Conversion therapy

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Conversion therapy (from Latin conversio, turn around, reversal) or "reparative therapy" is a group of controversial methods of psychotherapy that postulate the reduction of homosexual tendencies and the development of heterosexual potentials as the goal. It will also Reorientierungstherapie called and by different groups of predominantly evangelical embossed -Gay Movement Ex propagated.

All leading international psychiatric and psychological specialist societies reject such attempts at treatment, as they contradict the notions of homosexuality established today in psychiatry and psychology and can have harmful effects on the therapist. The term itself is rejected because it is misleading and shaped by religious value judgments.

background

For a long time homosexuality was considered a mental disorder and was listed as such in international medical manuals. In 1974, as a result of social and scientific developments, homosexuality was removed from the list of mental disorders by the American Psychological Association (APA), and in 1992 it was also removed from the globally recognized ICD-10 catalog . Thus homosexuality is indisputably not a mental disorder for science.

However, many religious groups continue to view homosexuality and other abnormal sexual predispositions as diseases that require treatment. The evangelical movement in particular is very active in this regard and promotes measures such as conversion therapy. Representatives of conversion therapy (e.g. Wüstenstrom , German Institute for Youth and Society) start from the hypothesis that homosexuality is not essentially genetically based and innate, but rather based on a combination of predisposition and various complex life experiences in the childhood and adolescence of those affected is due. These life experiences include origin, temperament, injuries from parents and siblings, family developments, sexual abuse, and social and cultural injuries. However, this point of view and in particular the therapeutic treatment attempts resulting from it are criticized by the relevant medical professional associations and numerous social groups as being wrong and sometimes described as dangerous. In October 2013, the 64th General Assembly of the World Medical Association in Fortaleza, Brazil, decided that homosexuality is not a disease and therefore does not need a cure. The delegates of the World Medical Association also reject conversion or reparative therapy.

application

Therapy and its representatives

Today's important representatives of conversion and reparative therapy are the psychologist Joseph Nicolosi , the psychology professor Mark A. Yarhouse from the evangelical Regent University as well as Warren Throckmorton and Richard Cohen , whose license as a therapist was withdrawn because of violations of several ethical regulations. The term reparative therapy is used specifically for a form of treatment developed by Joseph Nicolosi, as used by many, but not all, members of NARTH . In Germany this therapy is mainly from the the Young Offensive Christians belonging to the German Institute for Youth and Society (DIJG) and desert power supported. Psychology professor Nicholas A. Cummings, former president of the American Psychological Association, reports that in his personal practice he treated about 2,000 patients with open-ended conflicts due to their attitudes towards homosexuality. According to his estimates, around 16,000 patients with conflicts regarding their attitudes to their own sexual identity were treated at the California health company Kaiser-Permanente , where he was the manager of over 600 psychotherapists for many years. According to him, there was no significant improvement in a third of the treatments. Of the two-thirds in whom the treatment was successful, 80% had subsequently lived a healthy, sexually responsible life as homosexuals, and 20% had reoriented. He still gets thank you notes from some heterosexually married clients in retirement, but even more from those who would have happy long-term same-sex relationships. In the same interview, however, he also stated that "those who are against homosexuality should not claim that all homosexuals can or should change their sexual orientation". Professional organizations positive about conversion or reparative therapy include NARTH, the American Association of Christian Counselors, and the Catholic Medical Organization in the United States.

There are various case studies of the use of various behavioral therapy methods to reorient homosexuals. Albert Ellis also used his Rational Emotive Therapy method with homosexuals and wrote in 1965 that, after treating dozens of clients, he considered Rational Emotive Therapy to be far more effective than his earlier psychoanalytic methods.

Conversion therapies are often accompanied by appropriate spiritual accompaniment , since the homosexual orientation is not wanted by God and only a psychological development that can be healed. Sexual orientation is not seen as an integral identity of the personality . The main representatives of conversion and reparative therapies usually have an evangelical view of mankind and evaluate homosexuality based on a literal ( biblical ) interpretation of the Bible . According to this, sexuality can never be the basis for a person to define his identity or to find meaning and fulfillment in life, but this basis can be found in identification as a disciple of Christ .

