1. Past Life Regression Therapy: Going Bach to the Roots
Although past life regression therapy is still considered a controversial method by the scientif-
ic academic circles, there is no doubt it is becoming increasingly popular. The rising interest
in past life regression (PLR) is provoked by its proven effectiveness. And for a therapeutic
method it is most important to be working and functional.
What’s more, the research gaps in this field are slowly being filled up. The International Asso-
ciation for Regression Research and Therapies was established in 1980 by a group of life ther-
apists and one of its major objectives has been the encouragement of research in the field.
Other purposes of the association include setting up clinical standards for training past life
therapists and promoting regression therapy as a powerful tool for improving one’s conditions
of life. The growing demand for therapists and the systematic efforts of PLR therapy support-
ers indicate that its full potential is still to be revealed. The fact that this technique is not in-
cluded as part of any medical internships can soon be changed.
Past life regression therapy means mentally going back to an earlier point of time in order to
recover memories from past incarnations. This act can be interpreted as a spiritual travel back
in time that enriches the patients, making them perceive their individuality from a different
perspective. As a psychotherapeutic act, applying past life regression can eliminate the causes
of present life traumas by retrieving harmful memories from the past. In this sense, past life
regression can be viewed as taking psychoanalysis one step further. Freudian theories main-
tain that adult problems can be traced back to unresolved conflicts from childhood and adoles-
cence, while regression goes further back into one’s past life inspecting earlier personal dis-
turbances.
Obviously, past life regression therapy is closely related to one’s belief in reincarnation. The
lack of proof that the spirit comes back to life in a new body after death has been the chief ar-
gument of PLR critics. Skeptics also tend to regard the memories induced under hypnosis as
delusions or fantasies. It is indeed uncertain whether the fractions of memories are real or a
figment of the imagination. However, PLR experts maintain that in the state of hypnosis, the
mind is especially aware and capable of observations. The details about their past lives that
some PLR patients remember are amazing. They can usually specify the exact year they have
moved back to, the geographical place, their profession, friends, and even the clothes they are
wearing. When the mind is intensely focused it can even compare and comment on the differ-
ences between past and present. As a result, the patient can often be doubtful whether this ex-
perience is authentic. It is normal if the question “is it real” pops up in your mind if you are
undergoing the therapy.
Historically, past life regression was mentioned in Indian religious texts centuries before
Christ and it is part of the philosophy of yoga. It is even used today in some yoga practices to
the same effect: as a way of addressing existing problems through memories of past lives.
But what is the exact mechanism of past life regression therapy? Even if you have never done
it on purpose, it is very probable that you have already experienced some unconscious hints to
your past lives. For example, haven’t you felt some place strangely familiar even though you
are visiting it for the first time? It means you have actually been there before, only it hap-
pened in a previous life. The same goes for people you feel as ‘old friends’. When you sense a
mysterious closeness to somebody, bear in mind it could be in fact a person you knew in your
past life and you have just reencountered. By understanding the experiences, relationships,
knowledge we had in a previous lifetime, we can apply them to improve our life today. Just
like we can have a ‘talent’ for writing or painting which is a reflection of our past-life profes-
sion, the diseases we are predisposed to can be rooted in previous lives. During hypnosis, you
can go back to the source of disturbance and eliminate it. We can mentally change the circum-
stances and create a ‘butterfly effect’: in that case a small change at one point in time can trig-

2. ger large differences in your current state. This mechanism can be very beneficial in dealing
with unexplained or chronic pain, as past life therapy helps the patient understand the problem
and change its cause and effect. What’s more, traumas that originated in the past can make us
react aggressively or set barriers in our happiness and personal development and past life re-
gression therapy can help us overcome them.
Regression to the time where the problem originated can happen through hypnosis or other
states of deep meditation. It is similar to the methods used by psychoanalysis, and it enables
the patient to enter the area of unconscious memories. The therapist assists his patient in
bringing traumatic memories to the surface, and ‘reviewing’ them. Once the problem is con-
sciously assessed, its impact is reduced. As a result, the patient may feel strangely liberated,
as if he or she has overcome a great obstacle.
If you consider practicing regression therapy you might be worried about the use of hypnosis.
Don’t be. Hypnosis is just a state of focused concentration which is necessary for diving into
the realm of the unconscious where incidents and traumatic memories reside. Trained hypno-
tists can help you in your journey back in time. Yet, hypnosis is not the only way to achieve
this level of concentration. You can arrange your own regression sessions using guided im-
agery, aroma therapy, or other methods that give you complete relaxation. Even if your fist try
at remembering your past does not work, there is no need to give up, as it is a skill that can be
learned and improves with practice. Still, it is absolutely possible to have great results even
the first time you ‘regress’. It is good to remember not to focus too much on whether the
memories are ‘real’ or not; it is better to just write them down after the session and analyze
them with the help of a past life regression therapist.
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