The emotional mystique between gay sons and their mothers has long been unexplored, but now new evidence suggests that a mother’s response to her son’s sexuality isn’t the only factor in his future success. How she nurtures him based on his interests, rather than his sexual preferences, is key, especially in a society with narrow definitions of masculinity.
The relationship between gay sons and their mothers is fascinating based on the history of psychiatry pathologizing this bond, suggesting an enmeshment that contributed to the son being gay. Currently, this relationship consists of an empowering bond that contributes to a healthy sense of self in a world where acceptance isn’t necessarily prevalent. The actual key to wellbeing consists of receiving good enough mothering rather than total acceptance of his being gay. This presenter, a gay male author notes that there is little information on this topic, hence the inception Gay Sons and Mothers. This “docuseries” consists of photos and narratives depicting these bonds, video interviews portraying the emotional aspects of their relationships, as well as theory based on interviews and personal experiences.
The gay male subculture emphasizes easy sexual hookups as a norm, without questioning whether this is actually healthy for a couple. This workshop will define how male couples choose exclusivity successfully, how healthy attachment is an important component for considering an open relationship and provide guidelines for managing open boundaries within a couple. Norms in the subculture will be compared to stereotypical heterosexual couples, including what actually constitutes deception or affairs, and how transform deception to a deeper intimacy.
It is essential to know something of the deep and complicated background of all gay men, including the myriad consequences of growing up a minority even in one’s own family, in which self-identity takes shape when there is no mirror. In this workshop, you will be introduced to powerful strategies for enhancing and increasing sensory awareness, and for creating resources for restoring connections within. Such connections provide a bridge between the self and body, something that is often disowned by gay men.
Gay men face unique challenges regarding intimacy, communication and personal autonomy. Hiding due to being gay along with being raised male, creates a dynamic of distancing as the norm. The goal of psychotherapy is to accept and verbalize vulnerabilities in a context of safety, encourage revealing oneself for the sake of self-acceptance, and to learn how to receive nurturance from others. This workshop will define the art of how to gain connection while maintaining autonomy. There will also be an emphasis on sexuality and how specific attachment styles effects choices related to safety, security and risky sexual practices.
Attachment, trauma, sexual compulsivity, performance anxiety and community norms make gay sex tricky. Addressing this with clients is difficult too. This workshop defines sexual norms for gay men and teaches interventions and hypnosis scripts to maximize brief treatment.
Successful brief psychotherapeutic work with gay men includes the use of clinical hypnoses as well as an accepting compassionate stance of the psychotherapist. Ego-state work and positive self-representations create healing from years of internalized shame. Specific psychosocial issues for gay men, core issues common in the gay male community, customized hypnoses scripts, and effective short-term treatment strategies will be discussed.
Successful brief psychotherapeutic work with gay men includes the use of clinical hypnoses as well as an accepting compassionate stance of the psychotherapist. Ego state work and positive self-representations create healing from years of internalized sham. Specific psychosocial issues for game men, core issues common in the gay male community, customized hypnosis scripts, and effective short-term treatment strategies will be discussed.
This presentation explores the biology and developmental psychology of love, sex, sexual orientation, commitment and marriage. Focus is on research and clinical applications.