Michelle Cretella, M.D. and David C. Pruden, M.S.

The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is a professional, scientific organization that offers therapeutic assistance to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality. As an organization, NARTH disseminates educational information, conducts and collects scientific research, promotes effective therapeutic treatment, and provides referrals to those who seek our assistance.

In keeping with NARTH’s commitment to science and education, NARTH offers the following synopsis of scientific research on homosexuality that may be helpful to the national council of the Boy Scouts of America as it deliberates a change in policy that would allow homosexually-identified youth as members.[1]

The development of homosexuality is influenced by environment.

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Homosexuality is not an unchangeable biologically determined trait like race.  The American Psychological Association reports, “There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles…”[2]

The environment, including family dynamics, peer interactions and other social factors, can contribute significantly to the formation of one’s sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is not fixed at birth but rather is environmentally influenced and unfolds slowly across childhood, adolescence and even into adulthood for some individuals.[3]

Premature sexual identity labeling comes with associated risks for youth.

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Many teens experience a period of sexual identity ambiguity as a normal stage of adolescent development. The University of Minnesota Hospital & Clinics studied 35,000 students in Minnesota secondary schools. Among the more significant information provided by the survey was the following: At age twelve, 25.9% of the children were “unsure” of their sexual orientation. This figure declined to 5% by age 17, with an average “unsure” for all age groups of 10.7%.[4] If children are encouraged to label themselves “gay,” or adults prematurely reinforce this identity before full psychosocial development has taken place there is a serious risk of erroneously labeling children who were only experiencing temporary sexual confusion.[5]
Such premature labeling could lead some adolescents into homosexual behaviors that carry significant risk for serious health consequences, such as, higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, alcoholism, substance abuse, anxiety, depression and suicide.[6]

While some might suggest that these heightened risky behaviors are the result of “homophobia,” social prejudice and/or discrimination cannot fully account for the elevated rates of these disorders, since equally dramatic rates are found among youth within homosexually-affirming cultures.[7] Delaying the self-identification of youth as non-heterosexual significantly reduces these medical and psychiatric health risks. For example, researchers find that adolescents who defer “coming out as gay” decrease the risk of suicide at a rate of 20 percent for each year that they delay self-labeling as homosexual or bisexual.[8]

Homosexual youth are sexually active significantly earlier than their heterosexual peers.

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For example, in a study based on a sampling of teenagers in Massachusetts, sexual minority youth (i.e., those who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or had any same-sex sexual contact in their lifetimes) were significantly more likely than other students to report lifetime sexual intercourse (72% vs. 44%). The same study found that sexual minority youth were more likely to report sexual intercourse before age 13 (18% vs. 4%), sexual intercourse with four or more partners in their lifetimes (32% vs. 11%), and recent sexual intercourse (55% vs. 33%).[9]

More significantly, in 2011, the CDC released a survey of over 150,000 high school students in grades nine through twelve. Of those who had their first sexual experience under age 13 years, 19.8% identified as homosexual, and 14.6% identified as bisexual. Only a mere 4.8% of students with sexual debut under age thirteen identified as heterosexual. This survey also assessed the number of sexual partners. Of those students reporting four or more partners, 29.9% were homosexually identified, 28.2% identified as bisexual, but only 11.1% of those with 4 or more partners were heterosexually identified.[10] Other studies have corroborated these findings as well as a significantly higher STD prevalence among homosexual and bisexual youth.[11]

Early life trauma can lead to orientation confusion that calls for professional assistance.

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While further research is needed some studies provide cautious but noteworthy evidence of a link between childhood sexual abuse and same-sex partnership among men.[12] One example of this is the disproportionate extent of sexual abuse during the
childhood of adult homosexuals.[13] Dr. David Purcell, the Deputy Director for Behavioral and Social Science, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC, has summarized the research regarding sexual abuse and homosexuality in the following manner:

“[R]egardless of the rigor of the sample selection, when comparing MSM [men who have sex with men] samples to general male population samples, and when comparing MSM and heterosexual men within one sample, MSM consistently report more CSA [childhood sexual abuse] overall and more CSA with males than heterosexual men do; and no differences are observed for reported abuse by females… These studies bolster our conclusion that a disparity exists between gay/bisexual men and heterosexual men when it comes to CSA by males. While it is possible that these differences may be an artifact of reporting biases (e.g., heterosexual men being less willing to report being victimized by a man or to report that early heterosexual contact is abuse as opposed to initiation), it seems unlikely that reporting bias would account for a difference of this consistency and magnitude across a wide range of samples.”[14]

Clearly, youth who fall into this category need a referral for therapy for their trauma. Peers or adults that ignore or misunderstand this sexual confusion may instead prematurely label a questioning teen or suggest a “gay identity” or convey harmful misinformation such as the myth that gays are “born that way.”

Concluding recommendations.

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The most critical question to answer regarding this proposed policy change, however, is: How will child protection be assured? If openly homosexual boys are allowed to participate, how does a Scoutmaster monitor the influence or actions that these boys may have upon others in the troop especially during overnight events? Will equal but segregated facilities be required? This certainly would be the case if the BSA were to alter its policy and admit girls.

