abolishhumantrafficking.com

I just found one of the most informative blogs I’ve ever seen on abolishing human trafficking. It has links to dozens of organizations in the U.S. and internationally that fight trafficking as well as articles and posts on related events to raise awareness or funding, especially in Southern California. Check it out:

http://www.abolishhumantrafficking.com/

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

Restavèk Curse in Haiti

THE FOLLOWING POST ORIGINATED AT THE COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL BLOG:

Restavèk is a Creole word for a Haitian child who stays with and works for another family. A restavèk child can be a boy or a girl who is given away by a poor family in order to survive. Frequently, the restavèk’s most basic rights to health and education are denied.

Of these children, 65 percent are girls between age 6 and 14. They are forced to work long hours under harsh conditions, and are subject to mistreatment, including sexual abuse. The restavèk child is the first person to wake up in the morning and the last one to go to bed, sometimes after 14 hours of work that consists of, among other chores, carrying water, washing clothes, taking the owner’s children to school, doing errands, and cleaning the home.

The restavèk child is often beaten for the simplest mistakes. Laws against child abuse exist in Haiti, but unfortunately they are seldom enforced as children’s rights don’t have a high a priority. The number of restavèk children reported nationally is between 250,000 and 300,000, and this domestic phenomenon is due to several reasons.

The main reason is parents’ low income. A lack of economic resources forces parents from remote areas to place their children with families in urban areas with the hope that the child will have a better future. A restavèk child can also be the product of parents’ broken relationships.
Another reason for a child to leave home is mistreatment by parents or relatives.

If the restavèk doesn’t find a better future by age 17, the child often takes his or her independence from the owner to join a street gang or to become a prostitute. The owner will then look for a younger child, and the infernal circle continues. In the past, restavèk children used to be placed in middle-class or upper-class families. But most current reports on restavèk children show the opposite, as the restavèks are largely owned by urban families who cannot even provide for their own children.

The restavèk child has to suffer not just because the owner does not want to meet the child’s needs, but because even if the owner wants to, he cannot. The restavèk owners are usually people who cannot read or write. The ones who can read or write have very little education, and often do not care about children’s rights. The restavèk’s owner is always reluctant to let other people talk to the child, so as not to be alerted to the child’s situation.

Fighting the Restavèk Curse in Haiti

Jean Klebert Excéus, a former child development center director, is a Haitian leader who stands against restavèk children in Haiti.

Klebert now works as a school administrator serving restavèk children. His job consists of evaluating the school program curriculum, hiring new teachers, evaluating teachers, providing new orientation to the school when needed, and providing reports to the church for assistance money provided by Compassion.

“In a battle there are different roles that a soldier can play. Some soldiers give alert, some give orders, and others launch the attacks; I am in the front line against it.”

Klebert originally shared his vision for fighting the trafficking of children into servitude with his church board. The church is located in the heart of the Solino slum, one of the largest slums in the Port-au-Prince area, which used to be a no-go area due to violence, kidnapping and gang activity. As a member of the church board, Klebert knew about the challenges, but was determined to do something. Because, he says, “Where there is will, there is also a way.”

Klebert believed that if he helped the restavèk children, he would reduce the number of street gangs since many street children used to be restavèk. Starting a school for domestic children was not without difficulty. The fact that the restavèk children are often older than 9 makes it hard for them to be part of Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, which registers younger children.

Klebert initially decided to meet the restavèk children every Sunday afternoon since they had less to do that day and their owners are also more flexible about releasing them for just a few hours. One year later, in 1996, a school that operated in the afternoon five days a week was opened. Since then, the school has grown to 400 students, and it operates in two sessions. The difficulties of sustaining the program increased as more children came, and the local church could not meet all the needs.

That’s when Compassion began to assist the local church with the special project through tuition fees, books, uniforms and nonformal education.

