Orgasmic reconditioning without deviant imagery: a case report with a pedophile

A male pedophile was treated with a modified form of orgasmic reconditioning that, contrary to previous approaches, did not utilize deviant imagery during treatment. Pretreatment assessment of sexual arousal indicated high responsiveness to the stimuli of young girls, while responsiveness to adult females was almost absent. Treatment consisted of having the subject masturbate to ejaculation while speaking fantasies concerning adult females aloud. Four hours after the masturbation sessions, the subject underwent a measurement session in which his response to three deviant and three non-deviant slides were evaluated and attitude measures administered. Results showed a considerable increase in response to slides of female adults and a decline in response to slides of female children. Follow-up measurement sessions indicated that treatment gains were maintained 2 months following the end of treatment. These results suggested that in some cases the use of deviant imagery during orgasmic reconditioning is not necessary to facilitate treatment. It was also suggested that a comprehensive change in sexual orientation is more than a conditioning process and requires a modification of an individual's self-perception of his/her sexual identity.