trauma Detransition Stories & Timelines
Browse through 984 unique detransition stories and timelines of people who haved shared their experiences in the /r/detrans subreddit, which is the largest open collection of detransition stories and experiences on the internet!
These stories have been summarised with the help of AI.
/u/DetransIS
I was born with an intersex condition and felt like a freak because my body developed differently from other girls. I was manipulated into believing I was a boy and started testosterone as a teenager. The hormones and surgeries caused permanent health problems and changed my body in ways I can't reverse. I stopped years ago, but I now live with deep regret and a body that doesn't feel like mine. I was failed by everyone who should have helped me love myself as the woman I am.
/u/furbysaysburnthings
I started transitioning to male at 25 to escape feeling like a failed woman and the pain from my past. I was on testosterone for over seven years, but I eventually realized I was using it as a coping mechanism, not because I was truly a man. Moving away from my affirming social circle gave me the perspective to see I was living a lie and dissociating from myself. I've been detransitioning for a year now, working to reverse the physical changes, which is difficult and scary. I now accept that I am female and am trying to build an identity for myself outside of gender entirely.
/u/Luck_Unlucky2
I felt like a boy from a very young age, a feeling made much worse by the sexual abuse I suffered, which taught me to hate my female body. I socially transitioned to live as a man in my late thirties and for a while, it felt like a huge relief. But when I considered medical transition, I stopped because I realized it would mean taking away my child's mother. Through deep reflection, I understood my desire to be male was rooted in trauma and a fear of being female, not an innate identity. Now, I am learning to accept myself as a masculine woman, finding peace by healing from my past and rejecting rigid gender labels.
/u/xnyvbb
I was a girl who felt uncomfortable with my body and thought I was supposed to be a boy, influenced by online communities and a past relationship. My transition, including testosterone and surgery, was traumatic and triggered severe health issues, leaving me with permanent changes. I realized my feelings were rooted in trauma, autism, and OCD, not in being male. I am now focused on accepting my female body and healing from my past. I deeply regret my choices and am undergoing expensive procedures to try and feel like myself again.
/u/Werevulvi
I was born female and transitioned to live as a man for nine years, starting when I was twenty. I later realized my dysphoria came from trauma and internalized homophobia, not from being truly transgender. I detransitioned after a sudden breakthrough where I integrated with a dissociative part of myself and my perspective completely shifted. I now live as a woman again, but I grieve my mastectomy every day and struggle with my permanently deep voice and beard. Despite the pain, I am finally at peace with being a lesbian and am healing from the past.
/u/Hedera_Thorn
I was a feminine boy who started my transition as a teenager because I was bullied and wanted to escape becoming a man after a traumatic experience. I had surgery and lived as female for years, but it never fixed my deeper problems with trauma and internalized homophobia. I now deeply regret it, as the surgeries left me with permanent pain and infertility. I've come to understand my dysphoria was never about being the wrong sex. I'm now in my 30s, finding peace by accepting reality and sharing my story to help others.
/u/UniquelyDefined
I started identifying as non-binary at 25, thinking it was the answer to my deep discomfort and depression. I was convinced to try hormones, but just one month of estrogen caused permanent, painful breast growth and other changes. I realized I had made a terrible mistake based on internal issues, not because I was born the wrong sex. Now, I’m focused on healing and have learned my problems were from trauma and other conditions, not my body. I’m waiting for surgery to fix the damage and am finally learning to just be myself.
/u/spamcentral
I was a tomboy from the start and felt punished when puberty hit and my body changed. After years of being misgendered, I identified as non-binary, but that just left me feeling isolated and confused. Losing a lot of weight helped me see my natural masculine frame, and I realized my real issues were trauma and society's narrow expectations for women. I stopped identifying as non-binary and now accept myself as a gender non-conforming woman in a happy relationship. My journey taught me that true peace comes from healing the root causes of pain, not from changing your body.
/u/Luck_Unlucky
I felt like a boy trapped in a girl's body from the time I was a toddler, a feeling that intensified with trauma I experienced. I socially transitioned to live as a man in my 40s and for a while, it felt like the answer. I eventually realized my desire to be male was a coping mechanism tied to my past and internalized shame about being female. Through therapy, I learned to accept my body and understand that my masculine interests don't make me less of a woman. I'm now at peace, living as a masculine woman, and finally free from the depression that haunted me for decades.
/u/DraftCurrent4706
I started as a depressed teenager who didn't fit in with other girls and was bullied by boys, which made me hate the idea of being a weak woman. I escaped into anime and began fetishizing gay men, eventually believing I was supposed to be one. My research into the permanent effects of hormones and surgery horrified me and made me realize I could never actually become a man. I understood that I didn't want to be a real man; I just wanted to escape the misogyny I had internalized. Now I'm a happy, masculine woman who worked through my real issues and I'm grateful I never medically transitioned.
