Saturday, September 23, 2017

FAQ Question about Illness or cure


In most cases, no treatment is necessary as cross-dressing not considered an illness. If the cross-dressing is out of control and becomes compulsive, then, anti-compulsion drugs are sometimes prescribed.

So, Cross-dressing May Be Biologically Bound--Does This Mean I CANNOT Stop?
Not according to Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist. He espoused that little boys naturally exhibit certain feminine characteristics, which are intrinsic to all people, regardless of gender. He called this feminine side our Anima. However, parents, in an attempt successfully rear their boys into manly men; discourage all displays of the feminine in their sons. These feminine behaviors may be extremely subtle, and the corresponding parental disapproval, perhaps even more so. Jung contends that children are extremely receptive to cues of approval and disapproval. So perhaps a little boy exhibits even a look or a stance, which is perceived as feminine by his parents, and he receives in response, a raised eyebrow, or even a slight frown. This exchange may occur on such a sub-conscious level, that neither the boy, nor his parent, even realizes that it has taken place. However, the young boy registers that transaction in his forming mind, and thus begins the negative association with that natural, feminine part of him, his Anima. He makes sure that he represses all feminine behaviors from that moment on. Alternatively, does he? Jung sustained that it is impossible to thwart something that is intrinsic to our nature, such as our inherent masculine and feminine traits (in Jungian thought, those being the Animus and Anima, respectively). The outward manifestation of the Anima will surface again, and often, when it does, it can be in traditionally unacceptable ways, such as cross-dressing. In Jungian psychology, however, the act of cross-dressing is a path toward embracing one's Anima, and a very pivotal part of the human experience and growth process. However, cross-dressing is but a stepping-stone toward self-actualization. The complete man, is one who may go through a period of embracing his feminine side by way of cross-dressing, but who also eventually transforms into neither masculine nor feminine, but rather becomes a new being, a very healthy embodiment of both. Jung contends that the man that allows himself to cross-dress, as a healthy vehicle toward to the ultimate acceptance and integration of his feminine self, will eventually no longer need to cross-dress, once those two facets of his being, the Anima and the Animus merge. Jung contends that the man who is stuck in the cross-dressing phase of his life experiences arrested development.

Is cross-dressing/transvestism a disorder?
Clinicians classify “transvestic fetishism” under the category of “gender identity disorder,” according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-4.  It is not considered a problem unless “the fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. When a male goes to therapy for transvestism, it is not because he wants to be “fixed,” most likely he just wants to be accepted.  The clinician may try to address depression that is often associated with the inability to fulfill satisfactorily the need to cross-dress.  Moreover, when a couple goes to a therapist, it is most likely to address how the cross-dressing has affected the relationship, but not to “cure” the individual.

Is There a Cure?
There is no cure for Cross-dressing for the simple reason that Cross-dressing is not an illness but a state of being. Cross-dressers are-"born and not made". Think of it this way - if you always desired to have the Tagalong type of cookie and your friend always desired the Lemonade type of cookie. However, something happened in society that suddenly made desiring the Tagalong type of cookie not "socially acceptable" by societal norms. Does that also suddenly stop making you desire the Tagalong type of cookie? Has desiring Tagalong cookies suddenly become an "illness" that someone else needs to "cure"? Of course not. When viewed with a broader perspective one can see that the desire to cross-dress is also one's personal desire.
The chief adjustment problem cross-dressers face is societal attitudes. While these have been changing since cross-dressers appeared on the Donahue Show in 1987, acceptance is far from complete. Because of possible consequences to families, jobs and friends, many cross-dressers live shrouded in secrecy. Some cross-dressers deny their feminine side and dispose of their clothing, only to return to cross-dressing later, frustrated by the amputation of so significant a part of their personality.  Some seek therapy, but as many therapists are not knowledgeable about cross-gender issues, cross dressers sometimes find themselves educating the therapist rather than getting the help they seek. Nor are psychiatric drugs of benefit. There is no “cure” for cross-dressing, and most cross-dressers do not want one!

