I was born in 1963. By my teens I was convinced that I was a woman in a man's body. The reasons for this are various, and I'll go into some of them later in this piece, but in the early 1980s, when I first started seeking gender reassignment, all I knew is that I was certain of two things; first, that becoming a woman would end my feelings of alienation from my body, and second, that the world was conspiring against me to prevent it.
“And once I dealt with the root cause, the symptom faded away.“ This is reality and our confused children are being herded into a trans-ideology corral to slaughter their identity by therapists who are not looking for the root causes. Most likely their is some pain from their past and unresolved issues of loneliness or confusion due to spectrum issues which has nothing to do with gender! I remember being depressed as a child and teenager, feeling unloved, feeling inadequate and awkward. It took years of adult therapy to find my root causes - none of which was my fault (early sexual trauma, being bullied, and an angry alcoholic father and then my parents divorce). We all carry baggage from our childhood and some of us carry it around for years, others open the baggage and throw away what doesn't fit us any more. I am in my mid-sixties and I survived because I had therapists who listened, guided me and helped me face and feel my pain. In other words helped me get to the root cause. The injustice that is being done to our children today is horrific - putting a band-aide on their problems of feeling inadequate or confused or awkward and blaming it on being born in the wrong body is beyond comprehension.
Thanks for sharing your story with a 1963 mom who's 2007 daughter is struggling...I believe we've found her a therapist who is looking at the root causes. Hoping we see some light soon.
I had been wondering about a connection I noticed between self consciousness and blaming others on the one hand and gender dysphoria on the other. When you spoke of externalisation it made better sense.
I was born same time as you and I sought psychotherapy in the eighties. And i also found myself thinking that had I been born later, and told my psychologist what I did tell him, I probably would have embarked on an absurdly unnecessary path to physical transition.
Thank you for sharing your story. You are absolutely right that if you were born in 1993, your chances of meeting a therapist willing to help you solve your real problems instead of sending you directly to gender clinics would be zero. These days trans cult has gained so much political and financial power it's impossible to find a medical professional for whom the argument "first, do no harm" overpowers the principle "first, make more money." Fortunately, it looks like, finally, some lawyers have started to recognize that most GD patients are victims of social contagion. Making just a few gender therapists accountable for misdiagnosing would lead to the beginning of the end of the industry that profits by irreversibly mutilating the bodies of emotionally premature children and emotionally vulnerable adults.
Well done. An open, honest and clear account of your struggles. Thank goodness you had a therapist who specialised in childhood trauma and was able to help you overcome your feelings of being alienated from reality. What you have identified is so true, the feelings associated with Gender Dysphoria that you obviously went through, mask the underlying problems that contributed to this problem in the first place.
Bless you man and continue to embrace your real gift of manhood.
Thank you for sharing this insight that all those caught in the web of Satan's lies need to hear, so that, like you, they can be free from the path that leads to death and destruction.
Thank you so much for sharing. My son made the decision to transition shortly after starting college. I later found out that it was the college that was providing him with the hormones. Unfortunately, there was not much we could do as he was eighteen and considered an adult. We need therapists who are willing ask the tough questions! I tried finding a therapist that wouldn't immediately affirm but I couldn't find even one. It's so very sad to see how many lives are being destroyed due to this gender ideology. I pray that the medical community start telling the truth about what is being done to our children and adolescents. This is criminal! Thanks again and may God bless you!!!
"Conversion Therapy that the pro-trans movement wants to ban" is similar to the ban against all therapy about homosexualism.
They have banned the ability of individuals to receive counseling or therapy to avoid unwanted feelings of same-sex attraction, no matter how much the individual wants it!
This is for self-protection of the LGBT Agenda! "We have you in our spider web and we are keeping you there!"
Yes, thank you so much for your bravery. This is an excellent article and I'm pondering wether or not to share it with my daughter. This hits the nail on the head. The voice of detransitioners might just be the game changer for us. Thank you again and may God bless you always.
Thank you for your candid, relatable life history. Of course, trans activists know that psychotherapy is not the same as conversion therapy. As you note, they disingenuously borrowed the term from something actual, cruel, and banned long ago: the attempt to "convert" homosexuals through a range of behavior modification techniques up to and including shock therapy. The fact is, the more young people who receive actual insight therapy, the fewer who will transition. That's not convenient for the trans agenda.
The reason there are thousands of detransitioners today is that, absent proper psychotherapy, they were denied the opportunity to figure out what was really bothering them...why, as you say, they were alienated from themselves. Instead, they were given an affirmative rubber stamp in the form of a prescription for hormones within the first visit to the gender specialist. Now they're going through the excruciating process of detransitioning, worse for wear, confused, despondent, and angry.
