And is the dysphoria constant or fluctuating and sometimes close to zero ?

I have dysphoria but not every say. So i wonder if not having it all the time means one is not transsexual but rater transgender.

When I decided to transition I felt like I was lying to myself because I didn't really "hate" my body. As I went on HRT and my body changed I realized that I had been living with dysphoria for years but that I didn't understand it as such.

I had settled for my male body and that meant I was just complacent and detached. I felt inhuman and really disconnected from myself.

That's not quite the same manifestation as some trans ladies whose dysphoria is seen as a very clear and legible disconnect between the mind and body.

Now that I understand myself and know how my body ought to be my dysphoria is much more tuned to that angst of a male body with a non-male mind.

I used to try to explain my transition to justify it to others because I was trying to justify it to myself. These days I just accept myself and don't much care WHY I am transitioning. Who cares why If it makes me happy it's the right thing to do.

Don't let dysphoria notions confuse you, but that being said - if you lack dysphoria meaning you don't mind being seen as and having the body of a man - a full transition might not be right for you. In such a case transition might make your dysphoria worse or open a can of worms where you could have left it alone.

That's up to you, none of us can know what this means to you.

Keep asking questions and being honest with yourself

Here are the terms we use on the site. This may help avoid confusion:

Transgender: an inclusive umbrella term which covers anyone who transcends their birth gender for any reason. This includes but is not limited to Androgynes, Crossdressers, Drag kings, Drag queens, Intersexuals, Transsexuals, and ->-bleeped-<-s.

Dysphoria varies from person to person and doesn't determine how you identify. Hugs, Devlyn

I don't think so, at least not "body" dysphoria in the usual sense. For lack of a better word, I guess that people who take active steps to change their bodies do, to different extents. People who do not physically transition, may or may not.
Those who do not often have different reasons some of which might be financial, but other don't because their gender isn't fixed or very binary, even though some of these people do have feelings of dysphoria. But this is a myth kind of that everybody who is trans feels dysphoria or that all dysphoria is paralyzing and so on.

--Jay

I know somebody will disagree, but I think the answer is yes. (Assuming you are talking about transsexual people and not about the trans* umbrella, that would be completely different)
I think that you have to feel dysphoria to transition. That said, as you will know dysphoria has infinite faces. For somebody is more severe, for others is more subtle. It is a different feeling for everyone.
I heard stories of 4yo kids self mutilating their genitalia, stories of kids who were little more than toddlers already telling theirmparents they should have been born of the opposing sex. And then there are people who feel disgusted by their body, others who feel disconnected, others who cannot understand what they feel about their bodies. And it's okay, none of these experiences is more validating than the others.
In the end I think that people should ask themselves: would I feel better about me and about my body if it were of the opposite sex? If the answer is yes, that's dysphoria. It doesn't matter wich shapes it takes for you.
Sorry for my bad english, but I hope my point was clear.

^ that's a great breakdown!

Body dysphoria? Nope, never had it... I did have a knowledge that my body was wrong, but that was as far as it went. I guess my username is appropriate, because despite the lack of dysphoria, I transitioned - and it's been the best choice I've ever made.

Why did I transition if I was 'happy' in my male body? I could no longer lie to myself (or others) about what and who I knew the real me to be.

I know some people who can't even be associated with their birth sex. Then again, I know some people who could care less, as long as they're addressed properly. Mistakes can be made, but they won't be completely uppity about it.

I personally would just like to be recognized as female, but I know what I look like, so I won't hold it against anyone if they make a mistake. I'll correct them and move on. If it becomes an issue, then I just stop talking to the person, because clearly, they aren't worth my time or energy.

[edit] and look at that! I'm in the ftm section. Sorry! *runs*

Though there are some commonalities, dysphoria can take different forms for different people.  I always had an inkling that I would much rather of been female at birth, but never explicitly hated being male bodied.  I just accepted the hand that I had been dealt physically even though I felt something was wrong, which basically crippled me emotionally for a long while.

After starting hrt and beginning to transition a lot of my emotional issues went out with the T, but I feel more physical dysphoria than previously (I want to get this done and dusted so that I can start living life to the full), but I know that will pass.

I found this article a few months ago which pretty much sums up me up to age 30, rather than the classic "I always wanted to play with barbies and wear pink princess dresses/woman in a mans body" style dysphoria.

^^^ my experience too!

Quote from: Kaylee link=topic=153970.msg1281527#msg1281527

I foundurl=http://freethoughtblogs.com/zinniajones/2013/09/that-was-dysphoria-8-signs-and-symptoms-of-indirect-gender-dysphoria/]this[/url] article a few months ago which pretty much sums up me up to age 30, rather than the classic "I always wanted to play with barbies and wear pink princess dresses/woman in a mans body" style dysphoria.

I had read this article some time ago and I liked it a lot, but then I couldn't find it anymore, I looked for it everywhere. Thank you for sharing it, I was actually hoping somebody would sooner or later!!
And by the way, for who has issue deciding if transition is the right choice and if what she/he feels is dysphoria, I strongly recommend reading it. I found it enlightening.

Quote from: PrincessDi on November 13, 2013, 10:22:35 AM
When I decided to transition I felt like I was lying to myself because I didn't really "hate" my body. As I went on HRT and my body changed I realized that I had been living with dysphoria for years but that I didn't understand it as such.

I had settled for my male body and that meant I was just complacent and detached. I felt inhuman and really disconnected from myself.

That's not quite the same manifestation as some trans ladies whose dysphoria is seen as a very clear and legible disconnect between the mind and body.

Now that I understand myself and know how my body ought to be my dysphoria is much more tuned to that angst of a male body with a non-male mind.