As the BSA deliberates a potential change in its membership policy, NARTH encourages the council members to carefully consider the complexities of sexual orientation development reflected in the aforementioned research. Council members must strive to envision the short-term and long-term consequences of any potential decision.

References

At its 2013 annual convention , the nation’s prestigious professional group for psychologists will offer a for-credit Continuing Education course entitled “Fifty Shades of Grey in Therapy– Working with BDSM/Kink Sexualities and Communities.” The course, part of the APA’s series of convention workshops, will teach therapists how to work with clients who engage in sexual bondage and discipline, dominance/submission, and sadomasochism.

People in whom “kink” sexuality is present, the workshop presenters say, comprise a “community” of about 23% of the U.S. population.

As a point of reference, it should be noted that the A.P.A. does not grant Continuing Education credits for workshops that teach therapists how to diminish unwanted homosexual behaviors or attractions.

The course on “kink” sexuality is described in the APA convention catalog as follows:

Course Title: “Fifty Shades of Grey in Therapy– Working with BDSM/Kink Sexualities and Communities.”

Subject(s) Community; Sexual Behavior/Functioning

Format: Convention Workshop

Day: Wednesday, July 31, 2013

CE Credits: 4

Instructors: Richard A. Sprott, PhD, California State University East Bay, Hayward, CA; Keely Kolmes, PsyD, Independent Practice, San Francisco, CA; Ryan Witherspoon, BA, Pepperdine University, Van Nuys, CA

Description: This introductory workshop is geared toward exploring and addressing specific counseling issues that come up with people who express kink/BDSM sexuality (bondage/discipline, dominance/submission and sadomasochism, collectively labeled “BDSM”). This aspect of sexuality is present in about 23% of the U.S. population in terms of fantasy and
expressed in behavior by 10% of the population—hence, the popularity of “50 Shades of Grey.” Clinical issues and an outline of cultural competency around this kind of sexuality will be presented in lecture, case studies, and discussion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the distinction between BDSM activities and abuse;

2. Apply skills and attitudes necessary to support a strong therapeutic alliance after disclosure of BDSM desires and behaviors, with emphasis on micro-aggressions [note: micro-aggressions are defined as communications of prejudice and discrimination expressed through negative attitudes, verbal disapproval, and insensitivity. They are considered in the academic literature to create confusion, hostility, anger, damaged self-esteem, and, in general, emotional and psychological wounds in the recipient that are not quickly resolved];

3. Identify basic cultural concepts created by the BDSM subculture that can positively address issues of concern in providing mental health services; and

4. Identify situations where involvement in BDSM behaviors might be contraindicated.

Other APA workshops being offered related to issues of sexuality, therapy for unwanted same-sex attractions, and micro-aggressions include:

1. LGBT People of Color and Spirituality— Tools for Psychological Practice (http://www.apa.org/convention/ce-workshops/005.aspx)
2. APA Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation—Affirmative Practices http://www.apa.org/convention/ce-workshops/132.aspx), [referencing an APA report that discourages therapists from attempts to help a client reduce his or her unwanted homosexuality]
3. Micro-aggressions in Everyday Life—Clinical and Institutional Implications (http://www.apa.org/convention/ce-workshops/169.aspx)

A letter by Douglas Abbott, Ph.D. recently appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics arguing against that association’s political support for gay marriage.

“Without a recognized ideal family, the welfare of children becomes secondary to the preferences and pleasures of adults,” Abbott says, adding that there is no conclusive body of evidence that would support the legal redefining of marriage and parenting. See:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/4/e1374.full/reply#pediatrics_el_55600

Conference theme: The Evidence of Change: What you are not being told

November 8 and 9, 2013

Marriott Phoenix Airport Hotel

1101 North 44th Street – Phoenix, Arizona 85008 – 602-273-7373

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Call for Presentation Proposals

Share your knowledge and expertise with us! We invite you to submit your ideas for presentations relating to our conference theme above. Presentation options include workshops, panel discussions, plenary addresses and round-table discussions.  Hands-on, theoretical, research and application-based presentations are strongly encouraged. We are interested in proposals that address the treatment of both men and women clients, specific therapeutic techniques, current scientific research, adolescent challenges, assisting family members or spouses, and any variety of practical topics for a lay audience (helping ministry leaders, furthering community education, current medical challenges, legal and public policy concerns – are just a few examples of appropriate possibilities).

Submission of Proposals

Proposals should include the following information:

1. Presenter information (brief biography, photo, email, phone, address)

2. Presentation title and format (plenary address, panel discussion, workshop, etc.)

3. Preferred length (75 minutes or half-day session)

4. Presentation summary (no more than 100 words)

5. Identify your audience (clinicians, pastoral counselors, families, researchers, etc.), give at least three learning objectives, and describe the degree of difficulty (for the beginner, moderate knowledge, or advanced understanding) of your presentation

6. Describe your past conference NARTH involvement or if you are new please give us at least two references familiar with your work, background, or presentation skills

7. Specification of audiovisual equipment requested (NARTH does not provide computers and this request for equipment, projectors, whiteboards, etc. must be submitted with your proposal)

This is a major step in the long legal process NARTH has undertaken to protect a client’s right to self-determination when seeking assistance for unwanted homosexual attraction from licensed mental health professional in the sate of California. The importance of this ruling, while likely to be appealed regardless of the court ruling, is difficult to underestimate when the threats by political gay activists to self-determination continue to grow. Just last week a legislator in Washington state announced their intention to introduce legislation similar to SB1172 in the next session. This brings to four the number of states where laws patterned on the California regulation are being contemplated.

