Past life regression - have you been here before?

Past life regression is one of those things that attracts a lot of interest and a whole lot of debate. In this article, I want to give you an insight into the phenomenon and therapy of past life regression. 

What is regression?

Basically, regression is the process of taking someone back to a moment in time so that they can release the repressed memory or experience it again - usually in a healing way.

Sometimes, regression happens all by itself. For example, a song plays on the radio and suddenly you are transported back to an evening long ago, and a first kiss. And you relive that moment, recalling, touch, taste, sight and sound all over again - as if the intervening years had not happened.

We use regression in hypnotherapy to take someone back - to regress them - to the moment that a problem, such as a fear, phobia or anxiety began, in order to resolve it. Often, this involves taking the client back to a memory they had forgotten, or that had been repressed.

Why do you use past life regression?

Sometimes there isn’t a choice. Sometimes a person’s subconscious mind automatically take them back to a previous past life. We call this a “spontaneous past life regression”.

During a past life regression session, a person can “remember” and experience things that "happened" in that past life.

During past life regression, the client can often find reasons behind a fear, phobia, relationship issues or pattern of behaviour in the past life, that somehow seems to resolve the problem in this life.

Others find a kind of understanding about why they are here, in this life. They might discover their purpose. For others, there can be pain or trauma that needs to be healed, or accounts that need to be settled in order for the client to find peace in this life. 

Why are we here?

At the end of the day, a lot of people ask for past life regression simply for the experience, to see if they can find a past life, and if so discover who they were.

I guess this is part of the question that we all ask ourselves from time to time - why am I here? What is my purpose in life? Could it have been different? For example, a person from a family in which every other member is shy, retiring, and wouldn’t dream of making a spectacle of themselves, might come for past life regression to discover where his passion for dance and performing comes from.

Is past life regression proof of reincarnation?

Really that depends on you! Professor Ian Stevenson - a professor of psychiatry - wrote several books that present what many accept as compelling evidence of reincarnation.

But just because something is “remembered" in a past life regression, it doesn’t mean it is real. After all, we can be entirely wrong about things we experience in this life! How many of us believed in monsters under the bed, Father Christmas, or that that the boss hates us? That last one could be true?!

Though there are many many accounts of past life regressions which have been substantiated by research! We each need to make our minds up about this. 

Even sceptics have experienced past life regressions - such as Dr Brian Weiss, who was taken completely by surprise when a client of his spontaneously regressed to a past life. 

My view is that, just as you have every right to know what is happening inside your body when you visit the doctor, so you have the right to discover whether you lived in a previous life. 

I keep an open mind as to what past life “memories” might indicate.

What to do next and further information

If you would like to know more about this you could contact me, or you could have a look at the following books:

• Many Lives Many Masters - Dr Brian Weiss.
• Children who Remember Previous Lives - Professor Ian Stevenson.
• The Search for Bridey Murphy - Morey Bernstein.
• The Many Face of You - Andrew Hillsdon. Andrew is the Chair of the Past Life Regression Therapists Association, and one of those who taught me about past life regression.