Sasha Ayad, LPC

📽️ New Video: The Hidden Roots of Gender Dysphoria (Intro) We know that - gender dysphoria isn’t just one thing - the diagnosis only tells a part of the story So what are the different factors that might be underneath this condition? In this new video, I’m introducing a 7-part…

I still think of this tweet

When you have sense of self, and are relational, it's perfectly ok to be 'ordinary'-- because you realize other people are fully selved too, and often fairly 'ordinary' too. My Dad used to emphasize - 'nobody gets special exceptions' to the rules of life.

The fear of being ordinary drives many kids to identify with trans labels. It’s a desire to be exceptional, to play outside the rules, and to think oneself either particularly oppressed or particularly special This may be a product of our particular time and era, fueled by the…

How do online trans communities deal with doubts, questions, or desistance (coercion and social pressure)? Yesterday I attended a fantastic @TherapyFirstOrg workshop by researcher @elizamondegreen about this very topic. And at times, it felt dismal. Every doubt and question…

Military, combat, and meaning-making I can't wait to watch the interview below. The question from this therapist is just insane, but the combat issue he raised makes me want to share a memory: I used worked as a bartender for many years. Anyone in this industry knows there are…

Can almost guarantee the poor person who asked this question "is trans" by now...

On Guilt in Parents of Trans-Identified Children You get the point - parents (and especially mothers) can feel guilty about anything and everything. Read the rest of the book excerpt below and consider joining us for our very last Wider Lens parent retreat this November.…

When all things LGBTQ are celebrated, almost to an exhausting level these days, why would same-sex attracted adolescents struggle to accept themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual?

My favorite moments from Patrick’s podcast: - you’re not a thing, you’re a person (in reference to his brilliant notion of the “Broken Rolex Fallacy” - sounds obvious, but a lot of pop psychology operates under the pretense that we are like machines - so this is such an…

🧐 Sexuality, nonconformity and gender dysphoria Social pressures to act more "normal" can make gender nonconforming kids question their behavior and their identity. This can can create and shape gender dysphoria. You might ask, then: Why do some gender nonconforming kids…

Anyone know of a psychoanalytic analysis or paper on hoarding behaviors?

Sometimes the harassment, abuse or difficulties we experience are specifically related to our biological sex. A transgender identity (or cross-sex identity) may be an attempt to protect oneself from extreme vulnerability. Watch the full video here: youtu.be/GwXaSVnWyuE

Either I'm getting really good at spotting ChatGPT "writing" or ChatGPT is really bad at varying it's style, sentence structure and vocabulary. Or rather bad at humanizing it. In all honesty, there were a few weeks when I got really excited about ChatGPT. A very techy friend…

"Social Contagion" has gotten a bad rep in some circles. So, I'd like to offer a translation: Human beings are social creatures. It's normal, healthy, and in fact, necessary for us to build bonds with each other, relate to shared experiences and to identify and build upon…

Some people come into the world breaking gender stereotypes without even trying. This is organic, spontaneous, and natural gender nonconformity: - highly feminine little boys - extremely tomboyish little girls But why do some people like this develop gender dysphoria? While…

We'll look back at our Nonbinary Identities episode from Sept 2021 Is NB still and on- and off-ramp to a cross-sex identity? Is NB still a form of political protest? Is NB a type of gender nihilism? Join us on Saturday and tell us what you think - details below