A Primer for Past Life Regressions

When I decided to write about reincarnation in Just Like Gravity, I wanted to try a past life regression for myself so I could use that experience in my book.

Finding a hypnotist who does past life regressions wasn’t easy. Let me amend that: finding a reputable hypnotist who does past life regressions wasn’t easy.  I found several questionable people—somebody called Madame Sophia turned up in my Google search and for a while I thought I would have to give her a try.

Finally, I located a certified hypnotherapist who has been in the business for some time, mostly helping people overcome phobias, quit smoking, or recover from injuries. Past Life Regressions were on her list of services. When I called to inquire, I realized she was just as wary of me as I was of her. A brief discussion satisfied us both that neither of us was talking to a fruitcake and we set up an appointment.

Disclaimer: Just because I’ve done one of these with a hypnotist and several on my own does NOT make me an expert. All I can tell you is about my own experience. If you are interested in doing a past life regression of your own, my best advice is to find a certified hypnotherapist as I did. Your mileage may vary.

Here’s part of what I learned from my past life regression.

1. Hypnotism—even when you pay a hypnotist for a session—is self-hypnotism. If you don’t participate, it won’t work. It’s like a very deep meditative state (Isn’t Oregon the meditative state?) Start meditating if you think you might want to do a regression someday. The more you practice, the more you will get out of the session—which will cost you some moolah.
2. You will remember everything and can stop any time. No clucking like a chicken and coming back to consciousness naked in a room full of laughing strangers—unless your hypnotist has a special offer and I can guarantee you’ll pay extra for that.
3. Whether you buy into the idea of reincarnation is not important. You can think of it as psychoanalysis—the images and ideas you envision are metaphors for some aspect of your life. Going in with this concept is every bit as useful as going in expecting to see a past life.
4. Don’t expect to be able to trace down your former self. The chances that you were once Cleopatra or Napoleon are slim and, honestly, if that is what you are looking for you may have other problems you need the hypnotist to address before you try a past life regression. If reincarnation is real, then the vast majority of us were normal, everyday people who lived and died with little fanfare.
5. Participating in a past life regression does not oppose any spiritual beliefs you hold. If you are interested and curious, then obviously something is motivating you to do this. I actually found it to be a very spiritual experience.
6. Be prepared to see your own death. If reincarnation is real, then you died in that life. The circumstances surrounding that death may be important. So you will need to take a close look at your death if you can stand to do it. Keep in mind that was then and this is now. You died and yet you are alive now. That is really a mind-blowing concept if your session goes the way mine did.
7. Have a designated driver or take a little time to recover after your session. I got right in a car after a three-hour regression and drove in city traffic. This was not a good idea for anyone in the immediate vicinity. To this day, I am not sure how I got from the hypnotherapist’s office to wherever I wound up. I vaguely remember driving but not particularly caring what lane I was in or what color the light turned. After all, I’d just discovered I was immortal. We arrived safely, but it would have been much better if someone else had driven.

What do you think? Would you like to or have you ever done a past life regression? Been hypnotized?  Leave a comment.

Next Week: Preparing for a Past Life Regression

Interested in reincarnation and past lives? Grab a copy of Just Like Gravity, a paranormal romance/romantic suspense novel following a pair of star-crossed lovers through three lifetimes.