How fortunate for you that your psychotherapist did her job and never imposed her opinions on you, but rather, guided you to confront your past and put the pieces of your life together yourself. No serious psychotherapist should ever impose their views on the client. But today, due to ideological bullying and pressure from trans activists, the opposite is the norm. Therapists who don't comply with the latest WPATH standards of care can lose their licenses.
Denying clients real psychotherapy also makes a mockery of "informed consent." The client's signature at the bottom of the consent form protects doctors from liability, but it does nothing to protect the adolescent whose brain is still half-developed and who has no idea why they're so psychologically distressed that they want to cut off parts of their bodies. If you don't know yourself -- if you're uninformed about your own motivations -- you're not in a position to give informed consent about anything. Professional ethics, anyone?
Some people actually want "conversion therapy." Some people have their belief system and them having gay thoughts goes against their beliefs. It is only cruel if it is forced.
There is very little data to support the idea that people can alter their fundamental sexual orientation. People can suppress or abstain or whatever, but there is simply no evidence that true conversion happens in very many cases.
And as I've already said previously, I get that. It is, however, not up to you and me to decide if it works or helps another, if they want it. Some ppl seek it out.
I'm sure you're right. However, I'm aware from 50 years of being a lesbian and having access to a fair amount of new, views and trends within the gay community, that conversion therapy doesn't work very well. Sexuality is not a choice, so changing our baseline romantic attractions is not easy to accomplish. It may seem to work for awhile, but ultimately its track record is pretty dismal.
Many mainstream religions have evolved over the past 50 years to include gay people, including gay clergy, which is lovely when it happens. But it's not always that way. Piety runs deep and then people of both sexes have to grapple with this difficult and painful dilemma. Why would God ask them to choose between loving Him and loving their partner? I feel for these people, and I support their search for peace of mind, however they find it.
One problem in society now is that people believe celebrating "trans" is being on the "right side of history". Many churches feel guilt about getting it wrong on homosexuality (having been on the "wrong side of history") and are really quick to start affirming/clapping for the women=men and men=women thing which does a kindness to absolutely no one. Lots of folks at churches now have gay people in their family and think "Trans" = "Gay 2.0". They'll affirm your kid behind your back like everyone else.
Absolutely. The marketing and propaganda around trans issues, piggy-backing off gay history and people, is a cynical and clever strategy that seduces well-meaning people who want to be seen as progressive in the sense of being fair and kind. It's infuriating and depressing, really. Education is so important.
Oh I completely get all of that. I'm just saying that some people actually seek it out because it goes against their beliefs, values, or whatever. There are ppl who say it worked for them. They have formed groups to fight against the ban. Whether it works or not isn't the point or up to us to decide. It is about the freedom of it.
It’s interesting that there are religious people who seek help in overcoming their homosexuality, and that they refer to this as "conversion therapy.” But it's voluntarily, and if people feel it helps them, more power to them. But if I’m understanding you correctly, they’re under the impression that when trans activists talk about wanting to prevent "conversion therapy" for trans-identified kids, they're referring to some similar, literal conversion-type therapy. This is a lie, promoted by trans activists in order to discourage any kind of psychotherapy whatsoever. They don’t want kids discussing their problems with a therapist. The fact is this: there is no such thing as transgender conversion therapy. The term has been co-opted by trans activists for their own purposes.
The title of this article refers to “conversion therapy.” Clearly, the author is being ironic. He says: "My problem was that I didn't like myself. Thinking that I'd like myself better if I were a woman was only a symptom. And once I dealt with the root cause, the symptom faded away…This is the Conversion Therapy that the pro-trans movement wants to ban…” (He should have put the words Conversion Therapy in quotes; his meaning would have been clearer.) He also notes that his therapist didn’t focus on the trans issue. She didn’t try to influence him one way or the other in this regard. Instead, she helped him to process upsetting childhood traumas that he had forgotten about. Then the trans feelings “faded away.” This is the definition of psychotherapy, i.e., the objective acquisition of insight. It is the exact type of therapy that is being labeled “conversion therapy” by trans activists and denied to trans-confused kids right now. Under the current standard of care, they walk into the therapist’s office and half an hour later they’re placed on the affirmation conveyor belt of hormones and surgeries.
Religious people who oppose “conversion therapy” for trans-confused kids are not bad people, they're just misinformed. I understand that they’re paranoid about having their own rights taken away. I’d suggest that they rename their religious therapy and call it something else…anything that separates them from the trans agenda would do.
Yes, I am aware of all of that. No, their argument is that the bans on it will effect them specifically. The wording of the bans will effect them. It has nothing to do with how the trans label it or whatever. It is solely them against the bans because they will effect them, the ppl who seek it out.