/u/cranberry_snacks
I'm a man who, from a very young age, overwhelmingly identified with women and felt a deep disconnect from my own body. I nearly started hormone therapy because I believed becoming a woman was the only way to be happy. But I stopped because I felt changing my body was just an escape from a deeper lack of self-love. Through years of therapy and self-reflection, I realized my "female self" was a part of me I needed to accept, not become. Now I'm at peace, learning to love myself as a man with a female sense of self, and my dysphoria has faded.
/u/trialeterror
I wanted to be a boy from a very young age and started medically transitioning in my mid-twenties. I took testosterone and had top surgery, but I realized it could never make me truly male. I detransitioned because I accepted I am female and that my dysphoria came from trauma and unhealthy thought patterns. While surgery relieved some distress, I now live with chronic pain and some regrets. I'm finally at peace focusing on what my body can do, rather than what it is.
/u/quendergestion
I felt completely disconnected from being a woman, which started from childhood trauma that made me feel unsafe in my own skin. I socially transitioned to a non-binary identity for years, trying to escape that discomfort. Finding a safe relationship and IFS therapy helped me understand my trauma was the real issue, not my body. I've since desisted and now live comfortably as a woman, realizing my dysphoria was a symptom, not an identity. I am just grateful I found healing without making any permanent changes to my body.
/u/HeForeverBleeds
My journey started with severe childhood abuse that made me feel unsafe in my own male body, and I wished I was a girl to escape the pain. I was a feminine boy who was bullied, and finding online communities made me believe transitioning was the answer, which brought temporary relief. A therapist quickly encouraged me towards hormones and surgery, but a conversation with my dad helped me see my desire to transition came from trauma and a hatred of male stereotypes, not from truly being female. I detransitioned and realized I am just a gender non-conforming man, and accepting that made my dysphoria fade away. I'm now at peace, living as a feminine man and believing that self-acceptance, not changing your body, is the real solution.
/u/mofu_mofu
I was a tomboy who felt uncomfortable in my body and transitioned to male for nearly a decade, thinking it would fix my deep-seated issues from trauma and internalized homophobia. I took testosterone and lived as a man, but I eventually realized I was chasing an impossible ideal and that my true problem was not accepting myself as a female. After detransitioning, I lost friends and had to accept permanent changes to my voice and body from the hormones. I now live as a butch lesbian and have found peace, understanding that my dysphoria was rooted in trauma, not identity. I’ve learned that womanhood isn’t about stereotypes and that transition isn’t the right solution for everyone.
/u/wetfart41968
I started wanting to transition after learning about it online as a kid, feeling like a complete alien around other girls. My journey was driven by trauma, strict gender roles, and a deep desire to escape being female after an assault. I took testosterone for over two years and lived as a man, but it didn't fix my anxiety or self-esteem. I stopped because I realized I needed to address my root issues in therapy, not change my body. Now I'm learning to accept myself as a woman with a unique history, even with the permanent changes from testosterone.
/u/L82Desist
I was a tomboy who started fantasizing about being a boy as a child, which I now understand was a way to cope with trauma and internalized misogyny. I transitioned in my twenties, lived as a man for over twenty years, and had surgeries, but the dysphoria never went away and I felt like a lonely fraud. In my mid-forties, therapy helped me see that my desire to be male was a coping mechanism to escape the trauma of being female. I detransitioned seven years ago, and while I deeply regret the permanent changes to my body, my gender dysphoria is now completely gone. I have finally found peace by accepting my female body and rejecting the harmful ideas I once believed.
/u/LostSoul1911
My journey started with childhood trauma that made me feel unsafe in my body as a woman. I transitioned to male at 16, thinking it was the answer, but I was never truly happy and my mental health got worse. After top surgery, I realized I was just trying to escape being sexualized and finally detransitioned. I now have to live with permanent changes like a deeper voice and no breasts, which I deeply regret. I'm finally healing, embracing being a woman again, and rebuilding my life.
/u/Chelstrawberrymuffin
I started identifying as a man at 19 because I liked how people treated me and I was struggling with my sense of self from autism and BPD. I was on and off testosterone for two years; it helped my mental health but caused difficult physical changes like a strained voice and health concerns. I finally stopped for good because living as a trans man made my life harder and I missed the ease of being seen as a woman. Now, I've been off hormones for a while and my body has mostly returned to how it was before. I don't regret the journey, but I'm learning to accept being a woman while working through my past issues.
/u/Lucretia123
I'm a female who started transitioning after a sexual assault made me feel disconnected from my body. I thought becoming a man would let me escape my pain, so I took testosterone and had surgery. I now realize my discomfort was from trauma, not my true self, and I regret the permanent changes. I've stopped hormones and am focusing on healing through therapy and outdoor activities. I'm learning to accept my body as it is and move forward.