Face Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 It's just struck me that, while we welcome new accepting asexuals into the community, we still don't have an answer to this question beyond the now de facto automatic replies of either "you should seek help" or "you can't change your orientation" depending on how strongly you believe in Asexuality as an orientation. Some even have the same reaction as gays to someone who questions whether they want to be 'cured' of that too but if someone comes to Aven who is finding being asexual to be very disrupting to their life then maybe we can be less 'us and them' about it and try to help. If we want to be more help to people this should be easy to find on the site (an FAQ), with proper citations and links to futher help, if there is any. So has anyone done any serious research into this? Things are obviously going to depend on the individual, with no definitive answer, but there should be some common possibilities and courses of action open to people. Are there any stories of people who have had treatment, successfully or not? Any contacts with researchers? At first glance it would seem there is no magic pill yet, since if there was it would be more popular than Viagra, but this does mean that money is probably being put into research and with other brain research quickly growing things are likely to be changing. We have threads in World Watch that occasionally bring up things but maybe we could be more active in tracking things down? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest (?) Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Cure? there's something wrong with me??? O man why didn't someone tell me ffs Link to post Share on other sites
Jkaufman Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 The cure lies in taking the red pill... Link to post Share on other sites
Guest (?) Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 No those are M & M's Link to post Share on other sites
Næt. Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 A cure for what? Asexuality? That's like asking if there's a cure for having blue eyes. There are ~6,ooo,ooo,ooo people on the planet; and not feeling sexual attraction is somehow a problem? O_o Link to post Share on other sites
Shockwave Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 A cure for what?Asexuality? That's like asking if there's a cure for having blue eyes. There are ~6,ooo,ooo,ooo people on the planet; and not feeling sexual attraction is somehow a problem? O_o For some people it is. Not everyone who is asexual wants to be. As far as whether there is a cure or not; that would depend on why the individual doesn't feel attraction. If it due to an aversion or PTSD it can be dealt with through the help of a psychologist. If it is hormonal, a doctor can prescribe hormone therapy. If the individual has neither of those issues it gets more complicated. Link to post Share on other sites
Face Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Ok, there's the entry in the Wiki. I just think we should back up our accepted answers with some actual (up tp date) science and get rid of the confusion between telling people to seek help and then saying there's nothing you can do. Why bother seeking treatment for something you can't change? Hey, maybe soon people will be able to asexually reproduce (aka clone themselves) so we need to be careful to not get locked into giving dogmatic answers to things. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest (?) Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I know it's not the posters intention to cause offence that's why mirth instead of anger was used Perhaps I would have been happier with an "option" term Asexuality has it's downfalls, for me that's part of the package you can't take all the good and none of the bad in any way of life Link to post Share on other sites
Face Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 If it is hormonal, a doctor can prescribe hormone therapy. Yes, but will it do anything? Do we actually have anything we can back this advice up with are are we just guessing? If we can start building a set of experiences and references to research it will help against all the attacks from people saying we need fixing and help get rid of lingering doubts that get in the way of full acceptance. Link to post Share on other sites
Sally Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If it is hormonal, a doctor can prescribe hormone therapy. Yes, but will it do anything? Do we actually have anything we can back this advice up with are are we just guessing? If we can start building a set of experiences and references to research it will help against all the attacks from people saying we need fixing and help get rid of lingering doubts that get in the way of full acceptance. The "hormonal" option is iffy for two reasons: 1) hormones can be dangerous for both men and women, especially in the amounts that might be needed; 2) if you don't feel sexual attraction, hormones aren't going to help. They can raise libido in some people, but they don't produce attraction. Since asexuals by agreed-upon definition don't feel sexual attraction, you'd simply end up being asexual with a libido. Is that what someone wants? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest member25959 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Cure!, i aint taking no cure, i rather be asexual, life can be more fully enjoyed by yourself. Beisdes, Why would you want to cure it, you are who you are.. And, i think research has been going on into Asexuality since the 1970's Link to post Share on other sites
heatdissipation Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 A cure for what?Asexuality? That's like asking if there's a cure for having blue eyes. There are ~6,ooo,ooo,ooo people on the planet; and not feeling sexual attraction is somehow a problem? O_o For some people it is. Not everyone who is asexual wants to be. That's very true. Link to post Share on other sites
Joshua Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If the underlying cause of a loss of sex drive is caused by an abnormality, then sure, it may be remedied. I studied a bit of reproductive physiology as part of my degree course, and my assertion is based on the information I came across. Excuse me if this offends anyone. I don't have sufficient knowledge on the field, but I'd say that some forms of asexuality may have underlying medical causes. Link to post Share on other sites
alittle_iron Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If there's a physiological cause for asexuality it's probably possible to change if you really feel that strongly about it. If there's a psychological incident then behind it therapy might help. To me however you are either sexual or asexual, it's just who you are and you can force your body to give a fake response but that's not who you are, that's teaching yourself to be a fake person. Anyone who offers to "cure" me or implies that I require one will be punched in the mouth... with my foot. Link to post Share on other sites
AVENCakes Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I don't know, is there a cure for heterosexuality? Until there's research into that I refuse to accept anyone saying that you might need to be "cured" of anything else. I'm fine with wanting to change your orientation, I'm not fine with using it to reinforce heteronormativity. And do you have the same problem with aromantics? People who feel no romantic attraction, surely that's awful, there must be a cure for that. But what? You can't even suggest checking the hormone levels. It's possible there's a psychological cause, but how many people expect that's the case? People are attracted to who they are attracted to. There is nothing wrong with that. And the problem with using the term cure is that it suggests that asexuality is a problem that needs to be remedied in every case. Link to post Share on other sites
