| A Multifaceted Look at Reincarnation in Support of Therapeutic Past Life Regression Therapy |
| Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The Soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we come From God, who is our home. -From “Imitations of Immortality” William Wordsworth |
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We have all lived many lives before. Buddhists, Hindus, Tibetean lamas, Kabbalah and
even pre-Christian Gnosticism all teach that Soul is eternal and reincarnation is the
method we use to achieve non-duality or Oneness with the Creator.
PAST LIFE REGRESSION is the journey into one's past life or lives through means of
hypnosis. Used for purposes of self-growth and healing, past life regression can
unfold past-life traumas and events that may effect the present life.
Through hypnosis, past life regression can open windows to the unconscious mind
where memories of past lives are stored. Moreover a therapy, past life regression can
help obtain information about reincarnation and whether effects of past lives are
interfering with one's daily life.
In order to have a successful, past life regression therapy session, the participant or
client, must keep an open mind and be willing to be placed under hypnosis. Past life
regression therapy, as a whole, helps one to grow both spiritually and emotionally.
Past life regressions can enable one to obtain knowledge or a heightened sense of
awareness so that s/he can find resolve in present life issues.
“Reincarnation, literally "to be made flesh again", as a doctrine or mystical belief, holds
the notion that some essential part of a living being (or in some variations, only human
beings) can survive death in some form, with its integrity partly or wholly retained, to
be reborn in a new body. This part is often referred to as the Spirit or Soul, the 'Higher
or True Self', 'Divine Spark.
In such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world,
based upon past integrated experience and new acquired experiences, but some part
of the being remains constantly present throughout these successive lives as well. It is
usually believed that there is interaction between pre-determinism of certain
experiences, or lessons intended to happen during the physical life, and the free-will
action of the individual as they live that life.
This doctrine is a central tenet within the majority of Indian religious traditions such as
Yoga, Vaishnavism and Shaivism (from Hinduism), and also Jainism and Sikhism. It
was common belief among the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. Many modern
Pagans also believe in reincarnation, as do some New Age movements, along with
followers of Spiritism, practitioners of certain African traditions, and students of
esoteric philosophies. The Buddhist concept of Rebirth although often referred to as
reincarnation differs significantly from the Vedic based traditions and New Age
movements in that the "self" (or soul) does not reincarnate (www.wikipedia.com).
Ancient Beliefs and Origins of Reincarnation
India
In India the concept of reincarnation is first recorded in the Upanishads (c. 800 BCE -
), which are philosophical and religious texts composed in Sanskrit. The doctrine of
reincarnation is absent in the Vedas, which are generally considered the oldest of the
Hindu scriptures.
According to Hinduism, the soul (atman) is immortal, while the body is subject to birth
and death.
The Bhagavad Gita states that:
Worn-out garments are shed by the body; Worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller
within the body. New bodies are donned by the dweller, like garments.
The idea that the soul (of any living being - including animals, humans and plants)
reincarnates is intricately linked to karma, another concept first introduced in the
Upanishads. Karma (literally: action) is the sum of one's actions, and the force that
determines one's next reincarnation. The cycle of death and rebirth, governed by
karma, is referred to as samsara.
Hinduism teaches that the soul goes on repeatedly being born and dying. One is
reborn on account of desire: a person desires to be born because he or she wants to
enjoy worldly pleasures, which can be enjoyed only through a body.[2] Hinduism does
not teach that all worldly pleasures are sinful, but it teaches that they can never bring
deep, lasting happiness or peace (ānanda). According to the Hindu sage Adi
Shankaracharya - the world as we ordinarily understand it - is like a dream: fleeting
and illusory. To be trapped in Samsara is a result of ignorance of the true nature of
being.
After many births, every person eventually becomes dissatisfied with the limited
happiness that worldly pleasures can bring. At this point, a person begins to seek
higher forms of happiness, which can be attained only through spiritual experience.
When, after much spiritual practice (sādhanā), a person finally realizes his or her own
divine nature—ie., realizes that the true "self" is the immortal soul rather than the body
or the ego—all desires for the pleasures of the world will vanish, since they will seem
insipid compared to spiritual ānanda. When all desire has vanished, the person will not
be reborn anymore (hinduwiki.com).
Celts, Karma, and Reincarnation
Recent discussions about the concept of reincarnation among the Celtic people and
the Druids as compared to the teachings of Pythagoras have sparked insights for me
that should have been obvious. The first of these insights is that the Celts believed in
a world of the spirit. This belief means, among other things, that the Celts believed
that spirits could exist in this world by inhabiting the bodies of people, of animals, of
plants, of trees and even manifest themselves as the spirits of places (wells, brughs,
caves, stones, rivers, ponds, and fields). This migration of spirit between worlds,
places, animals and people was a reflection of the communal nature of Celtic life. A
belief in spiritual migration and transmigration does not rule out the Celt's most
common spiritual belief, the belief that there is a life in another world after death in this
one.
