Group therapy

I don’t even know where to begin with this other than I wonder if he also has a technique for people who want to ‘become gay.’ [For those unaccustomed to recognizing sarcasm, you have just experienced it.]

Experts Split Over ‘Bizarre’ Sexual Orientation Therapy Techniques

Christian psychotherapist Richard Cohen, board president of the ex-homosexual education and outreach organization known as Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), is addressing criticism leveled against certain therapy techniques he uses on clients with homosexual desires.

Cohen, a former homosexual and the author of the book Coming Out Straight (Oakhill Press, 2005), insists that no one is born with homosexual desires. He claims his reparative therapy group, the International Healing Foundation (IHF), has helped many men and women with unwanted homosexual desires achieve their goal of changing their sexual orientation and becoming heterosexual.

It is not a choice to have homosexual desires, the IHF director contends, but it is a choice to act upon those desires. He says those unwanted homosexual feelings are the result of temperament, familial influence, and environmental or social conditioning, all of which can be addressed through specific therapeutic principles and practices.

Cohen’s methods have raised some questions, however; and he has lately taken sharp criticism over a May 23 appearance on Cable News Network (CNN), in which he demonstrated a technique that involves cuddling a male client in his lap. Another of the unusual therapy techniques depicted involved a client hitting a pillow with a tennis racket while shouting the name of a parent or other individual who elicits painful childhood memories.

“no one is born with homosexual desires” is probably right. Being a non-expert in either gay or doctoral things, I’m going to take a wild guess and say they come about most likely at puberty when sexual desire of any kind develops.



  1. Mike says:

    John, I have many gay friends, and I have asked them about when they think they got their “orientation”. Without exception, they have said that they knew they were “different” as far back as they could remember. It was only when they learned about what sex was (around puberty or maybe a little earlier) that they could understand that they were attracted to the same sex instead of the opposite sex.

    Of course, if that’s true, it completely takes the wind out of the sails of the anti-homosexual brigades, who rant about it being a “choice”. As if someone would *voluntarily* choose to become a member of a despised minority, shut out of many of the meaningful rituals (marriage, kids, acceptance of significant other) that heterosexuals take for granted!

    I personally think homosexuality is more like a birth defect — a bit gets flipped the wrong way during development in the womb and the person’s sexuality gets confused. And it apparently happens a lot in the animal kingdom — check out the book “Biological Exuberance” at Amazon.

  2. moss says:

    I wouldn’t even include a value judgement like “defect”. It’s just a switch affecting a variable. As opposed to genetic switches left over from the Stone Age portion of our evolution — like religion.

    (chuckle — couldn’t resist it)

  3. Harry says:

    In my opinion homosexuality is a choice. It’s just like someone that is addicted to porn, they feel that they need (I stress NEED) to see/watch it. What ever the reason may be its usually sociological. Back to the article, I definitely disagree with the doctors techniques. It sounds like the Michael Jackson case, but just with grown homosexual adults.

  4. Mike says:

    Moss, I don’t mean for the word “defect” to be a value judgement, just an indication that something didn’t develop as it normally does.

    I’ve read about some of those “formerly gay” people who end up being found going to gay bars on the sly… it’s sad that these people’s religious values stop them from accepting themselves as they are. It’s sad.

  5. Mike says:

    Harry, have you ever actually talked to a homosexual person and asked them what THEY thought of how they became homosexual?

  6. hamgrl says:

    Hey….whatever happened about that sheep experiment??

  7. Gary Marks says:

    Cuddling a patient on the doctor’s lap sounds like more of a pre-cure, “getting to know you” exercise. The other night, Stephen Colbert had an interesting take on these “cures” as actually being counterproductive to their cause. If we believe these urges can be quickly reversed, why not take a quick dip in the gay end of the pool for curiosity sake? Then just read Leviticus in the Bible and boom — you’re hetero again!

  8. “unwanted homosexual feelings are the result of temperament, familial influence, and environmental or social conditioning”

    We had a gay bird once (or a least we assume he was, kept trying to mate with another male), how does he explain that?

  9. GregAllen says:

    I know I am way out of the mainstream on this issue but I think some homosexuals can change. Some might be better off going straight.

