Past life therapy for beginners may 2013 by happyhealing

PLT For Beginners

Past Life Therapy For Beginners Past Life Therapy For Beginners ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners

The History of Past Life Therapy Hypnosis The Past Life Regression The Collective Unconscious Karma Reincarnation Repression Cryptonesia Abreaction Nightmares Rapport Recording Information Conclusion

The History of Past Life Therapy ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Past Life Therapy (PLT) or Past Life Regression Therapy (PLRT) dates back to the fourth century BCE (Before Common Era). The history of PLR begins with an ancient Indian philosopher called Patanjali. He taught how past lives could be recalled through meditation. He also codified yoga, and all later schools of yoga go back to Patanjali. However, most of his work has been lost in time. At the start of the twentieth century, PLR came back into society with Albert de Rochas, a well known psychic researcher in late nineteenth century France. Albert de Rochas was also a prolific writer. Albert de Rochas was interested in the laws behind psychic forces, somnambulism, magnetism and mesmerism, hypnotism, perception and reincarnation. He also studied many spiritualist mediums including Maria Mayo, Eusapia and D.D Home. Whenever most people think of Past Life Therapy, they think of it as being solely an Asian import. This is not strictly true. History shows that people believed in past lives in the west, but the arrival of Christianity diminished the popularity and acceptance of past lives. In Ancient Britain, belief in past lives played a dominant role, especially in the Celtic systems. Historians believe that the Ancient Celts of Britain travelled from Asia and brought knowledge of past lives with them. PLR became extremely popular in the 1960s with Dick Stuphen, an American past life therapist. Dick Stuphen popularised the therapeutic value of past life regression. After this, even more interest in PLR began to develop as Raymond Moody published his book, “Life After Life” which gave detailed accounts of his neardeath experiences. After releasing this book, Raymond Moody published his book, “Coming Back”, and this book contained detailed reports on nine of his previous lives.

PLT For Beginners Dr. Morris Netherton introduced a non-hypnotic way of practicing PLR and this method is named after him. He has over thirty years experience in Alternative treatment modalities. He published a book, called “Past Lives Therapy” in 1978, and this book was the first book to be published in the field of regression therapy. He has also published two other books since releasing his first book “Past Lives Therapy” , and has also written numerous pieces for college textbooks, magazines and various newspapers. Netherton listened to his patients during PLR and if there seemed to be a phrase that was out of place, he made them repeat this phrase over and over, until an image came to the patient’s mind. This technique allowed the patient to retrieve a past life via an out of place phrase. In the Netherton method there is no formal hypnotic induction. Madame H.P Blavatsky, the cofounder of the Theosophical Society, is responsible for reintroducing the concept of reincarnation to the west. Reincarnation was quite popular in the west before Christianity. Spiritism in the late 19 th century was lead by Allan Kardec and this practice contained some interest in past lives. However, the first person to actually use past life regression as a therapy was more than likely Dr.Denys Kelsey. Kelsey wrote a book with Joan Grant called, “Many Lifetimes”, and the book was published in 1967. This is the first book to be published on past life therapy as it is known today.