On August 27, 2018, the Vatican made it clear that homosexuality is not a disease and therefore conversion therapies are not endorsed.

Legal situation

Map of countries that have banned conversion therapies by law
  • Legal ban on conversion therapies
  • De facto ban on conversion therapy
  • Case-by-case ban
  • Legal prohibitions planned or proposed
  • no legal ban on conversion therapies

    • United States

    The American Psychological Association adopted a resolution on August 5, 2009 that states that mental health professionals should avoid explaining to clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or change other treatment. The Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Tensions Associated with Sexual Orientation and Change Efforts recommends parents, guardians, young people and their families avoid treatments that portray homosexuality as a mental illness or a developmental disorder. Instead, they should look for psychotherapy, social support, and educational services that "provide accurate information on sexual orientation and sexuality, increase family and school support, and reduce rejection from youth who belong to a sexual minority."

    In September 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown signed law banning conversion therapy in California because of its harmful effects. In addition, conversion therapy is banned in eight other US states.

    South America

    Statutory bans exist in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay, among others.

    European Union

    In March 2018, for the first time across party lines , the European Parliament advocated for the first time, with a majority of 435 to 109 votes, that therapies for the “cure” of homosexuality, conversion therapies, be banned by law.

    Germany

    The Bundestag faction Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen presented a legislative initiative in the German Bundestag in March 2013 that wants to ban the offer and implementation of therapies for minors with the aim of changing their sexual orientation, as “[...] negative and harmful effects of such Treatment on treated persons are scientifically proven. These include fears and the like a. social isolation, depression and increased suicidality. […] There is no scientifically valid proof of the alleged effectiveness of such therapies. ”Violations should be punished with a fine of at least 500 euros. Although the draft law only refers to therapy attempts on minors , it has been criticized by several organizations from the evangelical spectrum, since everyone should be free to choose whether they want to undergo such therapy despite the negative attitude of all professional societies.

    Under a petition from activist Lucas Hawrylak, over 130,000 people spoke out in favor of a conversion therapy ban. In February 2019, Health Minister Jens Spahn announced a bill to legally ban conversion therapies in Germany. In April 2019, the state governments of the federal states of Berlin, Bremen, Hesse, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein announced a bill to ban conversion therapies in the Federal Council. On December 18, 2019, the federal cabinet passed a draft law by Jens Spahn to ban conversion therapies for minors, which should come into force in the middle of the following year.

    On June 12, 2020, the law on protection against conversion treatments was enacted. It prohibits conversion therapies for minors up to the age of 18 and includes a ban on advertising. It also protects adults insofar as conversion therapies are also prohibited for them if their consent was obtained due to a lack of will ( Section 2 (2) of the Act).

    history

    The term reparative drive originally came from Anna Freud . In this concept of homosexuality, further developed by Elizabeth Moberley and Joseph Nicolosi , homosexual relationships are seen as a means of using the affirmation and emotional intimacy found in the process to repair the sense of gender identity that has been damaged by childhood experiences. The reparative therapy aims to direct this reparative drive towards non-sexual same-sex relationships and therefore got its name.

    Experts today criticize the use of the terms reparative therapy and conversion therapy because they are misleading and incorrectly suggest that homosexuality is a malfunction and should therefore be corrected. The sexologist Erwin J. Haeberle , for example, lists the terms under improper technical terms and writes: “The term [...] implies that homosexuality is a malfunction that must be corrected. But this is a moralistic value judgment, not an objective scientific statement. " This would arise from the " missionary zeal of crusaders who want to pursue sexual equalization under the guise of science " .

    The term reparative therapy is used today with different meanings: In addition to general treatment approaches with the aim of changing sexual orientation, the term is sometimes used specifically for a form of treatment developed by Joseph Nicolosi. In this context, general approaches are often referred to as reorientation therapy or conversion therapy .

