Origins of Crossdressing: Part II

Another View Of Where It Comes From

By Stacy Clement, M.A. © 1996

A few months ago I proposed a theory about the origins of crossdressing. For some, apparently, the theory held some water and pointed up some common issues that many of us feel. For some, likewise, I heard that this did not apply and that they had read nothing of their own history or experience in my words. So, I have another possible explanation that may fit for you. Of course, like the first, if you do not believe the ideas that form the foundation of the theory, the theory itself will make no sense.

Several years ago I was exposed to reincarnation and past-life regression therapy. It was the eighties and I lived in California, so the field was full of formed flower children, seeking a new experience, or looking for a new and novel means of selling a book or a seminar. I read some, which in turn caused me to read some more and that created thought streams...and so on. Well, bottom line for me is that because of numerous experiences, I accept reincarnation and look to it as both explanation and guide for various parts of my life today.

Now that I hold some magical degree from a university that identifies me as a psychologist, I have to defend my beliefs in past lives amongst my professional peers ('course I always had to amongst my religious family - Christians don't like the notion of reincarnation). Suffice it to say that I am eager to share my unique experiences with others and ask only that they accept them as basis for my belief. I offer to share the experience, but would never try to force the belief on them. Now I come forward with a theory that may hold water about the origins of crossdressing behavior and submit to you for consideration.

The Hindu believe that Wisdom balances Karma. That is to say simply that facing your devils and finding out their origins, allows us to deal with what these demons dish out. Hindus also accept (believing in something requires blind faith, accepting it requires a personal experience regarding it) reincarnation and transmigration of souls (that is where a cow may be inhabited by the soul of a human). They believe that the soul must pass through each of seven levels of enlightenment, living lives that teach lessons unique to each level. Now they believe that a person can pass through more than one level (also less than one level) per lifetime, depending on how much and quickly they learn. Unconsciously then, we take lessons learned from each life with us into the next incarnation. It is also possible, according to the Hindu religion to backslide having forgotten lessons, only to repeat the lesson (if we do not learn from our history we are doomed to repeat it).

We can see without too much extrapolation, that lessons learned about any number of things in a past life could be carried over into this one. Perhaps we were extremely cruel and must live the life of a submissive in order to balance our Karma. Perhaps we were wealthy and greedy and must now live a life of poverty, and so on. So, what could we be trying to learn by dressing in the opposite gender? Compassion, understanding, pain, sensuality, or what? Perhaps the lesson is more vague than that. Perhaps we need to learn to make a decision and keep it, set a goal and achieve it, or acknowledge a feeling and live with it. The point being, we may have carried Karma into this life that provides as one of its manifestations, the need to crossdress, crosslive or go the whole route to surgery.

Right now there is scant, if any, little information on the pairing of past life experiences and being transgendered. However, that is not to say it could not be carried out. I know of at least one clinical hypnotist who is both working with the transgendered and who has done past-life regression sessions. I would love to hear from you if you accept reincarnation and would like to explore the possibilities of searching for the origins of your crossdressing in past lives. Please note: I use the term past life regression therapy in total because there is a more accepted form of regression hypnotherapy that merely examines the effects of events early in this life cycle and does not embrace any part of the process being based in past-lives.


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