More Men Share The Powerful Impact of the Journey Into Manhood Weekend

From M.S., in Israel:

I went through the Journey into Manhood weekend in spring of 2006 – I was 25 years old at the time. I had been doing reparative therapy for several years, during which time my therapist would repeatedly urge me to go to JiM – he said that what I had to gain from JiM would be worth five sessions of therapy. So after years of prodding, I finally decided to register.

Attending JiM turned out to be one of the most important decisions of my life. The weekend itself opened my emotional floodgates, catapulting me into a cognitive-emotional process that, within a few months, led me to breaking a pattern of emotional dependency on other men – a pattern that had existed since as far back as I can remember, and would lead me to frustration, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Today I am stronger, happier and more fulfilled; and as I continue to do “my work,” my awareness of my inherent human power of choice grows; I continue to take more and more responsibility for my life.

I am not “done” – I still have same-sex attractions, but these are more mild, less muddled emotionally, and usually gone after I come to see the man I’m attracted to as my equal and peer. Throughout this process I’ve also developed a stronger attraction towards women as well.

I recommend JiM to any man who knows deep down that living a gay life is not the best life for him.


From M.D., in Kentucky:

I went to a Journey Into Manhood weekend in 2004. I was 37. JiM has given me more than just an opportunity to meet people like me, who have unwanted feelings of same sex attraction (SSA). JiM has been a very important tool in my development as a MAN. Thanks to JiM and other tools and resources, I accept my feelings in the most healthful way for me; and by doing it, these SSA feelings have been diminishing over time.

My wife of 18 years has been by my side in every step of the way. Sometimes she and Jesus Christ Himself have carried me along the way. Thanks to my wife, I have been able to realize that God loves me unconditionally, and without her, it would have been almost impossible for me to endure this journey of developing my manhood.

I strongly recommend JiM for any man who is serious about developing his own MANHOOD, no matter who this man is, a Christian or a Jew, European or Latin American, or what he thinks of himself. If he has unwanted SSA feelings and has the powerful desire to deal with them, JiM will be one of the best tools to overcome these feelings.

Today, 6 years after my own JiM weekend, I enjoy life plentifully, with my beloved wife and 5 beautiful children. I adore them, and it is for them that I have continued in this wonderful journey into MY OWN MANHOOD.


From Paul, in Maryland:

I experienced the Journey into Manhood this past weekend, and it was the most healing, affirming, loving experience of my life. The experiences and lessons learned during this weekend will become for me a cornerstone in the foundation of my masculinity and manhood.


From B.Y., in Virginia:

I went through the JiM weekend a year and a half ago. I was 25 at the time, unmarried but hoping to get married someday. I'd been conflicted with unwanted same sex attractions since puberty. I was really scared when I went to the JiM weekend, not knowing what I would be put through.

What I found at the weekend was a deep respect and care for me as a person like I had never experienced before. I have never felt so free to be truly, authentically me. I was invited to look deep inside myself and find the masculinity inside myself. I left the weekend feeling more alive, solid, masculine and free than I'd ever felt before. It was a turning point in my life. I met a beautiful girl a few months after the JiM weekend, and we are now engaged to be married in a few months. I couldn't be a happier man.


From Greg, in England:

I attended the Journey Into Manhood weekend in London in October 2008. It was a life-changing experience. The activities in the JiM were able to directly address both my inner needs and inner pain which had been buried deep inside me for years, since I was a small boy. Both the conscious and unconscious coping methods that my emotions had developed to deal with those inner feelings were faced in an atmosphere of loving acceptance and genuine concern...This acceptance and care from other men are what I have craved all my life.

I would say that the process is really more self-discovery than 'change'. It is about learning to love; both to love others around us and to love and accept ourselves. It's a way of seeing that our feelings are legitimate, that they certainly don't need to be shunned or scorned, and that they are a sign of genuine inner needs that slowly transform into solid masculine feelings of love and care for others.

This weekend is not about forcing ourselves to be what we are not, but enabling ourselves to be what we truly are! Since then I have gone on in life with natural and uninhibited feelings of growing self-esteem and renewed confidence.


