[ ARC forum 2 ]

Re: Psychological Effects of Circumcision

Written by Qill at 11 Jan 2003 01:40:09:

As an answer to: Psychological Effects of Circumcision written by Robert Levy, MD, Phd at 09 Jan 2003 23:20:37:

From a medical standpoint, most likely your best source will be Ms. Marilyn Milos, RN, CNM at nocirc-concentric.net . She will have any number of medical contacts who are well versed on this subject and can give you objective information. She is a very nice lady who I'm sure will be a great help.

As a clinical psychologist, I've never had a patient indicate RIC as a factor in his workup or in subsequent sessions, however I have treated several patients who were forced to be circumcissed as older children, who found the episode deeply traumatic and indicated the forced procedure by his parents along with other factors as a cause for destroying the element of child-parent trust. I believe that the loss of the figure of "parent as protector" does untold damage later.

Most males, circumcised as infants accept the fact that they've been done (at such time as they realize the difference) without dweling on it. A segment of the male population, of course, will have some dissatisfaction that a part of their body was removed without permission, some wishing it hadn't been done and others who simply think thay should have had a choice or say in the matter.

I did counsel one Jewish boy who mentioned his bris, not in reference to any physical change made, but as a dissatisfaction with his parents for having him "branded" in what he saw as their belief, which he rejected and was the major point of his visits.

In the situation you describe, I would interpret his mentioning that he dislikes being circumcised not as a root cause of his problems but possibly a reason or proof that he's been wronged somehow with the root cause possibly something that he's not able to vocalize with you yet.

If it had surfaced as an original subject of his workup and visits and is a recurring topic, then possibly it might be a sexual fetish or fixation.

Hope this adds some to the topic for you.


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