The church actually has two schools. One is a regular school and the other one is for over-age children — restavèk. The schools are located in the same slum but in different locations. It is impossible for restavèk children to be accepted in the regular school because they are always over age when they owner decides to send them to school. They start school usually when they are 10 or 12 years old. In Haiti, children normally start school at 3, and complete elementary school at age 12.

Currently, the elementary school for the restavek children is one of the best schools in the Solino area. Children are receiving classical education plus vocational training such as plumbing, cooking and pastry, cosmetology and floral art. Klebert hopes to add courses such as computer training, carpentry, help nurse and cabinet maker, as those skills would equip the children for a better future. He dreams of having more children and more activities for them at the school. His dream is that one day, one of the restavèk children comes to replace him, as he had been replaced by a former sponsored child as the child development center director.

Stories of Restavèk Children

Michelet, a 15-year-old boy, is a restavèk child like thousands of others in Haiti. Unlike the others, however, he dreams of becoming the best plumber in Port-au-Prince.

Michelet did not know his mother very well, and does not know if she is still alive or not. He was born in Cayes, in southern Haiti. His father separated from his mother and took him from her at age 5. Michelet was brought to Port-au-Prince, to Solino, and placed in a family that his father did not know. His father could not find a job, so he decided to join a gang in order to help Michelet. Michelet remembers that his father sometimes used to bring food for him. But Michelet learned his father was killed during a police operation. So Michelet grew up as a restavèk.

His main job consists of taking care of his owner, a blind man. Michlet takes his “uncle” to church or any other place he needs to go. He calls his owners “uncle and aunt,” even though there is no blood relationship between them.

Unlike many other restavèk, Michelet had the chance to attend school for the first time when he was 10. Currently, he is in grade five, and he will take the official exams next June that will give him access to secondary school next year. Michelet is also learning plumbing at the center. His passion for plumbing is evident in that he always wants to be the first to start the practice session.

Unlike other restavèk who hate their owners after being freed, Michelet intends to help his “uncle and aunt” because they are getting older and have nobody to rely on. “When I am making money, I will help my uncle and my aunt, as they were allowing me to go to school.”

Michelet was not always treated well, though. Sometimes he went for an entire day without eating. His owners did not buy him good, clean clothes like they do for their own child. He was forced to stay with his “uncle” most of the time, with no time to play as a child. But the values and good manners he learned in the school make him feel that he must treat them well.

Acnise is an orphan. She lost both her mother and father when she was 8 years old. After her parents died, Acnise’s life was torn apart when a neighbor decided to take charge of her. Acnise was forced to wake up at 5 every morning to wash dishes, clean the home, carry water and cook when she was 9. Sometimes, she was not allowed to eat the food she made.

“I was beaten at least two times a day with an electric cable for any little mistake. Sometimes I don’t even know what is good and what is wrong, as I was beaten for almost everything.”

Because Acnise lived near the school, she used to see children her age wearing uniforms to school when she was walking home, carrying a bucket full of water on her head. One night after being severely beaten, Acnise decided to leave home, even though she did not know where she was going. Acnise wanted to take shelter at the school, but at 9 p.m. the gate was already closed. She decided to go to Klebert’s home.

After Acnise explained to Klebert why she was there, Klebert allowed her to spend one week at his home in order to better understand her problems and also to see how he could make her life better. The fact that Acnise was 9 and had never attended school made it difficult for her to register into Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program. However, she was admitted to the school for restavèks.

Acnise was placed in a family that belongs to the local church. Currently, she is in grade five and is taking cooking, pastry-making and floral art at the school. As a result, Acnise accepted Christ as her Savior and she is active at church. She is the only child the church has placed in a home so far. The young couple who accepted Acnise at their home has only one little boy. Acnise feels comfortable looking after the boy, as she is not forced to do that.

Acnise now can play with other children in school and at home. She cleans the home, washes the dishes and sets the bed after school. After that, she is free to study her lesson or do her homework. The family where Acnise was placed sometimes cannot provide her everything she needs.

But at least she is free in mind and in spirit.

