An exploration of lesbian and gay people’s experiences of religion, and their implications for psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)

ABSTRACT This qualitative research uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore lesbian and gay people’s experiences of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and the implications for psychotherapy. A total of six participants, three gay men and three lesbian women, were identified through an initial online survey and successive purposive sampling. Data were collected using unstructured interviews and analysed to determine three major themes: ‘Religious Tribalism’, ‘Liminal Processes’, and ‘Navigating Relationships’. In the context of a wider social discourse regarding heterosexist hegemony, this project has the potential to increase psychotherapists’ awareness of the intersection of homosexuality and religion, and the diverse ways in which this plays out. The research invites therapists to consider any potentially socially constructed positions, and encourages a life-course perspective. Recommendations include providing high-quality training for therapists to understand, appreciate and interact with people from different cultures or belief systems from their own. Suggestions for future research include exploring heterosexual perspectives from within religious institutions, and exploration of the positive role of religion for non-heterosexual people.