Review 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 opinionthat 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 thenecessary 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.) Read more From the Back Cover 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 benefited 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 synthesisof 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. This is an essential principle of reparative therapy. Read more See all Editorial Reviews
J**D
An in-depth look in homosexuality
Nicolosi is considered the leading psychologist on issues about sexual orientation. From a strictly secular point of view, he paints such vivid pictures of the concerns of men who identify as gay or experience same-sex attractions. His way of being a therapist and conducting his therapeutic work is a delight to read. Concise when possible, in-depth explanation when necessary. His clients really come to life in this highly readable book.
N**A
As described
Book in great condition as well as described.
H**.
Five Stars
great information for the individual with unwanted ssa
D**N
Understanding Sexual Fluidity
The stories told in Healing Homosexuality deal with men who are primarily homosexually attracted undergoing therapy and awakening their heterosexual potential. The men featured in the book have a variety of motivations, but regardless of what might have caused them to seek this particular path their various stories demonstrate that sexual attractions are more mutable than our current cultural conversations would suggest. If the book accomplishes nothing more than to open our thinking to consider all the possibilities open to individuals it is a worthy addition to the literature on homosexuality.
R**D
Five Stars
This is true. Don't believe what our insane culture says about this issue.
User
An utterly stunning set of case histories
I am not a recovering homosexual. I am a recovering heterosexual. Mr Nicolosi's book convinced me of that.I don't believe there is anything in any way wrong with being gay and I am quite agnostic on where gay-ness comes from. I am inclined to believe that there are a fair number of gay men who just are, and were always going to be, gay. On the other hand I believe there are very many gay men whose sexual orientation can very plausibly be explained by looking at their childhood environment.If there is any major criticism I would have of Mr Nicolosi's analysis it is that he doesn't leave enough room for the possibility that many gay men just are gay full stop; nothing to do with environment; no question of it being any other way.On the other hand his collection of case studies highlights the other side of the coin - the men who could have grown up quite differently - in a way I have never seen elsewhere. Reading the stories I heard many of my innermost feelings e! xpressed by others for the very first time. No particular case fitted my own exactly, but most contained some insight which made me smile or weep with recognition.The overriding theme is the role of fathers in boys' gender identity and what can happen when fathers are absent, weak, laughable, violent, demanding and more, and when sons are timid, introverted, weak and, crucially, alienated from male life.Nicolosi backed up, to an extent I could not have imagined possible, my own analysis of my sexuality. Almost all my life my primary erotic impulse was towards men. Why didn't I simply accept that I was gay? Quite simply, because I became more and more aware as time went on that my gayness wasn't a joyful sexuality. It wasn't just a preference for the male form and male company. More than anything it stemmed from a chronic failure of gender identity which also denied me self-respect. Becoming non-gay is just a side effect of what I, and Nicolosi's patients, really need to ! achieve: to take charge of our lives, assume our sense of o! ur own maleness and thereby learn to love ourselves.
R**E
Not like a left hand
This is a fine study of the psychological causes of sexualorientation and some of the practical strategies for dealing withsexual addiction. What the author has to say about homosexuality willnot be popular with self-appointed gay activists ..., but it is basedon painstaking scientific research.
T**K
Anathema to Academia
I read this book as part of an Independent Study Project for my psych class. "Case Stories," it promised. "Great!" I said. I thought this would make my project a piece of cake; psychological case histories all laid out for me, ready to spill their secrets for dissection and comparison.As with most things in life, if something seems too good to be true it is.Foremost, the title of this book is highly deceptive. These are not case stories, they are fables; supposedly first-person accounts of homosexuals who have become heterosexual through some form of psychological alchemy.Beware; if you are planning to read this book in academic pursuit, you are wasting your time. No part of this book can be cited, sourced or substantiated. The author did not even attempt to provide adequate psychological case study notations.I would describe this book as a product with a very specific niche market. Namely, people who self-identify as homosexual and for whatever personal reason wish to be heterosexual. The stories contained herein are not so much an exercise in psychiatry, but rather something from the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" collection. Here is a varied blend of stories from self-proclaimed homosexuals, each diverse enough to ensure that at least one of them will strike a chord with the reader. You can guess how each of them concludes.Through further research into this book, and others like it, I have noticed a disturbing trend; despite the number of books claiming to offer case studies and testimonials of "former homosexuals", the only such people to be verifiable are what one might call "professional ex-gays". The vast majority of these people either work directly for the organization/ministry, or they have written books of their own, or they are the poster-boys who make their living touring with the organization/ministry. (etc.) In short, they are where the money is... until they slip-up and prove that they aren't really straight after all, such as in the cases of former "ex-gay" super-stars Christopher Austin, Colin Cook, Michael Johnston, Terrance Lewis, and John Paulk to name a few.Read this book if you wish, but I urge you to take it with a grain of salt. In my studies I have learned of many such books, some of which are still in publication and some of which that are not. It is not uncommon for these books to contain "testimonials" from people who later recant what they wrote (usually) while living at a `treatment facility' for extended periods of time. For example I reference Kent Philpott's book, The Third Sex, in which he gives the testimonies of six homosexuals who supposedly became heterosexual. Within a year after the book was published, all six of the people written about sent notarized affidavits to the publisher, stating that the book was untrue and that they were all still homosexuals. Nevertheless, the book continued to be printed and sold to an unwary public for eight (8!) years afterwards. To this day, people are finding false solace in `changes' that never took place.I also found the writing style of this particular book, Healing Homosexuality, to be dry and forced. The attempt to present emotional persuasions of the author's agenda in the guise of scientific information is transparent and insulting to the reader's intelligence. I feel that only those who are desperate to believe (or convince themselves of) the information herein will enjoy it.In conclusion, the Kinsey Institute has had an open offer for nearly 40 years to report on a single case of a true change in sexual orientation, not just behaviour. In 40 years there has not been a single scientifically documented case of changed sexual orientation.
A**R
Homophobic hate crime.
Homophobic hate crime. Just let people embrace themselves. Their sexuality does not need to be cured because YOU said so.Disgusting.
K**S
Denounced by the American Psychological Association
Nicolosi has long been not only out of step, but denounced by every helping professional association including the American Psychological Association for promoting an unethical...
O**S
Homosexuality is not inherently problematic
Homosexuality is only a problem for those who make it a problem. Reparative therapy has been outlawed in Ecuador; it should be outlawed everywhere.
U**X
Like Reading an Autobiography
WOW,I am in reparative therapy right now and when I read Joseph Nicolosi's book it was like reading my life story. Not in the details, but in the descriptions.
C**L
Let a using alcoholic review AA?
Homosexual recovery is a mixed blessing. It allows a conflicted human a choice, but not a choice per se about sexual orientation.
J**.
My friend became suicidal because of reparative therapy.
Time and time again, reparative therapy has been discredited. The National Association of Social Work, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association,...
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