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from Theological Issues
APA Journal Studies Religious Motivation
of Reorientation-Therapy Clients
By Roy Waller
An American Psychological Association-published article by Warren Throckmorton provides a comprehensive overview of religiously-motivated change of sexual identification.
In the piece that appeared in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (Vol. 33, No. 3, 242-248), Dr. Throckmorton focuses on identifying the therapeutic goals and personal values and motivations of clients who seek help from Christian ministries.
"Religious belief," Throckmorton notes, "is frequently cited as a motivation for seeking sexual reorientation." Although Throckmorton is decidedly pro-reorientation therapy, he also takes a look at groups such as the gay-affirming Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), contrasting the MCC with traditional Christian ministries such as Exodus International.
In his comparison of the two, Throckmorton explains how the MCC group attempted to assure its membership that "God loves [them] as they are, without the need for change." This, he suggests, reaffirms and reinforces the individuals' gay identity, while also providing a perceived safe haven from what is presumed to be a largely hostile society.
On the other hand, Exodus International emphasizes the Biblical views of opposite-sex relationships and other traditional Judeo-Christian family and societal values. It also offers its own brand of comfort to its members-- telling them that their struggle with same-sex attraction is, morally and ethically, no worse or more shameful than dealing with substance abuse or other potentially life-dominating challenges.
Looking at another branch of conservative religious faith, Throckmorton speaks of seven men involved with Evergreen, a ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. All of the men hold to the "common patterns of...emotional sensitivity as well as spiritual transformation," he said, and after their reported change of sexual identity, the participants in this Mormon group "no longer felt troubled by" such experiences as feeling different from or rejected by straight men, same-sex emotional and/or physical attraction, social isolation, or a negative opinion of themselves owing to their history of same sex attraction and activity.
These men seemed to be successful in their change of sexual identity by reinterpreting the causes and implications of their same-sex attractions, even in cases where those unwanted attractions persisted. Regarding this unexpected outcome, Throckmorton notes that "simply having an explanation and a hope for change were deemed powerful catalysts for change."
Turning to Exodus' ministry for women, the author cites a study of some 27 lesbians, which concluded that the journey out of homosexuality "closely paralleled social-psychological findings concerning religious conversion." Apparently crucial to this successful reorientation is the idea of personal testimony -- i.e., the public declaration (paralleling the opposite, public declaration of "coming out") of how one's faith has initiated personal life powerful changes. He notes that such testimony permits the women to demonstrate an acceptance of being transformed.
Throckmorton says that Exodus employs social support, an environment that "helps the ex-lesbian identity make sense," and it facilitates the reconstruction of personal identities in a way that is more in keeping with an ex-lesbian identity.
Focusing on the relationship between religion and reorientation therapy, Throckmorton cites the largest such survey of its kind, conducted several years ago by Nicolosi, Byrd, and Potts. With a sample size of 882 participants from ex-gay ministry groups and conferences, all of whom had experienced some form of reorientation counseling, a full 96% declared that "religion was very important to them."
Of the subject group, nearly 23% reported "no change" as a result of reorientation therapy, nearly 43% stated there had been "some change," while over 34% said their therapy had effected "much change." 7.1% felt they were worse off after therapy, prompting Dr. Nicolosi and his colleagues to write that "conversion therapy is not appropriate for all clients."
Although Dr. Throckmorton himself points out that such studies are far from being either conclusive or perfect in method and result, the importance of the study by Nicolosi et al seems to lie in two factors: the study's sheer size, and its emphasis on the question of religious motivation as one of the main impetuses for originally trying reorientation.
In addition, Throckmorton states that "although these results do not confirm that sexual orientation changes, the results can be viewed as a broad assessment of self-identity change. Apparently, quite a few respondents saw themselves as gay at one time, but at the time of the survey they saw themselves as predominantly straight."
In his concluding remarks and recommendations for the future, Throckmorton advises mental-health professionals to include "a careful, respectful assessment of clients" religious orientation in [their] clinical judgment." He points out that to some seekers of reorientation therapy, religious beliefs are more powerful factors in their lives than sexual orientation itself. He advises practitioners to exercise the utmost care in their handling of patients "dissatisfied with same-sex sexual orientation due to their religious beliefs."
Throckmorton also suggests that practitioners establish a network of referrals to the appropriate ex-gay ministries in order to accommodate clients of different religious faiths.
Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D. is Director of College Counseling and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania. Inquiries concerning his work in the fields of sexual orientation, pre-therapy change, and counseling standards for mental health professionals may be directed to ewthrockmorton@gcc.edu.
Updated: 3 September 2008
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