Psychologists Repudiate "ex-gay" therapies

[tehillah05]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090805/ap_on_re_us/us_psychologists_gays

Another brick in the wall :)

[BruceChris]

ENJOY!

http://search.yahoo.com/search?webSrchInput=Psychologists+repudiate+ex-gay&searchbutton=WEB+SEARCH&ei=UTF-8&fr=ush-mailc&p=Psychologists+repudiate+ex-gay

EDIT: There were 34,000 entries on the above search site this morning, and now there are over 53,000. It's AMAZING what something hitting the news will do to a search engine.

Tehillah, That's a LOTTA bricks!

Bruce Chris

[tehillah05]

I know there's millions of psychologists that repudiate it but I believe this is the first time the APA has taken an actual vote about the effects - or lack thereof - of so called "reparitave therapy." I like the balance of the findings and study in that secular therapists must realize that some people will choose their faith over the sexuality no matter what because unfortunately that's how they were brought up and they cannot get past it; I also like that it told religious based therapists to understand that sexuality is biological not theological and therefore has nothing to do with lack of faith or "sin."

I wish I could show my mother this but alas......she's not even close to be open and receptive to anything except hearing me say "ok God 'fixed' me" which will never pass from my lips because I've finally realized there's NOTHING wrong w/ me! :D

[BruceChris]

Tehillah05:

For the first few weeks of life, we all have the same body, which looks female, but is largely ungendered. There is growing evidence that our anatomy, our gender identity, and our sexual orientation are established at about this time, through 3 separate hormonal processes. These processes are not even directly affected by whether we have XX, or XY, or XXY, or XXXY sex chromosomes, or occasionally something else entirely.

As I see it, we are waiting for a medical Galileo, to come along and give accurate evidence of this. Unfortunately, serious religionists have rarely had any use for the findings of science, if this does not suit their convenience.

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[Rick336]

Unfortunately, serious religionists have rarely had any use for the findings of science, if this did not suit their convenience.



If only they could hear it straight from a donkey's mouth.


Rick

[tehillah05]

Rick: Perhaps hearing it from a donkey's mouth would change some minds/hearts. Or, as is more than likely the case, they'll say that a talking donkey is now a trick of the devil and therefore cannot be trusted because "God doesn't move that way anymore." :eek:

BruceChris: I am not disputing that sexuality is biological...I totally believe that. I have a good friend that did his undergrad in psychology and when I came out to him he said he'd seen the studies and the brain scans of straight vs gay people and he said that there were fundamental biological differences even on the brain level. My brain was different than his not only because I was female but because I'm gay. There are some Christians out there that believe that sexuality is one of life's little mysteries and that God shouldn't be put in a box, so to speak, just because it doesn't mesh with the way "they" think it should be done.

Remember, when Galileo discovered that the earth was NOT the center of the universe he was called a heretic and banned from the church.....;)

[Daniel]

From the donkey's mouth?

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Here's the article I ran across at the NYTimes.


Psychologists Reject Gay ‘Therapy’

Article Tools Sponsored By
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 5, 2009

The American Psychological Association declared Wednesday that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments.

In a resolution adopted by the association’s governing council, and in an accompanying report, the association issued its most comprehensive repudiation of so-called reparative therapy, a concept espoused by a small but persistent group of therapists, often allied with religious conservatives, who maintain that gay men and lesbians can change.

No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the resolution, adopted by a 125-to-4 vote. The association said some research suggested that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies.

Instead of seeking such change, the association urged therapists to consider multiple options, which could include celibacy and switching churches, for helping clients live spiritually rewarding lives in instances where their sexual orientation and religious faith conflict.

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

The report breaks 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 psychologist in Highland Park, N.J., who led the panel, 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," Ms. Glassgold said. “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.”

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.”

Its president, Alan Chambers, describes himself as someone who “overcame unwanted same-sex attraction.” Mr. Chambers and other evangelicals met with association representatives after the panel was formed in 2007, and he expressed satisfaction with parts of the report that emerged.

[tehillah05]

That's the article.......now who's the donkey? hee hee:D

[BruceChris]

Remember, when Galileo discovered that the earth was NOT the center of the universe he was called a heretic and banned from the church.....

And placed under house arrest for the rest of his life.

And oh, yeah, see my earlier posting.

Namaste, Bruce Chris

And I now have a much better understanding of your scientific knowledge

[Gennee]

I've read a little of the article. After I read the whole story I will comment about it. I am considering commenting to some of the people who resent us and desire our demise. I'm going to talk with some friends about it to see what we can do collectively. Think the time has come to fight bak and speak out.


Gennee

[tehillah05]

BruceChris: Hey buddy! In my defense of my lack of scientific knowledge I was a history/social studies major in college. :) I know what I know based on primarily historical view. Science never came easy for me. I believe sexuality is biological. The how and why of the chemistry involved w/ the chromosomes and DNA and all that...yeah...that's where it gets very sticky in my brain b/c my brain has never processed that end of science very well. I hope you weren't offended by anything I've said.......