Many people when they learn I am a regression practitioner frequently ask, “What value does knowing about one’s past life have?"

Knowledge of a past life is nothing more than a curiosity unless you learn something and put it to use. It is believed by occultists that the reason for reincarnation is to re-remember about life and consciousness, and to allow our consciousness to evolve beyond the need for incarnation.

Belief in reincarnation has existed throughout history. It is a standard aspect of most forms of metaphysics and is found in virtually all religious systems. It is a part of the Kabalah, the mystical side of Judaism, and it was also a belief of early Christianity. The majority of religious people in the world today believe in reincarnation, albeit only 45% believe one can experience a past life.

If we accept the idea of reincarnation, it follows that there would be some method to illuminate the darkness of the death-rebirth period and learn about our past lives. Many techniques have been developed to do just this. One famous occultist called remembering past lives, "developing your magical memory." Today, the various systems of recall are known as past life regression.
But why investigate this at all? Other than being an interesting curiosity, what good can you get from learning about your past lives?

First, we need to accept the possibility that our remembrance of past lives may not be related to any real past lives. The experiences people have may be the result of a message that the unconscious wants to send to the conscious. For some reason the conscious refuses to listen to the inner mind, so when the inner mind has an opportunity it sends a symbolic message in the form of a past life impression. Unless a past life experience is sheer fantasy, it is probably caused by either a message from the unconscious or from a real past life. There are simply and easy checks and balances a professional uses to determine if the ‘memory’ is that of a Past Life or the unconscious mind giving a symbolic message so that the person will pay attention to the meaning. In either case—whether the past life is real or not, certainly the experience of past lives is real and happens all the time. We need to ask ourselves, "What can I learn from a past life experience and how can I apply it to my life today?"

If you believe in reincarnation, you need to spend some time investigating your past lives in order to discover what mistakes you have made in the past so that you do not carry forward what you need to resolve in this life or in a future one. If you do not believe in reincarnation, the idea that the subconscious needs to send a message to the conscious is a striking thought, you need to pay attention to and allow yourself to discover what the message is and act on the message. In either case, there are two important ideas you need to understand about past life regression:

• A belief in reincarnation is not necessary to make past life regressions valuable

• The value of remembering a past life comes only when the knowledge gained is put to use in your present life.

By its very nature, a past life experience is a very personal thing. The important knowledge that is obtainable from such an experience may be something you see, experience, or feel as you "relive" the past. To have a valuable past life experience, you need to experience it! Merely knowing of a particular past life is of NO real value except to satisfy a curiosity.

There are some people, who claim to ‘go’ into a ‘trance’ and then tell people about their past lives. "You were this person and you did that," they say. Whether or not they are correct in their assessment of your past life is not important. Your failure to experience the past life, on the other hand, is important. Avoid people who tell you about your past lives; go to those who will help you experience them yourself. If nothing else, the cathartic release you may get from experiencing a past life regression may free something, which has been hindering you and holding you back from health, success, and creativity.

Another form of psychic fraud comes from self-delusion. Most people believe their lives are not as exciting as those of movie stars, politicians or other notables. So some people fantasize an exciting and romantic past life. Merely because someone believes themselves to have been famous in a past life does not make it so. Furthermore, the famous occultist Dion Fortune adds that a famous past life does not so much add glory to this life as it does make one wonder what happened in between to bring you to this lower state!

This is a new life! You need to learn from the past, not live in it. The only importance in whether you were Cleopatra or a maid is what you can learn from that past experience and put the knowledge into use in the present. The value of a past life regression comes from—letting go of hurts, beliefs or fears, which are hindering or block you in some way. Or drawing on the empowerment you had in that life, but fail to use in this life.

Past-life regression therapy has become increasingly recognized by many professionals and the public as an effective and important modality of treatment. While exploring your past lives; you will retrieve and release memories from childhood and prior lives in order to build healthy relationships, enhance creativity, and find greater satisfaction.

Past Life Regression - Benefits Part II

Since the Oprah Winfrey Show featured Brian Weiss, MD, a Past Life Regression expert, on her show on Tuesday, May 13, 2008, many people are abuzz wondering if a past life regression is a hoax or real. Cosmopolitan magazine reported in 1997 that 79% of people believe in reincarnation, while only 45% believe one can experience a past life.

Dr. Weiss began his career as a psychiatrist and was well published and well respected by the time he was 35. In 1979, he became chairman of the psychiatry department at the prestigious Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami and was regarded as an expert in his field. His work with a patient named, "Catherine," who suffered from panic attacks, phobias, fears and nightmares changed his life forever when during a hypnosis session she began talking about being a boy in Ukraine in the 1700s. Weiss did not believe this story-chalking it up to fantasy, until one day she told him about his own family. He says while Catherine was hypnotized she told him she was with his father, who died two years earlier, and that his daughter was named after his father. "This was all true," Dr. Weiss says. "My father's Hebrew name was Avram. He died two years before ... [and] did not have an obituary. There is no place to look this up. And my daughter was named after him." Subsequently, Weiss wrote his first book, "Many Lives Many Masters".

