The Past Life Therapists
Association
The Past Life
Therapists Association
Past Life
Regression and Hypnotherapy Foundation Course
Lesson One
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Past Life Regression
Dictionary definition: Regression: a return to an
earlier stage of development.
It is best to begin with a full understanding of
what Past Life Regression actually is because you will find that once in
business, not everybody has the same idea.
As far as this course is concerned Past Life
Regression is a technique used to take a person back through time using
hypnosis, so far back in time that the memories of previous lifetimes are
rediscovered and explored.
We will learn much more about hypnosis in later
lessons but I feel it is necessary to explain some of the basics now. First and
foremost it is a relaxation technique. By using a soft
gentle voice and visualisation techniques in the client’s imagination you
create a state of mind similar to a deep daydream, like the feeling you get as
you are just starting to drift off to sleep. This is a perfectly natural state
of mind and is very easy to do.
There are many myths and misconceptions about what actually
happens and these have been further confused by ‘stage hypnotism’ (that is the
only context in which I will use the word ‘hypnotism’ in this course. You are
becoming a professional and are not involved in ‘isms’.)
Anyone can be hypnotised as it is merely a
‘focusing of the mind’. We are in hypnosis every day in one form or another as
you are right now because you are ‘focused on what you are reading here. As I
have said, much more about this later. Please be patient as all will be
revealed.
Where Do We Find These
Memories?
The Subconscious
From a Hypnotherapist’s perspective these past life
memories are held in the great storehouse of the mind known as the
subconscious. This will be discussed at length in later lessons.
The Akashic Records
If you have a more spiritual background, you may be
more comfortable with the concept of Akashic records.
The word Akasha comes from Sanskrit meaning
‘primary substance’ or ether.
The Akashic records are described as a complete
universal record of every thought, deed, action and emotion that has ever
occurred, or for that matter, will ever occur.
Some suggest that this perfect record, imprinted
into a certain vibration of the universal ether, and in part incorporates the
‘collective unconsciousness’ as described by Jung. However, it is believed that
the records are generally of an even higher vibration and are responsible for
making clairvoyance and other psychic perceptions possible.
The Higher Self
Then of course there is the higher self.
The higher self, also known as the Oversoul and
Atman, is difficult to define. During my research to find a definition I found
that many have attempted this task, but have just ended up with very complex
metaphors.
So very basically, my version is this: the higher
self is the greater part of ourselves which remains in the spirit world and is
connected to us to guide us and protect us. Those who meditate and develop
spiritually become more in tune with their higher self which seems to help with
their journey through life.
The Soul
Dictionary definition: “The spiritual or immaterial
part of a human being, often regarded as immortal.”
It is of course more complex than that. It is
suggested that we are made up of four separate parts:
The physical body. That’s what is left over when we
die, that well-known trilogy of mind, body and spirit. It’s the body.
The Etheric Body. This surrounds the physical and
bears the life-force which maintains life and health. This could be the spirit.
The Soul. Known as “The bearer of experiences”. In
other words it is what makes us who we are, our
character, that part which gains experiences and takes them from life to life.
The ego. Just another one to add on. Descartes
started this idea off, the ego is the “I” or “the personality” and has been
adopted by the likes of Freud.
So, back to where we started. The soul is that part
of us that experiences and goes from life to life adding to that experience.
The Ether
There is no suitable dictionary definition
available for this concept, it is simply the space around us outside the
restrictions of the third dimensional world. It involves such things as astral
planes and multi-dimensional vibrations.
Wherever these memories are stored the techniques presented in the following
lessons will find them.
Reincarnation
Reincarnation
Dictionary definition: The rebirth of a soul in a
new body.
The fact that you are participating in this course
suggests that you already have a good understanding about the whole concept of
reincarnation and life-plans. Nevertheless, I feel it is important to discuss
the subject in some detail as it forms a large part of the foundation of this
course.
When your clients start to come and see you,
remember that they are probably embarking upon a new facet of their spiritual
journey of self discovery and believe me, some of
them will want to discuss reincarnation in detail.
Reincarnation: the Concept of Being Reborn into This World Many Times
Also referred to as The Cycle of Rebirth and
Transmigration of the Soul.
