#92 Exploring Gender Dysphoria, Mental Health and the Decision to Detransition with Rachel Foster

Rachel was raised in a strict fundamentalist Christian household with rigid gender expectations. She was exposed to pedophilia, sexual violence and severe homophobia from a very young age. In the process of trying to find herself, Rachel became convinced that she could solve her mental health issues and her difficulties dating by taking cross-sex hormones and becoming a man. Rachel, who now identifies as a lesbian woman, shares openly about this process & why she decided to ultimately detransition. Rachel also explains what all of this has to do with internalized & culturally reinforced misogyny, unprocessed trauma, fundamentalist ideologies + widespread medical & psychological malpractice.  Find Rachel on Twitter. Watch Dysphoric on Youtube. Rachel's book recommendation: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk and Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships by Janja Lalich Songs featured: “Save Me” by Bleu and “Things Are Gonna Get Easier” by Low Motion Disco How to support the show: Rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes! Support my work on Patreon and get access to perks like an exclusive Discord Server, a book club just for patrons, shirts + stickers, playlists, and curated workshops led by myself, fellow Patrons and former guests of the podcast. Visit my website – AnyaKaats.com & Find me on Instagram Get full access to Dirt Road Dispatch at anyakaats.substack.com/subscribe