I used to try to explain my transition to justify it to others because I was trying to justify it to myself. These days I just accept myself and don't much care WHY I am transitioning. Who cares why If it makes me happy it's the right thing to do.

Don't let dysphoria notions confuse you, but that being said - if you lack dysphoria meaning you don't mind being seen as and having the body of a man - a full transition might not be right for you. In such a case transition might make your dysphoria worse or open a can of worms where you could have left it alone.

That's up to you, none of us can know what this means to you.

Keep asking questions and being honest with yourself

Dysphoria does not mean you hate your body and hating your body doesn't not mean you live dysphoria.

Dysphoria is a bunch of symptoms mixed = anxiety, depression, irritability, rage...

I do not hate my body. I just would like a female body instead. But I have dysphoria.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on November 13, 2013, 10:25:08 AM
Here are the terms we use on the site. This may help avoid confusion:

Transgender: an inclusive umbrella term which covers anyone who transcends their birth gender for any reason. This includes but is not limited to Androgynes, Crossdressers, Drag kings, Drag queens, Intersexuals, Transsexuals, and ->-bleeped-<-s.

Dysphoria varies from person to person and doesn't determine how you identify. Hugs, Devlyn

I know what transgender means and I am obviously not using this broad definition but the original one which is people who want to live in the opposite gender without changing their sex and who do rather feel bi gendered. They are between ->-bleeped-<-s and transsexuals.

Quote from: Kaylee on November 13, 2013, 02:37:59 PM
Though there are some commonalities, dysphoria can take different forms for different people.  I always had an inkling that I would much rather of been female at birth, but never explicitly hated being male bodied.  I just accepted the hand that I had been dealt physically even though I felt something was wrong, which basically crippled me emotionally for a long while.

After starting hrt and beginning to transition a lot of my emotional issues went out with the T, but I feel more physical dysphoria than previously (I want to get this done and dusted so that I can start living life to the full), but I know that will pass.

I found this article a few months ago which pretty much sums up me up to age 30, rather than the classic "I always wanted to play with barbies and wear pink princess dresses/woman in a mans body" style dysphoria.

Playing with dolls has no link with dysphoria. It is a hobby. And transexual often tell that, often because they know shrinks expect them to tell that.

Quote from: Sacha on November 13, 2013, 06:59:07 PM
Dysphoria is a bunch of symptoms mixed = anxiety, depression, irritability, rage...

I hope that ya'll don't mind me posting on the guys side, but this topic got my attention 

This is the way I experience dysphoria. All last week I was unable to present as myself, and i grew more anxious all week long without realizing what was happening. When I was finally able to be me, the anxiety immediately went away and a good feeling came over me. If i ignore the anxiety it eventually builds up to a point that I can't take it and I experience depression, irritability, and rage, exactly like you said.

I can't say that i've ever really hated my body, but I know that some do experience their dysphoria that way.

I know that there are different strength of dysphoria, the one of ->-bleeped-<- is rather mild as he can make it go away with just dressing.

Trans have stronger dysphoria and so want more than dressing.

But I was surprised to meet a trans who told me he was never suicidal. So may be he didn't felt dysphoric or he could just handle it so did not want to kill himself.

I have average dysphoria but it doesn't last long. So I never had enough time to kill myself, just to think about it.

You make a lot of assumptions about other people's identities. Hugs, Devlyn

It sounds logical that some trans do not feel dysphoria as gender identity disorder is no more in the DSM so being trans is no more a illness while Gender Dysphoria is in the DSM.

So if one is trans with no dysphoria he is not ill, only being dysphoric means ill.

It is similar to homosexuality and ego dystonic homosexuality in 1973. Only sick if feels bad to be homosexual.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on November 13, 2013, 10:25:08 AM
Here are the terms we use on the site. This may help avoid confusion:

Transgender: an inclusive umbrella term which covers anyone who transcends their birth gender for any reason. This includes but is not limited to Androgynes, Crossdressers, Drag kings, Drag queens, Intersexuals, Transsexuals, and ->-bleeped-<-s.

Dysphoria varies from person to person and doesn't determine how you identify. Hugs, Devlyn

How you identify determine the dysphoria = if you think you are a woman while you are male you may feel dysphoria while if you think you are a man and are male you have no chance to feel gender dysphoria.

But dysphoria may be the visible part of the iceberg, you feel dysphoria and discover later that it is a gender one and you discover that your gender is not the good one.

Hi Everyone,

Hope people don't mind me stepping in the guys room, but I saw Sacha's post in the "whats new" and wanted to respond.

Sacha, you're right that transgender is no longer in the DSM. Gender Dysphoria is, which is being depressed about the gender you appear.

"But I was surprised to meet a trans who told me he was never suicidal. So may be he didn't felt dysphoric or he could just handle it so did not want to kill himself."

It shouldn't be a surprise, not every trans*person is or has been suicidal. We have a greater risk though, but the root cause of suicide is depression - that can be clinical - as in an imbalance, or situational, which is related to someone's situation and feelings of helplessness, which is heightened in our community because people don't understand us and frequently reject us.

I haven't gotten any real dysphoria myself because I know as long as I keep listening to my doctor and following what she suggested, that I won't look like this forever. That doesn't mean I don't have a good cry once in a while or feel sad for a while about something I noticed in a mirror or something someone said to me, but I don't hold on to it, I don't hate myself for it. I also remember when I looked like a girl when I was young, so I have that to hold on to as well. The danger for me is that when I've completed transitioning, I won't look like her again, so I have to base my expectations on reality - factoring in my age, health, and the simple fact I'm not 19 anymore, lol.

With time and medication - and people in groups like this or real life meet-and-greets - we can ALL make it through to the other side - together.

Hugs,
Kelsie