What's behind it all?

[Kate's at home]

I've read here and elsewhere quite a number of psychological/conditioning and physical/medical theories to attempt to explain crossdressing. My question to the forum is, how many of you wonder seriously about spiritually and reincarnation and question if you are essentially female, and the knowing and memory of that is what is coming through now?

I'm especially curious about this from those of you who started and felt a strong need to continue dressing and experience yourself in a feminine context from very early ages (say ages 4-6 or 7).

Kate

[Jessica giovanna]

Here goes my story in response to your question....
I feel that I have always been this way and this Is my reasoning. I am an identical twin and both of us have always had this femine trait. But the strange part...my mother actually had a set of gg twins one year before my brother and I. Their names would have been Jennifer and Jessica....unfortunately, they did not live. I gave always felt that I had a responsibility to make sure that they would never be forgotten and I also feel that I was given a second chance....I know that sounds weird, but to me it's not. That is how I have her name Jessica...She lives through me and I through her. In my heart, I feel that I would make them proud!
Ms. G

[kimdl93]

I don't have to resort to some fanciful metaphysical explanations. There is an abundant and growing body of evidence that connects transgenderism to genetic factors and the timing of exposure of the developing fetus to various hormones in the womb.

[Jenniferathome]

I'm with Kim 100% on this. Science trumps fantasy every day of the week.

[Kate Simmons]

Regardless of what "causes" it or what we personally may believe, the main effort, in my opinion, should be to make it work for us and enjoy it as part of who we are.:battingeyelashes::)

[Rachelakld]

Science still doesn't know or understand the construct of the now accept multi verse. The don't know where quarks come from or go to, but know they are part on an atom for a few micro seconds.
Some of us are more connected with the spirit world and the creator

[Wildaboutheels]

Evolution + Nature + Nurture + plus READING tons of responses here is the "simple" answer to your title. CDing is about 90% VISUAL which is why it is mostly a man's thing. How do you stop a CDer? [most] Take away his mirrors and his camera.

ALL CDers of all varieties are unique because ALL CDers are Human. It's what ALL of us have in common.

Your first paragraph does not apply to me. Your second? Small children of all ages are inherently curious if they don't have some electronic device to hog their attention 24/7.

[Annaliese]

I dress from about 9 or 10 in my mother clothes, raised in the 50 and 60 hard time to be anything but boy who play hard at boy sports. Even with the fem side never showed that side of me. Dress in secret til I got caught about 15 years ago. It is hard and takes time to unsuppressed 45 years of hiding. In the last 15 years I have become more true to my self, at now 60 I know who I am, a girl name Annaliese

[Joanne f]

I think you are looking at reincarnation from a spiritual or reborn soul point of view , who know as anything is possible , but what if you look at it from another angle ,
we are made up of atoms and molecules and when someone dies their atoms and molecules disperse back into the grand scheme of things , now what if when someone is born and they start to grow and absorb some of the molecules that once belonged to a female , could it be possible that they can retain some sort of memory a connection to there past , maybe that is why some can experience their past life/lives .

[Katey888]

Hmmm - interesting question. I think if I were a past female I'd be more broody than I am? I also can't reconcile all the other male-ish things that grip me from an alternate hobby view: cars, football, DIY/ woodwork, baking (oops! Blame Paul Hollywood for that one) Seriously, wouldn't the female memory come over as wanting kids, home-making, nurturing, sensitive? Sadly. that's not me - perhaps I'm unusual there?
I also wouldn't put a lot of faith totally in science - I think there's a great deal that can't be wholly explained around what makes us who we are and what gender means in the context of personality. Some people get their kicks from PVC for example - so what did they do 150 years ago? I'd suggest that some of what drives CD is a reaction to the pressures that modern society places on male and female roles and the pure escapism of switching genders for a while, even if for some of us, it's only really in our heads as the physical manifestation is either incomplete or unconvincing.
Mind you, if I think about the possibility of coming back as a GG - now that's an interesting thought.... :D
Kateyx

[Karren H]

At 7 I wandered into my mothers closet..... been in the closet every since.. lol. My mom used to tell me all the time I was supposed to have been a girl... and right when my sister was born I started wanting to dress like one.... it was either the power of suggestion or alien abduction!

