What can you expect from a past life exploration hypnosis session

One of the most exciting things for me about taking my hypnotherapy diploma was the possibility of learning past life regressions. And I’m delighted to say I did and also completed additional training in past life work. And I’m not the only one who’s curious about this kind of hypnosis. I’m often asked whether past life regression is real and if I can do it. Answering the second part of that question is easy. Of course, I can! The first part is much harder...

We simply don’t know enough about consciousness pre and post-death to answer that. Yet. But here’s what we do know.

What will happen during my past life regression?

If you’ve ever had a hypnotherapy session, past life regression hypnosis will feel very similar. The hypnotherapist will take you through a relaxation process to put you into a hypnotic trance. This can feel different for different people but is usually experienced as deep relaxation. It is similar to meditation and can be compared to that point between sleep and wake. That point where you know where you are, and if you needed to you could come back to everyday consciousness, but if you did it too quickly you may feel groggy.

Some people visualise by imagining pictures, or almost like watching video clips, some will explore with other senses such as smell, sound, and touch, whereas some may have a sense of just simply knowing things. Others may feel very much inside that memory as though it's playing out right now and they're a part of it.

Usually, the hypnotherapist will ask you questions during your past life regression, and you will respond. This can be very entertaining and you can ask to have it recorded so you can listen back later.

Is this proof reincarnation is real?

Some people believe it is, and that the subconscious not only holds the memories of everything that has happened to us in this lifetime but also in other lifetimes. This is sometimes linked with the Akashic Records.

But there are other explanations. One of these is that we can inherit soul memories from our ancestors and that, instead of our own lives, we are remembering the experiences of our ancestors, especially those which involved high emotion.

Another is the subconscious using storytelling and metaphor to help us work through and process our present-day patterns and problems.

Our subconscious remembers all our experiences. Even those that happened before we were old enough to speak. We can remember conversations conducted around us as pre-verbal toddlers, or TV programmes that were on in the background.

We just don’t have access to those memories on a conscious level, which is why we sometimes seek to access them via hypnotic regression. But because we remember everything in this way, we can’t pinpoint how we know something we believe we "couldn't possibly have learnt" in this lifetime.

Where does the concept of past lives come from?

Hypnotists like Brian Weiss and Dolores Cannon are usually credited with the explosion of past life belief back in the late 20th century, but belief in the soul travelling through different lifetimes existed as far back as Plato.

Belief in reincarnation is found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, and there are also groups within Catholicism and Islam who believe in reincarnation. Gerald Gardner, who is credited with discovering/inventing Wicca believed he had lived many lives as a witch.

Does hypnosis make it easier to access accurate memories?

It’s believed a memory is more accurate when it comes from the subconscious via trance. But memory is complex. Every time we recollect a memory, we might be accidentally adding to it, because memories aren’t static. When we reminisce with others and they remember something we didn’t, that can get added to our version of the memory, even if it wasn’t true.

If I ask you to remember what the man in the green jacket looked like, your mind may superimpose a green jacket onto the person. Memories are a lot more fluid than we anticipate.

Hypnosis is a very suggestible state so it’s easy to 'lead'

By this, I mean that what I say to you whilst you’re in hypnosis adds to what you experience. If I talk about the sound of the waves, you will hear waves. If I tell you you’re safe, you will feel safe. Sometimes the subconscious might decide something isn’t plausible, for example, if I say the sea is pink your mind might decide to keep it blue. But in general, if I say, “What kind of house do you live in?” your subconscious will search for a house, even if you lived on a boat.

When searching for a hypnotherapist to conduct a past life regression for you, it’s important to find someone who has enough knowledge and experience to avoid leading. Remember even something as simple as being asked "Do you feel sad?" might change the way you interact with that memory in the future.

But it is possible for you, as the client, to decide on a theme you wish to explore. Past life regression can help you look at patterns and beliefs. Why do you think a certain way? Why are you falling in love with the same kinds of people? In this way, past life regression can be less about fun and more about therapy.

But are you actually remembering past lives?

Again, we just don’t have enough information to answer this. Even if we did have proof reincarnation was real, we wouldn’t be able to tell you personally if your experience was real. Even age regression can create false memories. Perhaps the most important question would be, is it helpful?

A past life regression can be an enormously positive experience and, if you benefit from the process, does it matter where the information is coming from?