“Can it Be Disturbing?”

I’ve had people interested in Past Life Regressions ask me if it is scary before, but when a friend recently asked about it being disturbing, I had to pause a moment to make sure to answer clearly. It is my belief that we are protected from remembering experiences that might be harmful by our subconscious minds and by what I call our spirit guides or guardian angels. If I didn’t hold this belief, PLR isn’t something I’d mess around with at all. Before each session I am reminded of a conversation with my mentor John Amoroso when I had called him to ask about a particular session. I had gotten caught up in the methodology and technique and John very gently reminded me of what is fundamental in guiding a past life regression by asking me, “You don’t think you’re doing this by yourself, do you?”  When my friend asked me if PLR can be disturbing the only answer I could honestly give her was yes, it can be.

While I truly believe we are never given more than we can handle, it is also true that we sometimes are given more than we think we can handle. And in some cases there can be a retraumatising in regressing to memories in this lifetime involving Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) events. These situations require extreme care and a trained and competent hypnotherapist. In most cases, it would be advisable to work in partnership with a psychotherapist who is familiar with hypnotherapeutic techniques.

If a client seeking PLR and is not specifically trying to work through PTSD issues, chances are those sorts of traumas will not spontaneously come up, unless the client feels very safe and is ready to deal with them.   But in PLR there is the risk of being challenged to see something honestly, see ourselves honestly, maybe for the first time. And yes, that can be disturbing. I remember reading one of Shirley Maclaine’s books when she wrote about first seeking out a past life regression and her hypnotherapist/guide cautioning her. I couldn’t find the exact quote, but the gist of the warning is that once you learn something about yourself such as you do in past life memories, there is no unlearning it. It changes everything and you must be prepared to meet that change. There is a reason for not spontaneously remembering past lives; it is like a default setting. When you choose to alter the program, it resets everything. I tell clients that it can change them, but they have a choice to ignore what they’ve learned. There have been some of them who have chosen this path.

I don’t recommend PLR to someone who is concerned that they will be confronted with their shadow side, confronted with a conflicting point of view, or who is not open to learn and grow in their spiritual life. If your box feels safe right as it is, then PLR is not for you. It can be disturbing to peek outside of that box.

The most difficult regression I experienced for myself was the one in which I was the bad guy. I saw myself as the hanging judge during the Spanish Inquisition. Later at an advanced training session, the guest speaker joked about how regression therapists owe a debt of gratitude to the perpetrators of the Inquisition because so many clients end up working through traumas of being killed or tortured for their beliefs during that era.  

Understanding the mind of that judge has helped me to explain an ongoing struggle with feeling judged for holding unconventional spiritual beliefs. It makes it harder for me to criticize others beliefs with a light heart. Disturbing? Only until I accepted that it was time to look at myself and own up to my part in what I’d previously held most dear—a belief of myself as the rightful victim of judgmental people. I had to choose to either hold onto that judge/judgmental side of myself, or understand him, learn from him and then move onward, holding a little less tightly to my indignations.

As a closing thought, most PLR are not so much distressing as fascinating and offer healing. While it is common to have several sessions to work through specific issues, often one session with an intention set of learning your life purpose or what positive gifts you’ve brought in to your life can lead to greater happiness and fulfillment. PLR is not a choice for everyone, but for those who do choose it, the benefits can be great.