual orientation cannot be changed. They generally believe that both heterosexual and homosexual behavior can be either sinful or not, depending upon the circumstances. They regard these therapies to be non-productive and potentially dangerous. |
Each of these groups assigns different meanings to common English words and phrases. This is not unique. The same phenomenon occurs in the field of abortion, corporal punishment and other areas of social debate. It makes dialog and communication very difficult.
| Common conservative Christian usage | Common usage by other groups |
| Homosexuality is a behavior. | Homosexuality is an orientation |
| Homosexuality is what one does. | Homosexuality is what one is. |
| Sexual preference | Sexual orientation |
| "I am cured of homosexuality" OR "I am an ex-gay." |
"I was a sexually active homosexual; I am now homosexual who has chosen to be celibate." |
| "I was once in the homosexual lifestyle, but I am a heterosexual now." | "I was a bisexual who engaged in same-sex relationships. My orientation is still bisexual, but, I now choose to have only relationships with the opposite gender." |
| A person involved in the homosexual lifestyle | A person with a bisexual or homosexual orientation who is sexually active with members of the same gender. |
History of these therapies:
In the past, researchers attempted to change sexual orientation through psychotherapy, aversion therapy, nausea producing drugs, castration, electric shock, brain surgery, breast amputations, etc. All failed. These methods were largely abandoned by the mid-1970's. Reparative therapy and transformational ministries emerged in the early 1970's.
The source of modern-day secular reparative therapy can be traced back many decades to the research of Irving Bieber, Lawrence Hatterer and Sigmond Freud. Their conclusions about homosexuality had long been abandoned by almost all mental health professionals. However, Elizabeth Moberly 6 studied those works and developed a new theory of the cause of homosexuality. She believes that it is solely caused by environmental factors -- incompetence on the part of the parent of the same gender. She also developed a technique in the early 1980's which attempts to change the sexual orientation of homosexual adults. She has done no clinical work to support the validity of her theory or the effectiveness of her therapeutic technique. She is a theologian, not a trained mental health professional. Her book "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic" is still in print and is widely circulated among conservative Christians. 1
She abandoned:
"Freud's emphasis on the domineering mother and focused on the effect of the 'passive' or 'distant' father. Moberly determined...that the homosexual men in the studies were suffering from what she termed 'defensive detachment' and 'same sex ambivalence.' The theory presumes that the young boy, for any of a variety of reasons, did not bond with his father in a meaningful way." 2
Lacking a positive relationship with his father, the boy "defensively detaches" from any potential friendships with other boys his own age. After puberty, he redirects his longing for a close relationship with his father and other males into a search for love. He sexualizes the longing, feels attraction to other men, and becomes an active homosexual. (We have used a male example here because almost all reparative therapy is done on men).
During therapy, the gay client is encouraged to enter into an emotionally close, non-sexual, non-erotic relationship with another male adult. Once he achieves this, heterosexual feelings are expected to emerge over time and homosexual feelings are expected to fade.
As mentioned above, no peer-reviewed study has been published on reparative therapy. No longitudinal study has ever been conducted into its long-term effectiveness and hazards. However, many of the larger conservative Christian organizations, like Coral Ridge Ministries and Focus on the Family claim that this and other therapies have a high cure rate. Meanwhile many psychiatrists who do not support this therapy report anecdotal evidence of gays and lesbians who have become seriously depressed after the inevitable failure of their therapy; some have committed suicide.
Health insurance aspects of RT:
Since both APAs (American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association) have denounced RT as a useless and potentially dangerous treatment, one might wonder how therapists can file a claim with insurance companies for the therapy that they provide. According to ExGayWatch.com they often use # 302.9 "Sexual Disorder not otherwise specified" -- a diagnosis from DSM IV, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition One of the conditions listed under this diagnosis is "Persistent and marked distress about sexual orientation." Other therapists simply assign a generic diagnosis covering depression or anxiety. 4
Sponsored link:
Is a change in sexual orientation possible?
