| Do you believe that there are such things as | | | | have purposely conducted past life regression |
| past lives? Do you think that you may have | | | | sessions for reasons other than therapeutic |
| lived before? Is it part of your religion, or | | | | ones. For example, if a client comes in to my |
| completely against it? What I believe is not | | | | office and requests that I conduct a past |
| important in this article, and of course it | | | | life regression session for her because she |
| is up to you to think whatever you want to | | | | just wants to have the experience or for |
| think or believe with regard to the existence | | | | spiritual development, I am happy to do so. |
| of past lives.I will not do past life | | | | These kinds of past life regression sessions |
| regression as a kind of therapy, on purpose. | | | | can often be very fruitful and beneficial for |
| By this I mean that I will not conduct a past | | | | my clients, often providing inspiration, |
| life regression simply because a potential | | | | self-understanding, insight and spiritual |
| client requests the therapy. From time to | | | | renewal. The key here is that we |
| time, I will have someone call our office | | | | |
| wanting to receive Past Life Regression | | | | are not conducting therapy based on the |
| Therapy (PLRT) for a fear of snakes, a | | | | assumption that a problem or issue started in |
| relationship problem or some other issue. | | | | an unknown past life.I never conduct Past |
| When I meet with them I will ask these | | | | Life Regression Therapy sessions (on |
| potential clients how they know that the | | | | purpose). However, you might be surprised |
| problem was caused by something in a past | | | | after reading this far to learn that I also |
| life. Usually the answer goes like this, | | | | believe that there is a time in which I |
| "well I cannot imagine what else could have | | | | consider conducting a past life regression |
| caused it. I do not remember anything in this | | | | for therapy appropriate. This happens when |
| life that could have caused it. So it must | | | | the past life regression occurs |
| have been something that happened in a past | | | | spontaneously, without any suggestion from |
| life."Proceed with caution if you run into | | | | the Hypnotherapist that the client regress to |
| such a situation. Our client is simply doing | | | | a past life. I have conducted approximately a |
| the best she can to try and understand what | | | | thousand hypnotic |
| might be causing her problem. And who can | | | | |
| fault her? She is unaware of anything in her | | | | age regression sessions, and I have |
| personal history that would indicate where | | | | encountered cases where, without suggestion |
| the problem came from, nothing she can | | | | from me, some of those clients have regressed |
| consciously remember anyway. On the other | | | | to a "past life" or had an experience which |
| hand, any hypnotherapist who has experience | | | | can only be described as a past life |
| using hypnotic age regression techniques can | | | | regression. The percentage is low, averaging |
| tell you that it is common for the client to | | | | about one to two percent among the |
| uncover material of which she was not | | | | hypnotherapists working at our Center.During |
| consciously aware, but which is important to | | | | these spontaneously occurring past life |
| the origin of a particular issue or | | | | regressions, your client may experience being |
| problem.The National Guild of Hypnotist | | | | a different gender or race. It will be |
| training covers the concept of hypermnesia | | | | obvious that she is not the same person who |
| and the process of hypnotic age regression in | | | | came into your office. Interestingly, the |
| their certification training materials. It | | | | event that she is experiencing in the past |
| has been well documented that by merely | | | | life will be associated with the problem she |
| taking a client into the state of hypnosis, | | | | came into see me for. For example, a client |
| that an individual can experience an | | | | may seek services to overcome a fear of |
| improvement in the ability to recall events | | | | water, and in the past life regression she |
| from her past. Furthermore, in the | | | | may relive an experience of drowning at sea. |
| somnambulistic state an individual can | | | | (Since this is not an article on how to |
| experience a hypnotic age regression, and can | | | | conduct a past |
| relive past events. This reliving of a past | | | | |
| event is called revivification. This | | | | life regression or how do PLRT, I will not |
| revivification is a "true age regression" and | | | | go into the process of how to do PLRT. That |
| is a re-experiencing of the event, including | | | | would require a series of articles or a book |
| all of the associated sensations: touch, | | | | dedicated to the topic.)As a professional |
| taste, sight, smells and hearing. In an age | | | | Hypnotherapist, you need to be aware that if |
| regression, all (or nearly all) of the | | | | you conduct more age regression sessions, it |
| information associated with the event can be | | | | becomes increasingly more likely that you |
| uncovered (recalled). Age regression is the | | | | will encounter a spontaneous past life |
| "Royal High Road of Therapy" because it | | | | regression. It does not matter what your view |
| | | | on the issue is. So, it is the responsibility |
| can quickly uncover the cause of a problem | | | | for each hypnotherapist to establish in his |
| and provide powerful insights leading to | | | | or her mind, how the situation will be |
| rapid healing of old issues and problems.When | | | | handled in advance.If you are trained in |
| a client attempts to understand or to deal | | | | doing past life regression work, then when a |
| with a problem without hypnosis, she is using | | | | spontaneous past life regression occurs, it |
| only the conscious mind. Because the | | | | will be no problem for you. However, if you |
| conscious mind tries to come up with a reason | | | | are not trained in conducting PLRT, be |
| for the problem based on incomplete | | | | cautious. Our first concern for our clients |
| information, it is likely that the | | | | is that we do not harm them in any way. |
| conclusions are often wrong, especially if | | | | Handling a spontaneous past life regression |
| the problem has been a difficult, | | | | unprofessionally could certainly do so. This |
| long-standing issue in your client's | | | | is why I recommend that you decide (based on |
| life.This brings us back to the client who | | | | your beliefs and principles) whether or not |
| thinks that her problem comes from an event | | | | you will conduct a PLRT session if one occurs |
