DoctorOW parent
I haven't studied gender dysphoria but I've been diagnosed with it. In my experience, it's an incongruence between your idea of yourself and your perceptible form. In some ways it could be argued your body is "craving" it but not in the same way it may crave a specific nutrient. Instead, you're sort of surprised and often upset by the way that you are.
Would you say it is similar to how some people with no legs want to have legs? Or fat people who want to be skinny?
I guess it's kind of similar to how people without legs feel. I've heard that people without legs sometimes have "phantom legs". While they're consciously aware they're missing legs, their brain is still wired to have them. Similarly, my brain is wired for a female body.
Every trans person's experience is different, I know that the "wrong body" terminology doesn't apply to everyone.
How do you cope?
Honestly I truly believe that I will reach a point where my body feels like mine. The changes with HRT do a whole hell of a lot to minimize dysphoria in my experience. I also live with, work with, and am friends with people who genuinely see me as the way I see myself, as a woman. You can tell from the way people interact with you, how they see you. Being perceived as a woman fits with my perception of myself.
> Honestly I truly believe that I will reach a point where my body feels like mine.
There are two ways to achieve that: changing the body, and changing the mind.
(I'm not claiming one to be easier than the other, but I've noticed most people have a strong preference for changing their body rather than changing their mind)