    It was actually a lesbian who convinced me of this!

    One of my best friends in college was a lesbian and she bascially broke down her community between lesbians who were genetically pre-disposed and lesbians who were that way for some situational reason (often a horrible dad). Basically it was a “nature vs nurture” distinction.

    Anyway, she believed the “nurture gays” were much more likely to switch back to heterosxuality at some point. Nurture gays, were also much more likely to be unhappy about their sexuality.

    Since then, I have considered her theories as I have met many gay people and I think she’s right.

    Gay people with a strong genetic perdispostion tend to be happier and more likly to stick with that idenity. However, “nurture gays” are more likely to be unhappy and may want to switch back to heterosexuality at some point.

    For some reason, lots of self-loathing gay gay-bashers seem to hang out in chat rooms! Those guys seriously need to sort their sexuality out.

    But don’t get me wrong… I think this should be done with careful professional pyschological guidance… not one of these church groups.

  10. Max Bell says:

    It is not a choice to have homosexual desires, the IHF director contends, but it is a choice to act upon those desires.

    Certainly, this is not as liberal as some efforts of this kind, but its interesting to me whenever a church or related group takes this kind of stance.

    While this probably isn’t the best example of adaptation and decentralization, it at least indicates that these are possible and part of the development of some Christians. No doubt the more fundamentalist types will scream bloody blue murder about it, but they’re also having the hardest time adapting to the world as it is.

    Regardless, I think this sort of thing is more necessary to preventing Christianity from becomming just another social organization like the Elks or Rotary — not bogus fag cures, I mean breaking with fundy talking points like “homosexuality is a choice” or “hate the sin, love the sinner”.

  11. Sounds The Alarm says:

    #10.

    I would simply counter that they then were not homosexual by definition.

  12. Mr. H. Fusion says:

    In my opinion homosexuality is a choice. It’s just like someone that is addicted to porn, …

    Homosexuality is a trait. Addiction is an illness.

    Physical touching is forbidden in almost all counseling. If the “psychotherapist ” uses such a technique, surely he is unlicensed and not a member of any recognized medical, social or mental health association. In fact, reading the article, no one from a respected association was asked for an opinion. Using Bible passages to cure a mental illness is also probably not found in any reputable literature.

  13. Mark says:

    As a gay man I have a couple of questions for your consideration. Why would I choose to be reviled if I could choose not to be? If being gay is a choice why don’t you choose to be gay for a day? Do you really think you chould choose to be attracted to men?

  14. Gary Marks says:

    #14 Mark, once people admit that homosexual attraction is not a choice, then discrimination becomes more obviously wrong. If African-American people chose their ethnicity, much of society would still feel fully justified in discriminating against them as well (not that they don’t even now). Once the notion of choice finally falls into disrepute, so will much of the malice.

  15. Danijel says:

    Mark, I understand that you and your firends may have a certain opinion about the subject, but can you say for certain that the origin of the problem is before birth? I would really like to know, but doesn’t anyone have some real scientific references about this subject?

  16. Maria says:

    “something didn’t develop as it normally does”

    Normality is a social construct, which means that society defines something as normal based on the currently dominant belief system in place around that particular issue… thus, heterosexuality is “normal” when the majority of society embraces it as normal… which results in everyone thinking that anything or anyone that does not fall into that “normal” category is “abnormal” when they actually are not, they are just not the same as the “normal” category.

    The way social construction works, people end up believing that the socially constructed norms that rule social behavior are “real” when they are really just “imagined” by the majority culture.

    Wouldn’t it be great if we all came to the realization that “normalcy” was the illusion that it actually is?

    Life would be easier for everyone. The “deviants” or “defectives” could finally just live their lives in freedom, and the “normals” could focus their energy on living their own lives, rather than on maintaining their misunderstandings about the “deviants” and “defectives”.

    It takes a lot of psychic energy on both sides to maintain all this conflict around sexuality; the world would be better off if we focused all that psychic energy, not to mention money spent on “therapies” and campaigns, on issues like child abuse, world hunger, violence, etc.