Hypnosis © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Hypnosis is valuable in past life regression because it brings about the experience of an altered psychological state. During hypnosis, a person is more open to outside suggestion and is more responsive to it as well. Each past life therapy session begins with some hypnosis, and it is a vital component of past life therapy. Without the altered state of consciousness, many past life therapy sessions would cease to materialize. The four stages of a hypnotherapy session are: 1. Induction 2. Deepening 3. Therapeutic Intervention (Past Life Recall and Analysis) 4. Release (often termed “awakening”) Induction is concerned with the therapist relaxing the client. Deepening is to do with relaxing the client even further and lessening conscious attention. Therapeutic Intervention is when the therapist begins to give suggestions to the client. Awakening is when the client comes out of the hypnotic state. Hypnosis is definitely not a from of mind control, imposed upon a person by a hypnotist. It is possible for anybody to carry out a hypnotism. A sound description of hypnotism is, “Hypnosis is a state of awareness dominated by the subconscious mind.” The hypnotist is only a catalyst for the hypnotism. They create the right atmosphere and a safe space for the individual to become hypnotised. The difference between suggestion therapy and analytical therapy is with suggestion therapy one can prepare audio tapes and give them to the client to listen to in their own home, without the therapist being present. Suggestion therapy helps to get rid of habits, but might replace it with another habit. Analytical © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners therapy is concerned with uncovering where the habit originates from and distinguishing it at it’s root. The term “Esdaile state” is a term used by professional hypnotherapists to describe the deepest levels of Hypnosis. The term is named after a British surgeon called James Esdaile. He used hypnosis and anaesthetic and he was very successful in is practice. James Braid was a doctor from Manchester. He came up with the term ‘hypnosis’ using the Greek word ‘hypnos’, which means sleep. However, he later regretted using the Greek word for sleep, as hypnosis is not the equivalent to sleep. Emile Coue was a French apothecary and he mastered the method of self-hypnosis (autosuggestion) in the 1920’s. Coue emphasised the importance of positive thinking in the journey of self development. Emil Coue’s famous mantra was “ Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” Emile Coue emphasized the importance of positive thinking. One person cannot hypnotise another, but one person can assist in the hypnotising of another. A hypnotherapist uses various tools in order to bring about the ideal relaxed state where the client can access their subconscious mind. Some people are easier to hypnotise than others. If a person is willing to be hypnotised they will probably be easier to hypnotise than a person who is not willing. Lack of trust in the hypnotherapist can diminish the chances of being hypnotised. Hypnosis generally occurs under the theta brainwave frequency. This brainwave frequency normally induces a state of drowsiness, unconsciousness and deep tranquillity. © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners A hypnotic script is something that is used by hypnotherapists during hypnotism. It usually takes a long time before a hypnotist can practice hypnotism without a script. A well designed script ensures that nothing unnecessary reaches the subconscious mind of the client. The hypnotic state might be related to the structure of the physical brain. The physical brain has two hemispheres, a left one and a right one. The left hemisphere is concerned with will power and the right hemisphere is concerned with the imagination. Hypnotism is concerned with both will power and imagination. If a person is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they will not be open to suggestibility and probably not open to being hypnotised. Hypnotism should never be attempted when alcohol or drugs have been taken. If a person is seriously mentally deficient, then hypnotism probably will not work, and it shouldn’t be attempted. Virtually everyone can be hypnotised. When the imagination is in conflict with the will power, the imagination usually wins. Will power requires effort, and when a person has to try at anything during hypnotism, they will probably not achieve the desired results. Imagination often requires little effort, and that’s why imagination usually wins over will power. The visible signs of hypnosis are increased relaxation, REM (rapid eye movement), observable facial flush, slight parting of the eyelids, involuntary facial grimaces, head sagging to one side, breathing slowing down and becoming shallow, and the client swallowing upon entering the hypnotic state as if they were swallowing what is about to come.

PLT For Beginners The considerations which must be made when designing a hypnotherapy induction script are that the hypnotherapist needs to use the following tools in order to create the foundations for a successful session: synonyms, paraphrased suggestions, connective words, time designations and repetition. All of these factors contribute to making a successful hypnotherapy induction script You are in a lift descending from floor ten to zero. The journey is taking you to a deeply relaxed state… ten…letting go…nine moving further down…eight breathing more deeply …seven entering into a deeply relaxed state and letting go …six going deeper and deeper… five relaxing more and more…four letting go and breathing deeply …three deeper deeper deepest…two calmer calmer calmest…one all the way down to zero…you are now fully relaxed.

The Past Life Regression © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners I use an induction script. I then use a deepening routine, where the therapist counts down from ten to zero. I then arrange a finger response from the client in order to test whether or not they can still hear me. If they can still hear the sound of my voice, I proceed to the next stage of the exercise which is to conduct the past life regression. I use a script which conducts a past life regression. I continue reading the script all the way through, although I do adapt it where necessary. In the middle of the script, I adapt the questions and ask the client questions about what is happening to him. For example, if the parents have disappeared, I ask him where have they gone? What happened before they left? Did they say goodbye? How do you feel about that now? Questions like these might not be in your script, but I feel questions like this need to be asked in order to clarify the past life experience of the client.