What Type of People are Cross-dressers?
Cross-dressers come from all occupations and every stratum of society. Spouses, parents, children and friends are Cross-dressers. There are no distinctions. Cross-dressers come from all occupations, races, creeds, and economic backgrounds. The phenomenon dates back many thousands of years. In some cultures, especially some Native American tribes, they were highly respected as shamans. Most cross-dressers are well educated and come from conventional family backgrounds. The clear majority is heterosexual and most are, or have been, married. Most are happy in their masculinity, and only a small percentage opts to live as women full time. A few women are cross-dressers, but they are much less numerous than their male counterparts. Perhaps this is due to the relative latitude society grants to women in matters of dress and self-expression.
· Hua Mulan· Pope Joan · Joan of Arc · Anne Bonny and Mary Read  Bonnie Prince Charlie · Chevalier d'Eon  · George Sand (Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin)  · Dorothy Lawrence  · Rrose Sélavy,· J. S. G. Boggs · Yasumasa Morimura · Grayson Perry  · Billy Tipton  · Willmer "Little Ax" Broadnax · Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon · Eddie Izzard
See List of Transgendered people at http://zagria.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

Can one make a crossdresser stop?
http://crossdressersociety.com/crossdressing-faq
This is probably the worst thing anyone can do. Forcing them to stop and purging their feminine side could have disastrous consequences. Most likely he would binge later on as the cross-dressing urge would be even stronger. Besides the pressure will still be there and could lead to violent break outs or emotional distress. There is no “cure” for cross-dressing, and most cross-dressers do not want one!

Because of possible consequences to families, jobs, and friends, many cross-dressers live shrouded in secrecy. Burdened by fear and guilt, some cross-dressers deny their feminine side and dispose of their clothing. Usually they are frustrated by this elimination of a significant part of their personalities, and eventually return to feminine self-expression. Some seek therapy, but as many therapists are not knowledgeable about cross gender issues, they sometimes find themselves educating the therapist rather than getting the help they seek. Nor are psychiatric drugs of benefit.

Can Cross-dressing Be "Cured"?
http://www.tri-ess.org/cd01.html
The chief adjustment problem cross-dressers face is societal attitudes.  While these have been changing since cross-dressers appeared on the Donahue Show in 1987, acceptance is far from complete.  Because of possible consequences to families, jobs and friends, many cross-dressers live shrouded in secrecy.  Some cross-dressers deny their feminine side and dispose of their clothing, only to return to cross-dressing later, frustrated by the amputation of so significant a part of their personality.  Some seek therapy, but as many therapists are not knowledgeable about cross gender issues, cross dressers sometimes find themselves educating the therapist rather than getting the help they seek.  Nor are psychiatric drugs of benefit. There is no “cure” for cross-dressing, and most cross-dressers do not want one!
There are several theories but they are all inconclusive.  There are no scientifically substantiated genetic or organic causes for transvestism.  The latest research suggests that it is a psychological condition.

What is the difference between transvestites and transsexuals?
Transvestites have a need to wear clothing normally worn by women, and to look like women.  Transsexuals want to ‘be’ women.  Transvestites may use padding, silicone, and makeup to look like women but never alter their physical appearance.  Transsexuals may take hormones to reshape their bodies, grow real breasts, and some may opt to have sex reassignment surgery.  According to Vernon Coleman’s survey of 1,016 cross-dressers, most men (77%) do not have an interest in changing sex.  They are perfectly comfortable being males.

