Bartholomaeus, Tiana (2024) Altered States, Authentic Selves: How Psychedelics Impact the Gender of Trans Reddit Users. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Trans individuals are often faced with unique internal and external minority stressors. Existing literature suggests, however, that psychedelic-induced altered states may allow individuals to overcome these stressors and engage in healing journeys of identity discovery and self-acceptance. This study aims to share the lived psychedelic experiences of trans Reddit users, exploring if and how psychedelic experiences have impacted their gender. Posts from between 2019-2024 were recorded from the subreddits r/trans and r/asktransgender and were assessed for inclusion. Using structured tabular thematic analysis, codes and themes were extracted from the data. Findings suggest that psychedelics have diverse impacts on the gender experiences of trans Reddit users. The following seven themes were identified: 1) embracing one’s authentic self; 2) gender identity exploration; 3) realisations of gender identity; 4) psychological release; 5) catalyst for transition; 6) experiencing gender euphoria; and 7) navigating gender dysphoria and distress. This study contributes to a limited body of knowledge in the space of psychedelics and provides invaluable insight into the psychedelic experiences of trans individuals specifically and how they describe their impact on gender. As an emerging area of academic research, future studies have a vast opportunity to expand on these findings by adjusting the focus to a more specific facet of trans individuals’ psychedelic experiences, such as if they are tripping solo or with others, or whether they experienced gender questioning prior to taking psychedelics. The findings can also be expanded on to develop psychedelic-assisted therapy practices that are inclusive and accessible for trans communities.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Brown, Samantha |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Jan 2026 06:43 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2026 06:43 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | gender dysphoria, gender euphoria, psychedelic-assisted therapy, psychedelics, trans/transgender |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5205 Social and personality psychology > 520505 Social psychology |
| Socio-Economic Objectives (2020): | 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200409 Mental health |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53072 |
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