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CLICK HERE

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You can continue to make a difference with your personal and financial support of NARTH as we fight this vital battle for freedom.

Reparative Therapy posits two fundamentally distinct self-states in unwanted same-sex attraction (SSA) for males: The Assertive Self- State within which the client finds his true self, and the Shame Self-State within which he experiences his false self.

I tell my clients in the very first session, ‘Rule number one is: Never accept anything I say unless it resonates as true for you.’ It is his experience, whatever that may be, that must always trump any preconceived theory.’ (Nicolosi, Shame and Attachment Loss, 2009, p. 23). Assuming this clinical picture fits the client’s own experience in dealing with his gay pornography addiction, he usually comes to realize that in order to become sexually aroused, he must first leave his Assertive True Self and shift into a Shamed False Self. He makes this shift without conscious awareness, but the eventual realization serves to expose the fantasy nature of the attraction, diminishing the grip of his addiction, as well as his homosexuality.

The Self-State distinction essential to Reparative theory finds theoretical support in the writings of Joyce McDougall. In her clinical studies, she confirms Reparative theory’s understanding of homosexual enactment as a gender-based self-reparation; i.e., a means of “repairing” a wound in gender identity.

Joyce McDougall has investigated the central role of “theatre and role-playing” in non-typical forms of sexual activity, including homosexuality. She is among the few contemporary psychoanalysts willing to study such forms of sexuality. McDougall understands “sexual theatre” as an acting-out of intrapsychic sexual forces in a symbolic attempt to resolve an identity conflict. In this regard she confirms the classic psychoanalytic understanding of “perverse” (as the term was used in previous years) sexual activity as being rooted in identity confusion. Noting the repetitive-compulsive nature of these role enactments, McDougall found that while her patients complain about the constrained structure of these “erotic theatre pieces,” they could not abstain from their enactments: “…and have to do it again and again and again” (McDougall, 2000, p.182).

The compulsive/repetitive enactment of these rituals represents a symbolic attempt to resolve psychic conflict caused by a problematic parental message regarding the child’s sexuality. In the extreme case of transsexuals, for example, McDougall reports that her patients…“felt that at last they would be recognized by the mother and what she had always unconsciously desired for them” (McDougall, 2000, p.186). These “erotic scenarios” serve to safeguard the feeling of sexual identity but are a technique of psychic survival in that they preserve the feeling of subjective identity. As “compulsive neo-sexual inventions,” they represent the best possible solution that the child of the past was able to find in the face of contradictory parental communications regarding gender identity and sex role. “And they come to the child or the adolescent as revelation of what his or her sexuality is, along with the sometimes painful recognition that it is somehow different from that of others: there is no awareness of choice” (McDougall, 1986, p.21).

Further, she saw these dramatic and compulsive enactments as ways of preserving the narcissistic self-image from disintegration: “Thus the act becomes a drug intended to disperse feelings of violence, as well as a threatened loss of ego boundaries, and a feeling of inner death. Meanwhile the partner and the sexual scenario become containers for dangerous parts of the individual. These will subsequently be mastered, in illusory fashion, by gaining erotic control over the other or through a game of mastery within the sexual scenario” (McDougall, 1986, p. 21).

Many of my clients discover their homosexual behavior as an illusory attempt, as described above, at mastery of past trauma.

Bibliography

Mc Dougall, Joyce, Arnold Modell,  and Phyllis Meadow  (2000) “Sexuality Reconsidered: A Panel Discussion.” Modern Psychoanalysis, 25:181-189.

Mc Dougall, Joyce, (1986) “Identifications, Neo-needs and Neo-sexualities,” International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 67:19-30.

Nicolosi, Joseph (2009), Shame and Attachment Loss: The Practical Work of Reparative Therapy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

NARTH Practice Guidelines

Journal of Human Sexuality – Volume 1 (complete text)

What Research Shows: NARTH’s Response to the APA Claimson Homosexuality

If you click on this link it will take you to the complete 128 page text of the Journal of Human Sexuality, Volume 1 that you can read, download, or print.

CLICK HERE for Volume 1 …….  Click here for Volume 1 Summary

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Journal of Human Sexuality – Volume 2 (complete text)

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Journal of Human Sexuality – Volume 3 (complete text)

If you click on this link it will take you to the complete 175 page text of the Journal of Human Sexuality, Volume 3 that you can read, download, or print.

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NARTH Practice Guidelines

(complete text)

If you click on this link it will take you to the complete 68 page text of the NARTH Practice Guidelines that you can read, download, or print.

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Frequently Asked Questions (About NARTH and Homosexuality)

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Click Here for FAQ full text

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NARTH Statement on Sexual Orientation Change

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CLICK HERE for full text