The idea behind this garbage is that they have basically been brainwashed. There is no better term for it than that. Think about most religious belief systems and you find exactly the same thing. So, since it works so well on the masses to believe nonsensical and illogical things in religion, it is an offshoot of that to do reparative therapy and have someone actually "believe" they are now straight.

That is what causes such great harm, in that underneath it all, nothing has really changed, but their minds have been forced to believe otherwise. Thus you have a dichotomy inside anyone's head that has been forced through this (or even done so willingly), that could, and almost certainly will, explode at some point in the future, leading to very harmful behavior and/or suicide.

For evidence of this look directly into the LGBT community. It is not hard to find people who often speak about how they lived the "standard" lifestyle of a husband, wife, and 2.5 kids with the picket fence and all, only for it all to eventually boil over, and end with them coming out as gay, even when they didn't even consciously understand what was going on previously due to internal and unconscious repression.

Reparative therapy just goes the opposite direction, in that the person figures out much earlier that they are actually LGBT, which leads those around them (usually in a very religious setting) to intervene and see that their behavior is "corrected."

These people would then absolutely believe that they are "straight" and "cured" because that's what they've been told to believe, and in unfortunately many cases, what the person themselves wants to believe because they want to fit in and please those around them.

–Kirill ♥ F

–Kirill ♥ F

Efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm, contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and advocates. Even though the research and clinical literature demonstrate that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality, regardless of sexual orientation identity, the task force concluded that the population that undergoes SOCE tends to have strongly conservative religious views that lead them to seek to change their sexual orientation. Thus, the appropriate application of affirmative therapeutic interventions for those who seek SOCE involves therapist acceptance, support, and understanding of clients and the facilitation of clients’ active coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, without imposing a specific sexual orientation identity outcome. http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/therapeutic-…

No major mental health professional organization has sanctioned efforts to change sexual orientation and virtually all of them have adopted policy statements cautioning the profession and the public about treatments that purport to change sexual orientation. These include the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, National Association of Social Workers in the USA, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the Australian Psychological Society. http://www.glad.org/uploads/docs/cases/2009-11-17… http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/press/pressreleasearchiv… http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_she…
The American Psychological Association and the Royal College of Psychiatrists expressed concerns that the positions espoused by NARTH are not supported by the science and create an environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish. http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/policy/ex-ga… http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/press/pressreleasearchiv…

I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you just a teeny bit. Because I know what a human brain is capable of (and, believe me, what I know from my own experience is nothing compared to what human brain is really capable of, I just have a bit of a better understanding).

Our brain is what makes us human, what makes us us… and we are capable of screwing ourselves into pretty much anything! ANYTHING! Even into changing our sexual orientation! But it's a miserable path, full of self-loathing and feeling of self-worthlessness, it's the worst experience ever…

We know that many cold-blooded serial killers become those heartless bastards after they go through some serious psychological trauma (like witnessing a brutal murder of a parent in a very young age [toddler, preschooler]). I believe, the change of sexual orientation really happens when people undergo some kind of psychotherapy that basically becomes the equivalent of that brutal psychological trauma — so brutal and so horrendous that people have to change in order to survive mentally, to stay sane.

So, my point is, you can change sexual orientation, but this will be a really traumatic experience, the worst kind of torture for your mind. And this change may be real — without any same-sex attraction left… because any attraction of that kind will turn into hatred, the worst kind of contempt, as a coping mechanism to ensure you never go back…

Yes, I'll repeat, I believe changing sexual orientation is possible (because I believe anything is possible when we're dealing with human brain), but it is extremely hard and extremely traumatic for anyone's consciousness, it goes beyond any rationale and should be banned as a subkind of torture. Why fix something if it's not broken? Why break something into little pieces if all you want is to fit in into something smaller? — Because you simply can? This is just sick and has no good reason. So, this is the real argument — not that it's possible, but that it's pointless and cruel.

–Kirill ♥ F