From Scott, in Ohio:

I was 29 when I went to the Journey into Manhood retreat in February of 2010. I had been pondering for a year to go, before I finally stopped and said "I need this now". By taking that chance, I went on the JiM weekend and opened the doors to the rest of my life.

Before the weekend, I felt like a constantly threatened victim that was filled with much resentment towards men. I felt that the only thing they showed me was that I had to be like them for a woman to like me. After years of denying myself the right to do what I felt, along with plenty other SSA characteristics, I ended up fantasizing about having sex with men. All the while, I wanted a woman. But, I was ashamed of my virginity and fearful of being identified as "gay".

After the weekend, I learned to let go of the past and started building on who I am as a man (as me) deep inside. I finally look at the mirror and see myself with confidence. I finally have foresight for the rest of my life, knowing that I can do whatever I want in my life without the approval of anyone else but me. I have been building my life, one day at a time. I feel more compassionate and loving. I finally feel the ground on which I stand. I am a free man!

I encourage every man with unwanted same-sex attractions to attend a JiM weekend. Know that you are safe in the company of the men that will be at the weekend. I also invite you to tell other men at the weekend how you feel and welcome their support into your heart.


From Eric, in Florida:

JiM was a completely life-changing experience for me – the most powerful and real weekend I'd ever spent in healing the secrets I didn't want anybody to know. For the first time I saw that I could live as a member of a brotherhood, I belonged with a group of men. I was only 17 when I attended, and now, 6 months later my life has completely changed for the better. I am going into college with much more assurance in the identity I've been given, the faith I practice, and the masculinity I was born to live out of. I am extremely grateful that God reached out to me during this weekend and gave me a new purpose.

The story that I am now living out is one of hope. With JiM and its brotherhood, the gift offered to me through the Catholic Church and its healing ministry called Courage, the rallying of my parents behind me in support, and following the Church's model of chastity, I no longer struggle with any thoughts or acting out (fantasy, pornography) of homosexuality. What I thought was a need to belong with a man was actually a need to belong among them, to be a part of the "club."

Throughout my journey out of homosexuality, I've learned through many books and testimonies that many men get lost because they don't know where they belong. At high school and college, this search can get particularly confusing when every message tells us to find our own way and be our own person. Homosexuality is "normal, intrinsic, and impossible to change." This isn't the truth you have to live by! If you struggle with homosexuality and feel that it's impossible for you to ever have guy friends or the camaraderie of brothers I urge you to look into this weekend!

When I was at JiM I saw the hope of brothers that have stepped off the homosexual path and now call others to do the same -- without judgment, condemnation, or mocking, but with the compassion of somebody that has been there before. For any man, of any age (and I strongly recommend it to the young adult that feels trapped by a lifestyle they're unsure about) JiM was the experience that started my walk out of homosexuality.


From Steve, in Florida:

My same-sex attraction began when I was in the 7th grade and saw boys in P.E. class who were more physically mature than I was. I remember having the desire to look and see what I thought I wasn't and didn't have.

Fast forward many years and I was living a dual life--on the one hand and I was dating girls and being sexual with them and on the other hand I was looking at guys and lusting. Porn and masturbation to same sex fantasy was almost an every day occurrence. This pattern continued into marriage and after the birth of two children.

Although I have never been sexual with a man, same sex lust and porn addiction had become my friend. After many years of this dual life, I decided I had to do something--I was tired of the behavior, the deception, and lying to my wife.

I was also a Christian and wanted to begin seeking God again. So, I returned to church, sought counseling, accountability, and some level of connection with men--as scary as that was.

Several years later, it was recommended by a counselor that I attend Journey Into Manhood (JiM). I attended in December 2007 and it changed my life. During the weekend, and the 2 1/2 years that have followed, I have learned how my same sex attraction started, how it has been fueled all these years, what true masculine intimacy is and how to get it on a regular basis. I now know that I am accepted by other men just as I am.

These revelations and experiences have been so healing. Since JIM, I have noticed a significant reduction in my same sex lust and desires as well as my porn addiction. I am living a more authentic life, sharing my failures with other men who understand. My relationship with my wife is better than it ever has been. I am experiencing true freedom.