You failed. You failed as a human being. You are doomed to rot in hell, for all eternity. This is how you are “motivated” to change your sexual orientation if you are homosexual (Sanchez 5). You are told you have failed your friends, family, lovers, “God”. Unless... Unless you can change. Conversion therapy is a highly debated topic that is still a battleground today, and a rising one at that. There is a deep history to consider about conversion therapy, and there are, of course, supporters, and critics.
Conversion therapy, or CT, is a program that is designed to change a person's sexual orientation to heterosexual (Haldeman 1). Conversion therapy was started when homosexuality was classified as a psychological disorder. Like any illness, a
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They aren’t deranged or detrimental to society. The arguments supporters give for conversion therapy is that it offers a choice, that homosexuality is a psychological disorder, and that it goes against Christianity. One of the counterclaims CT therapists and supporters give is that it “gives a choice” (Sanchez 6). The problem with this, though, is the continued belief that homosexuality is a choice. Homosexuality has continually been disproven of being a matter of choice (Markowitz 3). The only thing “changeable” about sexual orientation is one’s feelings about theirs or others. Feelings about something and the actual thing are two different things altogether (Haldeman 6). Furthermore, supporters believe homosexuality is a psychological disorder (Sanchez 2). This, however, has blatantly been proved false. Major mental health associations have reaffirmed that homosexuality is in fact not a mental illness (Markowitz 2). Conclusively, the last argument supporters have is that homosexuality goes against Christianity. Religion, especially Christianity, is a large component of the western civilization. In this religion, it is stated that homosexuality is “sin”. Because of this, many religious groups have taken part in the support of conversion therapy (Haldeman 3). However, this does not warrant the destruction of individuals based on something that doesn’t even
This paper will be reviewing the book “Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations and models of integration, by David N. Entwistle. As the title states, this book discusses how to integrate psychology and theology. It also dives into to why it is so important to be able to integrate the two. Entwistle explains that just because the two are different does not mean they should be separated and that we have to use both our worldviews. “Weaving together perspectives from psychology and Christian theology can help us understand and appreciate humanity more fully than we could either perspective alone.” (p.3)
God and that God is the only on who has the right to take life. In the
Those who advocate euthanasia have capitalized on people's confusion, ambivalence, and even fear about the use of modern life-prolonging technologies. Further, borrowing language from the abortion debate, they insist that the "right to choose" must prevail over all other considerations. Being able to choose the time and manner of one's death, without regard to what is chosen, is presented as the ultimate freedom. A decision to take one's life or to allow a physician to kill a suffering patient, however, is very different from a decision to refuse extraordinary or disproportionately burdensome treatment.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy provides a collaborative relationship between the client and the therapist with the ultimate goal of identifying irrational beliefs and disputing those beliefs in an effort to change or adapt behavior (Corey, 2013). The developers of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy saw humans as capable of both rational and irrational thoughts and able to change the processes that contribute to irrational thinking (Corey, 2013). CBT is a more direct approach than some other therapy theories practiced today in that it challenges the client to identify aspects about their self through cognitions. This therapy, as discussed in Corey (2013) also provides an educational component such that therapist teach clients tools to effectively change the way they think to a healthier way. There are a multitude of techniques associated with CBT such as shame attacking exercises, changing ones language...
Reparative therapies, also known as conversion therapies, are a group of interventions whose aim is to alter one's sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. Any attempts to reform or 'cure' one’s sexual orientation using these 'therapies' are likely to fail and to cause harm such as depression, anxiety, suicidality, and, in some cases, a loss of sexual feeling altogether. In cases where patients themselves expressed the desire to change their sexual orientation, the most effective and appropriate therapeutic responses that resulted in maximum mental health benefit have been provider-initiated support, acceptance, and validation of same-sex sexual orientation. These desires to change are the result of internalized social stigma, discrimination, external pressure.
...were mentally ill or psychotic. Frank Kameny, a leader of the gay rights movement, perpetuated the idea that “Homosexuality is not a sickness…but is merely a preference, an orientation, or propensity, on par with, and not different in kind from, heterosexuality.” (Sherry Wolf, Sexuality and Socialism) Some schools even went as far as to create public safe spaces for gay students such as Columbia University’s Student Homophile League. Now, people are well aware of the presence of the LGBTQ community, and members are even trying to educate people who seem ignorant or bigoted. Many people currently dedicate a good portion of their lives to learning and teaching people about the gay rights movement and how it functions today. The community has evolved to include transgender, asexual, pansexual, and non binary people as well as a multitude of other labels and identities.