  17. OldDug says:

    Give me a break with this overthinking everything about everybody. A person is what they are and that’s all there is to it. Maybe some are born and some are made, but we are all what we are in the sexual orientation area. Live with who you are and what you do, find out for yourself what’s right and wrong.
    I have studied the Bible for decades and have a deep faith in God. It is not wrong nor sinful to be gay anymore than it is to be straight (which I am), it’s just who you are. Let people be themselves and judge them by the results of what they do, not the most personal and private parts of thier lives.
    ..and man is that a disturbing photo! What is that, some kind of circle hump?

  18. ECA says:

    Anita bryant here we go again..

  19. Max Bell says:

    OldDug:

    I salute you, then, sir. That is simply the way to be, no matter how you describe your creed or who you attribute it to.

  20. Johnny-Cakes says:

    You know, I think we’re past the whole homosexual thing. It’s done…stick a fork in it. Let’s move on to the next big thing to incense the entire country to hate.

    I mean, hating homosexuals is so 1980’s….get with the times people.

    Oh, and OldDug…the Bible does say all kinds of things about “a man sleeping with another man” being an abomination and other types of things. Of course, it says nothing about women sleeping with other women. And the Bible was pretty specific…it was talking about Men…not mankind. So I guess it’s ok to be a lesbian but not a gay guy? But then again, when the bible was being written and edited, women were more like cattle than actual humans.

    Or better yet, you could just throw away the Bible as outdated myth that has not one iota on today’s world at all.

  21. It sounds like this doctor uses his “techniques” to satisfy his own sexual desire that he claims to have represses. Most persons who are gay that I have dealt with, and that is the main thrust of my ministry to affirm that God loves all of His children and wants them to be active in the faith community, knew from as early as four that they were actracted to the same sex even though they did not know what sex was all about.
    This supposed cure is a farce and many of those that claim they have been cured are trolling the internet, rest areas, gay bars and other places in the hopes that they will not be found out.
    It is much healthier for a person to accept how God created them and to then use that gift of sexuality in a healthy committed relationship.

  22. John Wofford says:

    The photo: Disturbing. A demented, way too close conga line.

  23. Angel H. Wong says:

    As far as I can remember I liked bears, those balding, paunchy, hairy men.

    Plus, homosexuality is present in nature, so it’s a natural thing.

    Those who claim that some homos/lesbians can be cured are wrong, that just means that those persons are bisexual.

    The problem radicates in that both str8t and gay folk shun bisexuals; the both saying that Bisexuals are just closeted homos/lesbos.

    Human sexuality is way more complex than just sticking object A into orifice B.

  24. McAfee says:

    We say “cure” as if being homosexual is some sort of disease. No one can help who they are attracted to nor can we simply change how someone feels.

    Doesn’t gay rights seem familiar….Civil rights anyone? We should stop those that use a book writen hundreds of years ago to establish laws which oppress people who have done nothing wrong, or we will be no better than those who allowed racist whites to establish the Jim Crow Laws.

  25. Mr. H. Fusion says:

    #22, Rev. Robert. You raise some good points and I suspect you and your church welcomes gays as equals. Unfortunately too many in the “faith community” don’t hold the same beliefs and instead rail against them as an abomination. Recently the Anglican Church was almost split because of the “Gay Ministers” questions. It is almost like they and their donations are welcome but please sit at the back of the church.

  26. Frank IBC says:

    #4 Harry –

    How does one “choose” to have an erection for one sex as opposed to the other?

  27. Mike says:

    Regarding that picture — I’ve seen that exercise before, it’s nothing perverted. It’s a “group sit”. People stand in a circle all facing the same way, then all sit down on each others’ laps simultaneously. It can be done if everyone does it at once. I think the lesson is about interdependence, etc.

  28. Mark says:

    So you think it’s a choice to be gay? So a straight man can wake up and decide he is now going to like dick? LOL Oh yeah, being gay is great. Why would anybody WANT to be gay? I get to deal with the bigotry, hatred, intolerance and ignorance of so many people. Religion is completely evil. It preaches hate… don’t be such a sheep and live your life by some fictional, man-made dogma that serves only to control you.


0

Bad Behavior has blocked 9456 access attempts in the last 7 days.