Reparative therapy: changing one's sexual orientation

Ted Haggard's problems reignite debate
on reparative therapy in 2006-November

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Ted Haggard's downfall:

"I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver. I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife. I don't know if this is election year politics or if this has to do with the marriage amendment or what it is, but I'm not even the guy who will investigate it or question it. I don't know what the dynamics are, but this independent group will come in and do that." _1,2

"Jones said he has voice mail messages from Haggard, as well as an envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash, though he declined to make any of it available to the AP. 'There's some stuff on there (the voice mails) that's pretty damning,' he said." ₃

"After Pastor Ted Haggard went public Wednesday night denying allegations of a homosexual affair, senior church officials told KKTV 11 News Thursday evening, Pastor Ted Haggard has admitted to some of the claims made by a former male escort. The church's Acting Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, tells KKTV 11 News that Pastor Haggard has admitted to some of the indiscretions claimed by Mike Jones, but not all of them. Thursday morning, Jones went on a Denver radio talk show and said Pastor Haggard paid him for sex over the past 3 years. Jones also claims Haggard used drugs with him. ₄

"I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach."

"Through the years, I've sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. ..."

"The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry. Our church's overseers have required me to submit to the oversight of Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Hayford, and Pastor Tommy Barnett. Those men will perform a thorough analysis of my mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical life. They will guide me through a program with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage, and my family." ₅

James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family, later withdrew his offer to help, citing excessive workload.

Review of reparative therapy:

The field of sexual orientation is occupied by two solitudes who very rarely attempt meaningful dialogue:

Reparative therapy is typically a lengthy process. It takes on the order of 3 years and costs in excess of $10,000. During therapy, the client attempts to form a close, intimate but non-sexual relationship with a member of the same sex. This overcomes the client's alleged lack of bonding with the same-sex parent during childhood. Reparative therapists believe that sexual feelings towards members of the opposite sex will naturally emerge during this treatment.

There is little data available on the efficacy and safety of reparative therapy. But what little information that is available seems to show that this therapy has a failure rate in excess of 99.5%. Anecdotal data indicates that a large percentage of extremely depressed and suicidal clients emerge from conversion therapy. On the other hand, there are also clients who have tried to change their sexual orientation via reparative therapy as a last resort, have been unsuccessful, have realized that their sexual orientation is unchangeable, have fully accepted themselves as homosexuals or bisexuals, and have finally found peace. It would appear that this form of therapy potentially dangerous. It my well result in the death by suicide of more gays and lesbians than it "converts" to a heterosexual orientation.  Unfortunately, we cannot be certain of this. The quality of the studies is extremely poor.

Controversy over reparative therapy triggered by Haggard's problems:

As of mid-November, 2006, Haggard's statements about his activities with Jones remain lacking in specificity . However, the media, homosexual advocates, religious commentators, etc. appear to believe that Haggard had repeatedly engaged in same-sex sexual activity with the gay escort over a period of a few years. He did state in a letter written to his parishioners:

"There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life. Through the years, I've sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me."

David Crary of the Associated Press wrote:

"Even as he pledges to undergo further counseling, Haggard's comments have rekindled debate over the premise that people can overcome same-sex attractions through 'reparative therapy.' It's a concept espoused by many religious conservatives, and disputed by many mental health practitioners.

Reparative Therapy remains a topic to be debated by both sides who seem incapable of true dialogue on the issue.

Wayne Besen, a gay-rights activist and author, referring to Haggard's repeated and unsuccessful attempts to change through therapy, said:

"Haggard is Exhibit A of how people can't change their sexual orientation. With all that he had to lose -- a wife, children, a huge church -- he had to be who he was in the end. He couldn't pray away the gay."

Clinton Anderson, director of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Concerns Office of the American Psychological Association (APA) said:

"There's a profound sadness that someone should be saddled culturally with such a negative attitude toward a part of themselves. From our vantage point as psychologists, his self-repulsion is not necessary, it's not justified."

Joseph Nicolosi, founder and president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is the main U.S. expert promoting the validity, effectiveness, and safety of reparative therapy. He suggested:

"If this man is saying, 'This is a part of me that I abhor,' why can't we respect that? Why do we have to attribute that to something external and take away the dignity of the individual to express how he feels?"

Doug Haldeman, a psychologist from Seattle, WA, who specializes in gay-related matters said:

"There's nothing good that can come from conversion therapy. The wreckage left behind, for some who go through it, is frightening -- they're depressed, suicidal."