I grew up in a church much like most children in Louisiana. As I became older I began to worry. The church taught that homosexuality is an abomination, and that I would burn in hell forever. Well, I panicked, such as any child who questions their sexuality would. Being the
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a hands-on form of psychotherapy that is empirically based, which focuses on the interrelationship between emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. Through CBT, patients are able to identify their distorted thinking and modify their beliefs in order to change their behaviors. Once a patient changes their distorted thinking, they are able to think in a more positive and realistic manner. Overall, CBT focuses on consistent problem solving strategies and changing negative thought distortions and negative behavior. There are different types of CBT, which share common elements. Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a kind of CBT, which falls under the umbrella of CBT.
Canada: Henry Holt and Company, 2000. Print. The. Friedman, Michael. A. A. "Gay Conversion Therapy: A Dark Chapter in Mental Health Care." Psychology Today.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a counselling model based greatly on talking therapy. It focuses on peoples underlying thoughts and past experiences, and how they influence current habits and behaviours. CBT tries to correct these and learn alternative ways of processing information to alter the undesired behaviour and/or habits. This is done through a combination of cognitive therapy (looking at the ways and things you think) and behavioural therapy (looking at the things you do).
At one point homosexuality was considered to be a psychological disorder. Although the American Psychological Association states, “When researchers examined data about these people who were not in therapy, the idea that homosexuality was a mental illness was quickly found to be untrue.” According to Rita Mae Brown, speech, 28 August 1982, “No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody (Quotes on Homosexuality).” Kathleen Melonakos, founder of Delaware Family Foundation, wants to know how it’s not considered a mental disorder. Considering that homosexuality involves a life threatening behavior with an addictive component which has serious health implications. “That word "lesbian" sounds like a disease. And straight men know because they're sure that they're the cure,” Denise McCanles (Quotes on Homosexuality).
When I first seek out for therapy, it was interesting and scary. I made my first appointment and I was anxious and upset during my visit. I did a 20 minutes interview over the phone before my first initial office visit. My intake worker that assess my caseload allowed me to know her briefly, and let me know she would not be my therapist, but allowed me to accept the rules, polices, and therapist assigned to me. As the article stated, “explain what therapy is, how it works, and answer questions about what the client can expect from therapy in general and from therapy with you.”
However, CT recognizes that a person 's perception is influenced by past experiences, emotions linked to certain areas of those experiences, and core beliefs. The experiences people gain throughout their lives are processed and understood with meaning specific to their lives. This processing of and finding meaning in personal experience is essential to our existence as people. Although CT does focus on the present, the therapist must try to understand how the person sees the world and thinks. This means trying to understand the meaning they have individually assigned to their experiences and how those experiences influence their cognitive processing. That allows the therapist to teach the client tools to reframe his or her dysfunctional thoughts like catastrophizing, magnification or minimization, mindreading, overgeneralizing, and black-white
There are multiple reasons as of why they do so. For example, failure in multiple heterosexual relationships that led to change in sexual orientation. This is something that happens to all of us; we try something, we don’t like it and we stay away from it or look for an alternative. After going through so many tough relationships, they decide to look for their luck with another gender. It is often reported by women that men aren’t treating them right, but other women do because they have very similar emotions. Another reason could be the desire for more attention. Some people need excessive attention and get it by behaving inappropriately or differently from everybody else. Homosexuals do receive a great deal of attention from social media, televisions, and surrounding individuals. It’s really hard to miss out on an opportunity for so much attention even if it means changing your whole life style. Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D describes this by saying “Although dispassionate scientific research on whether homosexuality should be viewed as an illness was largely absent from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and medicine during the first half of the twentieth century, some researchers remained unconvinced that all homosexual individuals were mentally ill or socially misfit. Berube (1990) reported the results of previously unpublished studies conducted by military physicians and researchers
This can lead to conversion therapy, which is supposed to normalize someone that is believed to have the wrong sexual orientation or gender identity. Conversion therapy tactics use to include castration and shock therapy. Even though these tactics have died down, physical methods are still used. (nclrights cite) Convention therapy feed the idea that non-conformity to your gender is not a normal trait and that it should be a condition or disorder, which it was. The American Psychiatric Association (APA), previously defined not conforming to your gender as gender identity disorder. Only 15 years after opposed harsh therapy, APA changed the condition of gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria. (Obama cite) This change in perspective helps transgender people receive treatment to ease their anxiety, whether then causing it as conversion therapy