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