Allusions to the Celts having believed in another life have sometimes been interpreted
to mean that they embraced the concept of "karma" (whatever that is). There is a body
of evidence to support a Celtic belief in re-incarnation as well as another life after
death. This belief takes many forms. Some of these forms are noted as being a
transmigration of the soul. Stories contain instances of shapeshifting. Instances exist
that tell of Otherworldly experiences. Lives are said to be gifts from the Sidhe.
Reincarnations are manifestations and gifts of the gods, while other cases are
considered to manifest as a common spirit returning along family lines. Of course,
there are also the stories about those that sleep and do not die (awaiting a call), and
the magicians that live backwards in time like Merlin, as well as warriors who are
resurrected with and without a soul. There may be other instances of Otherworldly life
or reincarnation in Celtic tradition, but these seem to be the most often cited.
The writings of the Poseidonian and Alexandrian Schools of history, as well as Caesar,
support the possibility that the Druids generally practiced and taught a belief in
reincarnation. Instances also occur in the insular literature that can be taken to mean
that reincarnation was thought to have occurred in the case of exceptional people.
There are also mentions of a belief in a spirit that passed from one member of a family
to another that occurs in the tales and survived in Celtic folk practice. Much more
definitive evidence or a skillful documented research effort on a level of at least a Ph.
D. dissertation should be attempted before the evidence can be said to be substantial.
This does not mean that evidence does not exist (http://www.summerlands.
com/crossroads/library/celts_and_karma.html).
Reincarnation in Judaism
The ancient Hebrews imagined the universe as a three-tiered cosmos of heaven,
earth, and underworld. Heaven was reserved for God and the angels; living human
beings occupied the middle world; and the spirits of the dead resided beneath the
earth in "She'ol." The only stories in Hebrew scriptures, besides Daniel, that refer to
afterlife notions are the story of Elijah's bodily ascent to heaven. Malachi describes the
reincarnation of Elijah as one of the signs of the Messiah's arrival. Indeed, it is
reasonably certain that reincarnation was not an alien concept to the Hebrews. An
orthodox sect of Judaism, called Hasidic Judaism, professes a belief in reincarnation.
Also, ancient Jewish mysticism taught the reality of reincarnation in the Kabbalah. In
contemporary Judaism, the orthodox embraced the doctrine of resurrection, while the
non-orthodox often accepted the notion of an immortal soul. Many secular and Reform
Jews view themselves as part of the tradition of Judaism, without adhering to any sort
of afterlife belief.
Besides the Biblical story of Elijah ascending to heaven, other accounts of heavenly
trips and visions exist. It is written that Enoch was actually taken, by God, to heaven.
Jacob was given a vision of a "stairway" ascending to heaven. In modern times, Jews
continue to ascend to heaven as documented by many near-death experiences (http:
//www.near-death.com/judaism.html).
Reincarnation in Greek Culture
Among the ancient Greeks, Socrates, Pythagoras, and Plato may be numbered
among those who made reincarnation an integral part of their teachings. At the end of
his life, Socrates said, "I am confident that there truly is such a thing as living again,
and that the living spring from the dead." Pythagoras claimed he could remember his
past lives, and Plato presented detailed accounts of reincarnation in his major works.
In the Hermetica, a Graeco-Egyptian series of writings on cosmology and spirituality
attributed to Hermes Trismegistus/Thoth the doctrine of reincarnation is also central.
The Greek version, an indigenous product, appeared in the Orphic Mysteries, but its
best-known proponent was Pythagoras. He believed that souls were reincarnated in
various bodily shapes. Empedocles, in his poem Purification, accepted Orphic and
Pythagorean beliefs. Plato's views on metempsychosis are derived from these same
sources. Plotinus believed that future destiny depended upon the life of the soul in
previous incarnations. It is possible that these beliefs were influenced by contact with
Indian religion (www.comparativereligions.com).
Egyptian Belief in Reincarnation
In ancient Egypt, The Egyptian Book of the Dead mentions the travel of the soul into a
next world without coming back to Earth. As it is well known, the ancient Egyptians
embalmed the dead in order that the body might be preserved and accompany the
soul into that world. This rather suggests their belief in resurrection than in
reincarnation. Likewise, in many cases of ancient tribal religions that are credited
today with holding to reincarnation, it is rather a belief in the pre-existence of the soul
before birth or its independent survival after death that is taught. This has no
connection with the classic idea of transmigration from one physical body to another,
according to the demands of an impersonal law such as karma (comparativereligions.
com).
