8. Helena Kerschner: Peaking Trans

As an adolescent, Helena identified as trans. But high doses of testosterone led to such extreme mood swings that she was hospitalized twice — yet none of the professionals on her team ever questioned what she was doing to her body, or why. 

In this powerful and courageous interview, detransitioned woman Helena Kerschner shares her inside view on the fantasy versus reality of trans — the hopes and dreams she pinned onto a new identity, compared to the harsh realities she discovered from trying to live as a man. She unpacks the complex psychosocial factors she now sees contributed to her discomfort with being female, and how her therapist let her down by failing to see her true needs. She tells us about giving up the sunken cost fallacy, making up for lost time, and the arduous process of picking up the pieces of a shattered false identity to find out who she truly is.

Wise beyond her years, Helena Kerschner is an outspoken advocate for her fellow detransitioners, victims and survivors of gender medicine. You can follow her on Twitter @lacroicsz or read her blog at lacroicsz.substack.com.

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Show notes & transcript provided with the help of SwellAI.

Special thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our theme song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude and permission.

Watch NO WAY BACK: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care (our medical ethics documentary, formerly known as Affirmation Generation). Stream the film or purchase a DVD. Use code SOMETHERAPIST to take 20% off your order. Follow us on X @2022affirmation or Instagram at @affirmationgeneration.

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