The knowledge that reincarnation is a part of life has been believed by many since the beginning of existence on this earth plain. Such books as Researches in Reincarnation and Beyond, Volume I by A.R. Martin,1942, brought this knowledge to the masses. Albeit was not a highly discussed topic in the Western world until 1952, when Morey Bernstein a Colorado businessman and amateur hypnotist put Virginia Tighe, a housewife in a trance which revealed startling revelations about Tighe's recollection of a past life as a 19th-century Irishwoman and her rebirth 59 years later in the United States. Likewise Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 - January 3, 1945) an American, used his psychic abilities to channel answers to questions on subjects such as health, Atlantis, Akashic records and reincarnation while in a self-induced trance.

In the past thirty years a plethora of books, TV documentaries and research projects have further substantiated the belief in the past life phenomenon. Albeit not in the belief that one can experience a past life.

The purpose of experiencing a past life is to learn what has prompted you to make the choices you have made and heal the emotional distress which creates havoc. The most powerful gift of experiencing a past life is healing past emotional traumas to help one to make good choices in the current life. The more clarity you have about your past, true nature, and the nature of the universe, the more effective you can be in decision making.

One immediate benefit of experiencing a past life is seeing the consequences of your behavior. If you cheated, lied or said hurtful things which brought pain to others in a past life, you are less likely to repeat those mistakes. If you can see the growth and joy you brought with being loving and kind, you are more likely to create that in your life now.

The questions are important. What prompts you to choose one thing over another? What factors are you considering when making decisions in your life? What do you need to know to improve your decision-making process? How you make decisions in your life will reflect how you will make choices in your next incarnation. Clearing up these ineffective patterns from life times before can set you free to live your life more effectively and fully this time around. Are you ready to do that for yourself?

If so, a past life regression with a certified regression practitioner is key to your making a clear and highly effective transition to living life to the fullest versus coping in life.

Oprah featured, Brian Weiss, MD, a Past Life Regression expert, on her show on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. Dr. Oz, a frequent Oprah guest expert, was the subject. Dr. Oz enjoyed a journey into one of his past lives, and both Oprah and Dr. Oz were positive and enthusiastic about the experience.

Many of my clients called and sent email to alert me that the show was scheduled, so I was able to watch part of it before my next appointment. I was pleased and honored that the topic brought my name to mind for so many people.

If you have ever wondered if what you were experiencing or had thoughts that could be from a past life or have you thought of having a past life regression, but did not know if it is real or a hoax, I hope Dr. Oz's past life regression experience has shed some light.

There are several ways you can experience the exciting journey of self-discovery and past life regression. Guided visualization, Meditation, Past Life workshop or an individual regression are the most frequently used techniques. An individual session is the most effective as the practitioner can assist you to illuminate the details.

Past life regression is an excellent way to find the source of destructive patterns in your life and to transform those patterns. Past life regression also provides a deeper insight into yourself. In some instances, a breakthrough can occur in one session. In other cases, it can take several sessions to get to the root of deep-seated issues. Although past life regression may not solve all your problems, if you keep an open mind you can come out with more clarity and a better understanding of your life purpose.

If you do not believe in past lifetimes it does not mean that you did not bring fragments of past lives into the present. Talents, fears, unresolved issues and more can be brought into the present life. People who have unresolved issues from a past life may have emotional blocks in areas pertaining to those issues without knowing why. This can affect your physical health, personal relationships or financial success.

Recently, a woman came to me because she had experienced IBS for 20 years, and none of the traditional remedies were effective. In a regression she discovered she had been attacked by a wolf. The wolf grabbed her from behind in the lower intestinal area. She died from the wound feeling extreme shame, guilt, sadness and remorse, because she had disobeyed her parents by being out in the field alone. After processing her emotions from the incident, she reported the IBS has disappeared. This woman's story is only one of hundreds, that confirms past life regression has assisted someone to resolve what had been unresolved for many years.

It is important to find a qualified professional if you decide to seek past life work. The International Board for Regression Therapy IBRT, the premiere and most prominent certification organization, has a practitioner referral list. The International Association for Regression Research and Therapies, Inc. IARRT, the premiere and most prominent research and educational organization, has a referral list of certified past life regression practitioners.

As a past life regression practitioner and a person who has explored ten of my past lives extensively, I can attest that doing past life work is rewarding and beneficial.