The Collective Unconscious ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Memories of a past life can be linked to the collective unconscious, according to Jung. When a person experiences a past life memory, it is thought by some that they are not necessarily reliving a previous incarnation of their own. It is a possibility that they are entering into a universal memory bank, and reliving an archetypal journey. Archetypes represent the different layers and needs of the human personality, for example; the wise old man, the child, the shadow, and many others. It is generally considered that the individual will choose to imaginatively re enact a journey of an archetype which is most suitable for them. For example, a person seeking knowledge may choose to experience an archetypal journey of the wise old man, and they might believe that this journey is a past life memory. The Collective Unconscious, according to Jung contains every experience of every human being up until the present date. When a person experiences a past life memory it could be a possibility that they are experiencing a certain type of archetype from the Collective Unconscious, and not necessarily a past life of their own. The idea that when a person undergoes past life therapy, they are dipping into the Collective Unconscious, doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support the idea of reincarnation. Reincarnation is when a person has had many different lives. The Collective Unconscious lies beneath the layers of the personal unconscious, according to Jung.

Karma ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Karma means action. In many cultures, especially in Eastern cultures, karma is considered to mean the actions of the individual. If a person only carries out positive actions, they are likely to have positive future incarnations. If a person carries out positive actions, they are likely to reap the rewards in their current life also. However, if an individual practices negative actions, they will experience this negativity in future incarnations or later on in their current life. Karma has a lot to do with the saying “What goes around comes around.” Whatever you give out from yourself, it will be visited back on you, either in this life or the next or even in both. Karma is the Hindu/Buddhist name for the law of moral causation or cause and effect. The idea of karma came about because there was inexplicable inequality amongst people. With the concept of karma, the lack of abundance in one’s life could be attributed to negative actions in a previous incarnation, and that this negativity was being repaid to the individual in their current life. By the same merit, an abundant lifestyle could be attributed to the positive actions of the individual in a previous incarnation. Karma also states that we can either create our own heaven or hell, and we are solely in charge of our own well being. In our present life, if we carry out positive actions, we are likely to reap the benefits in our present life as well as in future ones.

Reincarnation © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners An essential ingredient of Past Life Therapy is the concept of reincarnation. Without reincarnation, there would not be Past Life Therapy. Reincarnation is massively popular in Buddhism and throughout Asian culture. Reincarnation is the belief that the soul has had many different lives, and that when humans die, they are born again, after a resting period, into another physical body. Some say that there is more than one universe with many planets and that the soul can choose where it would like to be reborn in its next incarnation; it does not always have to be on planet Earth. Most people have experienced many, many past lives. The Soul, or the Higher Self knows exactly how many past lives the individual has had and also has the details of every past life ever experienced by the person. When carrying out Past Life Therapy, it is important to state something like, “Higher Self, please guide me to the past life which I most need to see and heal .” As with all spiritual work, intention is everything. If you intend that you are being guided by your Higher Self, then you will be. However, one does not have to have any spiritual beliefs for Past Life Therapy to work.

Repression © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Repression is a part of human behaviour. Repression is when a person has repressed memories from either their current life or previous lives existing in their unconscious mind, unknown to their conscious mind. Thoughts and memories which exist in the unconscious mind can affect the well being of the individual. Certain phobias/issues in our daily life can be a direct result of a repressed memory. In fact, difficulties such as phobias and fears in general can sometimes be repressed memories trying to get our attention because they need to be acknowledged and healed. Repression can be directly related to a person relating/associating a certain issue/phobia with an incorrect root or cause, with the correct root or cause being repressed by the conscious mind. Sometimes people can have a clear idea about where their phobia/issue originated from, but their idea can actually be incorrect. This happens quite often when people are in a therapy session, and they discover that their phobia/issue doesn’t originate from where they thought, it originated from a repressed memory. Repressed memories can either come from the person’s present life or from a previous incarnation. When a traumatic event takes place within an individual’s life, and the person cannot cope with it or when it is seen as being unacceptable, the traumatic event is more than likely to become repressed and exist solely in the unconscious mind of the individual. The traumatic event is repressed because the conscious mind deems the event unacceptable to be experienced by the person. When the traumatic event is censored my the conscious mind, the traumatic event is then stored within the unconscious mind. The memory of the traumatic event is then repressed, and it remains within the unconscious mind.

