What Is A Regression And What Can I Expect?
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Healing Habits and Phobias
Many people who have undergone regression therapy, have in turn, been able to overcome formed habits, negative cycles, elimination of phobias that may have been plaguing them since childhood - and in some cases, even remission from disease or an illness. So whether the visualisations, images and memories that emerge during these sessions are considered to be “real” or not, by any human or scientific definition – the fact remains that the cycles and negative patterns of behaviour cease – bringing about healing and positive results to the previous problems that the individual was experiencing.
Just for clarification purposes:
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Many people who have undergone regression therapy, have in turn, been able to overcome formed habits, negative cycles, elimination of phobias that may have been plaguing them since childhood - and in some cases, even remission from disease or an illness. So whether the visualisations, images and memories that emerge during these sessions are considered to be “real” or not, by any human or scientific definition – the fact remains that the cycles and negative patterns of behaviour cease – bringing about healing and positive results to the previous problems that the individual was experiencing.
Just for clarification purposes:
[/QUOTE]
What about regressions by the untrained?
I know that many people "experiment" with self regression, having no experience other than following the example in books or from CD's. If they are lucky, they have some experience which might be beneficial, or a fragment of a past life comes through that is interesting. And, if they are really lucky, they gain some insight or actually resolve something in their present lives.
I have also heard from people who are not trained who do regressions with others and get backed into a corner when they run into some difficult material (trauma) in the past life or PRESENT life and aren't quite sure what to do with it. That might cause some problems when you leave someone hanging with images, feelings, and even body sensations that they can't process or are uncomfortable for them.
My feeling is that past life regression can be very powerful in accessing unconscious material. If you run into something that relates to trauma in this life or a past life, you better know what to do to help the person move through it. If not, it's like leaving an open wound that might need suturing; it might heal on it's own or become worse.
I've had clients come to me who said they worked with a past life regressionist who cut the session off mid-way because they were out of time. Or, they go through a past life experience without processing the death or trauma. I think that's irresponsible, unprofessional, and not helpful to the client.
There are certain aspects of a regression that need to be considered and worked with: understanding trance states, getting to the heart of the past life story, processing the thoughts and feelings around the death, sometimes re-framing the experience while in an altered state, and making the connections between the past life and present life. We do this so the client can "make peace" with the past life, forgive others or self, and release emotional and physical impressions from that life so they can let it go. By missing some of these steps, you may not resolve anything, and could make things worse by opening up the issue and not showing the client a way through.
If you want to explore past lives yourself, great. Read about it. Try it through meditation or with one of the CD's out on the market now. Often the best past life material comes up spontaneously in dreams or waking visions. These sponteanous experiences can actually heal us and give us great insight, and often prompt us to want to explore more.
Past life regression with others involves techniques that have been developed by therapists over the last 40 years or so here in the West. If you are going to regress others, you should know the territory first and be ready to take some responsibility for what happens when you start exploring the unconscious.
These are my feelings about the issue. I speak from 18 years of experience working with myself and others.
Carol
I know that many people "experiment" with self regression, having no experience other than following the example in books or from CD's. If they are lucky, they have some experience which might be beneficial, or a fragment of a past life comes through that is interesting. And, if they are really lucky, they gain some insight or actually resolve something in their present lives.
I have also heard from people who are not trained who do regressions with others and get backed into a corner when they run into some difficult material (trauma) in the past life or PRESENT life and aren't quite sure what to do with it. That might cause some problems when you leave someone hanging with images, feelings, and even body sensations that they can't process or are uncomfortable for them.
My feeling is that past life regression can be very powerful in accessing unconscious material. If you run into something that relates to trauma in this life or a past life, you better know what to do to help the person move through it. If not, it's like leaving an open wound that might need suturing; it might heal on it's own or become worse.
I've had clients come to me who said they worked with a past life regressionist who cut the session off mid-way because they were out of time. Or, they go through a past life experience without processing the death or trauma. I think that's irresponsible, unprofessional, and not helpful to the client.
There are certain aspects of a regression that need to be considered and worked with: understanding trance states, getting to the heart of the past life story, processing the thoughts and feelings around the death, sometimes re-framing the experience while in an altered state, and making the connections between the past life and present life. We do this so the client can "make peace" with the past life, forgive others or self, and release emotional and physical impressions from that life so they can let it go. By missing some of these steps, you may not resolve anything, and could make things worse by opening up the issue and not showing the client a way through.
