Sorry yall. This is gonna be a long one. I need help from the gestalt. Also I know the initial reaction after slogging through all this is to place blame at my wife. It’s not in my character to do so, so calling her out isn’t going to assist me in any way.
I’m a late thirties MtF who has repressed from a very early age. Testosterone hit me hard and I’m exactly the kind of build that I don’t want to be to transition. Tall, bulky, and hairy. I’ve repressed because I wanted a specific job and believed that if I forced myself into a role I’d be happy and the thoughts would go away. And I was. And they did. Until they didn’t. Now stuff keeps bubbling up. Little annoying things. Needless to say I’m having issues with these feelings and sought professional help. My therapist is a trans man and comparing his experiences to mine, he’s confident this is real and not based in some long lost childhood trauma. He’s confident I’ll transition at some point and present outwardly what I do on here, but hopefully less depressed. Everyone I’ve been out to has accepted it and is actively encouraging me embracing femininity more.
My issue is my wife. I love her with all my soul. Shes the mother of my two elementary aged kids. Losing any of them keeps me awake for hours if it gets in my head for even a moment at night. She’s a very open person for most social issues. She considers herself pansexual because she believes she’s attracted to the person not the body. Our relationship began very physically and is very physical even as we age. This does not mean we lack the emotional connection just this will be important later on.
My trans issues have come up during our relationship before. I was initially given a choice between her and continuing to explore. I chose her because I did and still love her more than anyone, myself included. Over time it would bubble up and I got caught covering up discussing the issue with a friend. She’s more hurt that I rely on others to talk about my issues (a la the account here) but she has made it known that she is PERSONALLY not attracted to trans folx. She will support them to her death, she will protest with others for their rights and attend pride events with her rainbow pin and donate. She’s just does not find us sexually exciting when she tries to imagine it. Given the physical side of our relationship I fear it’s a death knell for everything. I don’t feel like it’s right to rip that physical attraction away from her. I find her beautiful and enjoy looking at her physical form. I offer feedback when asked. What right do I have to take that same joy from her?
She also came from a life where she had to pick herself up on her own multiple times and had those around her betray or use her. Her experience says that if she’s been wrong it’s intentional. She’s mentioned that because the issues came up and I made the decision to stay with her, that if they come up and destroy the marriage she’s going to view it as me lying to her this whole time saying I had it under control. She views it as me wasting her life with a lie when she could have been happy and content with a cis het man instead of a pretend one. It would taint all of her memories of us. It makes me outright terrified of telling her anything related to my transness now because I’m afraid it will be the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m so terrified that I haven’t even told her I’m in therapy.
She is my world, I get panic attacks even thinking of divorce. But at the same time my therapist said he “can feel the waters changing” and has openly admitted he made notes recently “accidentally scribbling “she” when when [I was] talking about my feelings to [my therapist]. I’m dealing with the fear of losing my wife and family AND a bit of ego death as well.
What I want is someone to tell me it’s going to be ok. I want someone to tell me “here is how you talk to her so she won’t be upset”. I want to get though this awkward and painful uncertainty and move on with my life and family.
But I know that won’t happen. So please just give me your best advice, encouraging words, or even a meme to help me get through today. Today is quite possibly the worst day for me since my egg broke.