One of the first questions that new parents are asked when pregnant is, “Is it a boy or a girl?” This question really highlights society’s obsession with binaries in terms of sex and gender. But biology isn’t binary; biology loves diversity!
Having bodily differences is always difficult, but it can be even more challenging when it relates to something so personal and intimate as sex. Whether it’s chromosomal, hormonal, or anatomical, or whether the difference was identified at birth, puberty, or when trying to conceive, it can impact your psyche.
As an intersex person, you might question who you are based on your body. Many intersex individuals internalize messages of shame, especially when there has been a great deal of secrecy about their bodies during childhood. You may struggle to share your body in intimate ways with others and even avoid romantic relationships. It’s common to hold onto a lot of rage toward doctors and families for the treatment of your body as an infant.
Psychotherapy can help heal some of these psychic wounds. It cannot fix or change the past, but it can help minimize the continued damage that the past has had on your present and even your future.
