How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work

# Stuff You Should Know: Conversion Therapy

In this deeply researched episode, Josh and Chuck dive into the troubling history and modern practice of conversion therapy—the pseudoscientific attempt to change sexual orientation through psychological techniques. Starting from disturbing 19th-century origins involving hypnosis and testicular transplants, the hosts trace how conversion therapy evolved from mainstream psychology into a cornerstone of the Christian right's culture war platform by the 1980s and 90s. They explore both the clinical approach of therapists like Joseph Nicolosi and the more sinister practices occurring in basements and church rooms, while examining why this practice persists despite scientific consensus that sexual orientation cannot and should not be changed.