To Dreamer,
There is no bible, but there is a set of protocols followed pretty much universally by medical practitioners (WPATH protocols).
HRT can both be dangerous and not produce major changes. The two propositions are not mutually exclusive.
I was on HRT for five months before I went full-time, but I could pass quite easily without hormones if I presented as a woman. After five months, I had a hard time passing as a man, except with my co-workers, who saw zero change. One thing that never changed was my perception of myself. There was no change with hormones and no change with SRS. I never started to "feel like a girl" or feel "differently" for that matter. What changed was how others perceived and interacted with me. In short, the brain did not follow the body, it's the body that followed the brain.
