Homofobia internalizada e a esquiva experimental: um estudo de caso em terapia de aceitação e compromisso.

Abstract

Internalized homophobia occurs when the individual, due to his divergent sexual orientation from heterosexual, has difficulty accepting or liking himself. This article consists of an analysis of a clinical case of internalized homophobia resulting from the experience lived in the professional internship in Clinical Psychology. The psychotherapeutic process of the case was based on the perspective of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which proposes coping with/accepting certain aversive situations and experiences, teaching the subject to experience them and re-signify them. In the present context, the objective was to present the application of ACT procedures in a clinical case of experiential avoidance related to internalized homophobia, observing the subject's relational change in the face of his suffering. For such purposes, the research was carried out through a qualitative design linked to idiographic analysis. The Internalized Homophobia Rating Scale was also used as a strategic technique to observe the avoidance process. As a result, a possible increase in the client's psychological flexibility was identified, followed by a re-signification of their suffering resulting from the demand, thus observing the effectiveness and validity of ACT in the behavioral clinic.

Keywords: Internalized Homophobia. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Experiential avoidance. Clinical Behavior Analysis. Case study.