Past influencing the present?

Have you ever felt that there is something holding you back? Do you ever find yourself unable to explain the way you react to certain situations? Seeking out the past events which have shaped us can often be a first step in the treatment of psychological problems. Once these defining moments have been identified we can start to reverse the negative influences that hold sway over us. But what if those events didn't occur in this lifetime? What if they are buried, out of reach of our conscious minds, in a previous life?

It's a strange concept, perhaps even a little bit frightening. Afterall, fear is often based on a lack of knowledge, 'we fear what we don't understand', and there can be few subjects about which we know as little as death and what lies beyond. But that's perhaps getting a little morbid and far removed from this gentle relaxing therapy.

You are feeling sleepy!

Hmmm, if that's your vision of Past Life Therapy your on the wrong track. The idea of hypnotic trances and disturbing secrets locked away inside makes for great fiction, but if your hoping to become the next Stephen King you won't find any inspiration here.

Past Life Therapy relies on putting its subject at total ease. Creating an environment of gentle relaxation where the mind can free itself from the clutter of everyday life and move more freely through time. All the time the subject is totally aware of what is happening, where they are traveling, what they are seeing and what they are saying. The Therapist acts as a scribe recording the sights, sounds, smells and emotions just as they are described and gently questioning along the way to help add clarity to the final analysis.

Before you begin, it is explained that the journey which you are about to undertake is done so under the supervision of your 'higher self'. Like a guardian watching over you, your higher self will only allow you to experience those things that will help or benefit you. It is there to ensure that every experience is for the greater good.

Often more than one session is required for the therapist and the subject to piece together the story of each new life, a fascinating puzzle as you work out when, where and who you once were.

A small revelation.

I like to keep an open mind on most things, particularly when it comes to those things that might help me in my life. However, with that said, I would not consider myself, by any means, a spiritual person. I've never really practiced meditation or tried to get in touch with my more spiritual side and I have the kind of mind that tends towards logic and reason - definitely more Scully than Mulder (apologies to anyone who doesn't watch the X-files and for whom that reference will be totally meaningless)!

I have for some time felt that there is something in my past which was stopping me from fulfilling my plans in the present. Certain situations which I knew I had to overcome but, whenever I found myself confronted by them, I would back down. I trawled through memories of my childhood, school days, early working years but to no avail there was nothing in any of it that I believed could hold such a profound influence over me.

Then one afternoon I was talking to Brian Lynn, at that time Brian knew very little about me or my past and certainly nothing about the above (which I had never discussed with anyone). The result of the meeting was that Brian agreed to do an impromptu tarot spread for me, there and then. The first few cards revealed some interesting and particularly relevant pieces of information relating to my current situation, but as he reached the centre of the spread he came to a certain card. 'There is something in your past that you have to let go of. Something that is holding you back,' he said, then he looked perplexed, 'I'll come back to that one'. He went on and completed the reading before returning to that card. He picked up the card and focussed on it intently, gently shaking his head, 'whatever this thing is that is holding you back, I don't think it happened in this lifetime. I think that this relates to a past life!'.

Whether I fully understood or believed what I was being told I'm not sure, but what I do know is that I felt a massive sense of relief. It was like all the frustration and anger I had direct at myself for not being able to resolve the problem had been unwarranted. I wasn't going to be able to solve this thing alone I would need some help.

Help needed.

One of the great things about the spiritual and psychic circles is that they are so close nit, if you know somebody who is in one they will probably have contacts who can offer any kind of guidance or assistance you might require. I was lucky enough to be put in touch with Eleanor, who is a member of the Federation of Holistic Therapists. Eleanor practices and teaches various alternative therapies but she has a particular interest in Past Life Therapy. So I booked in for my first session.

If you would like to know how it all goes and if it provides the answers I'm looking for, tune in again (as they say), I'll be updating this page with my experiences from each session. Stay well and I'll see you soon.

David.

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