to be considering past life regression?

[izzywhizzyletsgetbusy]

I love messing about in boats off UK coasts or the eastern seaboard of the US and in the Med.

HOWEVER, merely the names 'South China Sea' and 'Cape Horn' fill me with dread, as does the thought of the extremely deep waters of the southern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

I'm not likely to venture into these regions in any kind of sea-going vessel but, nevertheless, I'm wondering why I have this seemingly irrational fear of the deep in those particular parts of the world.

Would it be unreasonable to explore whether past life regression can shed any light on my fears? Have you had any experience of recalling past lives and, if so, has it helped you in your present life? Is it something that you would like to do (someday, sometime, when you get round to it) or are you disbelieving of the concept of reincarnation?

[harrietthespook]

OP: if you get this done, tell me where you did it!

I'm curious too.

[seeker]

Regardless of her personal beliefs, lawrie linked to a woman who sells bogus unaccredited qualifications. Qualifications which could deceive vulnerable people into thinking they were being treated by a properly trained, supervised professional. I don't think this is an OK thing to do.

[seeker]

A love of horses?

[MigratingCoconuts]

Siamo isn't passing out insults but pointing out that you can't, on the one hand, attempt to claim scientific credibility and the say 'fuck logic'....science is based in logic, that's how the process works. Nothing can be said to be truely proven until it has been through the same rigorous testing process as everything else.

Siamo; My name is a referenve to Monty python and the Holy Grail where a knight is using coconuts to make clipclop horse noises and when questioned about how coconuts came to be in mediveal England, the knights say 'I dunno, maybe they migrate'

[Cortina]

To those that 'believe', apparently there is a reason that regressees are more likely to believe they were Mary Queen of Scots rather than a pox ridden, rather dull peasant (for example). Allegedly people associate with a known historical/famous or more exciting figure from their past time, they don't necessarily recount their actual past life.

[MigratingCoconuts]

That seems to support an idea that regression is actually a construct of the imagination (like a dream is) under suggestion...rather than actually true.

Why would your own life experiences not be the most important and interesting thing to you.... rather than the dull life of some posh person who you didn't llive anywhere near and certainly never met?

[Cortina]

Yes agreed, unless the lowly had universal hankerings after the life of Good Queen Bess etc. Can't remember exactly how the argument went but along these lines.

[seeker]

My brother watched someone being regressed. He produced a fascinating, detailed account of his past life as a Viking child. the audience was gripped - and many non believers had their doubts badly shaken. Howevr, my brother, who was the same age as the regressee ( a little older then the audience at large) recognised it as the plot of a book from his childhood.

I think what this shows, possibly, that we never forget anything, even though we think we do. This seems a likely and logical explanation for apparent past life regressions.

[BelleDameSansMerci]

pinkhearts I used to do that when I was little. I'd tell my mum all about the places I'd been when I was 36, for example. No idea where it came from and, of course, it was a long time ago.

I'm ambivalent about this stuff. I swing between belief and cynicism. Not often in the middle (but I am a Libra ).

[MigratingCoconuts]

yes seeker, and that our minds are amazingly complex. that is the real wonder here! That's a great story.

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

seeker Did he say anything?

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

LaurieFairy ^And I don't think of counselling as logical, I think of it as spiritual. And if we're talking 'demonstrable outcomes' the government reckons cbt has demonstrable outcomes - I just wrote a paper criticising this and saying that short term (12 sessions or less) cbt has little effect long term but other modalities are more efficacious.

What the fuck?! I've done CBT and it saved my life so you can fuck the fuck off! CBT doesn't necessarily work instantly, it sows seeds that then change your thinking pattern over time. Maybe you should have looked at that possibility whilst writing your "paper".

[seeker]

He didn't say anything, whosegotmyeyebrows, because he was with his wife at the time who was a full blown woo- merchant, and regarded his scepticism as a character flaw. He said something to her later, and it was instrumental in their final break up!

He wishes he had now, and tells the story whenevr he can as a public service,

[LaurieFairyCake]

Can I just point out that I dont have a personal 'belief' in regression as an actual past life experience.

I use it as a tool to get people to access other parts of themselves they may find it difficult to access or incorporate.

I know it's right at the beginning of the thread where I said what I thought but I don't want to be linked into some woo-ness where I'm defending regression as a 'science'.

