Past Lives

Some crossdressers believe they were female in a past life—a belief that blends gender identity, spiritual tradition, and personal intuition. While not universal, this idea is meaningful for those who feel a deep, inexplicable connection to femininity that they say goes beyond psychology or social influence.

Spiritual and Metaphysical Foundations

Many of these beliefs stem from spiritual systems that accept reincarnation or past-life memory, such as:

Hinduism and Buddhism, where the soul is believed to reincarnate across lifetimes, potentially changing gender with each cycle.

New Age spirituality, where regression therapy, hypnosis, or meditative journeys are used to "uncover" past lives.

Western esotericism, which often includes ideas of soul essence transcending gender.

In this context, a crossdresser might say, “I don't dress like a woman because I want to be one—I'm remembering who I was.”

Psychological Resonance

Some crossdressers report that feminine behavior, clothing and social roles feel instantly familiar, comforting or even inevitable, as if they are returning to something already known.

They may:

Gravitate toward vintage styles from specific eras (e.g., 1940s housewives, Victorian ladies) they have no personal experience of.

Feel distress or confusion living as male, which lessens when presenting femininely—seen not as a fetish, but as alignment with their “true” past self.

Report childhood dreams or vivid fantasies that feel more like memories than imagination.

Expression Through Crossdressing

For these individuals, crossdressing is not merely about gender play or sexual excitement—it’s a spiritual or emotional homecoming.

They might:

Create a female persona that they believe mirrors their former self.

Talk about “her” in third person while still embodying her through dress and behavior.

Feel peaceful or complete only when living in sync with this past-life identity.

Crossdressing, then, becomes a kind of soul retrieval or incarnation echo—a way of honoring a former existence.

Criticisms and Cautions

Not everyone embraces these beliefs and even within crossdressing and trans communities, such claims can be met with skepticism. Critics point out:

The difficulty of verifying past lives,

The possibility of romanticizing femininity as an escape,

Or the use of metaphysical language to rationalize crossdressing without confronting present-life gender issues.

That said, for many who feel deeply called to femininity, believing in a past-life identity offers validation and comfort, particularly if their current life restricts full gender expression.

Wearing Paige

Tommy Scott femulating in Space's music video for “Begin Again.”
Click here to view this video on YouTube.