Family members develop strong positive emotional ties which transcend this worldly existence. So it is not uncommon for relatives to live many lives together. The relationships and the sexes might be different, but the positive emotional bond remains the same. One of the definitions of “soul mate” embraces the principle of a strong romantic love connection between two souls. Often roles are reversed, but the amorous bond remains constant. Emotions need not be positive for an association between souls to be formed. Relationships that are hurtful engender strong negative emotions. If these feelings are not resolved in this life, they will need to be reconciled in a future life.

Malicious or evil deeds that incur Karmic debt may or may not result in the involved souls being brought back together again. All parties need to resolve their issues, but not necessarily together. Other times, particularly where there is an established relationship such as father/daughter or husband/wife, the souls reunite to work out any carried over negativity. So if you have been involved in a spiteful break-up and you continue to harbor ill will towards your former partner, you may be back together again to work things out.

There are times when groups of souls reunite to advance common goals. The objective may be to develop artistically or perhaps spiritually. Whatever the purpose, the group compliments each other in achieving the goals. In one of Dick Sutphen’s books he talks about a large group of souls reincarnating together to resolve Karmic debt incurred between the Incas and the Spanish Conquistadors. This group has apparently come together in Arizona.

From my 30 years of experience, I have observed that the one thing that draws souls back together again and again is strong emotions. The emotions may be positive or negative. The souls that are reunited experience feelings or suspicions about each other in their new lives which have their origins in another time, yet influence present day relationships. Understanding the source of these feelings and suspicions will help facilitate better present day relationships.

You have probably lived in a past life with someone you presently know. Issues from the past can greatly influence present day relationships. Understanding the past can promote harmony and avoid repeating dysfunctional patterns.

Guides are in soul or spirit form and not in physical form. They are discarnate spirits who watch, heal, teach and help us in our physical journey. They help us plan the life we are about to live and help us along the way. Our guides are not in body so they can appear in many different ways. If you are religious, they may appear as angels. Native Indians often have animals as guides. Those who follow the teachings of Silvia Brown may expect their guides to be Hindu-like in appearance. Guides may even appear as spiritual places.

Contacting and communicating with Spirit Guides is a well a established practice. Mediums or psychics like Edgar Cayce and Jane Roberts are two of the better know authors who have written about their connection with Spirit Guides. Most therapists who offer past life regression therapy also offer instruction on how to meet one’s guides. Brian Weiss, a notable psychiatrist, discusses contacting Spirit Guides in his book, “Messages From The Masters”. Silvia Brown has written several books dealing with Spirit Guide contact. Michael Newton in his book, “Life Between Lives” talks about how we plan for a future life with our Guides.

There are numerous accounts of someone who dies appearing to the one they love at the moment of their death. Strong love connections in one life are rekindled in a future life when souls reincarnate together again. Books like “Past Lives, Future Loves” and “You Are Born to be Together Again” embrace this belief.  Love is a strong force which forges a powerful bond that transcends death. It is not surprising then that someone who departs this life will wish to act as a Guide for the ones they love.

If we accept the fact that it is possible to communicate with our Guides and the conviction that recently deceased souls may act as Guides for the ones they love, then it follows naturally that we should be able to communicate with those recently departed loved ones. And in fact, we can. Moreover, it is very comforting and rewarding to do so. It almost always eases the process of grieving and permits the person to get on with their life. You may wish to read some accounts of those who have had that experience. (see:  “Contacting the Departed” at my web site)

Can we go forward in time to see a future life? Dr. Bruce Goldberg a dentist and hypnotherapist was one of the first to popularize the concept of future life progression in his book “Past Lives, Future Lives”. It is now accepted by most Past Life Regression Therapists that it is possible to progress a client to a future life. But going forward in time presents us with a bit of a quandary. Are all our lives, past and present, predetermined? How can we know something that has not yet happened? How can our karma influence a life that has already been lived?

