If Gay Doesn't Define You,

You don't have to be Gay

Offering Psychological Insight to Men with Same-Sex Attraction

Dr. Joseph Nicolosi

For many years, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Sr.  assisted over a thousand clients with their goal to reduce their same-sex attractions and explore their heterosexual potential.

A licensed clinical psychologist, he believed that our bodies tell us who we are, and that our bodies have made us for heterosexuality. 

Homosexuality, he believed, is an adaptation to trauma; it is rooted in a same-sex attachment problem that leaves the boy alienated from his masculine nature. 

Dr. Nicolosi did not label this condition a “psychological disorder.”  However, in his view, homosexual development not only works against our biological design, but it leaves repercussions throughout the personality. 

Former APA Presidents Lend Their Support

American Psychological Association

Past President of the American Psychological Association, Robert Perloff, Ph.D., endorsed one of Dr. Nicolosi’s books with these words:

“The author has contributed enormously to the sexual literature…his challenging and forceful commentary is must-reading from top to bottom, from stem to stern…The policies and resolutions of organizations such as the American Psychological Association… would be better framed and more truthfully based were these organizations…open to the sentiments promoting Reparative Therapy®.”

Former American Psychological Association President Nicholas Cummings, Ph.D., during his years as Chief Psychologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, said, “Of the patients I oversaw who sought to change their orientation, hundreds were successful.” [USA Today]

American Psychological Association (APA) Losing Scientific Credibility, Say APA Insiders

In recent years, the psychological professional has become so ideological that it is no longer open to competing ideas. Few members remain who are still willing to speak up; the career cost is simply too high.

For a perspective on this process, we quote Dr. Nicholas Cummings.  He was  a mainline psychologist, a political liberal, and a promoter of intellectual diversity.  Dr. Cummings served as president of the APA before the Association closed itself off to the diversity of competing worldviews.

Book Store

Client Stories

Dan

My name is Dan and I’m 16 years old. I was in therapy with Dr. Nicolosi for about 6-7 months.

Mohammed

My name is Mohammed and I am 28 years old. I am a graduate student living in Cairo. I found Dr. Nicolosi on the Internet at a time when my life was really dark, really painful. I could not stand my same-sex attractions.

David

“I was the quintessential kid that was set up for homosexuality on several levels. I didn’t identify well with my gender, growing up, for various reasons.”

 

Bill

My name is Bill and I was in therapy with Dr. Nicolosi for about three years. I’m now in my fifties and I’m an orthopedic surgeon.

William

Five men were recruited from the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic while in reparative therapy for issues related to unwanted same-sex Attraction (SSA).

Father Bob

My name is Father Bob and I am a 41-year-old Catholic priest who is in residence in a diocese. It was about a month after the passing of my dad when I decided to contact Dr. Joe.

Featured Articles

The American Psychological Association (APA) has just given a female-to-male transgender graduate student its prestigious “Award for Distinguished Early-Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest.”

Ex-gay spokesman John Paulk left his wife and three sons after more than 20 years of marriage and rejoined the gay community.

Offering Psychological Insight to Men with Same-Sex Attraction.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely not. Reparative Therapy® is trademarked with the US Patent and Trademark Office, and has its own distinctive characteristics. Its creator is Joseph Nicolosi Sr., Ph.D. The methods he used are outlined in his books and his videos, which are available on this website. Dr. Nicolosi occasionally used the term “conversion therapy” decades ago, but the term was twisted to mean an effort to “convert” a client through shaming and force. So in its current meaning, no, Reparative Therapy® is not “conversion therapy.” The client is free to accept or reject the therapist’s viewpoint, and there is no coercion.

The best term to describe Reparative Therapy® is “change-allowing therapy,” with the recognition that change occurs for some, but not all clients, and occurs on a continuum. Current research increasingly recognizes that sexuality is fluid for some people.

Dr. Nicolosi co-authored two peer-reviewed, published studies on the effects of treatments that sought to change unwanted sexual attractions (Nicolosi, Byrd & Potts, 2000; Byrd, Nicolosi & Potts, 2008). This study documented successes with clients who had undergone various therapeutic modalities, including Reparative Therapy®.


References:
Nicolosi, J., Byrd, A. D., & Potts, R. W. (2000). Retrospective self-reports of changes in homosexual orientation: a consumer survey of conversion therapy clients. Psychological reports, 86(3 Pt 2), 1071–1088. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2000.86.3c.1071

Byrd, A. D., Nicolosi, J., & Potts, R. W. (2008). Clients’ perceptions of how reorientation therapy and self-help can promote changes in sexual orientation. Psychological reports, 102(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.102.1.3-28

The term refers to the “reparative drive” which, in Dr. Nicolosi’s view, is the source of the homosexual condition. The individual has experienced a gender trauma during his formative years which made maleness seem mysterious, exciting, and “not me.” He seeks to “repair” his normal, but unmet drive for male attention, affection and approval through same-sex eroticism.

Welcome to JosephNicolosi.com. I’m Joseph Nicolosi, Jr., the conveniently named son of Dr. Nicolosi. I’m also a clinical psychologist, researcher, and author. Enter your email here to get immediate exclusive access to two free audio chapters of my father’s book, Shame and Attachment Loss.

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