Apollonian Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 "Cure" implies that it's a problem in needed of fixing. Which is of course to reinforce the popular view that everyone must want sex, and if you don't, then there's something wrong with you. You're abnormal. So anyone who is in any way different from "the majority" must be "fixed." Your very existence calls into questions assumptions which are taken for granted in our society, and we can't deal with that. There must be some way to modify them into conformity with what we deem as "normal." Link to post Share on other sites
you*hear*but*do*you*listen Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Anyone who offers to "cure" me or implies that I require one will be punched in the mouth... with my foot. w00t. Although if I were doing a spinning hook kick, I'd be aiming for the jaw, not the mouth...hmmm... Link to post Share on other sites
Sciatrix Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I don't know; I think Face does have a valid point when s/he says that not all asexual people want to be that way. In that case, I should suggest to them that a visit to a medical professional might be in order. That said, I myself don't feel at all in need of a cure, and would be deeply unimpressed with anyone who implied that I did. Furthermore, I don't think a possible cure belongs on the AVEN site simply because of the implications it would send; namely, that we are some kind of support community for sufferers of a disease, or that we feel that asexuality is a disorder and should be treated as such. Link to post Share on other sites
thylacine Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 "So has anyone done any serious research into this?" I suppose not. After all, most people think we don't exist -- we're a myth like unicorns. Why would anyone research something they don't believe exists. Link to post Share on other sites
Sally Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I don't know; I think Face does have a valid point when s/he says that not all asexual people want to be that way. In that case, I should suggest to them that a visit to a medical professional might be in order.That said, I myself don't feel at all in need of a cure, and would be deeply unimpressed with anyone who implied that I did. Furthermore, I don't think a possible cure belongs on the AVEN site simply because of the implications it would send; namely, that we are some kind of support community for sufferers of a disease, or that we feel that asexuality is a disorder and should be treated as such. But if you assume that someone unhappy with being asexual should visit a medical professional, that seems to assume that a doctor could help someone to NOT be asexual. Which kind of assumes a cure, right? Which kind of assumes that being asexual is a disorder. Link to post Share on other sites
thylacine Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Maybe some people don't want to be asexual & therefore want a cure, because they want to be like everyone else in society, i.e., most people don't want to be "different." Link to post Share on other sites
Sciatrix Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I don't know; I think Face does have a valid point when s/he says that not all asexual people want to be that way. In that case, I should suggest to them that a visit to a medical professional might be in order.That said, I myself don't feel at all in need of a cure, and would be deeply unimpressed with anyone who implied that I did. Furthermore, I don't think a possible cure belongs on the AVEN site simply because of the implications it would send; namely, that we are some kind of support community for sufferers of a disease, or that we feel that asexuality is a disorder and should be treated as such. But if you assume that someone unhappy with being asexual should visit a medical professional, that seems to assume that a doctor could help someone to NOT be asexual. Which kind of assumes a cure, right? Which kind of assumes that being asexual is a disorder. I think that if someone is unhappy with being asexual, seeking help to change that is probably going to be something that they would want to do. I don't think any behavior or lack thereof is in need of curing if it causes no personal distress, as the orientation of asexuality doesn't for most asexuals (including myself), but something which causes distress is in need of fixing. Does that make sense? Link to post Share on other sites
Sally Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 One of the things that asexuals can hopefully get across to everyone else is that being asexual isn't like having a virus or some other medical condition. It's an orientation, not a disorder. A "cure" is no more appropriate than a "cure" for homosexuality. If someone is extremely uncomfortable being asexual (i.e., not being sexually attracted to anyone), that feeling of discomfort needs to be addressed, maybe with therapy. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest (?) Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I still don't like the term cure, it implies Asexuals are diseased or broken Link to post Share on other sites
Sciatrix Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I think that any method which can be used to make the discomfort go away is a valid one. To be honest, I think therapy might be the best bet, but I'm not sure, never having been in that situation. And of course I've never tried to cure my asexuality or wanted to; I'm not certain it can be done. Link to post Share on other sites
Apollonian Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I still don't like the term cure, it implies Asexuals are diseased or broken Why don't people focus on something that actually needs "curing"? How about a cure for stupidity? Or a cure for racism? Sexism? Etc. Those are problems in need of fixing. Link to post Share on other sites
Sally Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I found this. I can't access it because I'm not going to pay for it, but if anyone can get into Nature... Antibiotics cure asexuality Laurence D. Hurst, H. C. J. Godfray & Paul H. Harvey Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford 0X1 3PS, UK. Department of Pure and Applied Biology, Imperial College, SilwoodPark, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v346/...s/346510a0.html However, most of the other references to Laurence Hurst and asexuality concern rotifers, not us, so it's probably nothing but that. Link to post Share on other sites
crazychick18 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 There is some type of brain chip. But thats pretty invasive and risky to "fix" something I consider a part of me. They did actually put me on hormones thinking it might give me a sex drive, but guess what? I STILL dont want sex. Why do people want to fix me? I'm not broken... Link to post Share on other sites
warholism Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 A cure for what?Asexuality? That's like asking if there's a cure for having blue eyes. There are ~6,ooo,ooo,ooo people on the planet; and not feeling sexual attraction is somehow a problem? O_o For some people it is. Not everyone who is asexual wants to be. So true. I certainly don't want to be. Link to post Share on other sites
42isnohelp Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Are you seriously suggesting that we're ill? Or have I misunderstood? People have been there done that when they put homosexuals in mental institutions and experiment on them with different therapies it didn't work. Link to post Share on other sites
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