SOURCE: COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL BLOG POST

Emmaus Ministries: Terminal Hope

Last night, I went to a benefit dinner for Emmaus Ministries. I have been praying for Emmaus for a long time, and I hope others who read JSASSN posts have, too, for Emmaus ministers to men in the inner city of Chicago who are trapped by male street prostitution, generational poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and HIV/AIDS.

Emmaus Ministries has a talented leadership team, including Al and Andi Tauber, who direct educational outreach to local Catholic and Protestant churches to make people far from the city aware of the real needs there. Last night, they incorporated music, story-telling, and live performance art to draw the audience into an awareness of the lives of men on the streets: where they came from, what happened to them as children, what they wanted for themselves, why they turned to prostitution, how they began to get out of the destructive cycle of selling themselves on the streets and turn toward wholeness. The program was called TERMINAL HOPE because, even when everything seems dark and full of despair, there is hope at end of the line.

I am really thankful for Emmaus Ministries, and I continue to pray for them. Please pray with me for an end to prostitution in Chicago and around the world.

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

Dawn Herzog Jewell: Stopping the Global Sex Trade

Last weekend, I met Dawn Herzog Jewell, the author of Escaping the Devil’s Bedroom: Sex Trafficking, Global Prostitution, and the Gospel’s Transforming Power. Dawn’s book is an outstanding resource for anyone wanting to learn more about this injustice and how to fight it. I recommend it.

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

The End of Slavery

International Justice Mission has created a new documentary film called, “The End of Slavery: The Battle for Justice in Our Time.” The film is intended to educate the American public about the problem of international human trafficking and the enslavement of men, women, and children all over the world, especially in situations of forced prostitution. To order a copy of the film, click:

THE END OF SLAVERY

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

Emmaus Ministries Resources Handlist

Emmaus Ministries reaches out to men involved in prostitution in Chicago. On their website, they have compiled a useful handlist of Christian ministries serving those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction, sexual addition, internet pornography, sexual abuse histories, and other aspects of sexual brokenness. To download the list as a .pdf file, click below:

Emmaus Ministries Resources Handlist

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

Stopping Prostitution in Chicago

Every time I drive to the airport in Chicago, I see huge billboards and signs advertising so called “gentlemen’s clubs.” I pray for the women I see in those pictures — that they will be delivered and discover new life in Christ. I pray that the club “owners” will go bankrupt and that the club buildings will become churches. I pray that “customers” will lose the desire and the money to seek out these advertised “services” and that they will instead seek salvation, repentance, and redemption.

My most recent trip to Midway Airport made me want to find out who is actually intervening in the sex trade in Chicago to try to put an end to prostitution.

It turns out that a few years ago federal government identified 16 major metropolitan areas around the United States where the sex trade is a major problem. Chicago, like San Francisco and Las Vegas, is one of those cities. In response to federal pressure, Mayor Richard M. Daley took steps to respond in a new program. As part of the program, the Chicago police started to put the pictures of the “customers” of prostitutes on the police department program webpage at the time of their arrest so that social shame might curb some of the demand for sex in the city. Then, in March 2009 this year, Cook County Sherriff Tom Dart sued Chicago’s Craigslist to get the company to shut down its “exotic services” listing. But a DePaul University law school report with interviews of five former city pimps showed just how complicit other Chicago police officers have been with pimps in the sex trade, taking money and only occasionally arresting pimps or prostitutes for show (see page 6).

In 2008, another valuable report based on interviews of 100 prostitutes in Chicago was published, which clearly reveals the need for intervention and redemption efforts in the city.

Among other things, the report estimates that there are between 16,000 and 25,000 prostitutes in Chicago. Approximately 1/3 of the women interviewed were coerced into the trade by a pimp when they were between the ages of 12 and 15. They were vulnerable to such coercion because they had run away from homes where they were being abused, often sexually, and neglected. On the streets, at their young ages and with few skills, they sold sex in exchange for survival: for food, clothing, and shelter. As the DePaul University Law School report interviewing pimps shows, the prostitutes typically turned over all the money they made to their pimps. Furthermore, some of their pimps introduced them to drugs, as a way to control them (though this backfired when crack cocaine hit the streets). So the majority of Chicago prostitutes struggle with drug and alcohol addiction as well as severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress from the violence they have experienced in the sex trade.