[Confucius]

What's behind it all? Well, first of all I believe that psychologists have not been helpful, but may have given cross-dressers a disservice. Personally, I tend to think of it more like ADHD, or Aspergers, or autism. Its a biological phenomenon which can contribute to some psychological side-effects.

It's how your brain is hardwired. Your brain has synaptic connections where wearing feminine clothing automatically, and involuntarily, causes your brain to release dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and other neurotransmitters which cause the sensations of well-being, comfort, pleasure, sexual gratification, and bonding. It affects the reward centers of your brain, instant gratification, and thus it mimics the addiction pattern. Briefly, your brain is just interpreting cross-dressing as actual contact with a female.

How did your brain get hardwired this way? It's an oddity. About 3% of the normal, healthy, heterosexual male population has this condition. It begins with synaptogenesis - those critical periods where your bran produces a myriad of neural connections. You may be surprised to know that your brain has the most synaptic connections when you are 12 months old. After that, through the learning process, your neural connections are either reinforced or pruned. Then you hit another critical period of synaptogenesis during adolescence, followed by more neural pruning. Sometimes people will have connections such that one stimulation on one sensory pathway will cause stimulation in a different sensory pathway. This is called synesthesia. For example a person will hear or see a word and experience a certain taste in his mouth, or he may see numbers and see colors associated with the number.

So cross-dressing may be a form of synesthesia where contact with certain types of clothing produces sensations of contact with a female.

[NathalieX66]

There is no mental or psychological conditioning. Same with choosing condiments on a pizza (pepperoni , mushrooms....or peppers & onions, anchovies?)
I don't think traumatic events cause crossdressing but it might be an escape mechanism.
The problem is that society creates rigid gender roles, and the sense that crossing the boundaries of those roles is taboo....which actually might heighten the interest to do so.....like Marlon Brando in the Wild One ("What are you rebelling against, Johnny?" .....Brando "I dunno, whaddya got"?)

When I was a kid, I always had a fascination for pierced ears, I had no idea why. Only women and girls had them, and I wanted my ears to be pierced just like the girls, but the fact that I was male made it seem remote, and I had no idea what the reason for that gender barrier was. It made no sense to me.

[Jorja]

There is no mental, psychological, or spiritual aspect to it at all. It is because we are a bunch of perverts who molest children, puppies, and little lambs. Gosh, go listen to the redneck crowd. They will tell what you should know.

[Teddie]

I can remember back when (50+ years ago), that I use to think, that in a previous life, that I was an Egyptian princess back in the times of the Pharaos. I use to visualize that I was dressed in those very light, flowing, almost see through, costumes that they wore back then, and I'd be walking around the palace, and at the Nile and playing in the water. Maybe it was all the National Geographics that I liked to read, or the first realization that I wanted to dress as a girl, or . . .

[mary something]

there is nothing wrong with being a feminine man who enjoys wearing feminine clothes. There are masculine women who enjoy wearing masculine cloths and nobody thinks they are crazy. Our culture tries to discourage these qualities because it does not value them, but that does not mean that people with these qualities are not valuable. We live in a culture that places a lot of value on military strength (not an opinion, just look at how much money is spent on the military budget in the US for example), and therefore places a lot of value on the types of men perceived to have the personalities best suited for being a warrior. I'm not saying that a crossdresser can't be a warrior, I'm talking about perceptions.

just be comfortable being you, try not to worry about reasons why that you are the way you are but instead find joy in being who you are.

[Dianne S]

Well, I'm not spiritual and I don't believe in reincarnation. I think something in my brain chemistry or neurological make-up is a far more likely explanation for why I like to CD than metaphysical fantasies...

[kimdl93]

Science still doesn't know or understand the construct of the now accept multi verse. The don't know where quarks come from or go to, but know they are part on an atom for a few micro seconds.
Some of us are more connected with the spirit world and the creator

ok, I'm being a tad argumentative here, but were it not for theoretical physicists, we wouldn't know there were atoms or quarks, nor speculate about the "multiverse. Similarly, our understanding of "what's behind" CDing and/or transgenderism are being advance by research, not baseless speculation and wishful thinking.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Kate, I was probably a female in my past life and have been reincarnated as a male and for about the last 66 years I've been trying to get back

[Jaylyn]