Reincarnation in African Traditional Religions
Bearing in mind our earliest treatment of the African concept of being as "force" and
its dynamic nature, we further add that in the category of visible beings the Africans
distinguish that which is perceived by the senses and the "thing in itself" namely, the
inner nature or "force" of the thing whether man, animal, or tree. When a person dies,
the traditional African does not say that the " soul " of the dead has gone to the spirit-
world. It is not the "soul" or "part of man" that has gone to the world of the spirits but
the whole man though not in a visible but invisible state.
The dichotomy of soul and body is not applicable such that at death, the soul
separates and inhabits another body. Rather "the man" still exists as this person in a
spiritual invisible form. His bodily energy goes but his vital force persists and waxes
stronger and stronger ontologically.
In line with the hierarchy of "forces" the dead ancestors assume an enhanced vital
superiority of intelligence and will over the living; " the departed must therefore have
gained in deeper knowledge of the forces and nature" and because of the ontological
relationship existing among members of the clan, they interact with the living. What
interacts with the living is "the man himself" who is now essentially "force."--Vital force
grows and/or weakens through the interaction of forces. A person is "really dead"
when his vital force is totally diminished. Due to their preoccupation with immortality
and deathlessness, the ancestors are concerned with the increase of their and their
descendants' vital force for the well-being and continuity of the clan.
This "perpetuation of them-selves through reproduction" is what has been mistakenly
called reincarnation. It is rather the "life-giving will" or "vital influence " or " secretion of
vital power " of the ancestor on his living dependants. This is understandable because
the ancestor who is now pure dynamic force can influence and effect many births in
his clan without emptying his personality. This explains Prof. Idowu's "partial or more
precisely apparent reincarnation. Reincarnation cannot be partial or apparent. Either it
is or is not. "
This is the philosophical basis for the African claim that a certain ancestor has been
reborn" in one or several living members of the same clan. What the Africans mean by
'return' or 'reborn' cannot be translated by 'reincarnation' because for them the child
or children are not identified with the dead, since the birth of the little one(s) in no wise
puts an end to the existence of the deceased ancestor in the spirit world. This
becomes clearer still when one realizes that Africans do not hold that conception is
“caused by the spirit of the ancestor”. The biological conception of the child results
from the concurrent act of God and the parents. The influence of the ancestor, which
has been called reincarnation, " comes later on. " It is the human being, who already
possesses life in the womb of his mother (by divine influence), who finds himself under
the vital, the ontological influence of a predestined ancestor or of a spirit (afrikaworld.
net).
Efficacy of Past Life Regression Therapy
Past Life Regression (PLR) is typically undertaken for one of two reasons. First, in a
therapeutic setting it can be used in an attempt to resolve a whole range of emotional,
psychological or psychosomatic problems. Second, it can be used by the curious for a
spiritual experience. Usually therapists use a light hypnosis trance “Inductions” to
regress clients into apparent past lives. Some PLR therapists also use bridging
techniques from a client’s current life problem to bring past life stories to conscious
awareness spontaneously. Most PLR experiences contain few historical details. Some
are even short and brutal. Occasionally subjects come up with a plethora of names,
dates and places that can be checked.
Past Life Regression as a Therapy
PLR therapy has been progressively developed since the 1950s by a number of
professional psychologists and psychiatrists from the US, UK and Australia. The key
researchers and their published findings are Irene Hickman (Mind Probe, 1985),
Alexander Cannon’s The Power Within (1950), Denys Kelsey’s Many Lifetimes (1967),
Morris Netherton’s Past Lives Therapy (1978), Edith Fiore’s You Have Been Here
Before (1978), Helen Wambach’s Reliving Past Lives (1978), Hans Ten Dam Exploring
Reincarnation (1983), Roger Woolger’s Other Lives, Other Selves (1988) and Brian
Weiss’ Many Lives, Many Masters (1988). More recently PLR therapy has been
integrated with current life regression and is called Regression Therapy.
The psychologists and their findings that cover this are Andy Tomlinson’s Healing the
Eternal Soul (2006) and Hans Ten Dam Deep Healing (1996). Newer published works
from the 1990’s to date include Dr. Michael Newton.
As Ian Lawton states in his review of this material: “Nearly all of the early pioneers
came to use PLR more or less by accident, or at least reluctantly, and were previously
either Christian, agnostic or atheist:
“As a result, nearly all were profoundly skeptical of the results of their therapy at the
outset, but gradually became convinced as their work progressed and they could no
longer escape the obvious conclusion: that, as a therapeutic tool, PLR was able to
produce dramatic, rapid and permanent improvements in certain clients who had spent
years in conventional therapy with no significant improvement whatsoever. They all
also emphasize that their clients existing religious beliefs, or lack of them, had no
impact whatsoever on the success of their therapy.”
