Self-Help
Reading articles written by other transgender and gender quesioning people who have experienced either long-term mental illness, or mental illness as a result of unrelenting prejudice and discrimination can be a great way to get motivated about making positive changes in your life to start to move away from being a victim of these circumstances.
The Self-Help section of the Gender Centre website contains a number of articles about the challenging issues commonly faced by transgender and gender questioning people and includes the successful and not-s-successful experiences of others, and in time will also include other resources such as books, book reviews, videos, links to other websites and more. The articles below are just a few of the articles currently on the Self-Help page of this website.
DO YOU SEE A MAN? A WOMAN? A TRANSGENDER PERSON?
Article appeared in Polare 26, August 1998
Have you seen your reflection in a mirror lately? Did you see a man, woman, transgender person? Sometimes looking at our reflection can be disappointing, other times exhilarating. Our reflection can also spark ideas about what and where we would like to be in the future ...
A JOURNEY INTO THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND
Article appeared in Polare 87, April 2011
Many people believe that they know themselves very well. Quite often however, it is not the case. The individual whose gender is kept in the shadow, that is to say, their need to express their gender is denied, is more likely to be under the control of that unmet need ...
HEALTH TO HEALING, DEPENDENCY TO AUTONOMY
Article appeared in Polare 13, June 1996
For intuition to flourish, we need an atmosphere of meditation, contemplation or spending moments alone. We need to develop an awareness of our mental control, physical and emotional tensions ...
VIEWPOINTS THAT CHALLENGE LONG-STANDING NOTIONS
Article appeared in Polare 23, February 1998
In the time since she first acknowledged her bisexuality, Julie has done a considerable amount of soul searching and self-analysis and in this article she shares some of her viewpoints that challenge long-standing notions about how gender relates to sexual orientation ...
KEEPING THE COMMUNITY SAFE
Article appeared in Polare 89, October 2011
Whether you're off on your first blind date set up by a friend or you found your love interest online, your personal safety should always be your number one priority. Nicola Sloane shares some valuable tips on how to guard your identity and stay safe online ...
ADDRESSING SOME OF THE LESSER ASKED QUESTIONS
Article appeared in Polare 32, August 1999
This article addresses some of the questions and issues that individuals who have had genital reassignment have raised to American Therapist Gianna E. Israel. It may also be of interest to persons who are considering undergoing genital reassignment surgery ...
YOGA, MEDITATION, MANAGING THOUGHTS AND THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS RETREAT
Article appeared in Polare 75, April 2008
Mardi James writes about her experience at Quest For Life, in the N.S.W.Southern Highlands, having enrolled in its 'Healing Your Life Program', a five-day intensive course of yoga and meditation, managing thoughts and working at getting back in control of your life ...
BE A UNICORN WITH ME AND CHERISH IT TOO
Article appeared in Polare 38, August 2000
To be transsexual is not easy, it is not a birth that could be envied, but neither is it a damnation. We are intelligent, creative, determined and courageous, we are given awareness that others never experience and we need to grasp these gifts born of our sufferings ...
DRESS, HAIR STYLE, MANNERISMS, THOUGHTS, HERBS, STONES, RITUAL OBJECTS AND DEITIES
Article appeared in Polare 24, April 1998
Some believe that to change gender, one should be disciplined and think the thoughts appropriate to the opposite sex, meditation helps here. Herbs are also believed by some to assist with gender-crossing, used in tea or food, worn or carried, stones and shells as well ...
THE HIGH EMOTIONAL COST PAID FOR HAVING UNDERGONE GENDER CHANGE
Article appeared in Polare 3, March 1994
There is undoubtedly a high emotional cost to be paid for having undergone or in the process of undergoing a change of one's gender. Much focus has been placed upon physical and psychological evolvement and in recent times, this focus has been shifting toward a political consciousness ...
TRANSITION HAS IN IT MUCH WISDOM THAT DESERVES ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Article appeared in Polare 86, January 2011
Being part of your child's life, interacting with the staff at your child's school, the management of their sports teams and other domains can present unique challenges for the transgender parent if a child encounters transphobia because of the fixed gender ideals others hold ...
PEOPLE ACTUALLY CONSIDER THEIR TRANSSEXUALISM A GIFT?
Article appeared in Polare 26, August 1998
Carl's jaw hit the floor when he first became aware of people that considered their transsexualism a gift. Ten months on, he no longer resents the hand that he was dealt in life and knows that his transsexualism has made him a better person than him would've been without it ...