What Cross-dressers (TRANSVESTITES) Are Not
While many cross-dressers are ordinary heterosexual men with an additional feminine dimension, they are stereotyped by society based on a highly visible minority who cross-dress for entirely different reasons.
The widely accepted theory that transvestites are homosexual is absurdly persistent and it is one of the reasons why so many cross-dressers are secretive about what they do. Many transvestites are staunchly heterosexual. Eight out of ten men who cross-dress have had only heterosexual experiences. The incidence of homosexuality is much the same among transvestites as it is among the rest of the male population.
The Marjory of people believes that transvestites are men that have not gone through with the surgery to become female. Most men who cross-dress want to remain male; they have no interest in or enthusiasm for changing sex. Over 77% of cross-dressers have no interest in changing sex.

Does Cross-dressing Influence Sexuality?
A person's sexual preference or sexuality is independent of their mental gender identity. Human sexual diversity exists amongst Cross-dressers in the same basic proportions as it does in the general community. In fact, as Cross-dressers are part of the general community, your "average" Cross-dresser is likely to be heterosexual, to have married and have children.

What is it Like Being a Cross-dresser?
Most Cross-dressers discover their need to cross-dress during childhood. They have no idea why they feel the way they do, yet quickly find that the expression of this part of their nature results in reprimand and alienation from parents, family and friends - the people they love and value the most. This can result in the development of unreasonable feelings of unhealthy personal shame.
So most, Cross-dressers become secretive about their Cross-dressing and, doing their best to deny and suppress this essential part of their being, grow fulfilling themselves as human being in all the other ways they can. However, being a Cross-dresser does not "go away" any more than the essential self-can ever go away. Sustained denial of the expression of this essential self can result in severe emotional disturbance.
Shame, fear and loneliness find expression in thought with such questions as - "Would my best friends, workmates, family, father / mother, wife / partner and my children still want me and love me if they knew this part of me or would they reject me with scorn or fear?".
Many Cross--dressers ultimately find it impossible and intolerable to exist like this. They feel compelled to learn about themselves and to "open up" to the significant others in their lives. Rejection may occur; most often Cross-dressers are surprised at the level of acceptance they receive, which so often reflects the level of their own self-acceptance. They liberate themselves to enjoy the exhilaration of the expression of this essential part of their being through Cross-dressing.
On a much more positive note, most Cross Dressers are more loving, sympathetic, and compassionate. They are gentle, caring and nurturing people. They are very sensitive and have a strong desire to share their feelings and respond to the needs of others.

What Should You Do If You Know a Cross-dresser?
Be open-minded. Be prepared to learn some sensible realities about cross-dressing.
Above all, know and remind yourself that being a Cross-dresser will not change the child, the partner, parent or friend you know and maybe love, into someone different. After all the only real difference is that, you know! Continue to see the individual person and allow yourself the gifts of an open heart and open mind!

Isn't Cross-Dressing Just a Step to Sexual Reassignment?
Again, the answer is a resounding NO. In fact, the NO cannot be made sufficiently emphatic. Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) or Sex Change Surgery" as it is sometimes called, is quite another thing. This is a sexual thing at the very core. Diagnostically, the person from the very earliest ages, many even before the onset of puberty, is aware of a feeling most commonly said to be "trapped in the wrong body" in a sexual identity dysphoric condition. Such people are diagnosed as "Transsexuals" for their fundamental feeling set has equally deep roots, which are quite apart from clothing and are directed to their anatomical structures and many times to the sexual anatomy of those to whom they are attracted sexually. This condition is recognized as a medical condition which is commonly treated by long-term psychotherapy, long-term hormonal therapy and finally by surgical alteration of the person's external genitalia. This condition is found in both those born female and those born male. The predominance is among males. A terribly distressing situation has arisen in conjunction with the proliferation in recent years of the so-called "Gender Clinics" (a terribly misnomer, as it were) and the relative ease with which many individuals have been admitted to the surgical suites. This has led to a phenomenon in which borderline individuals have sought to bolster their own decision to assume the identity and goals of the true transsexual by "recruiting" and otherwise influencing other insecure, confused, and often gullible individuals to set forth on the same course of action. This has been encouraged it seems, by some individuals in the "Gender Clinic" business for obvious reasons. SRS is not inexpensive....


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