What Is It and can It Support Healing?
I completed my training as a hypnotherapist over seven years ago, transitioning from a career as a Social Worker. This initial training provided me with a solid foundation, covering the process, biology, and various techniques associated with hypnotherapy. The curriculum also included insights into the history of this ancient therapy, its applications, and what truly captivated me—its vast possibilities. It was during this training that I was introduced to the concept of past life regression.
Reflecting on the past six months, if people inquired whether I offered past life regression during that time, my response consistently leaned towards, “No, but I know how to do it!”
However, if you were to ask me the same question today, my answer has evolved into a resolute “yes!”
In essence, when working in hypnosis, our goal is to access the subconscious mind—the part that holds memories, emotions, behaviours, and beliefs. Many people turn to a hypnotherapist for support in changing unhealthy habits like smoking or consuming sugary foods. They might express sentiments such as, “I know smoking is bad for me, but I just can’t stop,” or “I know eating all the biscuits is bad for me, but I just can’t stop.” While discussing the reasons behind the harm of certain behaviours is important, if the subconscious sees them as beneficial, changing them becomes challenging.
Hypnotherapy allows us to directly engage with the subconscious. By conversing with it, we can explain why a habit is not beneficial and propose more positive alternatives. This approach can lead to genuine and enduring changes. The same principle applies to various issues, including trauma. Traumatic experiences may linger in the subconscious, causing persistent fear and distress. Through hypnosis and skilful therapeutic techniques, the subconscious can be accessed, allowing for nurturing, reassurance, and healing of the frightened aspects.
The way we address mental health in society appears to have multiple layers.
To illustrate this, consider a scenario where an individual is experiencing depression—feeling low in energy and motivation. The initial approach involves a medical practitioner prescribing medication to artificially elevate the person’s mood, creating the semblance that the depression is receding. However, once the medication is discontinued, the depression resurfaces. This represents the superficial layer of treatment.
Now, let’s delve into another layer. The same individual begins discussing their depression with a professional counsellor. This process takes the treatment deeper into the mind. Engaging in conversation provides a space for the mind to express thoughts and feelings, offering some relief. However, in my experience, despite this relief, the depression often persists at a more profound level within the body’s system. Patients may undergo therapeutic processes for extended periods without experiencing a significant or enduring improvement in their actual emotional state.
By employing Hypnotherapy or various other techniques that facilitate access to the subconscious mind, it becomes possible to fully observe, recognise, and comprehend depression.
Understanding why mental ill health is present or lingering is crucial for recovery. Once this awareness is achieved, the depression can be invited to shift and transform, enabling the person to undergo tangible changes in their daily emotional experience. In my time as a Hypnotherapist, I’ve primarily worked with this layer, and it has resulted in many clients concluding sessions with noticeable positive changes. Depression has lifted, trauma has been released, and habits have undergone transformation.
While this is undoubtedly promising, the question arises: What if we could go even further? What if, even at this stage, we haven’t accessed enough layers, and more significant physical and mental health transformations could occur? What if the depression, pain, or trauma affecting a person’s daily life—shaping their emotions, lifestyle, and relationships—was influenced not only by experiences in this current life but also by events in an entirely different lifetime? A past life?
I started questioning certain aspects when a compelling encounter with a woman reminded me of my previous knowledge and training in past life regression.
People frequently inquired if it was something I practiced, sparking my curiosity about the underlying interest. Despite having never affirmed it, I decided to delve into the subject, researching the works of renowned Hypnotherapists like Deloris Cannon and thoroughly examining case studies. The possibility that past life regression could complement my existing therapeutic approaches for clients started to seem plausible.
Curiosity led to action, and I began conducting past life regression sessions. Initially, I was as surprised by the results as my clients. With my guidance, they ventured into their past lives, discovering profound insights. The key, I found, is awareness—understanding why and how we feel certain ways. This realisation alone is transformative, but what truly astonished me were the immediate effects on clients upon returning to the present day. Generational trauma, a concept I believe in, can be addressed and healed through this therapy. Even those initially sceptical about the concept experienced healing, emphasising that both Hypnotherapy and Past Life Regression Therapy transcend belief systems. This realisation is incredibly empowering for those seeking healing and the ability to shape their chosen life.
Main – Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