PLT For Beginners Sigmund Freud carried out lots of work regarding repression and found that many people use their conscious minds to effectively repress painful/unacceptable memories. Regression is a type of forgetting. What has been forgotten and stored in the unconscious mind cannot make it’s way back into the conscious mind of the individual through the use of their will or thought. A repressed memory can be brought back into the light of the conscious mind, however, it usually takes some sort of external event to cause the repressed memory to emerge. When a repressed memory is awakened, it is usually coupled with a great difficulty which is encountered during the process. Usually, a lot of internal resistance occurs, as if the repressed memory doesn’t want to be brought out of the unconscious mind. Memories that have simply been forgotten are not necessarily repressed memories. Memories which cause the person difficulty when they are trying to bring them to the conscious mind are often repressed memories. Repression occurs when a memory is pushed back into the unconscious mind. Fear and sexuality are inextricably linked because they are factors of humanities two greatest biological imperatives which are self preservation and reproduction. Without self preservation and reproduction the human species would not be able to survive and they would probably have became extinct. Fear is a factor of self preservation as no matter how hard we try to preserve ourselves, we are all going to unavoidably die. Self preservation plays a part throughout most people’s lives, especially when we get illnesses or become threatened by external events such as earthquakes and accidents. Sex is a factor of reproduction, as without sex there would be no reproduction. Sex ix closely linked to fear and survival because the human race will become extinct if they do not have sex. A fear of becoming extinct and not © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners surviving is very much present within every unconscious mind. The fear is probably inbuilt into our unconscious minds to spur us on to do everything we can to make sure that we preserve ourselves and survive and procreate to make sure that the human race survives. The fact that fear and sex are so inextricably linked within our unconscious minds is probably humanities way of protecting itself against becoming extinct. Carl Jung stated that humans have an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;old mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which is our unconscious mind. In the unconscious mind there lies information regarding how humanity mated hundreds of thousands of years ago. In many different species of animals on planet earth, the males have to compete with each other in order to be able to mate with a female. Therefore it is the strongest male which is likely to win the fight and then consequently be able to mate with the female. It is believed to have been the same with humans hundreds of thousands of years ago. This behaviour pattern and belief system is still alive in our unconscious minds according to Carl Jung. This could explain why there is such a strong link between fear and sexuality within humans. Within human beings, fear and anxiety inhibit sexuality and inhibited sexuality causes fear and anxiety.

Cryptonesia ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Cryptonesia is when a person suddenly discovers they have a certain talent or skill. The latent ability will usually have been stored in the subconscious of the individual, and they will probably never have used this talent before. The person will probably not have any knowledge of these talents or how they were acquired. For example, some people may be able to speak a foreign language, but they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually consciously learn the language.

Abreaction ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners The Greeks first used the term ‘abreaction’ to describe the discharge of unwanted or negative emotions from the human being, and also to describe the soothing, therapeutic affect that occurred afterwards. Abreaction is when pent up energy/emotions are released which are sometimes directly related to a repressed memory. The abreaction can occur as a result of a past life memory or a memory in the individual’s current life. During hypnosis is when abreaction is likely to occur. A client will feel a lot better after having experiencing abreaction, as it rids the human being of negative emotions. If abreaction does occur during hypnosis, sometimes the subject might have to relive the trauma in their own minds as if it were happening to them in the present. This is very safe for the person undergoing the hypnosis. If the client does become excessively distressed, the hypnotherapist can calm the client down by giving some calming suggestions to them. The hypnotherapist can bring the client out of hypnosis by ‘awakening’ them out of the hypnotic state if it is necessary to do so for the welfare of the client. Abreaction can happen very spontaneously or it can actually be brought about by therapeutic intervention which should be carried out by a professional therapist. Abreaction can also occur as flashbacks either in dreams or during hypnotherapy. Sometimes flashbacks occur when people have been seriously traumatised and cannot bear to relive the whole event in one instance. The main purpose of abreaction is to release any anxiety and negativity from the client’s subconscious mind. When abreaction occurs, the repressed memory is released from the subconscious mind and floods the conscious mind with the repressed memory. © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners After this happens, the person is likely to experience catharsis. After abreaction occurs, the subject is free from the repression of the traumatic event. Repression can cause negative behaviour and/or feelings and during abreaction the person is freed from the intensity of repressing traumatic events. Abreaction is as only as traumatic as the traumatic event itself. Abreaction doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just occur regarding repressed emotional memories, it can take place regarding any emotional memory.

