Albert - The Little Boy Within; Tom - The Married Man; Father John - The Double Life; Charlie - The Search for the Masculine Self; Dan - The Angriest Man; Steve - The Seeker of Male Symbols; Edward - Agony of a Youth; Roger - "Do I Really Want to Be Here?"; Men Together - How Group Therapy Heals; How Reparative Therapy Works.
Is change possible? Pioneering therapist Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D. offers a fascinating exploration of his unique therapeutic approach to male homosexuality.. The reader is invited to observe Dr. Nicolosi in actual conversation and interaction with a representative array of clients covering a broad range of personalities, issues and situations--but all sharing in common an intense disaffection with their homosexual inclinations and interpersonal relations. Case Stories of Reparative TherapyTM offers an at times heartbreaking yet always uplifting survey of the intimate workings of the human psyche and a surprisingly revealing glimpse into the practice of a courageous, insightful and genuinely caring psychologist. Although Reparative TherapyTM has helped thousands of clients overcome their ambivalence, loneliness and despair through straightforward talk, firm guidance, and compassionate wisdom, he offers here an honest account of success and failure, progress and disappointment, determination and growth. No reader, male or female, gay or straight, can come away from these case stories without a deeper understanding of the homosexual condition, and an enhanced appreciation of those affected by it.
Originally published in 1993 as Healing Homosexuality, Case Stories of Reparative Therapy" introduces an assortment of Dr. Nicolosi's clients as they undertake the lifelong journey to realign their sexual and romantic desires with their true-gendered natures. These men, and hundreds like them, told the author, a distinguished clinical psychologist, "'I wasn't born this way. Gay is not who I am. I know, on some deep level, that something happened to me when I was growing up which derailed my heterosexual development." How do you help such men? As with psychotherapy for any unwanted condition, Reparative Therapy does not aim to "erase" a client's problems. Rather, it sets the motivated client on a pathway toward transforming his compelling, unwanted desires from foreground into background. He comes to understand the underlying motivations that drive him in this unwanted direction; he develops compassion for himself as a struggler; and he acquires tools to deal effectively with those attractions when they resurface, from time to time, during his lifetime. "Case Stories" shows how this transformation can come about through Reparative Therapy(TM), a carefully structured course of probing dialog and genuine conversation designed to assist the client in discovering the key moments and circumstances that derailed his early sexual development and to guide him on the way to a more serene engagement with life, love and sexuality.
In this groundbreaking book, Joseph Nicolosi uncovers the most significant factors that contribute to children's healthy sense of themselves as male or female.
The real story behind “ex-gay” ministries and reparative therapy! Nationally known activist Wayne Besen spent four years examining the phenomenon of “ex-gay” ministries and reparative therapies—interviewing leaders, attending conferences, and visiting ministries undercover as he accumulated hundreds of hours of research. The result is Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a groundbreaking exposé of the controversial movement that's revered by independent religious groups and reviled by gay and lesbian organizations. The book presents a historical perspective on the dispute, examining “ex-gay” groups such as Love In Action, Exodus International, Homosexuals Anonymous, and profiling a cast of characters that includes Pat Robertson, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, “ex-gay” poster boy John Paulk, National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality activist Richard Cohen, and psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer. An in-depth, well-researched, and historically significant account, Anything but Straight is full of startling facts and alarming surprises. The original content and novel material in the book includes: a first-ever comprehensive history of the “ex-gay” ministries and “reparative therapy” the inside story of the night the author photographed “ex-gay” poster boy John Paulk inside a gay bar the author's discovery that Anne Paulk lied about being a lesbian and has admitted to having a strong attraction to men BEFORE she became “ex-gay” previously undisclosed bizarre techniques used by the “ex-gay” ministries and “reparative therapists” the author's exclusive in-depth interviews with leading “ex-gay” leaders—they disclose their deepest secrets, hidden desires, and true motivations an extraordinary new study that shows that most “ex-gay” leaders have suffered from substance abuse or severe emotional problems—while many “ex-gay” leaders claim they were “unhappy being gay,” this report helps prove that their dissatisfactions came not from their