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from Events/Announcements
The 12th Annual Conference Of The National Association For Research And Therapy Of Homosexuality Held In Washington, DC
By Chad McBride
December 16, 2004 - NARTH's annual conference (November 12-14, 2004)
provided opportunities for attendees to gain new knowledge of the latest
scientific research in Washington, DC. The conference had the highest number of
attendees so far with some coming from as far away as Germany. Psychologists,
psychiatrists, and therapists convened for three days of instruction, support
and networking.
Early registration Friday morning provided for renewed acquaintance and
introductions of new faces. NARTH President Dr. Joseph Nicolosi shared
strategies for faster recovery, in a series of pre-conference lectures on
treatment of male homosexuality. A variety of concurrent presentations dealt
with the issue of female homosexuality. Taking part in these lectures were, Dr.
Julie Harren, Mary B. Patton, Janelle Hallman, Cynthia Winn, Perriann Beyers,
and James B. Lewis.
On Saturday morning, the session began with outstanding presentations by Dr.
Michael Buxton on therapeutic harm for patients with unwanted homoerotic
attractions. Dr. Edward Stringham presented a workshop advocating reparative
therapy and traditional morality. In it, he stressed the importance of both
objective and intuitive arguments. He reminded listeners of similar scientific
conflicts throughout history where truth eventually prevailed--such as Galileo
and his ideas on the solar system. Stringham suggested ways to speak out for
reparative therapy without needlessly offending listeners.
Following Stringham's presentation, James P. Bresnahan presented a model for
treating same-sex attraction in family therapy. Bresnahan explained the use of
making complicated mapping of family dynamics to illustrate the family
involvement in the life of a patient. He suggested that these genograms
significantly benefit the treatment of SSA patients. He provided ten helpful
ideas to use when working with SSA patients in family therapy for more effective
treatment.
Dr. Warren Throckmorton presented his recent video on ex-gays, entitled, I Do
Exist, consisting of interviews with five ex-gays and researchers Dr.
Throckmorton, and Dr. Mark Yarhouse. The video also featured a special video
appearance by Dr. Spitzer who observed: "There is a gay activist group that's
very strong and very vocal and recognized officially by the American Psychiatric
Association. There's nobody to give the other viewpoint. There may be a few
people who believe it, but they don't talk."
NARTH's keynote speaker, Dr. Robert Perloff, is former president of the
American Psychological Association. He received a standing ovation by all in
attendance. Perloff shared his respect for NARTH and agreement with its position
statement, to which he added, "If homosexuals choose to transform their
sexuality into heterosexuality, that resolve and decision is theirs and theirs
alone, and should not be tampered with by any special interest group--including
the gay community..." Perloff further explained, "To discourage a psychotherapist
from undertaking a client wishing to convert is... anti-research,
anti-scholarship, and antithetical toward the quest for truth."
After Perloff's keynote speech, Dr. A. Dean Byrd awarded William C. Duncan
the NARTH Fellow Award. Dr. Spitzer had been selected for the Sigmund Freud
Award for his contribution to science by his latest study, but unfortunately, he
declined to accept the award. Spitzer's study supported the idea that
homosexuals can change not only behavior, but also core features of sexual
orientation. Because of his study, Spitzer has had to endure hateful attacks
upon his character. Spitzer claimed his reason for not accepting the award was
because of his disagreement with NARTH's alleged stand on gay marriage, gay
adoption and gays in the military. Dr. Byrd noted, "Is it not ironic, however,
that NARTH--because it is a scientific organization--has taken no official
positions on gay marriage, gay adoptions and gays in the military?"
In a separate session, therapist Janelle Hallman provided extensive profiles
on several types of lesbian patients. The profiles provided lists of traits
common to lesbians, including: development issues, generative, clinical issues
and character patterns.
Several attendees regrouped that evening for a relaxing social hour and
poster session. Posters included recent research by Dr. Dean Byrd, a book
publication of Dr. Louis A. Berman, and a video release from Dr. Warren
Throckmorton. Catered with light refreshments, the casual environment provided
an opportunity to mingle and share ideas.
The third day of the NARTH conference began with an intriguing presentation
by Dr. Norman Goldwasser on a treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization &
Reprocessing (EMDR). After presenting a brief history of EMDR's development in
1987 by Dr. Francine Shapiro, Goldwasser brilliantly illustrated the theory
behind the treatment and discussed its use for treating trauma-based homosexual
patients.
In a workshop by Dr. Byrd, he discussed an interpersonal theory of
homosexuality. While acknowledging a high correlation between a parent's
relationship and the developing of homosexuality, Byrd expressed his belief that
the "blame game" does no good. Several biological, psychological and social
factors play a role in the developing of homosexuality. More specifically, these
factors may include temperament, personality traits, familial factors, sexual
abuse and treatment by peers. The lecture ended with a four-phase model of
treatment.
Dr. Brian Leggiere conducted the final workshop of the conference on the
topic of transvestism. Early in the discussion, Leggiere noted that
psychodynamics and the Torah do not view sexual deviations as an identity, but a
behavior.
NARTH will be publishing the Collected Papers of 2004 from this conference in
early 2005.
Updated: 28 February 2008
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