I have a 20-year old friend who just returned from serving a 2-year LDS mission and was caught by his parents viewing gay sites online. His parent made him talk to his Bishop who said that he would pay for my friend to go to therapy which included hypnosis to get my friend to be attracted to girls. Does anyone know about this kind of LDS Church sponsored therapy? I'm worried that it would include screwing up my friend head so that he becomes physically ill whenever he has a gay thought or sees anything gay--so he could never be happy if he chose to stay gay. I just don't see the Church's agenda would be okay with trying to turn him into a bisexual--they just hate gays too much. Any factual insights about this that I can pass on to my friend before he starts this "therapy" would be very much appreciated.
Here are a few articles I dug up in brief research. I'm not sure which branch of the Latter Day Saints your friend is a part of, so there isn't going to be nuanced articles for that. I've also linked a few wikipedia articles because they usually have good reference sections that you or your friend can look over. Sexuality and the Latter Day Saints/Mormons Sexuality and Mormonism Wikipedia article outlining the differing positions Mormons take on sexuality and gender Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints A much more in depth look at how the LDS church handles homosexuality specifically, the article also includes a section on gay conversion therapy Affirmation - LGBT Mormons, Families, and Friends support and ally group for LGBT Mormons and those connected to them Gay Conversion Therapy The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity Why Gay Conversion Therapy Is Harmful Pretty much what it says on the tin, from the Human Rights Campaign Attempts To Change Sexual Orientation Some accounts of those who have gone through conversion therapy or are connected with it in some way. Collected by University of California, Davis. The website is a bit outdated, but the articles looked good from my brief overview. Gay conversion therapy ruins lives. We cannot afford to keep it legal Op-ed in The Guardian Gay Conversion Hypnotherapy I Spent Seven Years in Gay Conversion Therapy Programs Before Breaking Free A personal account of gay conversion therapy which includes a section on hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy and Homosexuality: “Can Hypnotherapy Cure Homosexuality?” From a hypnotherapist. Sexual orientation change efforts Wikipedia article on the different methods used to "cure" homosexuality in gay conversion therapy. I don't want to drown you in articles (research is my specialty), hopefully this is enough to get you started reading up on the issue and looking for more resources. I would be very skeptical of any therapy the Bishop tries to send your friend to. From the experience of my friends who have been in similar situations, this never ends well.
Okay...going to take a different approach here. First, I am sorry you are dealing with this. I can only imagine that it's really scary to know your friend is going through this. Thing is, you are one person and you're going up against a bunch of crazy people. Sorry if that offends anyone, but, any group or person who thinks this stuff works is out of their mind. However, we all know that the craziest people make the loudest noises. Be there for your friend! No matter what happens, be there. Give him facts, but at the end of the day, don't be surprised if he goes through with this. He spent years doing stuff with the church, and I am guessing he did it longer than the time you mentioned. This reminds me of people who are in abusive relationships or are addicted to something, where you and I think "well, why don't they get out? Why don't they just stop?" They can't. They have to see it for themselves before they will ever listen to anyone else. Wishing the best for all of you!
I don't think a long list of randomly Googled articles peripherally related to the topic issue are going to be the most helpful way of solving your problem here. Let's see if this is of any help: It is *extremely* unethical for a therapist to attempt to use hypnosis to change someone's sexual orientation. If the therapist is licensed by a state board, it is arguably something that could get his or her license revoked. First, as someone who is trained in clinical hypnosis, I can tell you that it has zero possibility of working for that purpose. It's not in the nature of how hypnosis works. Second, yes, a therapist who is doing hypnosis can, if s/he is incompetent, inadvertently screw up the client, such as by planting the idea that something happened that made him or her gay. This was a huge issue in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the "repressed memory of sexual abuse" issue was the topic du jour for the psychotherapy field. It caused a lot of heartache and confusion among clients who were treated by inept but well-meaning therapists. So what is really the issue here is what your friend wants for himself. If he's just coming off of a mission and trying to please his family and his bishop and so forth... that's a difficult challenge because his first inclination might be to believe that he can change, and to try it. So your role should be, first and foremost, to support him. If he's open to discussing the potential downside to conversion therapy, then there's a conversation worth having. I can go in to more detail about how hypnosis (and therapy) aimed at sexual orientation conversion can mess someone's head up, but the challenge for you is whether he is interested in and ready to hear that. It's a difficult situation to be in. I'd suggest seeing if there's openness to discussing the situation, and then doing your best to be there, be supportive, and help keep him grounded, regardless of what he decides to do.