A more formal study was conducted by Hazel Denning, who studied the results of a
number of past life therapists with nearly 1000 subjects between 1985 and 1992.
Results were measured just after the therapy, with a follow up five years afterwards. Of
the 450 subjects who could still be tracked, 24% reported the symptoms had
completely gone, 23% reported considerable or dramatic improvement and 17%
reported noticeable improvement.
The Process of Past Life Regression Therapy Facilitation (Pawelczyk)
1. Pre-talk prior to the session, and may be accompanied by suggestibility tests to see
if the subject easily accepts hypnosis.
2. A compilation of a “cast of characters” (usually no more than ten) and list of areas
the subject would like to focus on in the session (typically three, but may be less).
3. A progressive relaxation induction by the therapist begins the session. Typically,
this portion of the session lasts up to 45 minutes.
4. My style of regression initiation includes non-directive suggestions for the individual
to go to the time when the problem first began, and sometimes includes a precursor
timeline regression.
5. A guiding of the subject to notice any images, senses, feelings, realization, etc. he
or she is experiencing.
6. Questions and further guiding based on progression of hypnotic state and
experience of the individual.
7. Counting up and out of the hypnotic state.
8. Post-session discussion.
Sessions minimally take 2 hours, but the average span of time is about 4 hours.
Cautions for Individuals Interested in Experiencing Past-Life-Regression
1. Past Life Regression is not experienced by everyone-for a variety of reasons.
2. Age and PLR may cause an individual to experience intense, unexpected emotions
and uncomfortable realizations.
3. Individuals experience regression in a variety of ways: seeing, feeling, hearing,
knowing, sensing, etc. Many of these impressions are initially unclear, but with use of
hypnotherapeutic techniques like NLP, the experience for most will have increased
clarity.
4. There is no way to obtain tangible proof of the results experienced with regressive
therapy.
The Reality of Lives Recalled Using PLR (www.wikipedia.com)
Although most of the PLR pioneers saw past lives as the obvious conclusion, the
apparent success of past life regression therapy does not necessarily indicate that the
memories have any basis in reality. More modern therapists tend to accept that it
works whether the apparent past lives can be proved or not. Moreover although other
research might suggest that past lives are real, such as that of Ian Stevenson into
children who remember past lives spontaneously, it cannot be used to validate lives
recalled via PLR.
Skeptical sources such as:
Ian Wilson’s Mind out of Time and The After Death Experience (1981 and 1987), Paul
Edwards’ Reincarnation (2002), and Melvin Harris’ Investigating the Unexplained
(2003) have argued that past lives revealed by regression are nothing more than
authentic sounding narratives that the subconscious creates using a mixture of
imagination and normally acquired information that has been forgotten. This is
properly referred to as cryptomnesia. For example, Harris was apparently able to show
that the celebrated “Bloxham Tapes” were based on fictional sources that the subject,
Jane Evans, must have read and then forgotten. This despite her almost photographic
recall, use of different accents and apparent depth of emotions.
It has since shown that, in at least one of the three lives recalled by Jane, the fictional
source proffered by Harris clearly did not contain many of the most obscure details of
her recall, and nor does it seem likely that they could be traced to any other normal
source she might have accessed. Further impressive cases are shown in Australian
psychologist Peter Ramster’s documentary The Reincarnation Experiments (1983)
and the accompanying book The Search for Lives Past (1990).
Reported Benefits of PLR Therapy
Past life therapy is reported to have a myriad of benefits. Memories revealed from a
past life allow individuals to alter their perspectives on their current lives. This therapy
helps people to understand whom they are, learn how past life events have affected
present life circumstances, and to offer insight into hidden conflicts so that repeating
patterns may be stopped.
Awareness created through regression therapy allows mental, physical, and emotional
release. Patients may let go of deep-seated emotions, fears, and guilt that often result
in the relief of such problems as chronic pain, alcoholism, jealousy, arthritis,
claustrophobia, agoraphobia, migraine headaches, weight problems, insomnia,
obsessive/compulsive behaviors, chemical dependencies, depression, and sexual
dysfunction’s. The release of fear and other painful emotions strengthens will and self-
esteem and fosters forgiveness towards others and towards the self.
Throughout their lives individuals may have felt negativity towards certain persons or
places. They may be averse to particular foods, be prone to illness or disease, or
those whom have recurring dreams. This may be the result of a past life connection.
By becoming aware of the roots of these conditions the negativity is released and
healing often occurs (healthline.com).
even pre-Christian Gnosticism all teach that Soul is eternal and reincarnation is the
method we use to achieve non-duality or Oneness with the Creator.