    Since the middle of the 20th century, attempts have been made to change sexual orientation with the help of psychoanalysis , since this was often viewed as a disease or symptoms of a disease. The first were the followers of Sigmund Freud , including Anna Freud and Irving Bieber. In a 1962 study, Bieber reported that in a group of 106 men, 19% of homosexuals and 50% of bisexuals were heterosexual after psychoanalysis, including six homosexual men who did not express a desire to change their sexual orientation prior to treatment would have. Overall, however, the psychoanalytic direction of psychology also came to the conclusion that homosexuality is not pathological. Today the psychoanalytical professional associations also reject conversion and reparative therapies.

    Web links

    • BT-Drs. 18/2118 : Response of the federal government to the so-called homo healer scene in Germany

    See also

    swell

    1. ↑ a b G. Mundle, L. Mahler: Statement. (pdf, 208 kB) German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology , July 5, 2013, archived from the original on March 30, 2014 ; accessed on September 14, 2018 .
    2. ^ A b Statement by the Professional Association of German Specialists in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy on the Public Discussion of "Conversion Therapies" or "Repair Therapies" for Homosexuality. 2009.
    3. ↑ a b c Press release ( memento of March 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) of the German Medical Association: World Medical Association: Homosexuality is not a disease. Resolutions of the 64th General Assembly of the World Medical Association. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
    4. ↑ Royal College of Psychiatrists: Submission to the Church of England's Listening Exercise on Human Sexuality (PDF; 43 kB), point 5 (p. 3): Psychotherapy and reparative therapy for LGB people. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
    5. ↑ Just the Facts Coalition, American Psychological Association et al .: Just the facts about sexual orientation and youth: A primer for principals, educators, and school personnel.
    6. ^ Douglas C. Haldeman: Therapeutic Antidotes: Helping Gay and Bisexual Men Recover from Conversion Therapies. In: Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy. 5, 2002, p. 117, doi : 10.1300 / J236v05n03_08 .
    7. ↑ A. Lee Beckstead, Susan L. Morrow: Mormon clients' Experiences of Conversion Therapy. In: The Counseling Psychologist 32/5. August 2004, archived from the original on June 29, 2015 ; accessed on July 20, 2015 .
    8. ↑ Glossary: ​​Inappropriate "technical terms". From: E. J. Haeberle: dtv-Atlas Sexualität. German paperback publisher, 2005.
    9. ↑ German Institute for Youth and Society: My way out of homosexuality. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
    10. ^ Kurt Wiesendanger: Opinion on polarity reversal therapies for homosexuals from a psychological and psychotherapeutic point of view. 2005.
    11. ^ Statement of the Society on the Scientific Investigation of Para-Sciences on Homo-Healing Advertising at Universities, accessed on March 30, 2014.
    12. ↑ Position Statement of the American Psychiatric Association: Therapies Focused on Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation Reparative or Conversion Therapies. March 2000, accessed March 30, 2014.
    13. ↑ Commentary by the Federal Association for Gay Healthcare (BASG) on fundamentalist organizations and their therapies. 2005, accessed March 30, 2014.
    14. ↑ Statement of the professional association of German psychologists on Christian sexual counseling by Wüstenstrom eV, therapy of homosexuality. 2006, accessed March 30, 2014.
    15. ↑ Sandra G. Boodman: A Therapist's Unusual Conversion Odyssey. In: The Washington Post, August 16, 2005 [1] Retrieved March 30, 2014
    16. ↑ a b Warren Throckmorton: What is reparative therapy ( Memento from October 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
    17. ^ OJC : Statement on the press release of the anti-discrimination office in Leipzig ( memento of October 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ), seen March 27, 2010.
    18. ^ Warren Throckmorton: Homosexuality and Psychotherapy: An Interview with Dr. Nicholas Cummings , on the Center for Vision and Values website at Grove City College
