XGW Seeking Other Patients Told By Their Therapists To Lie In Spitzer Study
In one of my last therapy sessions with Joseph Nicolosi of NARTH he asked me to participate in a self-reporting study on ex-gays being conducted by a guy named Spitzer. At the time I believed my sessions with Nicolosi had given me the ability to continue living a healthy life and I would eventually function as a heterosexual. Nicolosi told me it would be great if I could represent the positive/success side of ex-gays in this study. Joseph Nicolosi asked me to lie to Spitzer when I called in for my study interview by denying Nicolosi had referred me. Turned off by this attempted manipulation, I never went through with taking part in the Spitzer study. If anyone else has been asked to lie for the Sptizer study by their therapist please contact me.
-Daniel S. Gonzales
This is very interesting Daniel.Particularly as we know that Nicolosi structured (manipulated?) the process around the Spitzer study. From an interview by Spitzer:
I’ll be interested to see what else gets said, and I wonder if Nicolosi still counts you as one of his successful changes?…
I remember hearing about the study (they announced the search for participants at the ex-gay group I attended), but I didn’t even consider participating since I hadn’t experienced any change at that point. Even though I don’t recall any specifics (like, “make sure only those of you who have experienced change participate”) that’s the impression I got of what they were looking for. I’m not saying that was said, but it was the feeling I got – right or wrong.
Also, regarding the study – does anyone know where to get a copy of the questions that were asked by Spitzer?
Hi Christine,The interview questions were provided when it was published. Unfortunately, it being copyright and all, they are not online unless you are a subscriber. If you’ve got a decent University library near by they may have a copy.Oh, I guess it would help if I gave you the title
Springer Verlag? A German publisher? (“Verlag” means “publisher.”)
Springer Verlag publishes a number of books on obscure topics in physics and mathematics. Springer Verlag also publishes the rather low-rent tabloid (Revolverblatt) Das Bild in Germany.
I’m surprised that Spitzer couldn’t get a US psychiatric journal to publish his paper. Maybe it couldn’t get through peer-review.
Hey Daniel. Just out of curiosity, why haven’t you come forward with this prior to today, especially since the study is several years old now?
The “Axel Springer Verlag” that publishes the “Bild” tabloid is a different Springer-Verlag than the one that publishes science books and journals.
I was asked to participate by a high up person at Focus on the Family – I was “Honest” with the answers to Dr. Spitzer – After about 5 questions I was told that not enough change had not taken place in my orientation in order to continue the survey. I gave the phone # to one of my friends to set up a phone interview with Dr. Spitzer. The same thing happened to him. That is why most of my friends find the survey to be a “joke”.
Hi KHI presume you and your friend must be two of the 74 people that got dropped in the first round? Or did Robert Spitzer interview many more people that never appeared in the final paper?And without giving away any names — was the person at Focus one of their “homosexuality and gender experts”, or just someone who’d heard that Spitzer was looking for people to interview?Thanks!