Best description of transition I've encountered... and it's not even trans centric

[JanePeterson]

So a cis friend of mine posted the below link to facebook, and after reading it I was totally floored by how perfectly it captured the transition process.

For those who are pre transition, does this align with how you interperate the process?

For those who have successfully transitioned, how does this compare to your experience?

http://www.rebellesociety.com/2017/06/01/clivetreadwell-transformation/

[jentay1367]

Yes... The whole thing rang of synchronicity with my world. Onward I go...

[Pat]

It seems to me like kind of a dystopian view of transition. Personally, I didn't really need to get to a place where I was cutting myself off from the world any further. I found opening myself up more was what I, personally, needed -- my life was dark enough before I decided I needed to transition. I guess it just shows that we each need to follow our own path.

[Rachel Smith]

Thank you Jane for posting that it is quite interesting. Some of it reads very true to my transition, esp the part about it sucking but then again if it were easy more would do it and we wouldn't be so different. Hmmmm would that be a bad thing?

[KymberlyOct]

Hey Jane, I thought that article was well written and in general rang true to my experience. I think the one thing I would add is the positive experiences I have with the general public in addition to friends and family are sometimes very affirming. Many people want to demonstrate that they are accepting and for every crappy interaction or being misgendered that I experience I have more affirming ones. Yep transition sucks no doubt but it's not all sucky. It's a roller coaster and we greatly influence how positive or negative it may be. But believe me sometimes a few wrong words can still ruin my day but that's on me.

I did think much of the advice was good and the insights were accurate, just felt to me like the focus was skewed a bit toward the difficulties we face without enough commentary about the positives. Transitioning IMHO is a mixed bag with difficult challenges, fear and stress but it also can ring happiness, acceptance and knowledge of oneself and the world in which we live.

[rachael.davis]

I'm astounded by how little I have in common with the author of that essay.
I'm not sure what the site's definition of "warrior women" is, but way back when I had a solid reputation for being able to teach women a couple of traditional women's armed combat styles - the ones who excelled bonded with other women in the class, the ones who wanted to be the solo hard cases usually stopped showing up in a couple of months.

[jentay1367]

the ones who excelled bonded with other women in the class, the ones who wanted to be the solo hard cases usually stopped showing up in a couple of months.

What's your point here? That's a universal truth and the case in nearly everything. It's human nature to bond with those of like mind and to gravitate away from those you have nothing in common with. Humans don't want to go anything "solo".

[rachael.davis]

The point being the articles assertion that you are very much on your own transitioning

Transformation happens alone. With butterflies, it happens within a cocoon that cuts them off from the outside world. So, no friends, no hugs, no bright shining talk, no seminars, no inspirational Facebook posts. If it’s really happening, you’re more likely to delete your Facebook account because you feel so alone.

[Mirya]

I very much agree with these points (as it relates to a gender transition):


Transformation [transition] isn’t something you choose, it chooses you. --yes, yes, yes!
Transformation [transition] sucks. --so true. It really does suck. It's extremely painful in every imaginable way - physically, mentally, emotionally, and most notably, relationally.



But I have a difficult time reconciling the following points with the process of gender transition:


Transformation [transition] happens alone. --maybe one could say that it 'happens alone' in the sense that you lose so many relationships from your male life? But of course we all know that the most successful transitions don't literally happen alone (transitioning as a hermit? lol). A prudent transitioning woman will surround herself with a wide, supportive network of friends and healthcare providers.
Transformation [transition] is in the bag. --sorry, but I have to completely disagree with this one. There are so many forces that work against you in a transition, and so many missteps that can happen along the way, that a successful transition requires careful thought and planning for the future. The article describes a caterpillar as having 'imaginal discs' already in place that later become wings, legs, etc. On the other hand, as transsexual women, we frequently need surgical intervention to transform into our true selves. It's nothing like a caterpillar that simply goes into a cocoon and lets nature work its course.


It was a good article though, and interesting to read the parallels between what the author was describing and my own gender transition. Thank you for sharing it!

[grace7777]

I would not say transitioning sucks. Actually what would really suck would be to not transition. Now having said that, transitioning has a lot of unpleasant aspects to it. It is definitely not fun. Also, I do wish this could be a quick process, but it is a long slow process.

One thing I definitely do not enjoy is getting a hormone shot every 2 weeks. Now I could do pills, but for me the results were not good, but with shots my estrogen levels have gone up a lot faster. Also , I wish for faster breast growth, but I know It is going to take time. SRS is something I also expect to be unpleasant, but the end result I expect to be worth it.

To sum it up, there are a lot of costs in transitioning, but the benefits are greater than the costs.

[Chrissi]

Ok now I'm crying, someone else truly understands, not a 100% but misery loves company, so I'll take what I can get

[samantha rogers]

I am going to go with some parts were ok and some not. The writer appears to be a "life coach". Puts me in mind of the myriad of people who taught different approaches to acting back when that was my profession. Some had stuff to teach that worked for others but not me. Some had stuff that worked for me but not others. And yet most were sure they had the "secret" perfect approach. It was super tough to find a teacher whose skill and understanding actually was great enough to appreciate that different humans experience acting (and life) differently. I am leery of anyone who states their position as a fact rather than a strictly personal opinion.
Sigh....If you meet the Buddha on the road...kill him. lol