    19. ^ Homosexuality & Hope Booklet, Statement of the Catholic Medical Association. text
    20. ^ Albert Ellis : Homosexuality: Its causes and cure. New York 1965.
    21. ^ Tanya Erzen: Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement . University of California Press , Berkeley 2006, ISBN 0-520-24582-2 , pp. 17 (American English, 293 pages).
    22. ^ Richard B. Hays : The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation - A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics . HarperSanFrancisco , San Francisco 1996, ISBN 0-06-063796-X , pp. 390 f . (American English, 528 pages).
    23. ^ Spiegel.de: Vatican withdraws controversial statement on homosexual children
    24. ↑ Tagesspiegel.de:Vatikan changes Pope quotes on homosexual tendencies of children
    25. ↑ HuK: Position Statement (Press Release) of the American Psychological Association (APA) on conversion therapies, August 5, 2009 ( Memento from June 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
    26. ↑ Queer: Once gay, always gay!
    27. ↑ California: Gay "healing" of minors prohibited on queer.de, October 1, 2012.
    28. ↑ Erik Eckholm: Gay 'Conversion Therapy' Faces Test in Courts. New York Times, November 27, 2012.
    29. ↑ Queer.de: EU Parliament strengthens LGBTI basic rights , accessed on March 2, 2018
    30. ↑ Schwulissimo.de: European Parliament condemns the "healing" of homosexuals ( memento of March 3, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 2, 2018
    31. ↑ See point 65 of the resolution of the European Parliament of March 1, 2018 on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union 2016, available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P8- TA-2018-0056 & language = DE & ring = A8-2018-0025
    32. ↑ BT-Drs. 17/12849 : Draft of a law punishing therapies with the aim of changing the sexual orientation of minors (PDF; 138 kB).
    33. ↑ Christopher Pramstaller: Pseudo-scientific offers: Greens call for a ban on therapies for homosexuals , sueddeutsche.de, March 23, 2013, accessed on March 25, 2013.
    34. ↑ "conversion therapies": Pastoral organizations criticize Greens push to idea .com, March 25, 2013, accessed March 26, 2013.
    35. ↑ Alliance: Volker Beck creates images of the enemy , PRO Christliches Medienmagazin, March 25, 2013, accessed on March 26, 2013.
    36. ↑ Sign the petition. Retrieved on May 7, 2020 (German).
    37. ↑ We are not sick: The homo healers are finally stopped. May 7, 2020, accessed May 7, 2020 .
    38. ↑ German minister calls for ban on conversion therapy
    39. ↑ Markus Kowalski: Politics against conversion therapies: No healing, just despair . In: The daily newspaper: taz . February 23, 2019, ISSN  0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed April 4, 2019]).
    40. ↑ Markus Kowalski: Jens Spahn on "Homo-Healing": "A form of bodily harm" . In: The daily newspaper: taz . February 15, 2019, ISSN  0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed April 4, 2019]).
    41. ↑ Kieler Nachrichten.de: Cabinet wants to better protect homosexual people
    42. ^ Saarländische Rundfunk: Saarland for a ban on conversion therapy
    43. ↑ "conversion therapy" prohibition decided . In: Tagesschau.de . December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
    44. ↑ Bundestag.de: Bundestag prohibits therapies to "cure" homosexuality , accessed on May 7, 2020
    45. ↑ Christl Ruth Vonholdt: Understanding Homosexuality ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 350 kB), DIJG, special edition autumn 2006
    46. ↑ Warren Throckmorton: I Am Not a Reparative Therapist ( Memento from February 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
    47. ↑ Erwin J. Haeberle: Glossary: ​​Improper "technical terms". dtv-Atlas Sexuality, 2005.
    48. ^ J. Drescher: I'm your handyman: a history of reparative therapies. J homosex. 1998; 36 (1): 19-42. PMID 9670099 .
    49. ↑ Irving Bieber, et al .: Homosexuality. A Psychoanalytic Study. New York 1962.
    50. ↑ Reinhard Kreische: Homosexuality: Fear of the Stranger. In: Ärzteblatt. PP 4, March 2005 edition.
    51. ^ British Psychoanalytical Council: Statements on reparative therapy and sexual orientation ( accessed online March 31, 2014).
    52. ↑ American Psychoanalytical Association apsa.org ( Memento April 1, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) Retrieved March 31, 2014