I have learned of at least one new program designed to help prostitutes in Chicago. Christian Community Health Center sponsors the program, called Footprints, and it involves helping women get their basic needs for food, clothes, and shelter met while simultaneously helping them to break their addictions, gain education, learn job skills, and recover physically and emotionally so that they can live independently. The program can be reached at 773-533-5600.

Of course, Emmaus Ministries continues to intervene in the lives of male prostitutes in Chicago, and I continue to keep them in my prayers.

I ask you to pray with me. As I have read these reports and begun learning about the situation in Chicago, I see that we need to pray for:

* an end to prostitution in Chicago
*more ministries to arise to intervene in the sex trade to bring club owners, pimps, and prostitutes to Christ Jesus
*an end to poverty and childhood sexual abuse that makes boys vulnerable to the “glamour” of pimping and girls vulnerable to the “security” of prostitution
*police officers who have integrity and justice to guard the streets of Chicago
*police officers to refuse bribes and any form of money meant to make them look away from crimes in the sex trade
*complete emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological healing for men and women leaving the sex trade
*the application of systemic strategies for reducing and eliminating the demand for sex by “customers,” especially white men with money identified by Chicago pimps as their primary clientele.

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

Exodus International Freedom 2009 Conference

Exodus International is a Christian ministry whose mission is to set people free from homosexuality through the love of Jesus Christ. This week, Exodus is holding its annual Freedom Conference on the campus of Wheaton College. I have had the privilege of attending some conference sessions and learning in the process.

PFLAG

Tuesday night, I headed to Edman Chapel to attend the first plenary and participate in praise, worship, and prayer. But the first thing I encountered was a group of protesters from PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of DuPage County and a number of police and public security officers who were standing between the protesters and the entrance to the campus. PFLAG folks were chanting, “Please go home!” They waved large rainbow flags and held up signs that said, “Your lies kill.” I was instantly reminded of the conflict between pro-life and pro-choice street demonstrators I had seen so often when I was a child being raised in the pro-life movement.

I ended up having a conversation with three parents who were standing apart from the main group. One said his daughter told him she knew she was a lesbian from the time she was seven. (Later, I thought about the fact that a seven year old is prepubescent, and I wondered what had happened to this girl and what knowledge she had gained at such a young age to begin thinking she was attracted to other girls.)

Another said that she is part of PFLAG because she wants people in the community to know that there are gays and lesbians all around, and furthermore, she wants her child to know that her child is “okay” the way her child is. (This made me think about how Christian psychological explanations for the roots of same-sex attraction, which often point to some failure of the parent to bond with the same-sex child in a healthy way, would be very wounding to a parent who loved her son or daughter.) In our conversation, I shared three thoughts.

First, I said I thought PFLAG members had courage to walk in the Wheaton Parade on the Fourth of July, which I saw a week ago, considering the support in Wheaton is not like San Francisco or Chicago. Second, in response to the PFLAG signs accusing Exodus of spreading lies that kill, I shared my belief that when someone commits suicide, friends and family are not to blame. Third, I mentioned that the effects of trauma on the survivor of assault change the pathways of the brain. The mother instantly asked if I was saying sexual abuse was the cause of same-sex attraction. I said no, but I was saying that early childhood experiences shape the way the human brain responds to sexuality.

That’s when the third parent said what it comes down to is that he believes being gay is a perfectly acceptable way to be whereas Exodus does not.

He’s right.

For Christians, same-sex attraction is a temptation to sin and homosexual practice is sinful — one of many temptations and sins Christians face throughout their lives. Since Christians have determined to live lives of spiritual and sexual purity so that they may become more like Christ, Exodus provides a way out of temptation and sin that is compassionate and supportive. Although it does minister to people outside the church, Exodus is particularly helpful to those who believe in Christ and need understanding and strength from other members of the body of Christ to live rightly.