PAST LIFE REGRESSION is the journey into one's past life or lives through means of
hypnosis. Used for purposes of self-growth and healing, past life regression can
unfold past-life traumas and events that may effect the present life.
Through hypnosis, past life regression can open windows to the unconscious mind
where memories of past lives are stored. Moreover a therapy, past life regression can
help obtain information about reincarnation and whether effects of past lives are
interfering with one's daily life.
In order to have a successful, past life regression therapy session, the participant or
client, must keep an open mind and be willing to be placed under hypnosis. Past life
regression therapy, as a whole, helps one to grow both spiritually and emotionally.
Past life regressions can enable one to obtain knowledge or a heightened sense of
awareness so that s/he can find resolve in present life issues.
“Reincarnation, literally "to be made flesh again", as a doctrine or mystical belief, holds
the notion that some essential part of a living being (or in some variations, only human
beings) can survive death in some form, with its integrity partly or wholly retained, to
be reborn in a new body. This part is often referred to as the Spirit or Soul, the 'Higher
or True Self', 'Divine Spark.
In such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world,
based upon past integrated experience and new acquired experiences, but some part
of the being remains constantly present throughout these successive lives as well. It is
usually believed that there is interaction between pre-determinism of certain
experiences, or lessons intended to happen during the physical life, and the free-will
action of the individual as they live that life.
This doctrine is a central tenet within the majority of Indian religious traditions such as
Yoga, Vaishnavism and Shaivism (from Hinduism), and also Jainism and Sikhism. It
was common belief among the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. Many modern
Pagans also believe in reincarnation, as do some New Age movements, along with
followers of Spiritism, practitioners of certain African traditions, and students of
esoteric philosophies. The Buddhist concept of Rebirth although often referred to as
reincarnation differs significantly from the Vedic based traditions and New Age
movements in that the "self" (or soul) does not reincarnate (www.wikipedia.com).
Ancient Beliefs and Origins of Reincarnation
India
In India the concept of reincarnation is first recorded in the Upanishads (c. 800 BCE -
), which are philosophical and religious texts composed in Sanskrit. The doctrine of
reincarnation is absent in the Vedas, which are generally considered the oldest of the
Hindu scriptures.
According to Hinduism, the soul (atman) is immortal, while the body is subject to birth
and death.
The Bhagavad Gita states that:
Worn-out garments are shed by the body; Worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller
within the body. New bodies are donned by the dweller, like garments.
The idea that the soul (of any living being - including animals, humans and plants)
reincarnates is intricately linked to karma, another concept first introduced in the
Upanishads. Karma (literally: action) is the sum of one's actions, and the force that
determines one's next reincarnation. The cycle of death and rebirth, governed by
karma, is referred to as samsara.
Hinduism teaches that the soul goes on repeatedly being born and dying. One is
reborn on account of desire: a person desires to be born because he or she wants to
enjoy worldly pleasures, which can be enjoyed only through a body.[2] Hinduism does
not teach that all worldly pleasures are sinful, but it teaches that they can never bring
deep, lasting happiness or peace (ānanda). According to the Hindu sage Adi
Shankaracharya - the world as we ordinarily understand it - is like a dream: fleeting
and illusory. To be trapped in Samsara is a result of ignorance of the true nature of
being.
After many births, every person eventually becomes dissatisfied with the limited
happiness that worldly pleasures can bring. At this point, a person begins to seek
higher forms of happiness, which can be attained only through spiritual experience.
When, after much spiritual practice (sādhanā), a person finally realizes his or her own
divine nature—ie., realizes that the true "self" is the immortal soul rather than the body
or the ego—all desires for the pleasures of the world will vanish, since they will seem
insipid compared to spiritual ānanda. When all desire has vanished, the person will not
be reborn anymore (hinduwiki.com).
Celts, Karma, and Reincarnation
Recent discussions about the concept of reincarnation among the Celtic people and
the Druids as compared to the teachings of Pythagoras have sparked insights for me
that should have been obvious. The first of these insights is that the Celts believed in
a world of the spirit. This belief means, among other things, that the Celts believed
that spirits could exist in this world by inhabiting the bodies of people, of animals, of
plants, of trees and even manifest themselves as the spirits of places (wells, brughs,
caves, stones, rivers, ponds, and fields). This migration of spirit between worlds,
places, animals and people was a reflection of the communal nature of Celtic life. A
belief in spiritual migration and transmigration does not rule out the Celt's most
common spiritual belief, the belief that there is a life in another world after death in this
one.
