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from Interviews/Testimonials
Jewish Man With SSA
Encouraged By JONAH's Help
September 22, 2005 -
An unidentified man with unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) has recently
written a letter to the Jewish Press
in support of JONAH (Jews Offering New
Alternatives To Homosexuality).
In his letter to the "Dear Rachel" columnist, the man describes his early teen
struggles with same-sex attractions and said that one of his spiritual
confidants did some research on JONAH and provided him with contact information
to help him deal with these unwanted feelings.
According to the writer, through JONAH, he "started seeing a therapist to guide
me through the reparative therapy process-long and difficult but well worth it.
... I worked on becoming more comfortable in my masculinity, and the more
self-assured I became, the less attraction I had to other men - and the more I
was attracted to women."
He notes that a Journey into Manhood weekend was one of the most incredible
experiences in his life. In addition, one of the books that he found most
helpful was Dr. Joseph Nicolosi's Reparative Therapy: A New Clinical Approach.
He says, "I have come a long way, have learned much about myself and am stronger
than I have ever been. I am still in therapy and have recently started dating
women. I know this is challenging for me and that I need a very special girl,
but she is definitely out there somewhere. I still have some attraction to men,
but it is less frequent, less severe, and I know how to deal with it in a
healthy way."
"Dear Rachel" responded: "If your letter helps alleviate the burden of but one
struggling individual, the space your words have taken up in this column will be
worth their weight in gold." Rachel also recommended that readers look at the
work of Rabbi Chaim Rapoport's Judaism and Homosexuality. She also recommended the
web site called Kedusho, the Torah approach on sexual matters:
http://www.kedusho.com.
Updated: 16 March 2009
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