There are many views about what reincarnation
actually is so one way to really explain it is to discuss why we reincarnate.
Just a Few Suggestions
Evolution
We reincarnate in order to experience and evolve. I
think I can safely state that without creating too much discussion.
Karma
We reincarnate to balance out our Karma. The laws
of cause and effect – what we do to others, we must have done to ourselves. The
more you look into the understanding of the laws of karma the more complex it
appears. It is seldom as simple as ‘an eye for an eye’. It would appear that we
can have karma with individuals, groups of people, places, and even whole
countries.
As always the universe is
probably too complicated for us to comprehend completely.
Entrapment
We reincarnate because we are stuck here. Another
theory suggests that we are enslaved within the low vibration of this third
dimensional planet and only when we can all raise the vibration of our
‘collective consciousness’, through balance of karma etc, can we then escape
the cycle of rebirth.
Addiction
We keep coming back because we are addicted to
life. It has been said that we keep longing to return to the flesh over and
over again because there just isn’t any substitute for the pleasures and
sensations of the third dimension.
One more then we will move on.
God’s Will
God, the “Universal Consciousness” (call Him/Her/It
what you will), before the three dimensional universe
was created was so pure, perfect and at one with Himself that He couldn’t
actually “experience” Himself. So He decided to
fragment part of Himself into millions of tiny facets, souls so that they could
interact with each other and provide that experience. Only when this
understanding is fully satisfied can all these tiny parts, us, return to the
whole.
The ideas presented here are not set in stone and are
really just offered up for discussion. There are some excellent books on the
subject if you would like to look into reincarnation in more detail. See Lesson
6’s bibliography.
Evidence
There is a vast amount of documented evidence to
support reincarnation and past lives. Children, especially when they are very
young, readily recall very detailed past life memories being able to accurately
state several names and places.
You could say that this is easier for children
because they have not yet learnt that they shouldn’t remember!
Once you have gathered details from a regression
you have done with a client it can be fascinating to do some research. Often
dates do not seem to tie up with a particular historical period, especially at
first. The reason for this is to do with the way the mind remembers:
Visual memory is more
efficient that factual memory.
As the client has more practice the facts become
more accurate, so there is nothing to worry about. At the end of the day it is usually more about understanding than writing a
history book, so few are perturbed by small discrepancies.
In some cases fine detail
can come through very precisely indeed and have been sufficient in quality and
volume to be able to create some fascinating literature. No discussion on the
accuracy of documented Past Life Regression would be complete without at least
one mention of the books “The Search for Bridey
Murphy” and “Across Time and Death: A Mothers Search for Her Past Life
Children”. These are both excellent reads and are listed in the bibliography in
lesson 6.
To research the past life experiences that your
client has, it is important to guide them in a way that causes your subject to
come up with the necessary details. There is help with the required techniques
in later lessons.
Once armed with many useful facts you can then do
some research with books and records. The Internet is also an excellent
resource. There seems to be a web page for just about anything you may wish to
know about.
Beliefs
Most of the world's religions include reincarnation
as part of their doctrine, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Druze, the
American Indians and even Judaism. Christianity is the religion which seems
almost to stand alone in not recognising reincarnation, but this has not always
been the case. In 553 AD, during the reign of
Justinian, all references to reincarnation were removed from the Bible,
presumably to make a rigid doctrine easier to impose on the masses.
If you look at today's Bible from an unbiased
perspective, you can see many references to the cycle of rebirth. Does the
phrase “born-again” sound familiar?
One thing we must be aware of: as professionals we
have a responsibility to do our best to work with our clients within the
framework of their own spiritual beliefs. It is not for us to impose our own
theories on them. Of course, there is nothing wrong with sharing what you
personally believe in, but we must maintain a high level of respect for those
who have approached us for help.