These conversion therapies are based on the belief that the "cause(s)" of homosexuality are found in the environment -- specifically from the parenting incompetence of the father while the boy is young. We have found six types of studies into the nature of homosexuality that appear to indicate that this is not true:
The first type appears to show that inadequate or non-existent fathering is not a factor in sexual orientation:
| Society itself is an excellent testing laboratory for many social
theories. There is a near consensus among mental health and human sexuality
professionals that the incidence of homosexual orientation is fairly constant
across societies and eras. However, if Ms. Moberly's theory on
incompetent fathering is correct, then one would expect to observe two
factors:
|
Many studies appear to indicate that sexual orientation (at least for males) is largely genetically determined. Some of these are:
| Pedigree studies of the sexual orientation of the ancestors of gay males indicates that homosexual orientation is largely genetically determined and is passed by the mother via one or more genes on a specific chromosome. |
| Studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and raised in isolation from each other also show that homosexual orientation is primarily genetically determined. |
| Studies of twins who are born into and raised in the same family support the data from the previous study. |
| Studies of fingertip ridges shows a difference between homosexual and heterosexual males. (Fingerprints are fully formed by the 17th week of pregnancy). |
| Studies of index and ring fingers show that homosexuals and heterosexuals generally differ in the ratio of the length of their fingers. The relative size of a person's fingers is also determined before birth. |
Acceptance of conversion therapies:
Within the mental health community there are two schools of thought about these therapies:
| Many hundreds of conservative Christian therapists and ministries promote
them
as effective and safe. These therapies mesh well with their fundamental religious beliefs:
| ||||||||||||||
| Almost all of the hundreds of thousands of remaining mental health
professionals feel that therapy is:
|
Safety of these therapies:
Within medicine, there are strong governmental controls that govern the introduction of new medications and treatment regimens. But mental and physical therapies are largely unregulated. Anybody can introduce and promote a new, totally unproven, form of experimental therapy. If it catches on, thousands of therapists may adopt the concept and start treating their patients. Over the last two decades we have seen treatments based on therapists' beliefs in: abuse of patients during former lifetimes, abuse during UFO visitations, facilitated communication for autistic children, indwelling demonic spirits, mind control within religious Cults, multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder, recovered memory therapy, ritual abuse in day care centers, Satanic ritual abuse, and therapeutic touch.
All of these treatment methods have a few points in common:
- None are currently accepted by most therapists.
- None were accepted by most therapists at any time in the past.
- All are, or have been, widespread forms of therapy by a minority of therapists and clergy.
- None have been meaningfully researched and shown to be helpful.
Most of these have been shown to be frauds; all might eventually prove to be ineffective. Many generate a trail of devastated lives; some have been shown to trigger deep depression and suicide.
According to Wikipedia:
"While no comprehensive study has been yet carried out into the long-term consequences of conversion therapies, the Schroeder and Shidlo study...found that the majority of respondents reported being left in a poor mental and emotional state after the therapy, and that rates of depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse and suicidal feelings were roughly doubled in those who underwent reparative therapy. Of particular concern was the lack of support given by reparative therapists and counselors to those who found their program to be contributing to psychological distress" 5
No consensus exists on the safety, effectiveness, and possible adverse consequences of conversion therapies at this time. We urge extreme caution.
Effectiveness of these therapies:
From our study of reparative therapy, we suspect that:
| Many bisexuals have been convinced, during therapy, to confine their relationships to the opposite gender. This is commonly referred to by therapists and Evangelical Christian ministries to gays and lesbians as "leaving the homosexual lifestyle," "changing their homosexuality," "becoming an ex-gay," "set free from the addiction of homosexuality and lesbianism," "seeking freedom from homosexuality," "called...to a new kind of life," "being a recovered gay," "redeem their lives from the pit," etc. Note that their sexual orientation is unchanged; they simply decided to behave differently -- to only become romantically involved with members of the opposite gender. | ||||
| Some homosexuals have been convinced during therapy to choose celibacy. Therapy promoters generally use the above terms to describe this group as well. Note that their sexual orientation is unchanged; they remain homosexual; they simply decided to not act on their sexual longings -- to not have a sexual partner, and to accept a life of loneliness. | ||||
| Some homosexuals have completed therapy in a temporary euphoria. They believe that they have changed their sexual orientation. Some are even able to engage in sexual intercourse with members of the opposite gender, by closing their eyes and fantasizing that they are actually making love to a person of the same sex. The belief that they are now heterosexual always, or almost always, fades with time. | ||||
| Some have entered therapy with great anticipation that they will be
able to change their sexual orientation. When it proves unsuccessful:
| ||||
| We have been able to find a few documented case of individuals with a homosexual orientation who report having changed to a heterosexual orientation. Almost all of the cases that we have located turned out to be false leads: the individual later admitted that he/she had not changed their orientation. Many have left the "ex-gay" movement to become an "ex-ex-gays." |
Unfortunately, these suspicions are based on inadequate evidence. Certainty awaits a meaningful, credible study by mental health professionals. Unfortunately, the studies that have been made to date are seriously flawed.
Related essays on this web site:
References:
- Elizabeth Moberly, "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic," (originally published in the early 1980's; reprinted 1997). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- Jeffry Ford, "What is Reparative Therapy?," at: http://jgford.homestead.com/Fordessay.html
- Mel White, Stranger at the Gate: To be Gay and Christian in America", Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, (1994) Read reviews or order this book.
- Joe Kort, "Insurances DO pay for Reparative Therapy!," ExGayWatch, 2005-JUL-09, at: http://www.exgaywatch.com/
- "Reparative therapy," Wikipedia, downloaded at 2006-JUN-04, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/
- We have never been able to track down Elizabeth R. Moberly's academic qualifications. Some refer to her as a "therapist" or "theologian," or "psychologist" or "self-proclaimed psychologist." Some say that she has no mental health qualifications at all. On the back cover of her main book "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic" where one would expect to see her academic background listed, she is merely described as "the originator of gender-affirmative therapy for homosexuals." They refer to her having traveled extensively giving seminars and appearing on television programs. See: http://www.amazon.com/ For information on her book, see: Amazon.com online book store
Copyright © 1996 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2007-DEC-23
Author: B.A. Robinson
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