I have done reading about this and am an active naturists that observes how the animal kingdom works in its most natural way. I believe that we have a supreme maker. I have observed growing up on a farming and ranching operation that the world of animals are kinda like us. In some animals the male is the one who has the bright colored plumage and the female ones are the dull ones that blend in with nature. This is only natural as the reproduction of young must be hidden from the predators or be eaten. In some species of the animal kingdom that role is reversed, to the point that the female lays the eggs and the male then protects the nest to the point of death, even keeping the very mother away so as she won't eat her young. Being an ex science teacher I believe though that Kimdi has the been reading the latest findings in the field of genetics and is the most correct in why we cd. I do believe outside stimulus can also trigger those certain genetic factors and make them come to the surface. In conclusion we are all different in our physical makeup maybe such as the frail ness that we associate with females and some are the protectors as some males are built with a great deal of size. This is all in our genetics. Given any outside stimulus ( lack of nutrition, visual stimulation, or even the spoken word) can touch that part of us that genetically makes us who we are. After all if one has been cremated at death how could there essence of those atoms be dispersed back into the universe and be in a form to be used by another? As young are very curious about sex, many times in nature the animals will be sniffing and licking and learning about procreation. The human aspect of sex is usually first picked up in visual, normal growth, curiosity, and from touch ending in good feelings. Then along comes some teacher saying abstinence is normal. It is not normal. It is a part of the natural act of getting to adulthood. This is what makes parenting so hard. Why animals have it better in that sexual respective. Sorry about the lengthy ranting... Lol just accept what we are, a uniquely built superior part of the animal world that ,with the exception of dolphins, have higher thinking skills. Lol

[linda allen]

I am reincarnated. I used to be a woman but I was killed during WWII in Germany at the age of nineteen. I was reincarnated and born as a boy in the USA.

I don't really believe that, it's just a dream I had a long time ago and I've remembered it ever since.

[Beverley Sims]

Linda,
I was told I was a good Saturday night wasted.
Is that the same thing. :)

[Aly Cat]

Here goes my story in response to your question....
I feel that I have always been this way and this Is my reasoning. I am an identical twin and both of us have always had this femine trait. But the strange part...my mother actually had a set of gg twins one year before my brother and I. Their names would have been Jennifer and Jessica....unfortunately, they did not live. I gave always felt that I had a responsibility to make sure that they would never be forgotten and I also feel that I was given a second chance....I know that sounds weird, but to me it's not. That is how I have her name Jessica...She lives through me and I through her. In my heart, I feel that I would make them proud!
Ms. G

That is too weird....those are the names of 2 of my older sisters. No lie.

[Kate's at home]

Thanks for the responses from everyone. I'm not arguing specifically for a position specifically advocating reincarnation. It just strikes me as the most obvious starting point (as most folks are familiar with the concept, agreeing or not), to maybe also include some spiritual/metaphysical dimension (regardless of focus...I'm more than happy to take a "unitarian" approach to the subject, wherever it might go) to the ongoing conversations we have here. It seems, usually the questions and discussions are framed in psychological, medical and genetic research/outcomes contexts only. I just would like to add, periodically, another dimension to include in the inquiry. And, I'm curious about other's experiences in kind, and how that might inform and help.

My sense for many years has been that there are many types of knowing...and I'm curious about all of them. My hope is that at least some others here are too. And, as this is a forum devoted to crossdressing, how that applies to our motivations and experiences as well in this area of our lives.

Thanks for your interest (and patience),

Kate

[Tina_gm]

I am somewhat of a minority when it comes to the when of CDing. My 1st cognitive feeling of wanting to "Be" her happened when I was 17. I was in a club, became fixated on an attractive college girl, but then found myself wanting to look like her, wishing I was wearing what she was wearing... It shocked me, scared me and I left and went home.

Looking back to my earlier childhood, I can see where I was likely more effeminate than some of the other boys. I am also in the minority of CDers in that I did not have a strong bond with my mother, in fact I had a much closer relationship with my late father. I really do not know or have read up much on reincarnation. My wife has joked that I must have been a blond in my previous life lol. But in seriousness, I can't really say one way or another. I am who I am. I am very dual gendered. I have a lot of ways in which I am typically masculine, but then other ways where I am feminine. If there truly is reincarnation, I wouldn't be surprised if at some point I was a woman.