TUESDAY NIGHT

When I did finally make it through the protesters and the police, I went to the chapel to listen to Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus International. He asked three questions: “Who are you? What are you doing here? And do you know that God has a purpose for your life?” Although these are weighty questions, he spoke with humor that kept the audience listening and laughing even while we seriously considered his points.

Then Dennis Jernigan came to the piano, and we all joined together in singing and praising God. I would say that Dennis has a special anointing on his life to lead others in worship. Listening to him reminded me of listening to Keith Green praise God at JESUS WEST COAST when I was a little girl growing up in California.

Afterwards, anyone could go forward for prayer. I went forward with many others, thankful to God for the chance to speak to him with someone else’s support. I had cried to the entire service, feeling a lot of tension in my body that was caused by fear and the memory of fearful things. To receive prayer was a blessing.

Later, I stopped by the newcomers’ orientation where I happened to meet Alan Chambers and his wife, Leslie. I gave them a copy of my newest book of poetry, MADE IN THE IMAGE. I was just so delighted that they wanted to have it!

WEDNESDAY WORKSHOPS

Causes and Healing of Male Homosexuality: In this peaceful and informative workshop, Jim Katsoudas of Clean Heart Ministries in Charlotte, NC and Rusty Angell presented the factors that influence the development of male homosexuality and the healing of it.

Environmental factors can include an absent father, a combative or alcoholic father, or a father who causes his son to fear him excessively. A son’s relationship with his mother may be emotionally enmeshed, combative (causing hatred of women), or simply overly-protective. Siblings may play a role, especially if a younger son feels he is not good enough in comparison to an older brother, which may ruin his self esteem and self-image. Peers can play a similar role to siblings if they are cruel. Sexual and emotional abuse by the same or opposite sex parent will certainly influence a child’s understanding of himself and his sexuality, which will be confused and damaged as a result of the abuse.

The workshop leaders considered the possibility of genetic or inborn influences on the development of male homosexuality. Scientific research in this area has not been conclusive. There is no gene marker tied directly to the development of homosexuality. But what about a psychological predisposition?

In 1973, Dr. Robert Spitzer re-wrote the definition of homosexuality in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in response to gay activist protests of the American Psychiatric Association in such a way that homosexuality no longer had to be considered a mental illness. However, Exodus later approached Dr. Spitzer to do a study of men and women who had come out of homosexual lives. Dr. Spitzer’s “findings challenge the widely-held assumption that a homosexual orientation is “who one is” — an intrinsic part of a person’s identity that can never be changed.” (For more info, see “Evidence Found for Effectiveness of Reorientation Therapy.”)

It is the view of Jim Katsoudas that “the only genetic influence towards the possibility of male homosexuality is that some males are naturally more sensitive, which may gift them with certain affinities in the arts. This then may set them up in their early adolescent years to struggle with same-sex attraction due to ostracism from other males.” When Jim asked how many of the same-sex attracted men in the room played an instrument or drew pictures or enjoyed interior decorating, about 80 of the 100 men present raised their hands.

The workshop leaders also discussed emotional and spiritual factors in the development of male homosexuality, which can include an inferiority complex (from a lack of affirmation from the father), poor self-esteem (feeling isolated), self-loathing and self-hatred (of the physical body), narcissism (in the sense of putting on a front, a false self, to suggest to others “I’m better” and “I’ve got it going on” in order compensate for interior feelings of worthlessness), sexual and relational idolatry (worshiping another man, desiring him and wanting to possess him, in part because of wanting to become like him), poor understanding of God the Father, and deep-seated anger.

Healing from homosexuality involves the whole person: the will, the heart, the soul, the mind, and the body. Healing includes acceptance of the broken self, which means honesty with oneself and others, receiving affirmation from other men, developing a healthy view of the opposite sex, replacing the false or negative sense of self with a true understanding that we are made in the image of God, getting real and being accountable on a regular basis, taking risks, allowing God to move us out of our comfort zone, and asserting a true masculine nature.

