Mental Gender Dysphoria And Triggers
Mental gender dysphoria – has to do with our thoughts and feelings on the inside.
One common thing that can trigger mental gender dysphoria is when we compare ourselves to other people. For instance, if we see someone who is also trans or nonbinary and we start comparing our own progress or our bodies to theirs.
Another thing that can trigger mental gender dysphoria is when we have negative thoughts about our own gender. We might think things like “I’ll never look like the gender I identify with” or “people will always use the wrong pronouns for me.”
Folks have also described mental gender dysphoria as a disconnect between how they see themselves in their mind and how their body might not match that image. It’s like the way you imagine yourself when your eyes are closed and how that might differ from the body you see when you open them. This gap can create a sense of inner tension and discomfort.
Note: Feeling uneasy about how you see yourself in terms of gender (mental gender dysphoria) can be tied to feeling uneasy about your body (physical gender dysphoria) and how people perceive and treat you (social gender dysphoria). When you encounter things in your environment that remind you of your gender, like how you look or how others treat you, it can trigger thoughts or beliefs that worsen your gender dysphoria. So, all these parts of your life can mix together and intensify gender dysphoria.
The table below shows common mental gender dysphoria triggers. As you look over this portion of the table think about:
Which of the examples in the table are a trigger for your mental gender dysphoria?
Which triggers increase your mental gender dysphoria the most?
Are there triggers to your mental gender dysphoria that are not in the table?