a blog and resources for trans survivors and loved ones

  • Empowering.
  • Healing.
  • Connecting.
Of Containers and Consciousness: KonMari-ing the Intangible

Of Containers and Consciousness: KonMari-ing the Intangible

June 17, 2019

“Put it in a box” said my therapist. It was not the first time she’d said it. She wanted me to imagine containing the thing that was distressing me so it wouldn’t accompany me to work after our appointment.  But it would. My anxieties...
Trans Folks, Survivors, and Partners Practicing Sexual Consent

Trans Folks, Survivors, and Partners Practicing Sexual Consent

June 11, 2019

In intimate relationships, practicing consent means communicating about touching and boundaries. Consent is essential for a wide range of activities—holding hands, cuddling, oral sex. (As an aside, consent is also important in non-intimate contexts, like disclosing...
FORGE welcomes Anole Halper to our Team

FORGE welcomes Anole Halper to our Team

May 23, 2019

FORGE welcomes Anole Halper to our Team May 21, 2019 FORGE is pleased to announce the addition of Anole Halper, MSW, MPH to our staff as Creative Content Coordinator, increasing our capacity to educate and engage the public. Anole (pronouns: they/them/theirs) will...
Coping with Traumatic Anniversaries: A Toolkit

Coping with Traumatic Anniversaries: A Toolkit

April 29, 2019

In the last blog post, we talked about ways to think about and use traumatic anniversaries. Here we offer a toolkit of other useful coping strategies. Create new seasonal associations: Much of what the brain does is create associations between one experience/memory...
The Weight of Shame and How it Moves Us

The Weight of Shame and How it Moves Us

April 22, 2019

Defining Shame A possibly shameful confession: I chose to write a blog post about shame because I wanted to understand it and have an excuse to explore it fully. Like a distant lover, I know it well but don’t feel like I understand it at all. Yet when I searched for...
When Hard Feelings Sweep You Out to Sea

When Hard Feelings Sweep You Out to Sea

April 11, 2019

By Ana Lee Case I knew someone who said she had big feelings. She said they would wash over her like a wave and she’d feel like she was being swept out to sea. I could relate. I’ve had big feelings too, and I know what it’s like to be dragged away from the shore. When...