If you want to explore past lives yourself, great. Read about it. Try it through meditation or with one of the CD's out on the market now. Often the best past life material comes up spontaneously in dreams or waking visions. These sponteanous experiences can actually heal us and give us great insight, and often prompt us to want to explore more.
Past life regression with others involves techniques that have been developed by therapists over the last 40 years or so here in the West. If you are going to regress others, you should know the territory first and be ready to take some responsibility for what happens when you start exploring the unconscious.
These are my feelings about the issue. I speak from 18 years of experience working with myself and others.
Carol
Interested in becoming a regression therapist?
I really encourage people to have some background in hypnosis and past life regression before they attempt working with other people. It is preferable to have some counseling training, too. Past life regression can be a powerful tool, so you have to be ready for anything that might come up.
I suggest that people get some basic hypnotherapy training first. Check the web for programs. I know there is a National Guild of Hypnotists and other organizations that offer training.
Some of my friends and colleagues offer trainings, specifically in past life regression. Here are their websites:
Roger Woolger
www.Henrybolduc.com
www.BrianWeiss.com
Society for Spiritual Regression (google it) is Michael Newton's organization; they train in Michael's LBL (life between life) regression techniques. They require at least two years of experience doing past life regression before you can attend a training. (Check on that.)
Those are trainings I am familiar with and trust. Each program has its own requirements.
I believe it is necessary to experience a series of past life regressions oneself to learn the territory. That's an essential part of training.
Beyond that, it's practice, practice, practice. The real questions arise after you start doing regressions and realize what you don't know. There's always something new to learn, new territory to explore. So it's important to have mentors or a back-up organization to help you as these questions arise. So on-going training is important.
If I think of anything more, I'll add it to the list.
Carol
I really encourage people to have some background in hypnosis and past life regression before they attempt working with other people. It is preferable to have some counseling training, too. Past life regression can be a powerful tool, so you have to be ready for anything that might come up.
I suggest that people get some basic hypnotherapy training first. Check the web for programs. I know there is a National Guild of Hypnotists and other organizations that offer training.
Some of my friends and colleagues offer trainings, specifically in past life regression. Here are their websites:
Roger Woolger
www.Henrybolduc.com
www.BrianWeiss.com
Society for Spiritual Regression (google it) is Michael Newton's organization; they train in Michael's LBL (life between life) regression techniques. They require at least two years of experience doing past life regression before you can attend a training. (Check on that.)
Those are trainings I am familiar with and trust. Each program has its own requirements.
I believe it is necessary to experience a series of past life regressions oneself to learn the territory. That's an essential part of training.
Beyond that, it's practice, practice, practice. The real questions arise after you start doing regressions and realize what you don't know. There's always something new to learn, new territory to explore. So it's important to have mentors or a back-up organization to help you as these questions arise. So on-going training is important.
If I think of anything more, I'll add it to the list.
Carol
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Can we get stuck in another time?
A trained past life therapist knows how to get you to move through the story and feelings of the past life to help you release emotions, thoughts, and even physical symptoms that have settled in the body. Because these memories really do manifest in so many ways, on so many levels.
If anyone knows of a real case of someone getting stuck in a different time period, let me know.
By the way, I highly recommend Anya Seton's novel, Green Darkness. It is an incredible fictional work about past lives and getting stuck in a different time period.
Carol
I don't know if anyone can really get stuck in another time period, as in what we think of time travel in a time machine. However, you can get stuck in the emotions of the past life, which is, in a way, getting stuck in the past life. Many of us are stuck in that way, whether we realize it or not.
A trained past life therapist knows how to get you to move through the story and feelings of the past life to help you release emotions, thoughts, and even physical symptoms that have settled in the body. Because these memories really do manifest in so many ways, on so many levels.
If anyone knows of a real case of someone getting stuck in a different time period, let me know.
By the way, I highly recommend Anya Seton's novel, Green Darkness. It is an incredible fictional work about past lives and getting stuck in a different time period.
Carol
About Regressions
Carol has suggested the work of Henry Bolduc to me several times so I searched for his website. He has wonderful links and some interesting information. I appreciate the way he presents his findings and how he approaches his work. I see why Carol does as well.