Alternative
Explanations
Now here is some good news for all those people out
there who do not believe in reincarnation. Past Life Regression works for
everyone regardless of their beliefs or preconceptions. Found there in the
depths of their inner mind, anyone can be successfully regressed to some
memories from another time. For those, here are a few alternative ideas:
Genetic Memory
This theory presents itself as a more scientific
explanation. The memories of our ancestors are said to be imprinted into our
genetic structure, the DNA. These genes are passed down from one generation to
the next and have some sort of bearing on our thought processes, helping to
create our character and behaviour. Using Past Life Regression techniques, somehow we can access this genetic recording and experience
those memories.
This theory can break down and you'll see why as you
gain experience in practice. What it cannot account for is the past life recall
of many different cultures. Most people can tap into lives from all different
areas of the world. So, unless your Uncle Frank on your mother's side was an Inuit ...
Connection with Those in Spirit
Some have put forward the idea that we connect with
a soul who is in spirit and tap into their memories, a bit like the way a
medium works.
Not a bad theory but we need to take into account
the behavioural characteristics of an individual which tend to transfer from
one previous lifetime to the next.
These trends are unique and are recognised by the
individual exploring their past lives, so any memories that cannot be directly
linked would not be entertained.
This theory is supported by a minority, because
those who believe in spirit are quite open-minded enough to accept
reincarnation as well anyway.
Pure Fantasy
Perhaps we are just making it all up. Quite
honestly, if there are therapeutic gains to be made does it matter? I often say
this to people who believe they have just spent an hour in my reclining chair
spouting absolute drivel!
If by doing
this they have released some deeply lodged repression-based issues and feel
better for it, then that's fine – job done.
Of course we must always assure our
clients that in our expert opinion: no, you're not making it up, because when
in hypnosis, the material is being provided by the subconscious and this part
of the mind is incapable of dishonesty. (More about the subconscious later).
Add to this a small discussion regarding the vast amount of documented research
that has been conducted which has accurately verified many names, dates and
places.
If they still have doubts, don't worry. That is
something for them to deal with.
There are only a few of this type of client because
people generally would only come for Past Life Regression if they believe in it
in the first place.
Tapping into the Akashic Records
This is to do with accessing the experiences of
other people's lifetimes.
Again, you've got to believe in spiritual matters
to even entertain this idea and if you can accept the concept of Akashic Records
then you're more than likely to believe in reincarnation.
People's
Perception
Psychics, Clairvoyants and Mediums
The phrase “Past Life Regression” is also used by
certain clairvoyants and mediums.
When a client sees a psychic
they are given a reading based on what the psychic sees, so the accuracy of the
information is dependent on the ability of the reader as the client’s
participation is minimal. There is nothing wrong in this as long as the psychic
is particularly gifted but it does create a problem in that potential clients
approaching us sometimes expect this sort of treatment, so:
Beware of anyone asking for a reading.
Spiritual Growth
Others have the idea that this is some sort of
meditation. In fact they're not really that far off
the mark. Certain types of meditation are very closely related to self-hypnosis
and those who practise ‘pathway’ meditation in particular would be quite able
to project themselves into their own past lives.
Why Do People Want to Be
Regressed?
Interest
I would say that the main reason people have for wanting
a Past Life Regression is pure curiosity. They are just interested in who they
were. This probably accounts for about 60% of our clients.
This need to find out about themselves is often
triggered by events happening in their life. Past life memories can manifest in
many ways:
Triggered Recall
Perhaps they visit an area for the first time and
it all seems so familiar. Maybe they have found themselves in a strange town
yet they can accurately predict what will be around the next corner.
A particular noise can trigger off a past life
feeling like, for instance, the sound of an old fashioned
aeroplane flying overhead or rain forest sounds.
Another common example is when a client meets
someone for the first time yet feels as if they have known them all their life.
People get feelings or “vibes”, whether good or bad, from the individuals they
encounter.
Spontaneous Recall
Past life memories can surface all on their own in
the form of flashbacks or perhaps a fairly intense daydream. The feelings they
experience are similar to déjŕ vu.
Children especially have spontaneous recall and
might suddenly come out with a phrase like, “I was just thinking about my other
family, the one before this”.
Far Memory
This is a much rarer phenomenon where there is
total recall of a complete past life, just there in the conscious memory. This
can be due to a soul who has reincarnated with a specific purpose - perhaps to
put the record straight about their history. Most often it is only the one past
life that is remembered and all the others that the soul has had remain hidden
in the subconscious for therapists like ourselves to help uncover.
