Originally Posted by
JeanTG
One thing I've learned on this journey is that everyone is different, and TV/TS/TG has a wide range of triggers and motivators. Gender dysphoria is one thing, obsession is another, and addiction yet another. Get a hit of (alcohol, drugs, endorphins from extreme exercise, masturbating or whatever) = feel good is pretty close to what addiction is in my books. There is no doubt that dressing makes me feel good. Put on panties + bra + pantyhose + dress + shoes etc. = feel good. Not so much in a sexual way though that was the case in my 20s, but mostly in a relaxing way, much as some describe having some good weed (I don't use drugs nor do I smoke and I drink moderately). I feel calm, relaxed, less anxious and my mood improves 110%. Conversely when I'm in a situation when I cannot dress (as I have been for the last several weeks), I feel down, grumpy, irritable, anxious, restless.
Who wouldn't want to seek out something that makes you feel better, on a regular basis?
There is no question that addiction may play a role for some of us. I think that mental health professionals therefore need to have an open mind about this, because how the problem is "treated" (i.e. how to make the patient find a way of living with their situation and their loved ones) will depend on it. If it isn't addiction in your case, that's OK, deal with it accordingly. If it is in someone else's case, that's OK too and let them deal with it accordingly. Let's be open-minded about this and not project our own experience to mean that this is what others should be feeling. Vive la différence!
The good news is that this "addiction", such as it may be for some of us, doesn't interfere with our alertness or ability to function at a high level. You can land a 747 while underdressed in an underwire bra, panties, cami, garter, stockings and painted toenails or even in a full female pilot uniform, but don't try that while high on weed or drunk.
My therapist also didn't "tell me what I wanted to hear". What I wanted to hear was that I needed to start HRT, be castrated and begin transition. But she identified that I was most emphatically not a transsexual. I was referred to her by a general psychologist who was smart enough that she didn't have enough experience in this field. Once she established who/what I was, she went on to help me find ways to live with the issue, and re-establish some measure of at least part-time virility so my marriage could function.