Nightmares ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Many people experience nightmares. Sometimes they are experienced on regular basis and sometimes they are hardly encountered at all. Some people seem to have nightmares when they are going through something traumatic in their waking life or when they are have a lot to worry about. Some people have nightmares because of a repressed issue. Nightmares are usually very disturbing. When people experience a nightmare, it is likely that they experience some anxiety after having the nightmare, when they actually wake up. Nightmares are frequently a response to a situation that we are experiencing in our waking life. If a person is experiencing anxiety during their daily life, then it is possible that this will manifest in the person’s sleep in the form of a nightmare. When this happens, the type of nightmare is called ‘post-traumatic stress nightmare’ (PSN). Nightmares often take place because we have either ignored, refused to accept or repressed a certain event or issue (past or present) in our life. When we consciously repress an issue or situation so we do not have to deal with it, the issue/situation does not simply disappear. The repressed issue resides in the arena of the subconscious mind and it needs an outlet. If the conscious mind does not let the issue have an out let, then the issue will find another way of living. During dreams, subconscious issues frequently come alive and live out their desires. During sleep, most of the time the conscious mind is inactive, so the issues in the subconscious mind are free to become alive and live out their desires. Many people who regularly experience nightmares have a family history of psychiatric problems; unpleasant experiences with drug/alcohol abuse; difficulties in personal relationships and even contemplating suicide. This is not the case with everyone, but it is for many people who experience regular nightmares. Nightmares, © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners and especially regular nightmares mean that there is a subconscious issue which needs to be acknowledged, confronted and healed. Some nightmares are easy to interpret as they are to do with recent events. However, some nightmares are more difficult to understand and interpret because they have their roots in the early childhood of the individual. Sometimes, nightmares can even have their roots in a previous incarnation. In all cases, nightmares, like all anxiety based episodes are the subconscious mind’s way of trying to get our attention. In all formats, when we experience anxiety, it is as though our subconscious mind is actually saying to us that we have an issue that we need to acknowledge with our conscious mind and then heal it. The subconscious mind is full of memories and habits. Some people compare it to an old cupboard. We can throw things in it for many years, but one day it will start to overflow and it will need to be cleared out. When the subconscious mind tries to communicate with us, it is actually trying to take care of us, and it is trying to get us to heal that which is hurting us at a subconscious level. What we don’t know can hurt us. Nightmares can result due to extreme repression. Some people can be completely clueless as to why they are having nightmares in the first place. They can feel completely fine during their waking life and not feel much anxiety at all. In cases like this, the person is probably suffering from denial. The issue is probably so deep rooted in the subconscious that they have not got a clue where their nightmares have come from. Nightmares can be a result of something that happened many years ago in childhood. The individual who experiences the nightmares might not remember the incident which occurred in their childhood, especially if it happened in early childhood. The person would need to undergo regressional therapy in order to reallocate the causative issue and acknowledge it. They would then need to © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners relive the issue as if it were happening in the present. Some people like to watch the event as if it were being played out on a movie screen, so they can feel detached from the event. Repeated nightmares frequently indicate that there is a repressed memory within the individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subconscious. Repetetive nightmares very rarely have much variation in their themes and content, and this can help therapists to decipher what the underlying cause of the nightmares are. When the nightmares repeat themselves, especially if this is on a regular basis, it means that there is an unresolved issue which must be acknowledged and confronted by the conscious mind of the individual. We have nightmares and dreams because something in our subconscious mind wants to be expressed. It is in our best interest that we express what is in our subconscious mind because if we do not, it could cause us a lot of anxiety.

