Possibilities of impossibilities- Benefits Through Regression Therapy

Benefits of regression therapy

The path of our spiritual journey is an inward one, unique to each of us. Wise teachers can point the way, but only we can make the journey. We progress at our own speed, and there’s no schedule or deadline for reaching enlightenment.

Regressing to significant childhood events, to infancy, or even to past lives may provide considerable relief and benefit in the present time. Sometimes, just through the act of remembering, symptoms can be removed. Memories can lead to understanding, and understanding frequently leads to healing. You don’t have to suffer from anything to receive benefits from the regression exercises contained within this book. You  can recapture the happiness, joy,  and spontaneity of childhood. You can even revisit loved ones—when you were all younger. You can remember past lifetimes, becoming aware through this process that your soul, your true essence, is immortal and eternal. You have lived before, and here you are again. You never really die, nor do your loved ones. You’re always being reunited, either on the Other Side (in heaven) or back here in this physical dimension.

Whether you suffer from symptoms and fears, or whether you’re just curious, there are many blessings awaiting you when you practice the regression exercises on the accompanying audio.

To some extent, frustration can block the healing and transformative process. Try not to expect specific results when using the audio. Just gently receive what comes to you. There is no time frame or race. Some people experience vivid memories or spiritual events the very first time; for others, it may take days, weeks, or even months. Many benefits will accrue even with- out memories. Just relax as much as possible, and open your mind to whatever enters your awareness. If you can practice with patience, you’ll find much more joy, inner peace, and understanding in your life.

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Curing fears and phobias

Many people have already been practicing regression exercises by using my CDs and audios, and they’ve related  important memories that they’ve discovered in the process. Valuable recall—particularly memories related to pho- bias, pain, or other symptoms that we carry with us as a legacy from past lives—can lead to healing. Relief from chronic musculoskeletal pain can occur quite rapidly when its past-life roots are uncovered.

For instance, a woman whom I had never met wrote to me saying that regression exercises had brought back a memory of having been hung in a previous life. After she made this discovery, the chronic pain in her neck—for which she had sought various forms of treatment to no avail—vanished. One interesting facet of her experience is that she discovered that she had been hung unjustly in this past life. Today, this woman is an advocate for the oppressed and the mis- treated, a defender of human rights. When she re- membered her past-life experience, she also understood her deeply ingrained inner drive to fight for the victimized.

I have regressed people suffering from asthma who were cured by recalling a death by fire or smoke inhalation in a past life. I also helped a young man who lost his fear of flying when he discovered that in a past life, he was the pilot of an aircraft shot down by the enemy in World War II.

Not everyone needs regression therapy—and even if no past-life memories are elicited, most people can profit greatly from simply practicing these exercises. In fact, approximately one-third of the people who do the exercises don’t immediately have recollections of past lives. Nevertheless, the meditations offer other types of healing and benefits. For example, through the exercises, one can discover the power of mindful breathing, and one’s muscles will learn the feeling of deep relaxation and the release of tension. Many people have written me to say that regularly practicing these exercises has helped them to deal far better with the stress and turbulence of their daily lives. They have subconsciously learned how to relax and release tension. During the course of the day, when facing moments that are particularly tense and stressful, these people just automatically breathe more deeply and consciously relax, which helps them to calm down and focus.

Physicians know that stress and anxiety can depress the immune system— therefore, achieving inner peace through these exercises can be very beneficial for one’s health. In addition, inner peace allows love to flow freely, which doctors also know can prevent illness. The immunological system of people in love is functioning at its optimal level.

Even when there are no memories evoked, people suffering from anxiety and panic attacks can develop conscious control over their bodies through frequent practice of these exercises. They can learn to slow down their breathing and avoid hyperventilating. By controlling their respiratory rate, muscle tension, and even blood pressure, they’re often able to halt these attacks. I once treated a woman who suffered panic attacks when crossing bridges. Although she was unable to discover the origin of this problem, she developed such control over her breathing and the muscles of her body that she was able to prevent the attack from sweeping over her. She also became so mindful of the earliest physical sensations of an impending attack that she could virtually end the episode before it even began.

I have had many patients who have suffered heart attacks or are at high coronary risk, who come to me not specifically for regression, but rather to learn re- laxation techniques. They want to control hypertension and stress-related events, particularly when side effects preclude taking medication.

In many cases, people are unaware when their breathing accelerates or becomes irregular, which worsens their symptoms of stress. By practicing regression exercises, these individuals become much more aware of their breathing and also remain alert to other critical body signals— such as cardiac rhythm—which they gradually are able to control. I have also had many examples of those who found the motivation and willpower to lose weight, give up alcohol and drugs, and quit smoking. Others have managed to overcome insomnia. The bottom line is that regular practice of these exercises can greatly benefit both your body and your mind.