Dreams
During our dreams the subconscious communicates
with us, and occasionally small facets of a past life are remembered in
considerable detail. Sometimes these are recurring dreams, sparked off by an
unresolved issue which the subconscious is trying to deal with. This can be an
emotional experience for some and they can wake up with a feeling of disquiet.
Other Spiritual
Practises
Other Spiritual
Practises
Pathway Meditation
As I have mentioned before, people who develop
themselves spiritually and raise their vibration by practising meditation can
find themselves exploring past lives but may not always realise what is
happening. Again, there are different sorts of meditation and the type which
uses visualisation will be able to connect with the subconscious to experience
previous lifetimes.
Transcendental Meditation
Another practice which is completely unsuitable to
assist with past life recall is called Transcendental Meditation. In this
discipline the idea is to totally clear the mind and mentally rest in a void of
nothingness. When a thought is finally permitted to enter this arena of altered
consciousness, a mantra is then recited to deal with it.
Please appreciate that this is a much
understated account of this deeply spiritual practice and I apologise to
all those who practice Transcendental Meditation but if that's what you're into
you may have a hard time with Past Life Regression.
I met a client who had been practising
Transcendental Meditation for 15 years and spent two long hours with him to try
to facilitate visualisation. There was a glimmer but basically it beat me. I
never saw him again.
Historical Obsession
There are many people who have a profound interest in
one particular historical period. They do not necessarily have an interest in
all history, just one single era. They collect memorabilia and books, visit
certain museums and even join specialist groups like, for instance, The Sealed
Knot which is a nationwide association who re-enact English Civil War battles
to a very high standard of authenticity. I would suggest there is a very high
chance that if we regressed a member of The Sealed Knot, we would find an
English life during the civil war. If this type of client sees a painting or a
film portraying their particular era for example, it can often evoke strong
emotions for them.
Healing
Irrational Fears and Phobias
Hypnotherapy has a very good reputation for finding
and resolving the cause of fears and phobias, many of which can be traced back
to repressed traumas experienced in an early period of the client’s present
life. From experience I have found that a proportion of the phobic clients I
see find their root cause in a past life.
These people may experience what is known as
“Spontaneous Past Life Regression” when they suddenly find themselves reliving
some trauma in the mind which has no relation to their current life.
Unusual Physical Symptoms
Some people seem to suffer with chronic physical
symptoms that modern medicine cannot find an explanation for. For example, a
continuous pain in part of the body that has no physical cause. Odd shaped and
sized birthmarks are sometimes present and turn out to be at the very same part
of the body where our subject was injured in a previous life.
Other Symptoms
Other symptoms that can manifest from an event in a
past life may be identical to those caused by repressed issues in a present
life. This will be covered in detail in later lessons but just to give a few
examples: There are the psychological ones like anxiety and depression, along
with physical ones such as asthma and eczema which are associated with stress
and nerves.
A Diplomatic Approach
Occasionally there will be the need for the
conventional Hypnotherapist to diplomatically suggest that past lives should be
explored to resolve issues. This should only be done after all normal
conventional hypnotherapeutic practices have been exhausted.
Look for the Clues
As a specialist in Past Life Therapy
you will find that a great number of clients approach you with a feeling that
the cause of their emotional or psychological imbalances originate from a past
life. It is very important to listen to the client as they are often correct.
The subconscious knows anyway so in a way it is telling them, even though that
knowledge only comes through as a mild intuition. This isn't always the case as
you will also find clients requesting a Past Life Regression to clear up their
fear of water or whatever. Once in hypnosis the subconscious may block any
access to past lives and then insist that you look in the early years of their
present life, if that is where the issue originates from.
So the rules are:
Listen to what the clients want. They are usually
right.
Listen to their subconscious. It is always
right.
Finding Familiar People
“As soon as I met him something felt so familiar as
if I had known him all my life.”
This is the third main reason why people want Past
Life Regression; to see if they have shared a life with someone who is
important to them in this life. This is quite a common occurrence within
practice and invariably gets a result. If a person gets a strong feeling about
another in their presence, regardless of the fact that they hardly know them,
then something is going on. We are more susceptible to ‘vibes’ than we realise.