Healing will include spiritual growth, which means living in a new identity as a son of God and a warrior of faith, willing to stand in the gap for those the man loves. Spiritual growth also means forgiving others, surrendering the right to get revenge, taking a rightful place in the church, participating in Christian service and living with God daily, allowing him to reveal strengths and weaknesses, to renew the mind, and to help the man stay accountable as he lives in healthy fellowship with other believers.

In the question and answer period that followed, the workshop leaders fully admitted that this was only an introduction to the issues and that sustainable healing takes time and exploration of issues at a much deeper level.

How to Minister to Children of Homosexual Parents:

This workshop was led by Julie Fernandez, a woman who was raised by a mother who had multiple lesbian partners over the years. She never knew her father, but she always identified as a girl interested in traditionally girl activities, despite her mother cutting her hair short, putting her on an all boys baseball team, and calling her by a boy’s name. When she grew up, she became a Christian, married, and had five children. She now runs For Such a Time as This Ministries.

She noted that a study in Developmental Psychology found that 12% of children of lesbians became active lesbians themselves, a rate which is at least four times the base rate of lesbianism in the adult female population (Daly 2002). She also noted that the third of homosexuals’ children become homosexual (Chambers 2006).

She pointed out that children of homosexual parents typically have two different types of upbringings. It may be that their heterosexual parents were married, then divorced to be with same-sex partners. The trauma of divorce, with the added complications of same-sex relationships, has a powerful impact on children. Other children are born into the lifestyle and only know a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered home-life.

For the children, this raises questions about belonging. They do not always feel like they belong in the GLBT culture, but they may recognize they are not necessarily part of a larger culture, mainstream society, or the church. Julie advised those who want to minister to these children to be available, avoid stereotypes, provide a place for them to connect to other believers, give examples of biblical gender roles and identities, create a safe and healthy environment for sharing and prayer, avoid compromising God’s word, and be aware of the insensitive remarks others may make around the children and try to protect the children from hurtful conversations by people who lack understanding and empathy.

Sexual Abuse – Theological Issues and Practical Responses:

Dr. Andrew J. Schmutzer Moody Bible Institute, an overcomer of years of incestuous sexual abuse and assault, presented this workshop – one of the best I’ve ever seen on the issue of recovery from sexual abuse.

He began by noting three crushing lessons that victims have learned: “I do not have control over my own body,” “the world is not a safe place for me,” and “God, the Almighty One, did not step in to prevent it.” He then noted that sexual abuse causes brokenness to the whole person in relationship to the self, others, and faith.

After giving an explanation of Genesis 1:26-28 and discussing personhood in creation theology – the fact that we are made in the image of God as male and female, as sexual beings – he observed that sexual abuse fractures the unity of personhood, impairs sexual expression, distorts delegated authority, disfigures the “face identity” of others (because the abused person perceives others without natural trust but instead with suspicion), isolates itself from community, destroys family relationships, and mars connecting metaphors for God.

He noted the horrifying statistics: one in three girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18. Standard effects of abuse are emotional (anxiety, anger, depression, dissociation), physical (sleep paralysis, headaches, stomach ache), and behavioral (hyper arousal, compulsive behaviors, self mutilation, inability to trust others, over-controlling, too submissive, sexualized acting out, aggression). He also noted that sexually traumatized children are 15% more likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, liver use, and diabetes as adults.

He discussed reasons why admission of sexual abuse by the one abused may be delayed by many years (fear, shame, denial, confusion, desire to protect the abuser and the family, and so on) and then outlined the stages of recovery for victims of sexual abuse. He noted how friends and family can help a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

Most interestingly, he gave suggestions for how the local church can acknowledge the experience of those who have been abused in their congregations. The church can build healing rituals into worship, integrate a robust theology of embodiment into preaching and formation programs, incorporate the life experiences of victims into the liturgical calendar and the prayers, and put the wounded who are in recovery into leadership in the church to help others. He said it is also important to show how Jesus, in his sufferings, can empathize and connect with human beings who have suffered. He said it would be helpful to use fresh metaphors to help victims rehabilitate their view of God. He urged leaders to foster transcending connections.