Transforming relationships

As you perform the regression exercises, memories of past lives may occur, even if you’re not particularly seeking them out. For example, a lawyer once consulted me because he was trying to resolve problems caused by hypertension. During our interview, he told me about the conflicts he was experiencing with his only son—which, the man confessed, were characterized by jealousy and competitiveness on both sides. Through relaxation and regression exercises, his blood pressure improved, but there was an unexpected bonus. While using the regression audio at home, a past-life memory emerged that revealed the reasons behind his turbulent relationship with his son: In that life, both men had been intense rivals, competing for the love of the same woman. The understanding ushered in by the discovery of this ancient battle resulted in a complete change in the man’s behavior toward his son. Even though the son had never undergone regression therapy him- self, he nevertheless reacted positively to the changes in his father. The competition between them faded away, for both men realized that it belonged in the past. Consequently, love was able to flow between them once again.

The deep relaxation achieved through the exercises is also able to release subconscious memories of child- hood and promote emotional healing, for happy memories tend to remind us of loving moments and help to repair our self-esteem. In my book Messages from the Masters, I describe a hypnotic regression I performed on a television journalist, who recalled with much emotion the long, happy walks she used to take with her father along the streets of her hometown. This was a time for just the two of them to share, and the joy of this memory stayed with her even after the session ended. I was also able to help a woman who doubted the love of both of her parents and was afflicted by a problematic relationship with her mother. During a regression exercise, she relived the moment of her birth, and deeply felt the love and happiness with which her mother welcomed her into the world. This intense recollection and the emotion that it prompted triggered a drive in her to rebuild a closer and more loving relationship with her parents. She could change the present (and also the future) by shifting her attitude and becoming more patient, loving, and forgiving toward her parents. In response to her new attitude, her parents were also able to express their love for her more directly. There are countless cases where memories such as these help to reconcile parents and children, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives. But even without specific recollections, the greater serenity, tolerance, and understanding achieved by practicing these exercises will benefit any relationship.

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A  Shift in Values

One of the many benefits to be gained through meditation and regression is a shift in values, or a change in perspective that allows us to discern more clearly those things that are really important to us and those that aren’t.

Such a shift in values can occur when we discover that we’re immortal, that is, we don’t die when our bodies do. When we experience past-life regression, we come to realize that we’ve lived before and we’ll return to live again, united once more with our loved ones. The nature of suffering and mourning undergoes a transformation when we become aware that, al- though we may have lost physical contact with our family and friends, we will meet again on the Other Side or in another life.

The awareness that we are indeed spiritual beings prompts deep-rooted changes, leading us to greatly value such qualities as love, positive relationships, and compassion. We perceive our connection with all other beings more clearly. These new values subsequently become the foundation for happiness. Our priorities shift—events and people that previously upset or exasperated us can now be seen in a different light and from a different perspective. We become more patient and understanding. Our sense of inner peace and calm expands. The obstacles in our lives are now viewed more as opportunities to learn, stepping-stones along our evolutionary journey. After all, we’re eternal, spiritual beings finding our way home always loved and never alone. At this level, nothing can harm us.

As I mentioned previously, after years of being a skeptic, I now believe in past lives. My belief is due to 21 years of experience with thousands of patients. I have witnessed many extraordinary and incredible phenomena, but I don’t feel that a belief in reincarnation is required for the benefits of regression therapy to accrue. Regardless of whether the material evoked is processed as metaphor or symbol, important information is brought to consciousness; the knowledge and insights gained can lead to significant physical, emotional, and spiritual transformations. Phobias and fears can vanish, values can change with this awakening to the spiritual dimension, love tends to flow more freely, and inner peace, which is connected to a sense of great joy and happiness, appears. The important point is not to be afraid, but to cast off prejudices and remain open-minded.

 A p p r e c i a t i n g  t h e  P r e s e n t

Another objective of the exercises contained within this book is to feel more peace, happiness, and joy in your current life—to enjoy your life now. Believing that retrieving memories from the  past can endow us with a keener awareness of the present may seem paradoxical, but it’s the truth. We’ll find that we become more adept at concentrating on and appreciating the current moment. On the one hand, the regression meditation is a focused-attention exercise, and its regular practice develops within us the capacity to concentrate on what’s being felt and perceived now; but on the other hand, the memories that regression brings to the surface break through the walls that blind us to the present moment. As a result, we’re no longer compelled to obsessively ruminate about the past or worry about the future. We’re free to exist in the present, for only in the present can we experience joy.

Take, for example, a woman who had conflicts with her mother. When she ceased to be blinded by resentments from the past, she was able to perceive love in the present. We all tend to linger in the past and blame ourselves and others for faults committed, but, in addition to preventing us from enjoying more fully whatever the existing moment offers us, this clinging to the past is absolutely useless for solving any problems. With the memories that come to us during regressions, we’ll discover one benefit of the past—that we can learn from it and accrue wisdom through experience so we may live better right now.

The same phenomenon occurs regarding the future.  Just as ruminating over the past is useless,  we discover that there is little point in worrying about the future, since that won’t change whatever is going to happen. Planning for the future is necessary, but brooding about it is a waste of time. So freeing our-selves from the weight of the past and concern over the future enables us to concentrate on the present moment, the here-and-now.

Excerpts taken from Mirrors of Time by Dr. Brian Wiess