> If it can happen spontaneously, is it impossible that sometimes therapy might speed that spontaneous process along? Would that be a "cure"? I think we need t

> If it can happen spontaneously, is it impossible that sometimes therapy might speed that spontaneous process along? Would that be a "cure"? I think we need to be careful and precise when using the word "cure". Is one outcome preferable over another? Preferable to who, and why? What, precisely, are we curing? What effect does using the word "cure" have on people? Anecdote: When I realized I had dysphoric feelings, my mental health _improved_ overnight and has stayed that way. I took up piano. Became more expressive. I even began working out! What would my cure be? Everyone's different - as you seem to suggest (correct me), pushing for self-understanding is a good way to navigate this. I think my personal positive outcome is in no small part due to key people in my life making it clear that no outcome is preferred over another, and that they'll support me no matter what I find. I count myself as extremely privileged in this regard, and by my reckoning anything we can do to foster this kind of support is time well spent. > But what I realise now is that my gender dysphoric feelings were just another one of these obsessions. That may be. And that's OK. Very few people figure everything out the very first try. And people can sometimes change over time. But equally, sometimes they don't. In any case, we can't expect people to understand themselves if we take away the tools to learn. In some sense, aren't these transient obsessions a vehicle for experimentation and learning? For mine, they are. You, have2throwaway, are valid. Here's to your journey.