The Supprsed Trma of Beg Told I Was Gog to Hell for Beg Gay

Contents:

• A SOMATIC PERSPECTIVE ON THE TRMA OF GROWG UP GAY
• WHAT IS GAY ATTACHMENT TRMA AND WHY DO WE ALL HAVE IT?
• TREATMENT OF GAY MEN FOR POST-TRMATIC STRS DISORR RULTG OM SOCIAL OSTRACISM AND RIDICULE: GNIVE BEHAVR THERAPY AND EYE MOVEMENT SENSIZATN AND REPROCSG APPROACH
• 3 MYTHS ABOUT GAY MEN & TRMA
• GAY MEN AND MOVG ON IN LIFE AFTER TRMA
• THE SUPPRSED TRMA OF BEG TOLD I WAS GOG TO HELL FOR BEG GAY

A SOMATIC PERSPECTIVE ON THE TRMA OF GROWG UP GAY

Relign and LGBTQ+: Embracg Two Worlds | Vcent Masrenas | TEDxMoreCatholicHSIn his talk, Vcent discs his own experience growg up gay and Catholic and the stggl that happened as a rult of his nflictg inti. Proudly Inpennt & Gay Owned sce 2014.

For almost three s, I have immersed myself the life stori of many people of the LGBTQ muny who had paful homophobic and transphobic upbrggs. Many of the gay men’s personal narrativ that I have heard are not very different om my own.

Regardls of natnal orig, we are part of a tribe wh siar stori of growg up a homophobic and heterosexist world where our gayns was repeatedly asslted. We are everywhere, and unfortunately so is homophobia.

WHAT IS GAY ATTACHMENT TRMA AND WHY DO WE ALL HAVE IT?

Many gay men have shared wh me that as long they uld rell they always felt different. Other gay men have disclosed to me that this feelg revealed self the form of genr nonnformy, which uld not be kept secret.

Therefore, ma them more vulnerable to homophobic mistreatment at school and often at home. Gay men of lor reported even worse experienc due to the addnal strs of racism and racial bullyg.

Any school-age child’s worst nightmare is beg labeled faggot, which was monly experienced by many gay dividuals who did not flow wh the mastream. So much has been wrten about the vastatg impact of homophobia on gay people’s psychologil functng but not enough on the blogil impact of . It is important to unrstand how repeated hateful acts toward gay youngsters n impact the way their bodi and mds functn, cludg the functng of their nervo system.

TREATMENT OF GAY MEN FOR POST-TRMATIC STRS DISORR RULTG OM SOCIAL OSTRACISM AND RIDICULE: GNIVE BEHAVR THERAPY AND EYE MOVEMENT SENSIZATN AND REPROCSG APPROACH

Drawg om their work and my s of experience, is my unrstandg the ongog strs om homophobia n activate a youngster’s nervo system and “unrolved activatn will be stored the body as bound energy and manift as trma symptoms. ” In other words, unr a daily homophobic asslt, a child’s sympathetic system (“strs rponse” or “fight or flight” rponse) gets overly activated. Acrdg to many studi, gay dividuals who experienced homophobic related strs showed creased productn of the strs hormone rtisol pared to peers safer environments.

On the other hand, there are gay men whose nervo systems are stuck on “low” or hypo-aroal, which n rult om beg terrorized growg up wh no hope of protectn. Dorsal vag is stmental activatg the “shutdown” of the body as discsed s of overwhelmg fear which n rult om homophobic mistreatment. In my unselg work, I have noticed when the nervo system gets stuck on eeze, when numbns and tachment bee a gay man’s domant state, he is more likely to engage risky behavrs as a temporary relief om ner adns.

Thrill seekg behavrs such as sexual actg out, excsive gamblg, and crystal meth (crystal methamphetame) e are ways some gay men pe the emotnal flatns that rults om experiencg the hypo-aroal state. ” For those of who have had paful stggl wh homophobia, life after the closet needs to clu alg wh memori of homophobic mistreatment that n lie dormant our body.

3 MYTHS ABOUT GAY MEN & TRMA

Recently my iend sent me a very helpful vio by relatnship ach and psychotherapist Alan Robarge, “Growg Up Gay and Attachment Wounds: Impact on Relatnships, ” and ’s the first time I’ve ever enjoyed listeng to a man expla somethg to the voice of a wise rtoon owl who’s jt had six iced ffe, Robarge breaks down how growg up gay n create or worsen “attachment wounds, ” which then permeate our nervo system and psyche, and affect how we velop relatnships. Gay attachment trma is the rult of beg the “target of aggrsn, ” whether overt or vert, when growg up, sentially disptg your personal velopment. DUNEDIN, New Zealand, July 26, 2010 ()—A recent Otago Universy study has found that homosexual or bisexual dividuals are more likely to have unrgone a variety of of trmas childhood, cludg sexual asslt, rape, vlence, and wnsg vlence the home.

“People who eher intify themselv as homosexual or bisexual, or have had a same-sex enunter or relatnship, tend to e om more disturbed backgrounds, ” said Rearch Associate Profsor Elisabeth Wells.

GAY MEN AND MOVG ON IN LIFE AFTER TRMA

8% intified as homosexual; 0. Of people who reported certa trmatic childhood events, 15% were not heterosexual; of those whout such experienc, only 5% were not heterosexual, suggtg that such experienc tripled the chance of later profsg homosexual or bisexual clatns. Some homosexualist lears took issue wh the study’s fdgs: Tony Simpson, chairman of the natnal homosexualist group Rabow Wellgton, said that the rearch should not be taken to mean that homosexuals are not born that way.

“I have no doubt that the relig right will leap to the ncln that this go to show nclively that homosexuals are ma rather than born, ” he said.

“I spect there might be some gay and lbian people who will be dignant, but is not my tentn to anger them, ” she said. “You uld say that if someone was sexually abed as a child, choos to live as a homosexual and liv life well, then that is not a bad thg.

THE SUPPRSED TRMA OF BEG TOLD I WAS GOG TO HELL FOR BEG GAY

But if they are livg a homosexual life and regrettg , that is another matter. Although sexual or physil abe childhood was associated wh adult homosexualy, other trmatic experienc, such as the sudn ath of a loved one or ser childhood illns or accint, were only slightly associated wh non-heterosexual inty or behavur. Of femal who self-intified as homosexual, more than 40% had been married and had children, whereas 13% of male homosexuals had done so.