Allusions to the Celts having believed in another life have sometimes been interpreted
to mean that they embraced the concept of "karma" (whatever that is). There is a body
of evidence to support a Celtic belief in re-incarnation as well as another life after
death. This belief takes many forms. Some of these forms are noted as being a
transmigration of the soul. Stories contain instances of shapeshifting. Instances exist
that tell of Otherworldly experiences. Lives are said to be gifts from the Sidhe.
Reincarnations are manifestations and gifts of the gods, while other cases are
considered to manifest as a common spirit returning along family lines. Of course,
there are also the stories about those that sleep and do not die (awaiting a call), and
the magicians that live backwards in time like Merlin, as well as warriors who are
resurrected with and without a soul. There may be other instances of Otherworldly life
or reincarnation in Celtic tradition, but these seem to be the most often cited.
The writings of the Poseidonian and Alexandrian Schools of history, as well as Caesar,
support the possibility that the Druids generally practiced and taught a belief in
reincarnation. Instances also occur in the insular literature that can be taken to mean
that reincarnation was thought to have occurred in the case of exceptional people.
There are also mentions of a belief in a spirit that passed from one member of a family
to another that occurs in the tales and survived in Celtic folk practice. Much more
definitive evidence or a skillful documented research effort on a level of at least a Ph.
D. dissertation should be attempted before the evidence can be said to be substantial.
This does not mean that evidence does not exist (http://www.summerlands.
com/crossroads/library/celts_and_karma.html).
Reincarnation in Judaism
The ancient Hebrews imagined the universe as a three-tiered cosmos of heaven,
earth, and underworld. Heaven was reserved for God and the angels; living human
beings occupied the middle world; and the spirits of the dead resided beneath the
earth in "She'ol." The only stories in Hebrew scriptures, besides Daniel, that refer to
afterlife notions are the story of Elijah's bodily ascent to heaven. Malachi describes the
reincarnation of Elijah as one of the signs of the Messiah's arrival. Indeed, it is
reasonably certain that reincarnation was not an alien concept to the Hebrews. An
orthodox sect of Judaism, called Hasidic Judaism, professes a belief in reincarnation.
Also, ancient Jewish mysticism taught the reality of reincarnation in the Kabbalah. In
contemporary Judaism, the orthodox embraced the doctrine of resurrection, while the
non-orthodox often accepted the notion of an immortal soul. Many secular and Reform
Jews view themselves as part of the tradition of Judaism, without adhering to any sort
of afterlife belief.
Besides the Biblical story of Elijah ascending to heaven, other accounts of heavenly
trips and visions exist. It is written that Enoch was actually taken, by God, to heaven.
Jacob was given a vision of a "stairway" ascending to heaven. In modern times, Jews
continue to ascend to heaven as documented by many near-death experiences (http:
//www.near-death.com/judaism.html).
Reincarnation in Greek Culture
Among the ancient Greeks, Socrates, Pythagoras, and Plato may be numbered
among those who made reincarnation an integral part of their teachings. At the end of
his life, Socrates said, "I am confident that there truly is such a thing as living again,
and that the living spring from the dead." Pythagoras claimed he could remember his
past lives, and Plato presented detailed accounts of reincarnation in his major works.
In the Hermetica, a Graeco-Egyptian series of writings on cosmology and spirituality
attributed to Hermes Trismegistus/Thoth the doctrine of reincarnation is also central.
The Greek version, an indigenous product, appeared in the Orphic Mysteries, but its
best-known proponent was Pythagoras. He believed that souls were reincarnated in
various bodily shapes. Empedocles, in his poem Purification, accepted Orphic and
Pythagorean beliefs. Plato's views on metempsychosis are derived from these same
sources. Plotinus believed that future destiny depended upon the life of the soul in
previous incarnations. It is possible that these beliefs were influenced by contact with
Indian religion (www.comparativereligions.com).
Egyptian Belief in Reincarnation
In ancient Egypt, The Egyptian Book of the Dead mentions the travel of the soul into a
next world without coming back to Earth. As it is well known, the ancient Egyptians
embalmed the dead in order that the body might be preserved and accompany the
soul into that world. This rather suggests their belief in resurrection than in
reincarnation. Likewise, in many cases of ancient tribal religions that are credited
today with holding to reincarnation, it is rather a belief in the pre-existence of the soul
before birth or its independent survival after death that is taught. This has no
connection with the classic idea of transmigration from one physical body to another,
according to the demands of an impersonal law such as karma (comparativereligions.
com).
