Male client who wants female hormones

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Omar Alexandro on February 6, 2012 at 7:25am

Thank you all!!!! Then, Ill tell this client it can be done, but I'll let her know later, or to get someone with the right training for that. I hope it doesn't sound very bad to back off, but as I see it, is like if a heart doctor sends you to the neurologist. :)

Meanwhile, I'll start looking forward to get the right training. 

I appreciate your help :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Amy Marsh on February 6, 2012 at 8:31am

Oh, and hey, I want to say that I'm not an expert, but I am pursuing this topic pretty vigorously and hope to share what I learn with others here on Hypnothoughts. 

Richard Nongard - NLPBoard.com said:

I will send a link to Amy Marsh, she is the expert in this subject.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Graham Old on February 6, 2012 at 9:02am

Excellent post, Amy.
I particularly appreciated your first point. I'd want to add a slight caveat to your point, but that's mainly academic (and I wonder if practices vary slightly in the UK).



Amy Marsh said:

Hi Omar,

And thanks to Richard for sending me this post. I have a few comments. This is a very complex issue and deserves deep thought. 

1) First of all, rather than rush to solve the presenting problem, which in this case is a client's desire to expedite her transition and perhaps boost the production of estrogen, I would dearly love to see hypnotists develop a PROTOCOL FOR BEST PRACTICES in addressing the concerns of gender variant clients, whatever they may be. This is imperative, as much damage can be done even in a well-meaning practice.

A well-thought out template that could be adapted by professional hypnotists can be found in the ALGBTIC/American Counseling Association counseling protocols for trans clients. I have put it in the "ongoing resources thread" of my group here on Hypnothoughts.

http://www.hypnothoughts.com/group/hypnosisfortransgendervariantpeople

Other good sources of info are also there - including Transgender Law Center's downloadable PDFs for offering health services to trans clients, and protocols suggested by the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. You can also get a lot of info about hormone protocols, risks, etc. there. 

2) An important point is to use the correct pronouns and forms of address. A person who has been assigned one gender at birth who is not in congruence with that gender assignment IS already the gender (or gender blend) that she/he/ze/they wants to actualize in her/his/hir/their life and appearance. Professional standards of practice in other helping professions recommend referring to and about our transgender, transsexual, and gender variant clients by their chosen pronouns and names. 

3) This client also needs well-informed medical monitoring and health care, and a reputable source of her hormones. Too many people buy junk off the internet, and do not have their side effects monitored. That's because all too many medical professionals still basically suck at dealing with trans issues. If she does not have adequate medical support, help find a referral for her. 

4) I agree with Chuck about vocal training and the use of hypnotism to support this.

5) Just judging from my read of the above post, I feel this client is very eager to be her authentic self in the world. I would suggest that you

a) support her, via hypnosis, in a discovery process which allows her to into a strong sense of her authentic gender expression (typical "feminization" hypnosis is very gender binary and not all trans women are going to go for high glamour or "sissie" roles). 

b) give her positive suggestions about having great experiences with her hormones, lessen side effects, respond well in a healthy way, etc. I would not suggest that she could get the results she wants strictly through hypnotism - that would be unethical. However, if she wants to try hypnotism as a way to gently begin the process of coming into her own, feeling her body as she'd like it to be, I think you could do that. 

Everyone, please get up to speed on trans issues first before serving these clients. We, as professionals, can do a much better job with our trans and gender variant clients. 

Thanks for listening!

Amy

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page