14 - The REAL Ways to Manage Gender Dysphoria

The misinformed presumption that gender dysphoria can only be managed through medication and/or surgery is blown out of the water in this episode. Sasha and Stella emphasize that dysphoria is a type of human distress, like any other. They discuss many different ways to understand, manage, and reduce gender dysphoria.

Links:

• “The Detransitioners” by Laura Dodsworth, The Sunday Times

• Alternatives to Deal with Gender Dysphoria, by Nelemil

• Illusory truth effect

• William Glasser’s Emotional Needs

• The Time in Between: A Memoir of Hunger and Hope, by Nancy Tucker

• “Advice for Gender Dysphoric Teens”

• “Storm Warnings,” by Adrienne Rich

Extended Notes

• Gender dysphoria is mental distress.

• What are some of the best ways to manage gender dysphoria?

• If someone is distressed, what should we be looking at?

• Insomnia is a manifestation of anxiety.

• Are you fixated on a certain type of body and jealous you don’t have it?

• The more you see something, even if you don’t believe it at first, the more you accept it as reality later down the line. Be conscious of what you’re exposing yourself to.

• If you had mental distress, it was your problem. Therapy wasn’t exactly “the go-to” solution.

• Are you a parent in a rush to get your gender dysphoria child better?

• There is so much power in working out and owning the changes in your body.

• Our bodies can teach us a lot of things if we engage them correctly.

• What is social dysphoria?

• People are so afraid to say something bad or something else, but it’s your right to feel angry if it angers you!

• We come from apes. We were killers for survival and we all have a dark side. In our society, we can’t let that out in a healthy way.

• If you believe changing your body will make you happy, you’re going to spend a lot of time in that fantasy.

• Exercise: Measure your mood before you go online and after. Do you feel better or worse?

• A lot of phobias come from teens coming into their new bodies. New breasts, hair, and period pains.

• People are really grappling with the concept of privilege and what means.

• It is assumed that people who are privileged have an easy life, but this can end up suppressing a lot of core emotions or minimizing real thoughts.

• Many trans people have transitioned, and their feelings of gender dysphoria still remain.

This podcast is partially sponsored by ReIME, Rethink Identity Medicine Ethics:

Rethinkime.org

Learn more about our show: Linktr.ee/WiderLensPod