In this workshop, I had the opportunity to speak, connect with other survivors of abuse, and have a long and meaningful conversation with Dr. Schmutzer about ministry in this area.

THURSDAY WORKSHOPS

Overcoming Depression and Anxiety: Jayson Graves, M.MFT of Healing for the Soul, which seeks to facilitate recovery from sexual addiction and unwanted same gender attraction through therapy conducted over the phone for those all over the world in groups and one-on-one consultations (#1-877-590-SOUL), led this workshop.

He began by giving a self-assessment questionnaire designed to help test-takers identify the areas of their brains affected and causing anxiety and depression. He then explained the major areas of the brain. He described prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, basal ganglia, deep limbic system, and the temporal lobe particularly, the psychological and physical functions controlled by different parts of the brain, and how improper functioning of certain areas of the brain results in various negative conditions. He then presented natural and medicinal treatment options.

Some insights that I gained? I was reminded that trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) literally impair proper brain functioning in multiple areas of the brain, but I was also encouraged as I remembered that the recovery process literally changes the blood flow, shape, and pathways of the brain so that true healing becomes possible. Healing may actually restore a lost sense, like the sense of smell, or make the perceptions of the senses sharper as the one in recovery reintegrates the fragmented self into a greater whole that includes full acceptance of the self and the body.

Furthermore, I learned that anxiety is linked to hypoglycemia (which I hadn’t realized before), intense aerobic exercise helps keep all parts of the brain in excellent health, and fish oil is good for you! It’s a natural anti-inflammatory for the brain.

This workshop had far more information than can be easily summarized, but Dr. Henslin’s book, This is Your Brain on Joy, is a helpful substitute for attendance!

Healing and Freedom from Sexual Addictions:

In this workshop, Curt Calas, LCPC, and Ken Taylor, LCSW, described the advantages of treating same-sex attraction from an addictions perspective. They also considered other types of sexual addictions to heterosexual activity and pornography. They discussed ways of assessing whether or not someone has a sexual addiction. They gave definitions of addiction such as:

“a pathological relationship with the mood altering substance or behavior” – Carnes

“including obsession, compulsion, trancelike states, and repeated poor judgment for one’s spiritual, emotional, and legal safety) – Weiss

“a destructive reliance on ungodly sexual thinking and behavior in opposition to the conviction of the Holy Spirit” – Calas and Taylor

They discussed criteria for addiction, which include a pattern of out-of-control behavior, failure to stop the behavior even though it causes severe problems socially, legally, financially and physically, the pursuit of self destructive or high risk behavior, efforts to stop or reduce the behavior that repeatedly fail, sexual obsession and fantasy, progressive increase in amount and variety of sexual behavior (because of an increasing tolerance – that is, the chemical effect of needing increase sexual stimuli to get the high), mood changes, significant loss of time doing or recovering from the behavior, and an inability to fulfill obligations to work, school, family, and friends.

They discussed the cycle of addiction and the cycle of recovery, providing a handout of tasks that those in recovery from sexual addiction go through as they become healthier.

Tasks 1-7: breakthrough denial, understand addiction, surrender, limit damage, establish sobriety, establish physical integrity, live in a culture of support

Tasks 8-19: deal with multiple addictions, work through cycles of abuse, reduce shame, grieve losses, bring closure to shame, work on relationship with the self, establish financial viability, do meaningful work, achieve lifestyle balance, build support, pay attention to exercise and nutrition, develop a spiritual life

Tasks 20-30: resolve conflicts, restore healthy sexuality, engage in family therapy, work on family relationships, commit to recovery fully and over the long term, and deal with issues with your children, issues with your extended family, differentiation, primary relationship, coupleship, and primary intimacy.