Rapport ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners Rapport is extremely important regarding past life therapy. A past life therapist needs to build a good rapport with their client for several reasons. If the client doesn’t have a good rapport with the past life therapist, then it might be difficult to hypnotise them as they might not fully trust the therapist or they might not feel comfortable enough to let themselves become hypnotised. Hypnotism is an extremely important part of past life regression, but so is rapport. The past life therapist needs to know the medical history of the client. If the person engages in alcohol or drug abuse, hypnotism cannot and should not be practised. If the person has personality disorders, then hypnotism should not be practised. All of the personal information regarding the client can only be gained by the past life therapist during a conversation with the client. If the therapist doesn’t make an effort to build a good rapport with the client, the client might not be willing to share their personal information with the therapist. However, for a successful past life therapy session, the therapist needs to be aware of some of the client’s personal details, such as, do they have a problem with alcohol/drugs? If they do this can mentally impair a person’s concept of reality and carrying out hypnotism would actually be extremely dangerous. If the client has a personality disorder, this again can alter the person’s concept of reality and hypnotism could prove to be very dangerous and should not be attempted. If a person is mentally impaired, hypnotism should not be practised as it could be quite dangerous. A past life therapist would only be made aware of these details if they took the time to have an initial chat with the client and built up a good rapport with them. If the therapist doesn’t have a good rapport with the client, the client might withhold information from the therapist because they do not feel comfortable enough to share it. This could be extremely dangerous. If the therapist © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take time to build up a good rapport with the client, it will affect the entire past life regression process and could negatively affect everything that occurs in the past life session. Good rapport means that the therapist understands the client. When a client comes to a therapist for past life regression, they are expecting the therapist to do something positive for them, which they are not able to do themselves. If the client believes that, after building a good rapport with the therapist, something very positive is going to happen to them during past life therapy, then it probably will. Whatever the mind focuses on, it usually becomes. If the client expects positivity, they are likely to experience it. Building rapport requires the hypnotherapist to bring themselves to the consciousness of the client, and to mirror subconsciously the behaviour of the client. This will make the client feel understood and at ease. Throughout building rapport with a client, a therapist should practice the techniques of mirroring and modelling. Mirroring is when the therapist subconsciously mirrors the behaviour of a client, and this makes the client feel accepted and comfortable. In this situation they are likely to share more. The therapist should not mimic the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behaviour, that would be ridiculous. When mirroring, the therapist should speak at the same rate as the client , blink at the same rate as them, copy subconscious body language such as crossing arms and legs and adjust their breathing to mirror that of the client. All adjustments should be made slowly. If the therapist adjusts their own behaviour directly after the client has altered theirs, it would look ridiculous and any trust that has been built would probably be lost.

ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners The other technique which is practiced throughout past life therapy and hypnotherapy is a technique called modelling. Modelling is part and parcel of NLP, and is quite a modern technique. Mirroring has been used for many years in all aspects of therapy, but modelling is quite modern. Modelling and mirroring are often used in conjunction with each other whilst listening and talking with the client. These are effective methods which are used in order to make the client feel at ease and also for the therapist to find out more about the client’s state of being. During the session, the therapist observes the client’s verbal system and then implements it themselves whilst conducting their half f the conversation. People identify strongly with one of their senses during conversation. For example, if a person uses the words hazy, crystal, light and dark then they are using sight representation. Mirroring and modelling really help the therapist to understand where the client is coming from. By mirroring them the therapist can begin to feel what it is like to be in the client’s situation. During the initial meeting, the therapist should carry out a suggestibility test with the client. However, the therapist should not hypnotise the client. This is important as when the client leaves, they will be expecting the next session’s hypnotism to definitely work, providing that the suggestibility test does work. If the suggestibility test works, then the therapist knows that the client can follow their instructions.

