International Healing Foundation

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The International Healing Foundation is a non-profit organization directed by Richard Cohen which advocates using reparative therapy to change the sexual orientation of lesbians and gay men. It is part of the ex-gay movement. Cohen and his organization gained some notability for calling homosexuality a Same-Sex Attachment Disorder (SSAD) and for developing a program allegedly enabling lesbians and gay men to transition to heterosexual behavior.

A subsidiary organization, the Institute for Effective Therapy of Homosexuality (IETH) was created by the International Healing Foundation "for the purpose of developing, implementing and teaching successful methods for healing homosexuality."

1 IHF's theory of homosexuality
2 Criticism
3 References
4 External link

[edit] IHF's theory of homosexuality

According to IHF, same-gender attractions have several hidden meanings, including the need for same-gender parent's love, the need for gender identification, and the fear of intimacy with the opposite gender. They argue that homosexuality has several basic causes, which they list as heredity, temperament, hetero-emotional wounds, homo-emotional wounds, family dynamics/sibling wounds, body image wounds, peer wounds, sexual abuse, cultural wounds, intrauterine influences and other factors. Cohen calls for a four-stage model of recovery: transitioning, grounding, healing homo-emotional wounds, and healing hetero-emotional wounds.

Cohen based his ideas on the teachings of the Unification Church, but in the late 1990s he announced a break with the church and recast his ideas in largely psychological terms.

According to IHF, this program has helped many men, women and adolescents cope with homosexuality.

[edit] Criticism

The view that homosexuality is a disease, illness, disorder, or "curable" condition is rejected by the psychiatric and psychological communities at large, such as by the American Psychiatric Association.

Reparative therapy, which is any therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation of a patient, has come under much criticism in recent years. There is no solid evidence that it works, and many psychologists believe it may be harmful, particularly to young people. The American Psychiatric Association's official position on the issue is that:

"In the last four decades, "reparative" therapists have not produced any rigorous scientific research to substantiate their claims of cure. Until there is such research available, APA recommends that ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals' sexual orientation, keeping in mind the medical dictum to first, do no harm." ^[1]

Groups that reject the idea of reparative therapy include The National Association of Social Workers, The American Psychological Association, The American Psychiatric Association, The American Counseling Association, and The American Academy of Pediatrics. ^[2]