One encouraging point: Calas said that one doctor investigated the 198 studies of successful people (as in, for example, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People). The doctor found a commonality in these successful people; they had minds like those of addicts, who are able to focus exclusively on one thing for extended periods of time. Addicts need to focus on recovery, not substances or sex or addictive self-destructive behavior, and they will be able to live life fully.

RESOURCES

I picked up the following helpful books at the Exodus bookstore as well.

Dawn Stefanowicz, Out from Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting

This is a memoir and the testimony. It discusses the author’s experience of sexual abuse, neglect, and over-exposure to her father’s multiple homosexual partners while her mother passively did nothing about the situation. It also describes her journey to faith and healing.

Henslin, This is Your Brain on Joy

This book is a layperson’s description of how the brain works and what will strengthen the brain so that anxiety and depression are minimized.

Carnes, Facing the Shadow: Recovery from Sexual Addiction

This is a textbook for individuals working through their own sexual addiction issues. It describes the cycle of addiction, the cycle of recovery, and how to take the first seven steps toward healing: breakthrough denial, understand addiction, surrender, limit damage, establish a variety, establish physical integrity, and live in a culture of support. To get help, see Patrick Carnes’ website.

CONCLUSION

I praise God for the ministry of Exodus International, and I will continue to pray for this ministry and its effectiveness in the world.

Dr. Jane Beal
JSASSN International

Prison Fellowship: Transforming Our Rape-Oriented Culture

I recently received this update from Prison Fellowship. Prison Fellowship is a Christian ministry leading prisoners to Christ and discipling them in God’s love. The effect of this ministry is simple. When prisoners leave prison, they are much less likely to live the criminal life they led before if they have had a life-changing encounter with Christ through Prison Fellowship.

Unbeknownst to many people, including victims of prisoners, prisoners themselves — both men and women — are often brutally sexually assaulted in prison. In 2003, the Congress of the United States began to take legislative steps toward ending rape in U.S. prisons nationwide. Now more is actually being done to put the legislation into effect.

Here is the most recent news from Prison Fellowship:

Dear Friends,

For untold thousands of American prisoners, the threat and horror of rape is an every-day reality. But thanks in large part to the hard work of Prison Fellowship and other organizations, there is a ray of hope.

Yesterday, the Federal Prison Rape Elimination Commission released a groundbreaking report with recommendations on how the states and federal government can put an end to this scourge on our nation’s honor.

Please watch a special video by Chuck Colson that he recorded for Prison Fellowship and BreakPoint supporters. Chuck explains how critical the commission’s findings are, and how Prison Fellowship—and you, through your support—played such a key role.

Thank you!

The Staff of Prison Fellowship and BreakPoint

Emmaus Prayer Requests – May 2009

Emmaus Ministries serves men in Chicago who are trying to escape prostitution, drug addiction, and other challenges. Here is one of JSASSN’s partner ministry’s prayer requests for this month. Please pray for Emmaus!

Items for Prayer

- For guys who have reached plateaus in their lives and have stopped making progress, either because they have stopped trying or have reached road blocks. Pray for the Lord’s encouragement for them to press forward and to overcome.

- For a couple of our guys who are battling cancer, for the Lord’s healing and encouragement.

- For those who are in prison and have upcoming trials, that their trials will be handled truthfully and justly, without wrongful accusations.

- For the planning of the Emmaus Endurance Ride bike-a-thon on May 30th, that this weekend event would go smoothly and that the Lord would provide many riders, volunteers, and sponsors.

- For God’s provision of summer interns and more volunteers to do Outreach and work in the Ministry Center; and for God’s provision of Kaio members in the fall.

- For our current volunteers, that they would be blessed in their work with Emmaus and would continue to have a passion for serving the men.

- For the Lord’s provision for Emmaus during this difficult economic time. Pray for those whom God has called to help support Emmaus financially, that they would trust in His provision and be blessed in return.

John Green
Emmaus Ministries