It isn't just religious ppl. It is anyone who don't agree with it. Whether that be religious or their own values.
“And once I dealt with the root cause, the symptom faded away.“ This is reality and our confused children are being herded into a trans-ideology corral to slaughter their identity by therapists who are not looking for the root causes. Most likely their is some pain from their past and unresolved issues of loneliness or confusion due to spectrum issues which has nothing to do with gender! I remember being depressed as a child and teenager, feeling unloved, feeling inadequate and awkward. It took years of adult therapy to find my root causes - none of which was my fault (early sexual trauma, being bullied, and an angry alcoholic father and then my parents divorce). We all carry baggage from our childhood and some of us carry it around for years, others open the baggage and throw away what doesn't fit us any more. I am in my mid-sixties and I survived because I had therapists who listened, guided me and helped me face and feel my pain. In other words helped me get to the root cause. The injustice that is being done to our children today is horrific - putting a band-aide on their problems of feeling inadequate or confused or awkward and blaming it on being born in the wrong body is beyond comprehension.
Thanks for sharing your story with a 1963 mom who's 2007 daughter is struggling...I believe we've found her a therapist who is looking at the root causes. Hoping we see some light soon.
I had been wondering about a connection I noticed between self consciousness and blaming others on the one hand and gender dysphoria on the other. When you spoke of externalisation it made better sense.
I was born same time as you and I sought psychotherapy in the eighties. And i also found myself thinking that had I been born later, and told my psychologist what I did tell him, I probably would have embarked on an absurdly unnecessary path to physical transition.
Thank you for sharing your story. You are absolutely right that if you were born in 1993, your chances of meeting a therapist willing to help you solve your real problems instead of sending you directly to gender clinics would be zero. These days trans cult has gained so much political and financial power it's impossible to find a medical professional for whom the argument "first, do no harm" overpowers the principle "first, make more money." Fortunately, it looks like, finally, some lawyers have started to recognize that most GD patients are victims of social contagion. Making just a few gender therapists accountable for misdiagnosing would lead to the beginning of the end of the industry that profits by irreversibly mutilating the bodies of emotionally premature children and emotionally vulnerable adults.
Well done. An open, honest and clear account of your struggles. Thank goodness you had a therapist who specialised in childhood trauma and was able to help you overcome your feelings of being alienated from reality. What you have identified is so true, the feelings associated with Gender Dysphoria that you obviously went through, mask the underlying problems that contributed to this problem in the first place.
Bless you man and continue to embrace your real gift of manhood.
That was so helpful and encouraging. Thank you!
Thank you, this is so insightful and helps me to understand.
Thank you for sharing this insight that all those caught in the web of Satan's lies need to hear, so that, like you, they can be free from the path that leads to death and destruction.
Thank you fir sharing!
And thank God you had a therapist who looked deeper for the cause.
Thank you
Thank you. - LM
Thank you so much for sharing. My son made the decision to transition shortly after starting college. I later found out that it was the college that was providing him with the hormones. Unfortunately, there was not much we could do as he was eighteen and considered an adult. We need therapists who are willing ask the tough questions! I tried finding a therapist that wouldn't immediately affirm but I couldn't find even one. It's so very sad to see how many lives are being destroyed due to this gender ideology. I pray that the medical community start telling the truth about what is being done to our children and adolescents. This is criminal! Thanks again and may God bless you!!!
Thanks for sharing your story.
"Conversion Therapy that the pro-trans movement wants to ban" is similar to the ban against all therapy about homosexualism.
They have banned the ability of individuals to receive counseling or therapy to avoid unwanted feelings of same-sex attraction, no matter how much the individual wants it!
This is for self-protection of the LGBT Agenda! "We have you in our spider web and we are keeping you there!"
Yes, thank you so much for your bravery. This is an excellent article and I'm pondering wether or not to share it with my daughter. This hits the nail on the head. The voice of detransitioners might just be the game changer for us. Thank you again and may God bless you always.
Thank you for your candid, relatable life history. Of course, trans activists know that psychotherapy is not the same as conversion therapy. As you note, they disingenuously borrowed the term from something actual, cruel, and banned long ago: the attempt to "convert" homosexuals through a range of behavior modification techniques up to and including shock therapy. The fact is, the more young people who receive actual insight therapy, the fewer who will transition. That's not convenient for the trans agenda.
The reason there are thousands of detransitioners today is that, absent proper psychotherapy, they were denied the opportunity to figure out what was really bothering them...why, as you say, they were alienated from themselves. Instead, they were given an affirmative rubber stamp in the form of a prescription for hormones within the first visit to the gender specialist. Now they're going through the excruciating process of detransitioning, worse for wear, confused, despondent, and angry.
