More difficult to adjust to are gender changes which can create underlying problems. Both men and women find themselves ‘in the wrong body’. Some necessitate a sex change, others respond to past life therapy. Some conditions are complex. Not every case of homosexuality necessarily relates to a man having been a woman before and retaining the desire for sexual contact with a man (or vice versa), but some do. If that person is happy to accept their sexual orientation, then all is well. But it can create a painful conflict in someone who cannot adapt or who comes under pressure to conform to ‘a norm’. (Most homosexuals and lesbians are following their consciously-made life plan just as heterosexuals are, their orientation is different not wrong.)
I regressed a woman who said she had always felt like a young boy with homosexual tendencies. She ‘fancied older men’. This did not appear on the surface as a problem because older men were only too pleased to have an affair with this attractive woman. But, inside herself she felt cheated. She was in the wrong body for the experience she craved. When she regressed, she was indeed a young homosexual. In the between life state, she had wanted to experience life in a woman’s body but she had not sufficiently planned and programmed her new identity. The old patterns took over.
CHAPTER 3
The techniques used to induce regression are many and varied. Some have been in existence for immeasurable time, others are new. Shamans, and other spiritual disciplines, have used drugs, chanting and repetitive dance to induce trance states for hundreds of years. In a trance state there are no boundaries, time does not exist. Memories can be accessed, knowledge harvested, blockages removed. The shamanic culture is both ancient and universal. The note of a Buddhist cymbal, or an African tribal drum, will take you into a different state of being. Sound, smell and touch can stimulate memory, as can places or people.
Some therapists will use touch, others imagery, some hypnosis, but all are creating an altered state of consciousness in which it is possible to access the otherwise inaccessible parts of our being. Many start by achieving a state of deep relaxation, others by pressing appropriate parts of the body. Regression may be incidental to the main purpose of the technique as in body or energy-based therapies such as Shen, Shiatsu, Process Acupressure, etc, where the intention is to release an energy blockage rather than necessarily stimulate past life memories. Many regression therapists combine several different approaches in their therapeutic work.
HYPNOTIC TRANCE
An artificially induced state of so-called ‘sleep’, deep relaxation or altered awareness, is called ‘trance’. From brainwave measurements, it is clearly not sleep as the brain remains active. The subject may, when brought out of trance, be unaware of actions or activities undertaken in this state, although in many levels of hypnosis the subject is fully aware of what is going on and retains that consciousness. Hypnosis accesses the subconscious mind, that level of consciousness that lies ‘beneath’ ordinary, everyday awareness, and which retains all our memories. The subconscious mind is extremely powerful and can bring about deep healing.
There is a difference between a hypnotist, who merely accesses the memories, and a hypnotherapist, who uses those memories therapeutically to effect change.
In hypnotic trance, the subject is directed back through time or told to go straight to a particular time or experience. Appropriate questions are used to guide the process. Control of the experience remains with the therapist.
Regression under hypnosis is vivid, the subject experiences all the feelings, pains and joys of the life. The therapeutic value varies according to whether or not the therapist believes rerunning the life is all that is required and whether the therapist recognizes symbolic and other states. If healing and reframing techniques are also used, the therapeutic value of the experience is likely to be enhanced and longer lasting.
ACTIVE IMAGINATION
In active imagination, the subject is encouraged to ‘act as if’ until the scene becomes real. So, for instance, the therapist may ‘see’ the scene first, describing it until the subject joins in; or may direct the subject through various actions such as opening a wardrobe and selecting clothing. Control of the process is transferred to the subject when possible.
The reliving of a life may be graphic or gentle. As with hypnosis, the long-term benefit depends on the approach employed by the therapist. One of the advantages of this technique is that the subject can experience the life at different depths according to what is necessary for healing to take place. This technique is an excellent introduction to past life work and can be a powerful therapeutic tool according to the level of expertise of the therapist and the ancillary techniques employed.
GUIDED IMAGERY
Guided imagery may be rather like active imagination. After entering a state of deep relaxation, the subject is taken on a journey which will lead into a past life image. Appropriate questions such as: “What are you wearing?” “How do you feel?” may be used to guide the experience. Control of the process remains with the subject, facilitated where necessary by the therapist.
The reliving of a life may be graphic or gentle. As with hypnosis and active imagination, the long-term benefit depends on the approach employed by the therapist. The subject can experience the life at different depths as required. An excellent introduction to past life work, it can be a powerful therapeutic tool.
THE CHRISTOS TECHNIQUE
In the Christos technique, deep relaxation is induced by rubbing the feet and the forehead, a process which can take some time. Guided imagery is then used to direct the subject to another life, although the subject may spontaneously flip into another life. Control of the process generally remains with the subject.
The disadvantage of this technique is the length of time that may be required to induce the change in consciousness. It is, however, a useful tool for experiencing a past life. Reliving can be graphic, but it may prove difficult to change levels in order for healing work to take place. As with all the approaches, the individual therapist will profoundly affect the therapeutic value of the work.
SHAMANIC JOURNEYS
Shamanic journeys may be undertaken by the shaman on behalf of the subject, or by the subject guided by the shaman. In native cultures, drugs are often used to facilitate the change of consciousness needed. Sound, drums or chanting, along with rhythmic movement may also be used. Control of the process generally remains with the shaman (much less so in drug-induced trance) although guidance may be limited.
In cases where the shaman makes the journey, the therapeutic value is often profound. When the subject makes the journey, much will depend on how able they are to stay with the process and how much therapeutic input the shaman has.
SOUL RETRIEVAL
A similar process to a shamanic journey or guided imagery, although hypnosis may be used as a way into the experience. In soul retrieval, a ‘piece of the soul’ is seen as being stuck in other lives or childhood experiences. The subject or the shaman will journey to the place where that piece of soul is held in order to free it and reintegrate it in the present life. Control of the process depends on the technique used and the individual practitioner.
As with shamanic journeys, in cases where the shaman makes the journey, the therapeutic value is often profound. When the subject makes the journey, much will depend on how able they are to stay with the process and how much therapeutic input the shaman has.
PAST LIFE HEALING
Past life healing combines elements of regression, guided journeys, soul retrieval and emotional release. It is direct experience of the other life or lives in