First impressions can speak volumes.
Research
There are two
types of research to discuss here:
That which we can do as we gain information from
our clients.
That which has been done by others.
As far as our moral, caring side is concerned the
main reason for practising Past Life Regression is not just to gain names,
dates and places but to help our clients on a much deeper emotional and healing
level.
However ...
There will always be the client who just wants to
see who they were and then check the authenticity of the information gained.
Great, don't knock it; that's our bread and butter and we've all got to eat. Also it can be interesting to do a little bit of historical
fact finding ourselves.
I would stress that you make no promises to your
clients regarding any research that you are happy to do. The following
information should be regarded as advice that you can pass on.
Where to Research
The Internet
On the rare occasion I have some time I find the
Internet is a great source of information. Just put a few details of a
regression you have done into a search engine and feel the tingle when
something proves to be right. I would always recommend www.google.co.uk as the
best search engine available for this type of research.
Genealogy
If the life to be researched is quite a recent one
then some of the many genealogy websites could be useful. You can sometimes
trace the actual person your client was, or at least home in on an area where
they lived.
Within these sites many different records can be
found such as:
Births, deaths, marriages and christenings.
Military records, immigration and emigration. British and overseas Census
reports.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
have a particular interest in genetic lineage and they produce a tremendous
amount of information that is available to the public. These records are
available on CD sets of Census records, pedigrees, births and christenings or
alternatively you can look on their website www.familysearch.org.
Another useful site is www.ancestry.com which is good
but you do have to join up and pay an annual fee if you want to delve deeper.
Historical Sites
There are numerous websites dedicated to a particular
period of time produced either by enthusiastic individuals, (who most probably
have a life in their favoured period), or by specialist societies. These sites
are very useful for documenting the historical facts of the period being
researched. For example, the fashion or the details of a particular military
Regiment.
Geographical Sites
Many counties in the
Library
Along with a wonderful selection of history books,
libraries very often have an archive section where you can research local
history. Again it is far above and beyond our duty to go to these lengths to
research the regression of one of our clients but you will be surprised at the
level of interest some people have for proof. So let them do it if they want
to.
British Records Office (formerly Somerset House)
The ultimate national collection of all records.
Very useful if your subject has regressed to life in the
Research Done by Others
There has been a great deal of in-depth research
into past life memories done over the years, some of it by very respected and
prominent people such as Dr Ian Stevenson, the Director of Personality Studies
at the University of Virginia who has researched over 3000 cases in 40 years.
There are other types of research where people have
had very detailed regressions and then spent years piecing together the
fragments of a previous life and eventually accumulating enough evidence to
write a book. A case I have already mentioned is that of Jenny Cockell, who
always had certain memories of a previous lifetime where she had been a young
woman called Mary Sutton living in
On very rare occasions a subject, when regressed,
can speak in a foreign language. The interesting bit is when the research is
done and the words spoken turn out to be an ancient dialect no longer used.
Other Practices
Other Practices
Soul Retrieval
This is a slightly different discipline to the more
conventional methods that will be presented to you in the following lessons but
it is practised by a number of past life therapists so it is well worth an
explanation.
If we endure some kind of emotional trauma, either
in our present life or in a past one, it is believed to be so that our soul can
fragment and a part can split off. This can return in time but not always. If
the part remains missing we cannot fully function as a whole being and tend to
live in response to that void within us. Soul retrieval helps to find these
missing fragments and reintroduce them back into the whole being.
Past Life Healing
This process is similar to the way a practitioner
in Past Life Regression would help resolve issues from a previous lifetime.
The difference is that in Past Life Healing the
subject experiences and understands the past life traumas and is then taken
forward to the death of that particular life and all the healing is done when
in the spirit stage.
With conventional Hypnotherapy and Past Life
Therapy the issues are dealt with as they are encountered.
Past Life Healing – Again
It must be noted that there is another therapy also
called Past Life Healing within the discipline of Reiki. This is quite
different and requires no knowledge of Hypnotherapy.
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