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?

[RufusTFirefly]

Be very careful. There are some charlatans out there who only want your money. Twelve years ago I was going through hell with severe depression and a chaotic life that I couldn't seem to get a handle on. I didn't realise that I had bipolar disorder, and was getting no help worthy of the name from the medical profession. I went to a "Reiki healer" who was charging £50 a pop even then - God knows what she rakes in now.

She told me I had been a witch in a previous life and burnt at the stake, and proposed to regress me to that past life by hypnosis so I could "put it right". Erm - how? "Just give me that flaming brand, Mister Witchfinder General, there's a good chap"?. Although I was all over the place, I knew enough to realise that hypnosis is very powerful and the potential to cause damage very great, especially at the hands of the likes of her. I declined and never went back to her. Some years later and after I had got into remission, I mentioned her name to a fellow-member of the bipolar support group to which I belong. My friend's reaction was a gasp of horror.

I think that "healer" is beyond evil, preying on vulnerable people like me. What she proposed could have blown my head off my shoulders - just think of the images I would have conjured up; burning and screaming. Wicked old cow.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Horrible story Rufus

I think anyone use hypnotherapy should be registered - it (like counselling) is still unregulated and voluntary.

[mummymccar]

Please be very careful with it if you do go. My friend's mum is very into past lives and the paranormal so when my friend's brother started talking about the Titanic, pointing out pictures of the captain and saying 'bad man' she became quite obsessed with the idea that in a past life he'd been a passenger. He was under 10 at the time so she waited a few years and then took him when he was about 12. God knows why the hell they did it on a child but it really screwed him up. He didn't say anything about the titanic during the session but did talk about a little house he was living in. It really messed him up for a couple of years and he won't talk about it now.
As I said though, he was only a kid at the time so you may have a much better reaction to it.

[CeliaDeBohun]

I have met people who do past life regression and they are, without exception, charlatans.

I know someone who does past life regressions and she does truly believe in it. She and I were very close friends many years ago. This was before she'd started working as a past life regressionist/alternative therapist. Anyway, she was convinced she was psychic even then and told me when i was 20 that she had a strong feeling that I'd never have any children. That haunted me for years - right up until my DS was born last year. I was terrified that she was right and all through my pregnancy, I was waiting for something to go wrong

Sorry, totally off topic there! As I was saying, this woman completely believes in what she does. Her 'regressions' may be utterly worthless but she definitely does believe in them 100%.

[SiamoFottuti]

They are even more dangerous than the ones who know its all bollocks.

[exoticfruits]

Does no one else think it strange that they all regress into modern day English?

[MigratingCoconuts]

I think it makes perfect sense that they do, given that the whole thing is made up by the modern mind ...you are absolutely right, if it was true regression then they would speak in the old language.

[seeker]

A vaguely relevant fact- do you know that actors pretending to be spiritual beakers have a bett success rate than " real" spiritual healers? Because, obviously, they are more convincing and the placebo effect is stronger.

lawrie, you still haven't explained why you linked to scam-lady.

[seeker]

Spiritual healers, obviously. Spiritual beakers would be something completely different. Maybe I was a Beaker Person in a past life!

[MigratingCoconuts]

I love the idea of spiritual beakers!!

[Sillybones]

Hi cortina - have been out, so only saw this just now.

Well, I can't say eactly what she said as I'm so suspicious that I never want to write really unusual stuff down in case someone somewhere accesses it at some point and uses it when they read me! It was a very unusual medical thing and she was quite specific (very specific - she didn't know what it meant, she just told me the symptoms). She also said that I was drawn to a certain thing that you probably couldn't guess - certainly not as a first guess.

I do think they are fantastic at reading people and at working things out from your age/class/accent etc - eg, someone looking at me and guessing my age and background could easily work out that there were lots of Susans/Lorraines etc in my day so could guess I might know someone. Similarly, if they guessed at names a generation before me, they would have a good stab at aunties and uncles. Where they always fall down, with me, is that I have a very small family so they can guess all day and I won't have one usually.

However, this woman didn't do that - she closed her eyes (I stared at her throughout to see what she was up to), and spoke constantly, telling me not to say anything, then just see what I could take from it.

So - what's going on there?

Certainly, with psychics/mediums, they never get anything and I end up feeling quite sorry for them as they flounder, as, presumably, they don't get any cues from me!

It's very odd, I really am sceptical, but I can't explain that woman at all.

[WhoseGotMyEyebrows]

LaurieFairyCake Sorry I bit your head off!

[Dexifehatz]

I think 'false memory syndrome' is actually a very dangerous phrase. Who says they are false memories? usually the accused or those close to them.A lot of shit can be swept under the proverbial carpet by telling someone their memories are false.

[MrsReasonable]

Dexifehatz, false memory syndrome is not a dangerous phrase.

There is no significant evidence to support the idea of 'repressed' memories - unfortunately, people who go through horrible events have to remember it for the rest of their lives. There is evidence that memories can be altered and even created, however.