Past Life Regression Meditation: Exploring Your Past Lives

Past life regression is a method that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations. The practice is widely considered discredited and unscientific by medical practitioners, and experts generally regard claims of recovered memories of past lives as fantasies or delusions. Past-life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience or in a psychotherapeutic setting. Most advocates loosely adhere to beliefs about reincarnation, though religious traditions that incorporate reincarnation generally do not include the idea of repressed memories of past lives. The technique used during past-life regression involves the subject answering a series of questions while hypnotized to reveal the identity and events of alleged past lives.

Past life regression (PLR) and past life therapy (PLT)

The technique used during PLR and PLT involves the subject answering a series of questions while hypnotised to reveal the identity and events of alleged past lives. This method is similar to that used in recovered memory therapy, which often misrepresents recovered memories as faithful recordings of previous events rather than constructed sets of recollections. The use of hypnosis and suggestive questions can leave the subject particularly likely to hold distorted or false memories.

PLR and PLT are widely considered discredited and unscientific by medical practitioners. Experts generally regard claims of recovered memories of past lives as fantasies or delusions or a type of confabulation. Investigations of memories reported during PLR and PLT have revealed that they contain historical inaccuracies which originate from common beliefs about history, modern popular culture, or books that discuss historical events.

The greatest predictor of individuals reporting memories of past lives appears to be their beliefs—individuals who believe in reincarnation are more likely to report such memories, while skeptics or disbelievers are less so. Studies suggest that past lives are likely false memories, implanted through the susceptibility of the hypnotic method.

Reincarnation and religion

Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is a central tenet of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It is also found in various forms in some streams of Judaism, pagan religions like Wicca, and the beliefs of some Indigenous peoples of the Americas and Aboriginal Australians.

The concept of reincarnation is that the non-physical essence of a living being, such as the soul, mind, or consciousness, begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. This rebirth is believed to be cyclic and endless, with the soul moving from one body to another after death, until it achieves spiritual liberation or enlightenment, which ends the cycle of reincarnation.

In Hinduism, reincarnation is known as Saṃsāra, and it is believed that the soul (atman) is eternal and journeys across reincarnations until it attains self-knowledge, or moksha. Buddhists, on the other hand, believe in a rebirth theory without a Self, and consider Nirvana (the realisation of non-Self or Emptiness) as liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

Jainism, another Indian religion, shares the concepts of Saṃsāra and karma with Hinduism and Buddhism but differs in its assumptions about rebirth. Jainism accepts the foundational assumption that the soul (jiva) exists and is eternal, passing through cycles of transmigration and rebirth. Liberation from reincarnation, or kevalya, is possible by removing and ending karmic accumulations from the soul.

While the majority of denominations within Abrahamic religions do not believe in reincarnation, particular groups within these religions refer to it. These include historical and contemporary followers of Cathars, Alawites, Hassidics, the Druze, Kabbalistics, and the Rosicrucians.

Hypnosis and memory

Hypnosis is a valuable technique for recreating and studying psychological phenomena related to memory. It has been used to model memory disorders such as functional amnesia, which involves memory loss due to psychological trauma. Hypnosis can induce temporary amnesia, but it cannot permanently erase memories.

During hypnosis, a hypnotist may employ a technique called posthypnotic amnesia (PHA), wherein they suggest to the hypnotized person that they will forget certain things until they receive a "cancellation" cue, such as "Now you can remember everything." This type of amnesia typically occurs in individuals with high levels of hypnotic ability and is more akin to everyday forgetting, such as forgetting someone's name or what you were about to say.

The duration of hypnotic amnesia is unpredictable, but it is not permanent. Even without the hypnotist's intervention, the memory will eventually return. Hypnosis can also be used to alter one's interpretation of a memory and their emotional response to it. It can dampen the emotional impact of a memory or create a sense of detachment from it. However, it cannot erase the memory itself or make it inaccessible; it alters the physical form of the memory so that it no longer holds the same power over the individual.

Hypnotic regression is a common technique used to help individuals recover memories. It involves taking the subject back in time to earlier memories, which can be useful in resolving conflicts or traumatic memories. It is also employed to aid in remembering details of crimes or finding misplaced objects. However, it is important to note that the material recalled during hypnosis may be inaccurate, and false memories can be unintentionally or intentionally fabricated.

The power of hypnosis lies in its ability to enhance memory by improving the mechanisms of memory creation and retrieval. It provides a way to focus attention, slow down thinking, heighten imagination, and prevent distractions. By doing so, hypnosis allows individuals to access parts of the subconscious or unconscious mind that are typically outside of their ordinary wakeful consciousness.

Spiritualism and paranormal beliefs

The concept of reincarnation is present in various religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Chinese religious mythology. In the 2nd century BC, the Hindu scholar Patañjali discussed the idea of the soul accumulating impressions as part of the karma from previous lives. He referred to past-life regression as "prati-prasava", meaning "reverse birthing", and saw it as a way to address current problems through memories of past lives. This concept is still practised in some types of yoga.

In Chinese religious mythology, the deity Meng Po, known as the "Lady of Forgetfulness", is believed to prevent souls from remembering their past lives by giving them a soup that erases their memories before they reincarnate. Jainism, a religion originating in ancient India, also acknowledges the concept of reincarnation and the existence of karma that can stick to one's soul.

The rise of Spiritualism in the 19th century further contributed to the interest in past lives and reincarnation. Séances and other techniques for contacting departed spirits became popular. Allan Kardec, a prominent figure in the Spiritualist movement, codified the lessons obtained in a set of books known as the Spiritist Codification. These books introduced concepts of how spirits evolve through a series of incarnations.

Madame Blavatsky, the co-founder of the Theosophical Society, introduced the Sanskrit term "Akasha" as a vague life force. This concept, combined with the idea of "indestructible tablets of the astral light" recording human thought and action, gave rise to the belief in "Akashic records" containing past life data. This belief provided a justification for Western practitioners of the paranormal to access memories of former lives, bypassing the traditional notion of forgetfulness associated with reincarnation.

Psychiatric treatment and ethical concerns

Past life regression therapy is used by some physicians to treat mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and gender dysphoria. The therapy is based on the assumption that these disorders are caused by traumatic experiences in past lives. However, it is not supported by psychiatric associations and is widely rejected as a psychiatric treatment by clinical psychiatrists and psychologists.

There are several ethical concerns surrounding past life regression therapy. Firstly, it is not evidence-based and relies on the reincarnation hypothesis, which is not supported by scientific evidence. This lack of scientific evidence means that patients may not be fully informed about the potential risks and limitations of the therapy, compromising the principle of informed consent.

Secondly, past life regression therapy carries a significant risk of implanting false memories in patients. The use of hypnosis and suggestive questions can make subjects more likely to hold distorted or false memories. Implanting false memories in patients can cause significant harm and is a violation of the principle of non-malfeasance, which states that healthcare practitioners should "first, do no harm".

Additionally, the time and resources spent on past life regression therapy could be more effectively allocated to other evidence-based therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which has been proven to be effective in treating mood and anxiety disorders.

Furthermore, past life regression therapy may be unethical in that it increases susceptibility to false memories and delusions, which can be difficult to undo. The vivid nature of these false memories, indistinguishable from true memories, can create delusions in patients, which is problematic and unethical.

In conclusion, while past life regression therapy may provide some benefits to patients, the ethical concerns surrounding it, including the lack of scientific evidence, the risk of implanting false memories, and the potential for creating delusions, outweigh the potential benefits. As such, it is important for healthcare practitioners to approach this therapy with caution and prioritize evidence-based treatments that do not compromise patient well-being.

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