The woman who's website I linked to will have supervision in the normal clinic sense as all therapists do if they're working ethically. This is if she uses it as part of therapy and not as some separate 'treatment'.

[seeker]

,The woman who'ss website I linked to will have supervision in the normal clinic sense as all therapists do if they're working ethically. This is if she uses it as part of therapy and not as some separate 'treatment'."

And the people who she sells Diplomas to?

[Cortina]

Does anyone remember a documentary a few years back about a young boy who recalled a previous life in a cottage in the Orkney islands? He named the family and drew a picture of the landing strip and type of planes used there etc. He provided a huge amount of detail about this family, he was around 6 as I recall.

[SiamoFottuti]

I'm not trying to persuade anyone, and I couldn't give a monkeys about anyones personal beliefs. I'm a scientist, I deal in facts and logic. I'm also a professional, and I don't think much of those who hang off the coat-tails of a professional established area with their fringe nonsense, who take advantage of often vulnerable people.
If that comes across as harsh, I really don't care. I'm not ashamed of my position. The woman linked to in that post can't possibly be working ethically as far as my concept of professional standards go. She is selling this boohockey as fact. Not to mention selling professional looking diplomas.


@ Coconuts, Duh, of course it is! I should have remembered that. More of of a Life of Brian woman myself

[Sillybones]

So, how does it work then? Not in the obvious sense where you're just being told nonsense and you quite fancy being a bit more dramatic so you agree with it all, but . . .

I didn't have regression as such, it was some sort of thing where the woman told me about past lives (I'll use these terms, but it doesn't mean I believe them!), without regressing me. The one she told me about was amazing; she claims to pick up on things that are still affecting you or that you have never processed.

Now, as I've said, I don't believe any of this stuff. I've had loads of psychic readings, been to lots of places where things were allegedly happening (I was a journalist and because I was the really sceptical one, I got sent to this type of thing), written books on it, and I've never believed a word of it. But this woman told me things that I have never written of, never blogged, never done a column on, close friends don't know, and they were accurate.

I was thrown by it, and even when going over some of it at home later with my equally sceptical DP, couldn't work out how she had done it. Any ideas?

[LaurieFairyCake]

Whosegotmyeyebrows - I'm not criticising cbt, I use the techniques as part of my therapy too (and am qualified in it).

I'm criticising that the govt are putting it forward as cheap and effective. Many of the cbt practitioners are not therapists, have only trained for 3/6 months, have had not therapy themselves as part of their training (when I was training I had to have therapy for the entire 4 years I was training). Many of the short-term methods, carried out by untrained practitioners are not useful or memorable long-term.

I am very pleased it was helpful for you

[exoticfruits]

If you were being regressed and explaining life as a Viking child why would you be doing it in modern day English? Does this mean that while being regressed (not having done it/seen it, but presume it is hypnotic state)you are aware enough to understand you must speak in the language of your present life? Are they told to answer in English? The person could prove it once and for all if they said 'say "yesterday I caught 5 fish" in your native language'.

[MigratingCoconuts]

good pt exoticfruits!

Sillybones, I agree its difficult to explain...however, if your experience could be repeatedly demonstrated under clinical conditions then I would accept that there was something in it afterall and I would only then be interested in trying to explain it.

Until then, the most likely explanation is that this con artist is able to draw information out with you even realising that is what has happened. (and even for a sceptic, I think they are very persuasive)

[Cortina]

Sillybones, possibly working in a Derren Brown way? What sort of details, a friend of mine was told the name of his current girlfriend, she had a highly unusual nickname that was very alarming!

I had an uncannyily accurate reading in Brighton once. My theory, looking back, was the waiting room was bugged. The details I was told could not possibly be known but thinking back I think I may have mentioned some to my friend & then this guy cleverly filled in the blanks!

What sort of information was revealed?

[SiamoFottuti]

Some charlatans are very good at it, and have tricks like you wouldn't believe. Just because you don't know how they do it doesn't mean you have to think its true. Do magicians really saw all those women in half and make elephants disappear into thin air?

Most charlatans are rubbish though, and rely solely on the willingness of their clientele to be fooled. I got dragged along to an angel reading with a friend a while ago, it was laughable, she didn't even need to try to fool anyone. She gave about as much out as your average tabloid horoscope and people lapped it up.