Reincarnation in African Traditional Religions
Bearing in mind our earliest treatment of the African concept of being as "force" and
its dynamic nature, we further add that in the category of visible beings the Africans
distinguish that which is perceived by the senses and the "thing in itself" namely, the
inner nature or "force" of the thing whether man, animal, or tree. When a person dies,
the traditional African does not say that the " soul " of the dead has gone to the spirit-
world. It is not the "soul" or "part of man" that has gone to the world of the spirits but
the whole man though not in a visible but invisible state.
The dichotomy of soul and body is not applicable such that at death, the soul
separates and inhabits another body. Rather "the man" still exists as this person in a
spiritual invisible form. His bodily energy goes but his vital force persists and waxes
stronger and stronger ontologically.
In line with the hierarchy of "forces" the dead ancestors assume an enhanced vital
superiority of intelligence and will over the living; " the departed must therefore have
gained in deeper knowledge of the forces and nature" and because of the ontological
relationship existing among members of the clan, they interact with the living. What
interacts with the living is "the man himself" who is now essentially "force."--Vital force
grows and/or weakens through the interaction of forces. A person is "really dead"
when his vital force is totally diminished. Due to their preoccupation with immortality
and deathlessness, the ancestors are concerned with the increase of their and their
descendants' vital force for the well-being and continuity of the clan.
This "perpetuation of them-selves through reproduction" is what has been mistakenly
called reincarnation. It is rather the "life-giving will" or "vital influence " or " secretion of
vital power " of the ancestor on his living dependants. This is understandable because
the ancestor who is now pure dynamic force can influence and effect many births in
his clan without emptying his personality. This explains Prof. Idowu's "partial or more
precisely apparent reincarnation. Reincarnation cannot be partial or apparent. Either it
is or is not. "
This is the philosophical basis for the African claim that a certain ancestor has been
reborn" in one or several living members of the same clan. What the Africans mean by
'return' or 'reborn' cannot be translated by 'reincarnation' because for them the child
or children are not identified with the dead, since the birth of the little one(s) in no wise
puts an end to the existence of the deceased ancestor in the spirit world. This
becomes clearer still when one realizes that Africans do not hold that conception is
“caused by the spirit of the ancestor”. The biological conception of the child results
from the concurrent act of God and the parents. The influence of the ancestor, which
has been called reincarnation, " comes later on. " It is the human being, who already
possesses life in the womb of his mother (by divine influence), who finds himself under
the vital, the ontological influence of a predestined ancestor or of a spirit (afrikaworld.
net).
Efficacy of Past Life Regression Therapy
Past Life Regression (PLR) is typically undertaken for one of two reasons. First, in a
therapeutic setting it can be used in an attempt to resolve a whole range of emotional,
psychological or psychosomatic problems. Second, it can be used by the curious for a
spiritual experience. Usually therapists use a light hypnosis trance “Inductions” to
regress clients into apparent past lives. Some PLR therapists also use bridging
techniques from a client’s current life problem to bring past life stories to conscious
awareness spontaneously. Most PLR experiences contain few historical details. Some
are even short and brutal. Occasionally subjects come up with a plethora of names,
dates and places that can be checked.
Past Life Regression as a Therapy
PLR therapy has been progressively developed since the 1950s by a number of
professional psychologists and psychiatrists from the US, UK and Australia. The key
researchers and their published findings are Irene Hickman (Mind Probe, 1985),
Alexander Cannon’s The Power Within (1950), Denys Kelsey’s Many Lifetimes (1967),
Morris Netherton’s Past Lives Therapy (1978), Edith Fiore’s You Have Been Here
Before (1978), Helen Wambach’s Reliving Past Lives (1978), Hans Ten Dam Exploring
Reincarnation (1983), Roger Woolger’s Other Lives, Other Selves (1988) and Brian
Weiss’ Many Lives, Many Masters (1988). More recently PLR therapy has been
integrated with current life regression and is called Regression Therapy.
The psychologists and their findings that cover this are Andy Tomlinson’s Healing the
Eternal Soul (2006) and Hans Ten Dam Deep Healing (1996). Newer published works
from the 1990’s to date include Dr. Michael Newton.
As Ian Lawton states in his review of this material: “Nearly all of the early pioneers
came to use PLR more or less by accident, or at least reluctantly, and were previously
either Christian, agnostic or atheist:
“As a result, nearly all were profoundly skeptical of the results of their therapy at the
outset, but gradually became convinced as their work progressed and they could no
longer escape the obvious conclusion: that, as a therapeutic tool, PLR was able to
produce dramatic, rapid and permanent improvements in certain clients who had spent
years in conventional therapy with no significant improvement whatsoever. They all
also emphasize that their clients existing religious beliefs, or lack of them, had no
impact whatsoever on the success of their therapy.”
A more formal study was conducted by Hazel Denning, who studied the results of a
number of past life therapists with nearly 1000 subjects between 1985 and 1992.