The West has always viewed time as linear; but the East, particularly the Hindus and Buddhist have viewed time as cyclical. However, Western science is realizing that time is a very real dimension in which we can travel. Because of Einstein, we often call time the fourth dimension. Spatial relativity shows that time behaves surprisingly like the three spatial dimensions and that time expands as speed increases.  Time does exist and interacts with us and space in ways stranger than anyone would have thought. “Minkowski spacetime“, states that time and space are not separate entities but intermingle in a four dimensional space-time. Quantum Physics, which I will not go into here, adds more support to time as a dimension.

How does this relate to past lives? Well, since time as we know it only exists while we are present on Earth, after we die we are not subject to the linear aspects of time. When we incarnate, our soul can choose a life in the 18^th Century or the 22^nd Century depending on which life provides the best chance for development. In this theory, all lives are lived simultaneously. Each life interacts with all the other lives and is governed by some interactive Karmic Law.

Dr. Brian Weiss, in his book “Same Soul, Many Bodies”, discusses future life progression. He explains that our future lives are variable and how we live now will determine the type of future life we will have. This, to me, appears to be somewhat of a compromise between the linear concept of time and the implications Minkowski’s spacetime. Dr. Weiss’ position on future lives is very understandable. We can hypothesize that all lives are lived simultaneously; but, it is very difficult to imagine. We are creatures of a three dimensional world and imagining a fourth dimension is as difficult for us as imagining a third dimension was for the inhabitants of Edwin Abbott’s “Flatland”.

It is possible to progress a client forward to a future life or regress them back to a past life. It is evident from all the available evidence, that nothing is predetermined. It is also theorized that all lives, past, present and future, influence each other in accordance with the Laws of Karma. But, I do not progress my clients forward to future lives. I know that we in the West are conditioned to think of time as linear. If you go back in time to a miserable life, we view that life as done and finished with except for the Karma it may carry forward. However, if we go forward in time to miserable future life, we feel a sense of impending dread. You may inappropriately change the way you live your present life in order to avoid that future life. It is not unlike the person who sees a psychic who tells them that they will have an accident next month. When next month comes, they avoid doing anything that could lead to an accident. Their unnatural avoidance behavior may in fact lead to the accident. The only time I take people forward in time is to see the winning numbers of a lottery. Unfortunately, so far it hasn’t worked, but I am always hopeful!

Past life regression is just a technique like dream analysis or free association. The difference is that it is easier to understand for both the client and the therapist. The therapist should not allow his or her belief system to interfere with the therapeutic process. If your client believes in past lives, then the therapist should treat the client’s experience as real. If your client does not believe in past lives, then the experience can be structured as a metaphor for their present life. By structuring your approach to the client, you avoid any cognitive dissonance they might have had.

Many clients need to understand the cause of their problems. Not knowing the cause is unsettling. Once they know the cause, they feel more able to deal with the problem. Does it really matter if the cause of the client’s problem is found in their past or their present life? If the client accepts the cause, then they will be more willing to deal with the problem. Is this a simplistic approach? Not really! Most Behaviourist do not believe that finding a cause is necessary. They believe that if you change the behaviour you fix the problem. If finding a cause facilitates behavioural change, then why not find one?

Therapists do not question the therapeutic and cathartic value of an abreaction particularly when it occurs within the constructive and supportive relationship offered by the therapist. The recall and revivification of repressed material accompanied by an affective emotional response and release of tension is almost always beneficial to the client. The catharsis which results from an abreaction is equally as therapeutic regardless of whether the repressed material is from a past life or a present life memory.

Personally, I believe in Reincarnation. However, I do not let my belief influence my approach to a client. Not all situations require past life regression. Often other techniques are used instead of or in conjunction with past life regression; but, for many problems it is the method of choice. It is fast and efficient. Frequently, further benefits accrue. Past life regression therapy is a powerful and effective technique and should not be dismissed because of objections to the theory of reincarnation.

Many year ago, I was asked to be on a phone-in radio program dealing with past life regression. I recall one caller who asked if I knew that hypnosis was a tool of the Devil. I responded by saying that I was not as familiar with the Devil as he might be, but if the Devil used hypnosis, it must be a very effective tool. A frequent concern about hypnosis is that of control. Is the hypnotized person controlled by the hypnotist? The answer is that all hypnosis is self hypnosis and the hypnotist is a facilitator who enables their client to go into trance. The client is always in control and they won’t do anything they don’t want to do. There are several other common misconceptions and concerns about hypnosis which I will not go into in this article.

