What is past life regression?

Hypnotherapist Liz Vincent explains more about past life regression in this short video.

Past life regression is a therapeutic technique for accessing and re-experiencing a person’s past lives or incarnations. Based on the theory that your reactions and the way you respond to problems are based on the past, past life regression is a holistic therapy that works with a person as a whole - not only the body and mind but your emotions and spirit, too.

While conventional psychotherapy (counselling or talk therapies) can be very helpful for some people, they typically focus on the present life. But in some cases, particularly if you are dealing with an issue that seems not to have a direct cause, you may be unable to uncover the ‘source’ of the problem. In contrast, regression hypnotherapy allows the client to unlock emotions and experiences stored deep within their memory.

In past life healing, the person experiences and understands the past life traumas. The healing is done when in the hypnotic state using conventional hypnotherapy and past life therapy. The issues are dealt with as they are encountered with no trauma or stress to the person in this life.

Hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner, Cathay Phillips, explains more in Past life regression technique. 

What techniques are used in past life regression?

There is a common misconception that practitioners ‘perform’ hypnotherapy on a client - but this is far from true. Past life regression, as well as other types of hypnotherapy, is an active therapy, whereby the client fully participates in the process.

It is often claimed to be a full sensory experience. You will not only visualise situations, but you may be able to hear sounds as if you were in the room, as well as recall specific smells.

Practitioners of regression therapy use hypnosis to help their clients relax and encourage them to open their minds. Other techniques such as suggestion help to promote recall, and specific questions are designed to elicit statements and memories of the client’s past lives.

What is past life regression hypnotherapy used for?

Some people hope to try past life regression simply out of curiosity, to see who they were in the past. But for many, it’s a path to personal growth and healing. To enable you to get the most out of your session, it is important to have a specific ‘intention’.

While you might wish to remain open to whatever you may experience in your past life regression session, it is generally thought that having an intention offers a better context to understand and process the experience.

Focusing on this intention (what you hope to gain, understand, or fix), your hypnotherapist will be able to guide you to when you first encountered the root cause of a problem that you are currently experiencing. Such problems may include (but are not limited to):

• relationship issues (including inexplicable attraction/aversion to someone)
• vivid dreams or recurring nightmares
• chronic illnesses
• fears or phobias that have no apparent cause e.g. fear of death
• addictions
• déjà vu experiences
• feeling stuck in life
• having a string of bad luck

Past life regression therapy is sometimes used to help with other mental health issues, including anxiety and mood disorders. Those with chronic health issues of unknown origin, as well as those with phobias they cannot explain, are thought to particularly benefit from this type of therapy. 

By examining the experiences that are thought to have first signalled the problem, practitioners can help connect your current issues to a past life. It is hoped that by undergoing regression hypnotherapy, you will be able to make connections that you were unable to before - perhaps finally providing you with some explanation, or a sense of internal peace.

It would be understandable to expect that past life regression might focus on negative events and emotions, in order to explore the root cause of a problem. However, this is not necessarily the case. Practitioners will try to focus on the positive aspects of regression - rather than solely focusing on traumatic memories. In this way, it is possible for regression hypnotherapy to help you on a journey of personal growth.

What happens in a past life regression session?

Therapists will vary in how they choose to conduct sessions, including how long each session will last, and the time dedicated to the regression aspect of the session itself. But you can expect that your hypnotherapist will start by asking you some questions about your present life, and the issues you hope to resolve. You will work together to uncover recurring patterns that may be the cause of problems in your life.

Having discussed the areas that you are most interested in exploring, you are in a better place to look back into your past lives - this will act as the focus or intention of the session. Your hypnotherapist will then talk you through relaxation steps to allow you to become deeply relaxed. This will allow you to access important subconscious memories - which may be from this lifetime, or from others in the past.

There is no way of knowing for sure what you will experience during regression therapy, as everyone experiences it differently. Some people may see glimpses of several past lives, whilst others may delve into one in more detail, or discover repressed memories from their current lifetime.

It is normal to feel unsure about where your memories will have come from, or wonder if you have made them up. But, as you become more comfortable with the process, these doubts will often fade.

How long does past life regression last?

The length of each session and the number of sessions you may need can vary from person to person. This is something you can discuss with your hypnotherapist before beginning your sessions with them. 

Typically, hypnotherapy sessions last around 50 minutes to an hour, though some people may offer shorter or longer sessions. 

How do you feel after a past life regression session?

Each person feels differently after a past life regression session. Some people express feeling lighter, as though a weight or a burden has been lifted from them. Others may feel like they have gained new perspectives on current issues, as remembering their past lives helps them to better understand thoughts or feelings that may have been holding them back unconsciously. Others may feel like they are able to better understand problems that are affecting them, like phobias which they had not previously known the cause of. Some people may find it takes several sessions to notice any lasting changes.

Is past life regression right for me?

Past life regression can be used to help people of any age, gender, ethnicity, culture, or personal beliefs. It can help explore a wide range of issues and worries, however, as with many types of complementary therapy, is not for everyone. It works best for those who approach with a specific intention and come with an open mind.  

Past life regression is often linked to reincarnation. There have been claims that a belief (or at least an openness) in the existence of reincarnation is the greatest predictor of reporting memories of past lives. On the other hand, it is thought that sceptics or disbelievers are less likely to report such memories.

Past life regression hypnotherapy is typically thought to be best for helping people to explore a spiritual path and it is gaining recognition as a type of spiritual healing. But whether you follow a religion or not, it is thought that by experiencing yourself as a soul in other lifetimes, you gain a profound awareness that you are more than a physical body.

Ready to explore your past lives and discover how you can move forward? Use our advanced search to find a past life regression hypnotherapist online or in person near you.