Know Thyself…
Past Life Therapy is an exploration of the deep part of yourself, often called the unconscious mind, or what I think of as your Soul. Through this exploration we discover soul wounds that need to be healed and inner wisdom that can bring value to your life.
This unconscious exploration is done by slowing down the Mind, the part of you that uses thoughts and intellect to engage with society. The Mind is a function of the Ego, an essential part of you, and necessary in your quest to take action and be powerful and effective in the world. However, the Mind/Ego is only one sphere of your holistic self, a fact that often seems to be overlooked. In this process we slow down your Mind through deep breathing and relaxation, along with Focusing, a direct way to listen to your body. Your Mind is still present, still aware, but just taking a back seat to allow the experiences and feelings of your Soul to come to the forefront.
In Past Life Therapy, the Soul gets to tell its story. The Soul has an entirely different experience of life than does the Mind. While the Mind experiences life through intellect and thought, the Soul experiences through image and emotion. The Mind, which is linked to the left hemisphere of the brain, perceives the world through logic, and understands the passage of time as a chronological progression from the past to the present, with the ancient past as being far away and long forgotten. The Soul, linked to the right hemisphere of the brain, perceives the world according to emotional impact, and understands the passage of time as circular, always moving through cycles understood best by patterns.
As you move into the story of the Soul, you dive into the unconscious, where linear time does not hold sway, and where senses and symbols, images and emotions are your guideposts. You can explore any aspect of yourself, be it your creativity, connection to Spirit, or relationships with other people . Often clients will choose to explore the wounds of the Soul. They sense the dis-ease within themselves that comes out in chaos and conflict. Soul wounds come from abandonment, entrapment, loneliness, pain, physical injuries, fear, and humiliation; the same kinds of experiences that are part of the human condition in all times, in all the lifetimes, but just in different settings. Soul wounds are tender parts of us, and can become triggered by current events that resonate in experience or emotion. Soul wounds are exposed by experiences to which we over react, or experiences that reoccur in repeated patterns.
When we connect to these memories, we heal on a Soul level. We don’t need to analyze, make sense of, or figure out. We just need to be present and honest with ourselves, and accept that we are imperfect. Healing comes from defusing the emotional charge to any memory. Often at first there emotions are charged, but through the process they become less and less. Time is not a limitation on what can be considered an important event. Experiences from the present, childhood, birth, prenatal and other lives are all treated equally.
The Process
My role is that of a guide. I move you through the experience, supporting you energetically and emotionally. The experience of healing comes from within you. The process begins with an inquiry on what issues you want to explore. The inquiry is very important, since healing occurs by moving through the complex, unveiling the issue layer by layer. Issues will often be repeated patterns either of actions, thoughts, or emotions, and include such things as never feeling good enough, conflicted relationships, or sabotaging success. Explorations of specific relationships or phobias are also good issues for inquiry.
As you begin to talk about your issue and discuss what you want to better understand, I listen for key words and phrases that are symbolic and descriptive in nature. For example “I’m burning up” or “I feel like he’s a weight on my shoulders” or “I’m buried in this relationship.” The description of the issue in imagery and through symbolism is the Soul’s description. I watch for emotional content and encourage it, linking it to the body and bringing in imagery and feeling. You shift from conscious to unconscious awareness. It is important to put aside the judgment of the Mind and trust the process.
The wisdom of the Soul, as found in the unconscious mind, is available to everyone. Some people may be more in touch than others, but it is often because they have already been embracing a Soul connection. But after several sessions, you will gain a good sense of how the process works, and have a better connection with yourself that will be accessible outside of the session.
Reincarnation, the continuation of the Soul after death into another body, is a belief of one third of the world’s population. Over 900 million Hindus, Buddhists, Jainist believe in reincarnation. But Past Life Therapy does not depend on the belief in reincarnation. You can also understand your memories as expressions of your psyche, as Archetypes, or complexes. What Past Life Therapy depends on is the belief that there is information inside of you which is not generally known, and to which you can gain access. You are a mystery and exploring the mystery that is you will reveal new knowledge that will help you in the present, and in the future.