How fortunate for you that your psychotherapist did her job and never imposed her opinions on you, but rather, guided you to confront your past and put the pieces of your life together yourself. No serious psychotherapist should ever impose their views on the client. But today, due to ideological bullying and pressure from trans activists, the opposite is the norm. Therapists who don't comply with the latest WPATH standards of care can lose their licenses.
Denying clients real psychotherapy also makes a mockery of "informed consent." The client's signature at the bottom of the consent form protects doctors from liability, but it does nothing to protect the adolescent whose brain is still half-developed and who has no idea why they're so psychologically distressed that they want to cut off parts of their bodies. If you don't know yourself -- if you're uninformed about your own motivations -- you're not in a position to give informed consent about anything. Professional ethics, anyone?
Some people actually want "conversion therapy." Some people have their belief system and them having gay thoughts goes against their beliefs. It is only cruel if it is forced.
There is very little data to support the idea that people can alter their fundamental sexual orientation. People can suppress or abstain or whatever, but there is simply no evidence that true conversion happens in very many cases.
And as I've already said previously, I get that. It is, however, not up to you and me to decide if it works or helps another, if they want it. Some ppl seek it out.
I'm sure you're right. However, I'm aware from 50 years of being a lesbian and having access to a fair amount of new, views and trends within the gay community, that conversion therapy doesn't work very well. Sexuality is not a choice, so changing our baseline romantic attractions is not easy to accomplish. It may seem to work for awhile, but ultimately its track record is pretty dismal.
Many mainstream religions have evolved over the past 50 years to include gay people, including gay clergy, which is lovely when it happens. But it's not always that way. Piety runs deep and then people of both sexes have to grapple with this difficult and painful dilemma. Why would God ask them to choose between loving Him and loving their partner? I feel for these people, and I support their search for peace of mind, however they find it.
One problem in society now is that people believe celebrating "trans" is being on the "right side of history". Many churches feel guilt about getting it wrong on homosexuality (having been on the "wrong side of history") and are really quick to start affirming/clapping for the women=men and men=women thing which does a kindness to absolutely no one. Lots of folks at churches now have gay people in their family and think "Trans" = "Gay 2.0". They'll affirm your kid behind your back like everyone else.
Absolutely. The marketing and propaganda around trans issues, piggy-backing off gay history and people, is a cynical and clever strategy that seduces well-meaning people who want to be seen as progressive in the sense of being fair and kind. It's infuriating and depressing, really. Education is so important.
Oh I completely get all of that. I'm just saying that some people actually seek it out because it goes against their beliefs, values, or whatever. There are ppl who say it worked for them. They have formed groups to fight against the ban. Whether it works or not isn't the point or up to us to decide. It is about the freedom of it.
It’s interesting that there are religious people who seek help in overcoming their homosexuality, and that they refer to this as "conversion therapy.” But it's voluntarily, and if people feel it helps them, more power to them. But if I’m understanding you correctly, they’re under the impression that when trans activists talk about wanting to prevent "conversion therapy" for trans-identified kids, they're referring to some similar, literal conversion-type therapy. This is a lie, promoted by trans activists in order to discourage any kind of psychotherapy whatsoever. They don’t want kids discussing their problems with a therapist. The fact is this: there is no such thing as transgender conversion therapy. The term has been co-opted by trans activists for their own purposes.
The title of this article refers to “conversion therapy.” Clearly, the author is being ironic. He says: "My problem was that I didn't like myself. Thinking that I'd like myself better if I were a woman was only a symptom. And once I dealt with the root cause, the symptom faded away…This is the Conversion Therapy that the pro-trans movement wants to ban…” (He should have put the words Conversion Therapy in quotes; his meaning would have been clearer.) He also notes that his therapist didn’t focus on the trans issue. She didn’t try to influence him one way or the other in this regard. Instead, she helped him to process upsetting childhood traumas that he had forgotten about. Then the trans feelings “faded away.” This is the definition of psychotherapy, i.e., the objective acquisition of insight. It is the exact type of therapy that is being labeled “conversion therapy” by trans activists and denied to trans-confused kids right now. Under the current standard of care, they walk into the therapist’s office and half an hour later they’re placed on the affirmation conveyor belt of hormones and surgeries.
Religious people who oppose “conversion therapy” for trans-confused kids are not bad people, they're just misinformed. I understand that they’re paranoid about having their own rights taken away. I’d suggest that they rename their religious therapy and call it something else…anything that separates them from the trans agenda would do.
Yes, I am aware of all of that. No, their argument is that the bans on it will effect them specifically. The wording of the bans will effect them. It has nothing to do with how the trans label it or whatever. It is solely them against the bans because they will effect them, the ppl who seek it out.
It isn't just religious ppl. It is anyone who don't agree with it. Whether that be religious or their own values.