More Past Lives

• The Demon Haunted World by Doug W., 5/4/98
  • Useful metaphor by Rabbi Tsvi Kilstein, 5/5/98
    • Past Lives by Jeffrey K. Zeig, Ph.D., 5/7/98
      
      

Jeffrey Zeig writes: "I have been practicing hypnosis for more than 25 years and have never encountered a past life."

I will assume that you haven't specifically asked a client for one, either. I would also suggest that if Erickson had encountered a client with a belief in reincarnation or past lives, he would have utilized that belief, just as he did the beliefs of his various Christian clients.

"I have no belief in past lives, and would not use that metaphor with patients. Past lives has nothing to do with hypnosis; the process gives hypnosis a bad name by allying it with the occult."

Guilt by association? If you check your history, you might notice that hypnosis (not to mention science in general -- physics and chemistry from alchemy, etc.) derived from "the occult." Occult is a nice metaphor for "what we don't understand." The word itself means hidden, and in the traditional sense refered to the qualities of mind that were obscured by "ordinary consciousness." While the popular conception applies that to paranormal phenomena (or the fundamentalist Christian conception, which applies that to "evil"), the traditional interpretation is much closer to our conception of the unconscious mind.

As for past life therapy... it is very easily demonstrated, and has been widely documented, particulary in connection with hypnosis. This is not proof of reincarnation or any particular religious doctrine... BUT something does occur and it might be worth finding out just what that is. Why is it that if you ask someone about a "past life" in a particular way, they will come up with very detailed stories? This is a nice example of how things become not only "occult," but misunderstood... shoveling some definite phenomenon under the carpet because it doesn't fit your personal theories about the mind (or because you are in some way offended by someone else's theories about it), rather than exposing it to reasonable examination, only promotes further mystification and spawns paranormal or religious explanations (such as reincarnation, in this particular instance).

An interesting book on the subject is "Other Lives, Other Selves" by Jungian therapist Roger Woolger. Woolger takes an agnostic stance towards past lives, but demonstrates very clearly that the phenomenon, whatever it is, is useful in therapy. I've had the opportunity to watch Woolger in action, and it is fairly thought-provoking stuff.

"I have no respect for national experts who encourage people to belive that hypnosis is a vehicle for accessing past lives."

Since, as you say, you haven't explored this phenonemon, you also might lose the respect of those who actually might be researching it in a balanced way.

Phil http://members.aol.com/rbcfpstu/index.html

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