| in a past life. Unless this individual has an | | | | spontaneously.If you decide that you would |
| ability that most of us seem unable to | | | | like to be able to provide PLRT to your |
| exhibit (the ability to have knowledge about | | | | clients, then seek out appropriate hypnosis |
| our past lives while in the conscious state), | | | | training[cdb1] . If you decide that you will |
| then such conclusions are likely flawed. So, | | | | not provide PLRT, then you owe it to your |
| it is important that you as a therapist not | | | | clients to respect their beliefs and what |
| be misled by it too.Few if any | | | | they may have experienced in the hypnosis |
| hypnotherapists have the ability to look at | | | | session. Find someone that you can trust and |
| someone and know that a particular problem | | | | feel good about using as a referral source in |
| came from a past life. So it would be in | | | | such cases.I know of a hypnotherapist who |
| error to engage in PLRT or any kind of | | | | informed his client that she was mentally ill |
| therapy based on a guesswork. Furthermore, it | | | | because she spontaneously experienced a past |
| would be inadvisable to suggest a kind of | | | | life regression during her hypnosis session |
| therapy because the therapist or client may | | | | with him. In this case the hypnotherapist was |
| find it enjoyable or interesting to do that | | | | a psychiatrist in Sweden. In my view, how he |
| kind of work. Unfortunately, many PLRT | | | | handled his patient was unethical and |
| sessions are conducted for just such | | | | careless. His patient is a family member of |
| reasons.In my opinion doing PLRT under those | | | | mine. Years later, she related to me how |
| conditions is unethical. I believe that it is | | | | fearful this made her feel. Because of what |
| unethical because you must certainly avoid | | | | he had said to her, she believed that she was |
| leading your client when doing hypnotherapy. | | | | "going crazy." She was particularly |
| Hypnosis by definition is a state of | | | | vulnerable to this psychiatrist's suggestion |
| heightened suggestibility, and if you suggest | | | | of mental illness because of his credentials |
| to a client that she regress to a past life | | | | and because of the emotional problems that |
| "where this problem began," you are leading | | | | she was experiencing at the time, which led |
| your client, which can result in a | | | | to her seeing the psychiatrist. The |
| confabulation. A confabulation occurs when | | | | diagnostic manuals that I know of (i.e., |
| the subconscious | | | | DMS-IV) do not have a criterion for |
| | | | diagnosing |
| mind makes things up, or "fills in the | | | | |
| blanks" where information is not available | | | | mental illness because of an individual's |
| based on real life experience.Here is another | | | | belief in past lives, or because such an |
| reason that I suggest that you do not do PLRT | | | | experience was produced during hypnosis.In |
| (on purpose). Within the philosophies | | | | the event that you have a client experience a |
| associated with the different faiths that | | | | spontaneous past life regression and you have |
| include the concept of having lived more than | | | | decided that you will not conduct PLRT, I |
| one life, is the concept of karma. For these | | | | suggest that you need to emerge your client |
| people, it is believed that we have a karmic | | | | and inform her that she has had an experience |
| debt that needs to be repaid. Or, at least | | | | in which you have had no training, but you |
| that we have something to learn which | | | | know someone that is trained in that area and |
| requires more than one existence, and that it | | | | you can refer her to that therapist if she |
| is for that reason that we enter into life | | | | wishes.So, I do not conduct PLRT sessions on |
| | | | purpose, but I do them from time to time. I |
| after life.>From this point of view, we came | | | | conduct PLRT when a past life experience |
| into this life because we have issues that we | | | | spontaneously occurs during the course of |
| need to work on. Most of the clients that I | | | | hypnotic age regression therapy. Such |
| work with are adults over the age of thirty. | | | | spontaneously occurring past life regressions |
| Logic suggests that if someone came into this | | | | are rare in my experience. However, as you |
| life in order to work on some issue left over | | | | continue to practice the "Royal High Road of |
| from a previous existence, then the | | | | Therapies" you increase the probability that |
| experiences needed to be able to do that work | | | | eventually one will occur during one of your |
| would come up in this life. The fact that | | | | age regression sessions. Be prepared so that |
| your client has sought out your services to | | | | you can make use of it if you wish to conduct |
| work on a particular issue indicates that the | | | | PLRT, and have a referral source at hand if |
| issue has probably come up. Thus, it makes | | | | you do not intend to offer this service. This |
| sense that you would most likely not need to | | | | way you can always be respectful of your |
| conduct a hypnotic age regression to a past | | | | client's beliefs and experiences.Calvin D. |
| life in order to work on this issue.In the | | | | Banyan has a Masters Degree in Psychology, |
| vast majority of the cases that I have seen | | | | and is the CEO of the Banyan Hypnosis Center |
| where my client wanted PLRT, hypnotic age | | | | for Training & Services, Inc. He is a NGH |
| regression successfully uncovered an Initial | | | | Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified |
| Sensitizing Event (ISE) in this life. (The | | | | Instructor, and Fellow of the NGH. He also |
| ISE is the event which is the genesis of the | | | | serves on the NGH Advisory Board, and Ethics |
| problem.) A thorough examination of an ISE | | | | Board. For hypnosis in Orange County , |
| involves uncovering compelling evidence that | | | | California , you can call his office at |
| before the event, the problem did not exist. | | | | 800-965-3390. You can find more information |
| For example, before the event, the child | | | | about hypnosis training, hypnosis sessions |
| (client in the regressed state) was a normal | | | | and a wide range of hypnosis training |
| | | | materials, articles, books, CDs and DVDs are |
| happy child, and after the event she was sad | | | | available at our websites.Calvin D. Banyan |
| or frightened, insecure or whatever the | | | | has a Masters Degree in Psychology, and is |
| emotion or belief that was associated with | | | | the CEO of the Banyan Hypnosis Center for |
| the issue.Now, on the other hand:I will, and | | | | Training & Services, Inc. |