Interesting new journal article by Bob Withers.

[JudithButlerNot]

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-5922.12641

This needs bumping.

It is utterly brilliant.

This is really interesting and helpful in that it brings together many different research papers that challenge the current ideology. However, concluding with the attempt at a fictional backstory to the fictional Max undermines the credibility of the piece as a whole. It was awkward and clumsy. I think he'd have been better off using an anonymised example from his own practice, although he does explain at the outset why he prefers to avoid doing that. It is a dilemma for counsellors when trying to preserve anonymity but I'm not sure he solves it with this story.

I read it as more of a thought experiment than a fictional backstory...

Do you think anyone gives much credence to psychoanalysis any more? Haven't we moved a long way from Freud and Jung and mythology in the last 100 years? They were valuable as early pioneers but we now understand much more.

I read about half of it before giving up in frustration. I think he makes good points, particularly the idea that therapists pass clients on swiftly for medical treatment because gender dysphoria and autogynephilia are so difficult and uncomfortable for the therapist to deal with. And his point that a lot of transitioners have psychological issues that are not investigated because the transitioner doesn't want to be labelled as having a psychological problem has been made many times before.

I don't think the myths and legends and the vague mystic woo overtones help at all.

He makes the very interesting point that the quality of evidence supporting the biomedical approach is extremely poor. This puts young trans people at risk of receiving potentially damaging medical treatment they may later seek to reverse or come to regret, while their underlying psychological issues remain unaddressed.

Something a lot of people have observed and pointed out, and this paper adds more evidence.

The trans lobby denies that there are mental-health issues involved, and is putting pressure on medical authorities to drop the idea of gender dysphoria as a diagnosis. This is so obviously harmful to trans people of all ages, but especially to children who need sane and competent help with psychological problems.

I've a lot of respect for Bob Withers' position.

He was sanctioned, however, by the UKCP fir using client material in his research without seeking consent first.

I would hope that the case studies in this piece of work are all based on work with clients who consented to it being shared in this way.

Placemarking!

Interesting reading. It is an observable point that many 'woke' types in all various forms of woke interest are often noticeably blind to the impact of their 'kindness' on groups they are not interested in, and have very selective empathy or compassion for others. And that there is an endemic fear among many in society currently to face and stand up to others with strong and unpleasant emotions and realities. Placation, enabling, affirming is certainly an easy way out of having to defend one's own boundaries against someone behaving in an angry, overwhelming way. It offers nice feelings of self worth instead of the confusion and distress of having been angrily confronted. And it is a way out of having to deal with a fear of conflict, or having to truly look at understanding and regulating uncomfortable feelings.

We are currently as a society very afraid of having uncomfortable feelings.

Interesting paper. Kind of agree with the style points, but maybe that's the way they always write in that journal? Perhaps its some sort of analytical psychology in-group marker.

We are currently as a society very afraid of having uncomfortable feelings.

Just watched a new somewhat-related interview with a therapist:

Favourite quote: "What kind of stupid bollocks is this to tell people?"

Love that quote

very selective empathy or compassion for others Adding on reflection since thinking more about that article: those displaying that selective empathy or compassion, it's almost always self interested. There is always something in it for the displayer: it's about them, not really the person they're claiming to have all the feelings about.

he must have made some good points - he is being slated by Mmmy over on twitter so I'd better have a read.

Very interesting read. I think the statement he makes about how this era of trans affirming will be viewed in say 20years time is prescient. I think we will be looking back on it with the same sort of horror that we now look back at the use of lobotomy, electric shock treatment, and hysterectomy as appropriate and effective treatment for mental illness. Unfortunately that will be too late for the people who have been hustled into surgery and hormone treatments.

As he says there are a number of issues, many psychological, that can affect young people entering adolescence that could be playing a role in young people’s trans identification. If we don’t give young people time to explore issues, and get help but only offer solutions that are poorly evidenced, potentially unnecessary, irreversible, sterilising, life long therapies then we are failing them dismally.

Physician do no harm. It is a sobering article.