Results were measured just after the therapy, with a follow up five years afterwards. Of
the 450 subjects who could still be tracked, 24% reported the symptoms had
completely gone, 23% reported considerable or dramatic improvement and 17%
reported noticeable improvement.
The Process of Past Life Regression Therapy Facilitation (Pawelczyk)
1. Pre-talk prior to the session, and may be accompanied by suggestibility tests to see
if the subject easily accepts hypnosis.
2. A compilation of a “cast of characters” (usually no more than ten) and list of areas
the subject would like to focus on in the session (typically three, but may be less).
3. A progressive relaxation induction by the therapist begins the session. Typically,
this portion of the session lasts up to 45 minutes.
4. My style of regression initiation includes non-directive suggestions for the individual
to go to the time when the problem first began, and sometimes includes a precursor
timeline regression.
5. A guiding of the subject to notice any images, senses, feelings, realization, etc. he
or she is experiencing.
6. Questions and further guiding based on progression of hypnotic state and
experience of the individual.
7. Counting up and out of the hypnotic state.
8. Post-session discussion.
Sessions minimally take 2 hours, but the average span of time is about 4 hours.
Cautions for Individuals Interested in Experiencing Past-Life-Regression
1. Past Life Regression is not experienced by everyone-for a variety of reasons.
2. Age and PLR may cause an individual to experience intense, unexpected emotions
and uncomfortable realizations.
3. Individuals experience regression in a variety of ways: seeing, feeling, hearing,
knowing, sensing, etc. Many of these impressions are initially unclear, but with use of
hypnotherapeutic techniques like NLP, the experience for most will have increased
clarity.
4. There is no way to obtain tangible proof of the results experienced with regressive
therapy.
The Reality of Lives Recalled Using PLR (www.wikipedia.com)
Although most of the PLR pioneers saw past lives as the obvious conclusion, the
apparent success of past life regression therapy does not necessarily indicate that the
memories have any basis in reality. More modern therapists tend to accept that it
works whether the apparent past lives can be proved or not. Moreover although other
research might suggest that past lives are real, such as that of Ian Stevenson into
children who remember past lives spontaneously, it cannot be used to validate lives
recalled via PLR.
Skeptical sources such as:
Ian Wilson’s Mind out of Time and The After Death Experience (1981 and 1987), Paul
Edwards’ Reincarnation (2002), and Melvin Harris’ Investigating the Unexplained
(2003) have argued that past lives revealed by regression are nothing more than
authentic sounding narratives that the subconscious creates using a mixture of
imagination and normally acquired information that has been forgotten. This is
properly referred to as cryptomnesia. For example, Harris was apparently able to show
that the celebrated “Bloxham Tapes” were based on fictional sources that the subject,
Jane Evans, must have read and then forgotten. This despite her almost photographic
recall, use of different accents and apparent depth of emotions.
It has since shown that, in at least one of the three lives recalled by Jane, the fictional
source proffered by Harris clearly did not contain many of the most obscure details of
her recall, and nor does it seem likely that they could be traced to any other normal
source she might have accessed. Further impressive cases are shown in Australian
psychologist Peter Ramster’s documentary The Reincarnation Experiments (1983)
and the accompanying book The Search for Lives Past (1990).
Reported Benefits of PLR Therapy
Past life therapy is reported to have a myriad of benefits. Memories revealed from a
past life allow individuals to alter their perspectives on their current lives. This therapy
helps people to understand whom they are, learn how past life events have affected
present life circumstances, and to offer insight into hidden conflicts so that repeating
patterns may be stopped.
Awareness created through regression therapy allows mental, physical, and emotional
release. Patients may let go of deep-seated emotions, fears, and guilt that often result
in the relief of such problems as chronic pain, alcoholism, jealousy, arthritis,
claustrophobia, agoraphobia, migraine headaches, weight problems, insomnia,
obsessive/compulsive behaviors, chemical dependencies, depression, and sexual
dysfunction’s. The release of fear and other painful emotions strengthens will and self-
esteem and fosters forgiveness towards others and towards the self.
Throughout their lives individuals may have felt negativity towards certain persons or
places. They may be averse to particular foods, be prone to illness or disease, or
those whom have recurring dreams. This may be the result of a past life connection.
By becoming aware of the roots of these conditions the negativity is released and
healing often occurs (healthline.com).
| This page includes: 1. Ancient Beliefs & Origins of Reincarnation found in: -India -Celtic Culture -Judaism -Greece -Egypt -African Traditional Religion 2. Efficacy of PLR 3. PLR as a Therapy 4. The Process of PLR 5. Cautions for You 6. Reality of PLR Memories 7. Benefits of PLR Sessions |
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