PLT For Beginners

Recording Information It is necessary to create your own forms and use them during a session because the therapist needs to obtain certain information before the actual past life therapy session. For example, the therapist needs to judge whether or not the client is medically fit to receive therapy. If the client is an alcohol/drug abuser for example, no past life therapy should take place. It should not be attempted. The purpose of developing certain scripts for use during the session is so that the therapist knows exactly what to say to the client during the session. Everything said by the therapist needs to be properly scripted so that they do not give the client ideas/images with which the subconscious mind can fabricate a story. The hypnotist should never interpret or add to details given by the client because it can lead to a false account being given by the client. During hypnotism, the client’s subconscious is open to suggestion, and it is quite dangerous for the therapist to make suggestive comments to the client. The therapist needs to ask open ended questions like “What can you see?” or “ What are you experiencing?”.

PLT For Beginners

Conclusion Past Life Therapy is enjoying popularity worldwide at the moment, especially as the use of holistic therapies has increased massively. It seems that people are becoming more and more interested and open to the idea that they might have ‘been here before’. However, sometimes, there are cases when the past life account is not actually a genuine recollection of a previous incarnation. When this happens, the person can be said to be dipping into the Collective Unconscious to give an account full of stereotypical imagery from human history. Jung coined the term Collective Unconscious, and said that it contained every single experience of every being on earth; similar to a large history book recording everything that had happened since the dawn of time. During Past Life Therapy, people can sometimes enter into this Collective Unconscious, which is full of stereotypical images, and concoct a false recollection of a previous life. The therapist might recognise that this is happening when the client flits from one age of time to another, or from one stereotype to another, and also when the succession of events given by the client have no relation to each other whatsoever. If this does happen, there is probably a reason that the Higher Self has for causing it to happen. The Higher Self might not want the person to experience a previous incarnation, but might want to therapeutically soothe some ‘wounds’ by taking them on a guided visualization in order to do this. Even though it is not a past life that is being experienced, there will still be a point to it, and the imagery and events experienced will definitely have some meaning for the client. There is a lot of evidence to promote the authenticity of previous incarnations. There have been several cases of Cryptomnesia © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners reported throughout the world. Cryptomnesia means that a person can suddenly do something that they have not consciously tried to learn. For example, there have been reports of people who have had a bang on the head and then they find that they can speak a foreign language fluently, and they have never consciously strove to learn that foreign language. This promotes the existence of past lives, because the only plausible explanation is that the person could speak that foreign language in a previous life. During Past Life Therapy, sometimes the past life being experienced is too painful for the person to recall. This is called ‘repression’. If a past life is too emotionally painful for the person to recall, the past life can become repressed in the person’s subconscious, making it very difficult to retrieve. In cases like this, deeper hypnotherapy is probably the most effective tool in order to bring the repressed past life to conscious awareness, and then it can be healed. The reason why past lives become repressed in the first place is because the conscious mind deems them as being unacceptable. This is usually a way of protecting the individual from painful memories that were once experienced in a previous incarnation. When a person does recall a past life that has a lot of emotionally charged memories attached to it, it is a good idea to live out the past life as if it were happening in the present moment. This is called ‘Abreaction’. Abreaction is where the person has to get rid of a lot of emotion due to a past life, and re-living the life as if it were in the present moment helps to heal the individual and get rid of the emotions attached to the previous incarnation. There are several cases where Past Life Therapy cannot and should not be experienced. If a person is under the influence of © PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare

PLT For Beginners alcohol or drugs which have not been provided by a medical practitioner then they should not partake. If a person is epileptic, has heart trouble, is taking medication for a serious mental condition, has a mental sub normality or has a personality disorder, the person should not take part in Past Life Regression. During Past Life Therapy, the therapist needs to build up a good rapport with the client, as this promotes trust. The therapist should make sure that the client is comfortable, and that the main source of light is behind the client. The client should take care not to cross their legs or arms because this can cause pins and needles. The therapist should also mirror the subconscious signals being sent from the client, such as posture, blinking, hand signals as this will make the client feel accepted and socially comfortable. The therapist should also ask the client to provide personal details such as â&#x20AC;&#x201C; full name, address, phone number, marital status, medication (if so what for?), any illnesses, doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name address and phone number.

ÂŠ PLT For Beginners/Ellen Hare