Do you think dysphoria distorts your vision on how you look in reallity

[dmj23]

No the issue I have is me wanting something that didn't turn out for me the way it could have and I harp on that a lot and have since I was 12. Its all about me never thinking I could be man enough for me to believe I  really like any other guy.

[KayXo]

"As one goes through it
one sees that the gate one went through
was the self that went through it
no one went through a gate
there was no gate to go through
no one ever found a gate
no one ever realized there was never a gate"

RD Laing's pithy piece on The Gate was put to me back when I was in the throes of transition, as I came to the position where I had to decide how I would go forward with my life.  There's a "letting go" required just to get into transition. 

Likewise, there's another "letting go" for getting out of it.

Thanks Sophia. Very wise.

[DuchessBianca]

I'm really glad this thread was made as I was actually planning on making something similar but it's certainly something I experience pretty much every day. At just about 7 months on HRT I'm certainly starting to feel like my face overall is trending feminine but it's frustrating that every time I look in my bathroom mirror it's as if my face changes. Sometimes I feel like I look very feminine, others I feel like not much has changed at all, then when I'm walking in public and see my reflection on the glass of buildings it's even worse because I look completely nothing like feminine, drives me crazy as I have no clue which version is closer to how I actually look >_< bleh  Maybe the reflection in glass when in public is as such because I always seem to have a stern, unhappy expression in public where as when I'm at home in private my face is much more relaxed and when I smile the feminine changes are far more visible.

[CynthiaAnn]

this was an interesting topic to find and read.

Dysphoria for me was mostly conquered, after receiving medical treatments and when I began the process of not overthinking about my presentation, relax, and simply live. This was easier written about here now than in actual  practice, this took a long time to acheive. The more confidence I projected out in the world being myself, the more I received the right kinds of attention and responses from others. Much of my self image evolved over a long period of time mixed in with messages from others. The less I allowed the images of others to influence my self perceptions, reached that place of self acceptance and peace with one's self, the less noise generated in my head, and my GD was reduced to only a few "bad days", I mostly have good days, simply counting my blessings in an imperfect world. Transition essentially was the filtering and notching of that terrible GD noise....

C -

[Drexy/Drex]

Yes