Here are some extracts from his regression information page
Carol has suggested the work of Henry Bolduc to me several times so I searched for his website. He has wonderful links and some interesting information. I appreciate the way he presents his findings and how he approaches his work. I see why Carol does as well.
Here are some extracts from his regression information page
He isn't someone we hear a lot about - but I think we should. So here is the link to his site Henry Bolduc ....My hats off to him... what a great job.
I found an interesting page on his site this morning - that talks about the Shakers and hypnosis. It is titled The Gift To Be Simple -
Simplicity in Hypnosis Work.
Simplicity in Hypnosis Work.
He talks about their "work" ethic and applications of self hypnosis; The simplicity of their life style and how regressionists should apply some of their concepts. I have never heard reference to the Shakers before with regard to hypnosis, and I find it interesting that Henry Bolduc makes such a comparison.
Sometimes it takes weeks, months, or years to integrate the information that comes up during a regression. If you delve into a particularly emotionally and thematically charged lifetime, it may not be possible to process it or understand it fully at that time. Layers of meaning and emotion can bubble up to awareness later and give you those moments of great understanding.
I've re-visited one of my highly charged lifetimes several times, focusing on different elements of that life that need to be addressed. It didn't all come up at once, but played itself out in my real life over years.
Carol
I've re-visited one of my highly charged lifetimes several times, focusing on different elements of that life that need to be addressed. It didn't all come up at once, but played itself out in my real life over years.
Carol
Benefit to working with a trained professional?
I do think that if you do a regression with someone who has experience, and really knows the past life territory, they can lead you through the pl experience, and help you "connect the dots" in ways that might not be apparent for you. Also, and I think this is important, there is great healing power while you are in an altered state of consciousness (as you are in a pl regression), and a skilled therapist can take you to healing places you may not be able to readily access on your own.
I am always amazed at the healing that takes place after going through a past life death. In this state, which is an altered state within an altered state, different healing energies are available to us. A skilled therapist can "open the door" to these energies that you might not be aware of, or simply can't access easily on your own. I'm not saying that this can't happen spontaneously, but it happens frequently during regression sessions.
So sometimes just experiencing a snippet of a past life may not be enough to ease the past life trauma. There is a process of understanding, forgiveness (not always), and release that occurs when you go completely through the experience, through the past life death, and enter that wonderful disembodied state of higher consciousness where the healing is available.
Carol
I do think that if you do a regression with someone who has experience, and really knows the past life territory, they can lead you through the pl experience, and help you "connect the dots" in ways that might not be apparent for you. Also, and I think this is important, there is great healing power while you are in an altered state of consciousness (as you are in a pl regression), and a skilled therapist can take you to healing places you may not be able to readily access on your own.
I am always amazed at the healing that takes place after going through a past life death. In this state, which is an altered state within an altered state, different healing energies are available to us. A skilled therapist can "open the door" to these energies that you might not be aware of, or simply can't access easily on your own. I'm not saying that this can't happen spontaneously, but it happens frequently during regression sessions.
So sometimes just experiencing a snippet of a past life may not be enough to ease the past life trauma. There is a process of understanding, forgiveness (not always), and release that occurs when you go completely through the experience, through the past life death, and enter that wonderful disembodied state of higher consciousness where the healing is available.
Carol
I do think that it is best to have a background in counseling, psychology, or social work to be an effective past life therapist. (Although there are those who have no graduate degrees and are very effective in doing past life regression.)
I began my training in hypnotherapy and past life regression first, then saw that I wanted to have a broader foundation in counseling and psych, so I went back to graduate school and got a master's degree in counseling. I'm glad that I did.
Not everyone practicing past life regression has a background in counseling and psychology. Most of the training programs that I am aware of don't require that. In my opinion, it is helpful to you and the client to have the additional training in traditional techniques.
I also think that it's necessary to screen clients before working with them. I routinely ask questions about a client's background before I set up an appointment. I want to know what their expectations are (if they're realistic), if they have had any major trauma in their background (abuse, losses), and if they are taking medication for anxiety or depression. I have turned people away because I thought that past life regession was not appropriate for them. That's when experience is important, too.
This is my recommendation for anyone who is interested in pursuing this line as a serious profession.
Carol
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