Overview

In 1973, when all the arguments were presented to the American Psychiatric Association both for and against the idea of homosexuality as pathology, it was the personal disclosures of gay men that had the most influence. Listening to their stories of frustration in treatment–and their newfound happiness through acceptance of a gay identity–the American Psychiatric Association voted to omit homosexuality as a diagnostic category. Now, twenty years later, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi presents the opposite kind of personal testimony. This testimony is from homosexual men who have tried to accept a gay identity but were dissatisfied, and then benefitted from psychotherapy to help free them of homosexuality. While each client has his unique story, Nicolosi has chosen eight men as representative of the personalities he has encountered in the twelve years during which he has treated over 200 homosexual clients. These men are engaged in a ""two-front war""–an internal assault against their own unwanted desires, and an external battle against a popular culture that does not understand or value their struggle. In their own words, we hear these men's struggles to develop healthy, non-erotic male friendships. We hear of their fear and anger toward the men in their lives, and their strained relationships with the fathers they never understood. Nicolosi contends that every man possesses aspects of these clients: The frailty of Albert, the integrity of Charlie, the rage of Dan, the narcissism of Steve, and the ambivalence of Roger, to list some of them. Some readers of this book may be surprised by the directive style of Dr. Nicolosi's therapeutic intervention. In part, this is due to the editorial synthesis of the transcript. More importantly, however, reparative therapy does require a more involved therapist–a benevolent provocateur who departs from the tradition of uninvolved, opaque analyst to become a salient male presence. The therapist must balance active challenge with warm encouragement to follow the father-son model. T

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Reviews

Dr. Nicolosi has abandoned the neutral posture of classical psychoanalysts and treats only those men who wish to give up homosexuality. An independent thinker, he has gone against the current fashion of promoting the unsubstantiated, unverifiable opinion that homosexuality is genetic, or preferred, or simply another way of loving. He has produced a book whose clarity, simplicity, and honesty will be of real value to the public and professionals alike. -- Toby Bieber Ph.D. This insightful and readable book will help therapists and patients alike. Today, Gay Affirmative Therapy rightly demands respect for patients' own goals. In that spirit, one must respect some gay men's unhappiness with their identities and lifestyles. Reparative therapy, as the author says, does not explain all homosexuality, and it is not right for all gay men, but it can allow some to claim what they desire. What is repaired is self-esteem and relatedness to others. -- Arno Karlen, author of Sexuality and Homosexuality For many reasons, Dr. Nicolosi's Healing Homosexuality is uplifting for the mental health field. It is compelling support for those who continue to see homosexuality in the realm of treatable clinical conditions. It is supportive of psychoanalytic understanding and therapy for homosexuality that is based on 80-plus years of research into the causation of this clinical condition. It offers hope to the many thousands of gay men and women who seek relief from their homosexuality. And it invigorates the necessary dialogue among those for whom the issue of homosexuality remains in contention. -- Benjamin Kaufman, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California School of Medicine This book should be required reading for anyone treating homosexuals (including gay therapists). It offers hope to many homosexuals who may have succumbed to despair. It enlightens in a highly readable, page-turning form those already familiar with some of the dynamics of the condition as well as the methods most effective for its amelioration and cure. -- Charles W. Socarides, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Nicolosi has abandoned the neutral posture of classical psychoanalysts and treats only those men who wish to give up homosexuality. An independent thinker, he has gone against the current fashion of promoting the unsubstantiated, unverifiable opinion that homosexuality is genetic, or preferred, or simply another way of loving. He has produced a book whose clarity, simplicity, and honesty will be of real value to the public and professionals alike. -- Toby Bieber, Ph.D. This insightful and readable book will help therapists and patients alike. Today, Gay Affirmative Therapy rightly demands respect for patients' own goals. In that spirit, one must respect some gay men's unhappiness with their identities and lifestyles. Reparative therapy, as the author says, does not explain all homosexuality, and it is not right for all gay men, but it can allow some to claim what they desire. What is repaired is self-esteem and relatedness to others. -- Arno Karlen For many reasons, Dr. Nicolosi's Healing Homosexuality is uplifting for the mental health field. It is compelling support for those who continue to see homosexuality in the realm of treatable clinical conditions. It is supportive of psychoanalytic understanding and therapy for homosexuality that is based on 80-plus years of research into the causation of this clinical condition. It offers hope to the many thousands of gay men and women who seek relief from their homosexuality. And it invigorates the necessary dialogue among those for whom the issue of homosexuality remains in contention. -- Benjamin Kaufman, M.D. This book should be required reading for anyone treating homosexuals (including gay therapists). It offers hope to many homosexuals who may have succumbed to despair. It enlightens in a highly readable, page-turning form those already familiar with some of the dynamics of the condition as well as the methods most effective for its amelioration and cure. -- Charles W. Socarides, M.D.

For many reasons, Dr. Nicolosi's Healing Homosexuality is uplifting for the mental health field. It is compelling support for those who continue to see homosexuality in the realm of treatable clinical conditions. It is supportive of psychoanalytic understanding and therapy for homosexuality that is based on 80-plus years of research into the causation of this clinical condition. It offers hope to the many thousands of gay men and women who seek relief from their homosexuality. And it invigorates the necessary dialogue among those for whom the issue of homosexuality remains in contention.--Benjamin Kaufman, M.D.

Author Information

Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D., is founder and Clinical Director of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic, and co-founder of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. Dr. Nicolosi received his training at the New School for Social Research and the California School of Professional Psychology. He is a member of the American Psychological Association and the California Psychological Association. Dr. Nicolosi is the author of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality and numerous professional articles. He is a frequent lecturer and is in private practice in Encino, California.

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