homosexuality, but from poor life choices and irresponsible behavior new revelations that one of the nation's leading “reparative therapists” hailed from a secretive cult that was scandalized for practicing nude therapy From the author: Through my extensive experience, I have learned that the extraordinary claims made by the “ex-gay” groups are without merit and the efficacy of their programs is dubious at best and harmful at worst . . . One frequent question I get is, “Why can't gay activists simply leave 'ex-gay' groups alone and let them go about their business?” This is exactly what happened for nearly three decades while “ex-gay” groups labored in near anonymity. But all this recently changed when the “ex-gay” groups intricately aligned themselves with the anti-gay political agenda of the Religious Right. With “ex-gays” added to their arsenal, the Right could disingenuously claim to love gay people and offer them “hope for change,” while simultaneously fighting for punitive legislation. Their insidious message: Since gays and lesbians can change, there is no need for laws that protect them against arbitrary prejudice. Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth is an essential read for activists on both sides of the “ex-gay” fence, family members of gays and lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender church members, psychiatric and social science professionals, and anyone who has dealt with “coming out” issues. An appendix of resources and a helpful bibliography make it easy to find additional information on this fascinating topic.
Connor Major's summer break is turning into a nightmare. When he comes out to his religious zealot mother, she has him kidnapped and shipped off to a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.” Connor plans to escape, but first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are—and taking the place down.
Psychologist Joseph Nicolosi details the therapeutic techniques of reparative therapy. The book first describes the nature of the psychodynamics of same-sex attraction. The second part describes the various phases of treatment. The final part deals with walking clients through the process of grieving and the healing of their wounding.
In sharing his own story of being a committed believer who struggled with same sex attraction early in his life, author, husband, and father Alan Chambers will help you understand the issues from the inside. And as the former president of the largest ex-gay ministry, Alan knows all the arguments, the concerns, the scriptures, and the heartaches. My Exodus encourages us to look for and affirm the image of God in everyone. It’s a reminder that God is still at work and deeply loves his creation. And it’s a book for everyone who wants to be welcoming and loving to all people without compromising their faith or their biblical theology. Through personal and powerful stories and opening the scriptures, you will come to understand how to love all people and positively engage our culture in the red hot conversations and topics surrounding LGBT and the Church Ultimately, My Exodus equips us all to be better and do better in God-honoring ways. By embracing the idea of loving well because we want to and not because we have to, we will find hope for ourselves, for the Church, and for our world.
“I used to be a lesbian.” In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could? At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.
When Alex Cooper was fifteen years old, life was pretty ordinary in her sleepy suburban town and nice Mormon family. At church and at home, Alex was taught that God had a plan for everyone. But something was gnawing at her that made her feel different. These feelings exploded when she met Yvette, a girl who made Alex feel alive in a new way, and with whom Alex would quickly fall in love. Alex knew she was holding a secret that could shatter her family, her church community, and her life. Yet when this secret couldn’t be hidden any longer, she told her parents that she was gay, and the nightmare began. She was driven from her home in Southern California to Utah, where, against her will, her parents handed her over to fellow Mormons who promised to save Alex from her homosexuality. For eight harrowing months, Alex was held captive in an unlicensed “residential treatment program” modeled on the many “therapeutic” boot camps scattered across Utah. Alex was physically and verbally abused, and many days she was forced to stand facing a wall wearing a heavy backpack full of rocks. Her captors used faith to punish and terrorize her. With the help of a dedicated legal team in Salt Lake City, Alex eventually escaped and made legal history in Utah by winning the right to live under the law’s protection as an openly gay teenager. Alex is not alone; the headlines continue to splash stories about gay conversion therapy and rehabilitation centers that promise to “save” teenagers from their sexuality. Saving Alex is a courageous memoir that tells Alex’s story in the hopes that it will bring awareness and justice to this important issue. A bold, inspiring story of one girl’s fight for freedom, acceptance, and truth.