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I was reading up on one of my favorite subjects, reparative therapy of homosexuality, when I came across a decent introductory article on the subject at Parents and Friends of EX-gays (PFOX).  The author evaluated the many therapeutic approaches to gay recovery therapy, and found the following six factors as critical to success:

1. Personal choice and motivation to reorient is necessary This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s not.  Until I seriously want to change something in my life, I’m just going to fail.

2. A detailed history is important This is to overcome using an oversimplified model like “all gays are that way because they had a bad father.”  People fail in gender identity formation for a lot of reasons, which need to be explored in therapy.

3. The belief that change is possible This is why many people, like the author of Cheated by the Affirming Church, get mad at those who misinform the public saying that you can’t change your same-sex attraction.

I feel cheated. Cheated by those who say that they love me and are trying to help me. Yet, if things were left up to them, I would still be in a prison of my own making, enslaved by homosexuality and without hope.

4. A theory to explain same sex attraction Interestingly, when a client has an explanation that seems to explain their situation, it is often comforting to them, and releases them from the helplessness of having no idea how they ended up in their situation.
5. Interventions to minimize or cope with same sex attraction One of the keys to changing one’s sinful patterns is to remove one’s self from trigger situations or situations where automatic, familiar, or addictive patterns kick in.
6. An explanation for behavioral and/or cognitive relapse In most recovery, relapsing is common.  People in therapy need to know that if they relapse, they have not failed.  The adage applies “it’s not how many times you get off track, it’s how much more quickly you get back on each time.” The article is very interesting and worth a read.

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