I discussed the last half of my previous post (the dysphoria half) with trans people at an international trans server on Discord. And they made me see it in a bit of a different light. First of all: It's really common to have dysphoria get worse when interacting with other trans people. Realizing it's not the other person's fault is apparently an important first step.
They also suggested that by WILLINGLY stepping into these kinds of situations, I take some sort of ownership of them. I'm not a leaf being blown around by dysphoric winds, I'm an agent in (some) control of what happens to me. So interacting with other trans people, specifically with Cord in this case, becomes a form of exposure therapy. By standing in the discomfort for long enough, enduring, welcoming it, the dysphoria will eventually lessen.
That's the hope, anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment