Hi everybody, today I had a therapy session for my mental state and the nice lady asked what I like to do to relax. I said the usual xbox and so on, but should I mention dressing relaxes me in my next session?
How many of you here dress to relax?
Hi everybody, today I had a therapy session for my mental state and the nice lady asked what I like to do to relax. I said the usual xbox and so on, but should I mention dressing relaxes me in my next session?
How many of you here dress to relax?
Bouncing is what tiggers do best.
I'm not a girl. I'm a man in a skirt.
If she brings it up again, definitely answer honestly. Therapists work best when you're honest with them. Being honest with other people helps you be honest with yourself!
I can't say that it relaxes me, though. I'm more on the "it excites me" side.
Oh yeah, it has that side too :P
Bouncing is what tiggers do best.
I'm not a girl. I'm a man in a skirt.
My primary reason to dress is to relax.
I feel much more comfortable when I've dressed. Recently, I had to hold off on shaving for a month so that I could go on a family vacation/reunion and not get uncomfortable questions (I got many two years ago!). I have to say that the experience was agony. Once you start body shaving, dressing with hair is terrible. There were a lot of other things making me stressed during that month and I nearly broke down several times.
Once I got through it...heaven. When I'm dressed, I'm just calmer because I'm finally myself. I certainly enjoy being appearing as and being a man too, but I'm not whole unless I dress frequently.
It really has become a part of my life, and that does bring other problems (acceptance from potential significant others being the big one).
I believe my brain is hard-wired to release dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and other neurotransmitters when I crossdress. Its as if my brain interprets crossdressing as actual contact with a female. These neurotransmitters are responsible for the sensations of well-being, pleasure, comfort, gratification and bonding. It affects the reward centers of my brain, and no, I cannot stop my brain from releasing neurotransmitters.
So crossdressing does help me to relax, but it does more than just relax me.
Hi Tigger, There'd no doubt this is a great way to relax and have fun all at the same time.
Having my ears triple pierced is AWESOME, ~~......
I can explain it to you, But I can't comprehend it for you !
If at first you don't succeed, Then Skydiving isn't for you.
Be careful what you wish for, Once you ring a bell , you just can't Un-Ring it !! !!
That is a huge factor of me dressing. When I am stressed I need to dress the urge is very powerful. Everything seems right when I am dressed.
I would mention it next time as it may be part of the mental state you are in.
Quite often insignificant events are the trigger to our problems.
Yes mention that you dress to relax.
Work on your elegance,
and beauty will follow.
First, you have to be open with your therapist or you're wasting you time (and money) with them. If you think they're going to guess how you feel, that's about as good a chance as a woman has of having her husband guess what she wants sexually (in other words, none).
I wouldn't call it dressing to relax, but I just feel 'better' when I dress as a girl does. Again, it's the underlying uneasyness that accompanies being a guy; there's always that background feeling 'I'm not supposed to be wearing/behaving like this. Dressing and behaving as a male just feels like a role I'm playing to fit into society, so it's kind of like a job. Then I come home, take off the work 'uniform', and only then feel normal, or I guess you could call it feeling relaxed.
Last edited by sometimes_miss; 07-05-2014 at 04:02 AM.
Some causes of crossdressing you've probably never even considered: My TG biography at:http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...=1#post1490560
There's an addendum at post # 82 on that thread, too. It's about a ten minute read.
Why don't we understand our desire to dress, behave and feel like a girl? Because from childhood, boys are told that the worst possible thing we can be, is a sissy. This feeling is so ingrained into our psyche, that we will suppress any thoughts that connect us to being or wanting to be feminine, even to the point of creating separate personalities to assign those female feelings into.
Yes I do find dressing relaxes me - it also helps me focus mentally
Of course it helps me relax and cope with problems. I dress to relieve stress, my therapist agrees and I'm sure yours will too, once you tell her.
I enjoy being a boy, being a GIRL like me!!!
I am glad I saw this thread because I haven't heard others really say that before. There are many reasons I dress but when I am stressed, I almost always feel better after I transform.
CDing has always been my self medication and therapy for stress and relaxation. It has afforded me a means to escape some terrible times and incidences that I witnessed and worked on and through.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Fran
It's worth something just being around to Fuss!
Definitely tell your shrink about how calming your dressing can be. For me, as soon as I strap on a bra, I get much more calm and softer in my actions and temperament. I can't say that I dress to relax, though. For me, my dressing is driven by those feminine urges and feelings that have become increasingly frequent as I have aged!
dressing opens up all kinds of artistic and creative doors for me.....those doors open cause I am relaxed and at ease........ if it makes you happy,settles you down, takes a load off your chest....then you are doing the right thing.....who cares what people think...be you
Last edited by Adriana Moretti; 06-19-2014 at 12:55 AM. Reason: my spelling sux
Well, I think you should, why not, it's confidential. I get a feeling of being at ease dressed, but I have to say it introduces at least as much stress into my life as it does relieve it.
Christen x
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.” - Rumi.
I guess it depends what you're getting therapy for but to get the whole picture I think she needs to know !
I would suggest before your next visit you collect a few thoughts together or write a brief history down, it won't do you any harm either as you need to think your CDing through.
Also don't expect the therapist to make a big issue of it, they've heard it all before, on a sliding scale it's right at the bottom of sexual problems, as I found out.
If it is important in your life then it is best to share the information with your therapist. I understand that if you have never told anyone about your crossdressing that it could be a difficult thing to do and I don't think we are trivializing it by recommending you tell, just take a breath and do it!
I am with Lexi on this one. I believe the role playing is in being a manly man, and when I become normal, by being more feminine in nature and attire, I can relax and thus reduce stress. So yes, dressing is a stress relief, yet not dressing is a stress inducer. A true double edged sword!
Yes yes and yes. I don't need to be fully made up, just a dress and some pantyhose make me relaxed and very productive
I need to dress when I'm under stress, which almost always comes from work. (yes, I'm looking, but it isn't easy when you're 60...any ideas?). When work is going well, I like to dress.
I find the only stress it relieves is that of not being feminine!
But in other news, definitely be open about everything, that's what therapists are there for ;-)
When I have been wearing jeans all day an when I get home I will get a shower an put on a tank top an panties an Jean skirt an get comfy an relax
Sarah Michelle Collins
Started HRT with Spirotone on 05/18/2013 an Estradiol Valerate Injections on 06/14/13 an Progesterone injections on 12/29/2014
Definitely best to share with a therapist. They can offer more help if they have the whole picture and you don't hold anything back. I know it can be difficult to discuss and let people in on. As others have said dressing can be very calming especially if you feel more natural while dressed.
I agree with everyone else. While I haven't gone to therapy for crossdressing (although I'm thinking about it to help me accept myself), I have gone to therapy for other reasons. Being open and honest with your therapist will likely lead to letting out built up emotions that can be cathartic and healthy.
While the act of dressing can be stressful (shaving, putting on makeup without messing it up, and so on), when I'm finished, I feel wonderful which can be relaxing in itself. Feeling complete may not be the same as relaxed but it can definitely be a side effect.
I'll jump on the "it doesn't really relax me" side of the fence. I find gym shorts and a loose t-shirt vastly more relaxing than a skirt and blouse. But dressing up does make me feel good when I do a good job. It's more like a confidence boost and a chance to be artsy in another way.
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