Some clients or students who have not experienced past life regression have concerns about the safety of the process. One common fear is that they might be open to being possessed by some malevolent spirit. This sentiment has been expressed by certain well known writers. I do not adhere to this conviction, but I will place a protective white light around a client who expresses this concern. I do not believe in possession by evil spirits and I certainly do not believe that you expose yourself to any external harm during a regression session. There is the concept of walk-ins which can occur, but only by mutual consent and never during a regression session. (A walk-in is a soul who takes over a body when the original soul decides that they cannot continue in the life they are in. The new soul takes it over because it feels it can benefit from that life. )

Another fear that is frequently expressed is that the person might go to a traumatic event in a past life and that they may be psychologically damaged by the experience. It is possible to go to a traumatic episode during a regression, but though the experience might be quite dramatic, it is invariably constructive. In a therapeutic setting it is frequently the aim of the therapist to enable a patient to recall a traumatic event which is at the root of a particular symptom and thereby purge any associated pathogenic memories through the process of catharsis. In a non-therapeutic setting, it is advantageous to temporarily detach the client from the scene so that they are looking down at what is happening while remaining calm and relaxed. The client can view the events to completion while remaining composed.

Yet another concern is that one may find out that they were extremely evil in a past life. While this is possible, most people who encounter such a life tend to avoid exploring it unless it is particularly relevant to their present life. If they do go to such a life, all I say is, “Look how far you have progressed!” It is also important to remember that you may have chosen such a life to facilitate the development of other souls. Knowledge of having lived a life of evil is not something to brag about, but it is not going to be devastating. It is easy to counter such a life with one that was selfless and noble.

Past life regression is a potent technique for therapeutic change and for personal growth. It is, however, no more dangerous than meditation which is also a powerful tool for self development. The only problem with meditation is that it takes self discipline and years of practice to achieve constructive results. Past life regression can achieve results in a much shorter period of time. It is not uncommon for a phobia to be eliminated or for a relationship issue to be resolved in one session. Both past life regression and meditation are valuable techniques; both are completely safe. The only danger that can come from exploring your past lives is from those people who disapprove of past life regression. Such disapproval is often spawned from ignorance.

It is important to find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed by children or pets. Cell phones should be turned off. Comfortable clothing should be worn. You can serve beverages including alcohol, but no one should drink to excess. It is essential that everyone is able to concentrate and focus their attention on the imagery and instructions during the regression. Before the first regression session, you should listen to information about hypnosis and regression as this will help you have a successful past life exploration. On subsequent sessions, the general instructions can be skipped. It is beneficial to dim the lights during the regression and brighten them after the session. Turning the lights up helps reorient everyone to the present time.

After each past life regression session, each person relates his or her experience to the others. It is captivating to listen to the past life stories of others. It is also very fulfilling to relate the events of your past life. Some narratives may be vague and lacking in detail. Others will be precise and full of well defined details. Listening to all the past life reports will help those who, for whatever reason, failed to have a full experience. On subsequent regressions, they should be more comfortable to immerse themselves wholly in a past life.

The experiences of the group will always generate considerable discussions about the validity past lives. Because it is not necessary to believe in reincarnation to experience your past lives, certain members of the group may feel that it was just their imagination stimulated by a book they have read or a movie they have seen. There are those, however, that have absolutely no doubt that their experience was an actual past life.

Frequently, during the week following a past life regression, further details are remembered and connections with your present life are made. You will not slip back into a past life, but you will recall more information and have greater insights. You may even wish to research the historical time period or characters of your past life encounter. When you talk about your past lives to others who were not part of your group, they will want to make up a new group with you.

Purchasing the right recordings can be a bit of a problem as there are many who offer such recordings. It is prudent to try and listen to the person who is leading the regressions. If they offer a free download, acquire it and test it out. This way you will know if you are comfortable with the hypnotist and whether or not the recording is effective for you. If it is, then you can buy their product and be confident it will work for you. If you follow this advice, you will not be disappointed.