Dr. Jack Drescher, a psychiatrist from New York, NY and author of "Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man," ₉ said that promoters of reparative therapy's ignore the harm that it can do. He said:

"They're selling you something without any warning of what might go wrong." ₆

Although various forms of therapy from aversion therapy to reparative therapy, from castration to breast amputation, appear to have been a complete -- or at least nearly complete -- failure at changing individuals' sexual orientation, two therapies have achieved some success in changing people's sexual behavior:

The Fundamentalist Christian group, Focus on the Family, regularly conducts Love Won Out conferences which teach the attendees that homosexuality is chosen and changeable. One regular speaker is Joseph Nicolosi. Another is Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International. This is a network of conservative Protestant ministries promoting "freedom from homosexuality" through counseling and prayer. He claims that he successfully changed his personal sexual orientation through religious counseling. He expressed empathy towards Haggard, saying, "We're all susceptible to temptation." ₆

What is in Ted Haggard's future:

Nicolosi said that Haggard could be helped if he was prepared to do:

"... deep, emotional work. ... We're talking about looking at your life squarely in the eye -- facing the realities that you did not get certain central affirmations from your mother or your father." ₆

It is not clear what Haggard's sexual orientation is. Religious conservatives and the media often assume that anyone who is sexually involved with a member of the same sex is a homosexual. The possibility of them being a bisexual is often ignored.

Michael Brewer, public policy director for the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Colorado appears to be concerned that the "restoration process" underway for Haggard may be used against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the future. If Haggard is a homosexual and decides on a life of celibacy or is a bisexual and decides to abandon sexual activities with men, religious conservatives may claim that he has now been converted to a heterosexual orientation.

Brewer said:

"I am concerned he will go through this restoration process and come out the other end a confirmed heterosexual and become a poster child for the illegitimate process of reparative therapy." ₈

On the other hand, Haggard's previous attempts at therapy have all failed; the current process might also be unsuccessful.

The actual outcome:

After three weeks of intensive counseling, Haggard left the treatment center. Rev. Tim Ralph, one of his team of overseers said: "He is completely heterosexual. That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing." Haggard said that he and his wife Gayle are considering moving to Missouri or Iowa, and plan to pursue master's degrees in psychology. _10,11

It is not difficult for a person to make the transition away from homosexuality to become "completely heterosexual" as long as one uses the definitions that are commonly employed by religious and social conservatives. However, it appears to be essentially impossible to make such a transition if one uses the definitions employed by everyone else.

During his counseling he appears to have simply decided to stay away from same-sex sexual encounters and remain with his wife in a monogamous relationship. This is interpreted in one of two ways, depending upon how the term "homosexuality" is defined.

During the next few months, Haggard will probably be used by gays, lesbians, religious liberals, etc. as a "poster boy" who demonstrates the fixed nature of one's sexual orientation. He will probably be used simultaneously by religious conservatives as a "poster boy" who demonstrates the ease with which homosexuals can become heterosexual.

References used:

1. "BREAKING ALLEGATIONS: Head of National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard, Is Gay!," Evangelical Right, 2006-NOV-02, at: http://www.evangelicalright.com/
2. Wolf Blitzer, Situation Room program, CNN, 2006-NOV-02.
3. Catherine Tsai, "Key Evangelical quits amid gay sex claim," Associated Press, 2006-NOV-02, at: http://abcnews.go.com/
4. "Church leader says Haggard admits to some indiscretions," KKTV, 2006-NOV-03, at: http://www.kktv.com/
5. "Ted Haggard's lettter to New Life Church," The Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO, 2006-NOV-05, at: http://www.gazette.com/
6. David Crary, "Haggard scandal renews sex therapy debate. Some specialists say orientation can't be changed," Boston Globe, 2006-NOV-16, at: http://www.boston.com/
7. Mark Spense, "The real problem with ex-pastor Ted Haggard," Tampa Pirate, at: http://tampapirate.com
8. Kevin Simpson and Eric Gorski, "Pastor's case stirs debate," Denver Post, 2006-NOV-12, at: http://www.denverpost.com/
9. Jack Drescher, "Psychoanalytic Therapy and the Gay Man," Analytic Press, (1988). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store One gay reader reviewed the book for Amazon.com and commented: "... during the period I was reading it, I felt so many times identified with the text, so close to many of the patients, so happy to realize I am not alone. I wanted to thank the author for his book." Another reviewer, a therapist, said: "The writing is so accessible I think gay patients will find it invaluable as well."
10. "Minister called 'completely heterosexual.' Peer group recommends Ted Haggard move out of town," Associated Press, 2007-FEB-06, at: http://news.aol.com/
11. Chris Ortiz, "Give me a break!," Chalcedon Blog, 2007-FEB-14, at: http://www.chalcedon.edu/