Reincarnation: the spirit and soul return to this earth plane in another body. Various religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism, believe that the human spirit returns to Earth in different bodies over and over again in its quest for spiritual and emotional perfection. A 1997 Cosmopolitan magazine survey revealed the following little-known facts about reincarnation (also known as past life) beliefs:

o 79% of Americans believe in reincarnation

o 45% of Americans believe that one can ‘experience’ a past life

o Research reveals that everyone can ‘experience’ numerous past lives

o The only purpose of the Spirit and the Soul for reincarnation: emotional and spiritual growth.

o Benefits derived from accessing a deep past life and enhances healing and connection with oneself

People engage in past life regression for a variety of reasons. The most common is our need for self-discovery and understanding. Regression therapists have successfully helped people go back and come to terms with many problems. Regression can help you become aware of:

o Your purpose and current life plan

o Your connection to your parents, siblings and other important relationships

o The cause of your fears, feelings of guilt, anger, phobias, etc.

o Past life memories and experiences that may be affecting your health

o Past life gifts, talents, knowledge and abilities

o Past life traumas and death experiences

or Your experiences between lives

o Connect with your spirit guides and deceased loved ones

o Healing of grievances and losses

o Understand your attraction to certain lands, people, interests

Past life recollection can be accomplished in three ways:

o The first is spontaneous self-remembering: you recall fragments and transitory images during meditation and reverie or even during your daily activities.

o The second is a flashback, often triggered by being in a place where you were at that point in life.

The most documented past life flashback is recounted in the book, Someone Else’s Yesterday: The Confederate General and the Connecticut Yankees: A Past Life Revealed, by Jeffrey Keene. Keene is a decorated firefighter, assistant fire marshal in Westport, CT., and a very responsible member of his community. Keene’s story began in May 1991, when he was on vacation with his wife, Anna. They were looking for antiquities and stopped in Sharpsburg, Maryland, which was the site of the Battle of Antietam in the Civil War. Although Keene had never read a book about the Civil War or felt an affinity for that era, he felt compelled to visit the battlefield. In a part of the field called “Sunken Road”, Keene listened to an audio-recorded narration of the events that took place there in 1862. After listening to the tape, as he walked away from the battlefield monument, he had the following reaction:

“A wave of pain, sadness and anger washed over me. Without warning, the sensations suddenly consumed me. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I found it hard to breathe. I gasped for air, lying paralyzed on the old bed of the road. I can’t tell you how long this day has passed, but as these feelings passed, this emotional overload, I found myself exhausted as if I had run a marathon… I was a little shocked to say the least and wondered what had happened instead. It was hard getting back to the car because I was feeling so weak. I had regained most of my normal composure on the way back and I didn’t say anything to Anna about what had just happened. What could I say? How could I explain it to her? He had no answers, only questions.
http://www.confederateyankee.net/

o The third is past life regression, the induction of a hypnotic reverie in which you relive relevant past life fragments. It is very important to participate in doing a regression with a certified regression hypnotist who is an expert in the past life review process for mental and emotional clearing and even physical awareness and healing. The most highly documented and authenticated past life regression is written by Robert Snow, who is a Captain in the Indianapolis Police Department, in charge of the Homicide Division. Based on a challenge made by a fellow police officer, Captain Snow went to a past life regression therapist. Captain Snow, in his book Looking for Carroll Beckwith, recounts that he only went to the therapist so it wouldn’t look like he “did the challenge.” http://www.johnadams.net/cases/samples/Snow-Beckwith/index.html

Captain Snow did not believe in reincarnation and did not expect to have a meaningful experience. Subsequently, Captain Snow researched Beckwith’s life by studying an extensive journal Beckwith had left behind, as well as other resources. Of the 28 specific memories that Snow had documented from the regression, such as the painting of the hunchbacked woman, 26 were verified through this research. Although initially reluctant to accept reincarnation as the basis for his regression experience, Captain Snow eventually came to the conclusion that he was Carroll Beckwith in a previous life.

o You can facilitate self-directed regression through meditation. However, this poses a potential risk if highly traumatic memories surface. It helps to have a trained regression therapist facilitate the experience to help him process what he remembers. Also, all past life memories must be processed; otherwise, the memories that need to be processed in that lifetime will continue to push for resolution.

While many people would prefer to have a psychic channel or medium ‘tell’ them about their past lives, this method is purely out of curiosity and has little to no therapeutic value. Also, the past lifetime may not be accurate as the medium or channel has no way to authenticate the information. You can authenticate life as if you were the experiencer. The therapeutic value is in processing the memories as you experience them in the regressed state.