"The whole world opened up, there's no better word for it than euphoria": Experience Of Embodiment In Trans*feminine Individuals
Abstract
The “experience of embodiment” is a construct that captures how an individual experiences the body in their socio-cultural context and has important implications for mental health and well-being. The construct was originally developed to explain the experiences of cis-gender girls and women, and has not been investigated in trans*feminine individuals. Grounded in social constructivism, and integrating the gender minority stress model and principles of intersectionality, the present study investigated trans*feminine experiences of embodiment. To expand our understanding of this construct, trans*feminine participants engaged in focus groups (n=28), a photo-elicitation task (n=25), and one-on-one semi-structured interviews (n=25). Using a combined inductive and deductive approach to reflexive thematic analysis, 5 themes were constructed: (1) Challenging Cisnormativity; (2) Desire: Incoming and Outgoing; (3) Radical Self-Care; (4) Journeys to Alignment; and (5) Gatekeepers and Facilitators of Euphoria. Utilizing a gender minority stress framework to contextualize the findings, the present study provides a rich understanding of embodiment in trans*feminine individuals.