|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Going Beyond Past Lives to Spiritual Regression I have been a long-time fan of the books of Dr. Michael D. Newton: Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives (1994) and Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives (2000). Wouldn’t Life Between Life (LBL) regression be an interesting and potentially transforming experience?, I thought. It wasn’t until I read Newton’s latest book, Life Between Lives: Hypnotherapy for Spiritual Regression (2004), however, that I realized that Dr. Newton has been training others in the LBL craft that he perfected. It was through that rather technical volume that I discovered www.spiritualregression.org, the website for the Society for Spiritual Regression (SSR), an organization founded by Dr. Newton to provide information and referral services “to people interested in achieving an experiential understanding of their nature as an eternal spiritual being through the process of Life-Between-Lives Spiritual Regression.” This method, states the site’s home page, offers individuals a means to access soul memories through a trance-induced “superconscious” state of awareness. And the spiritualregression.org website offers visitors a thorough overview of what LBL is all about. In the section “What an LBL Session Offers You,” the idea is put forth that we are at a juncture in the history of humanity where there is a need for transcendent spiritual experiences to be made available to more than a disciplined few. This especially intrigued me since I had just completed an article on the emergence of the new genre of spiritual cinema for Science & Theology News. In that article, the creators of the What the Bleep movie and of the Spiritual Cinema Circle DVD of the month club stressed the importance of using innovative grassroots outreach and distribution to get spiritual messages out in spite of the traditional Hollywood studio system. In like manner, Dr. Newton and his colleagues are circumventing traditional esoteric systems that believe that transforming spiritual experience needs to be reserved for those willing to put in years of disciplined practice. It reminds me of the transformations that regularly occur with Near Death Experiencers—but without the drama of actually undergoing an NDE. The site contains information about trance and hypnosis and about the LBL experience. Trance is explained as a natural state of consciousness during which the mind becomes less linear and analytical than in the waking state, entering into what might be called “passive attention.” Open receptivity of mind accompanies trance and it is this open receptivity that can be channeled to promote positive and wanted change within individuals. This is the aim of hypnotherapy. Hypnotic Regression is a special application of hypnosis. Hypnotic Regression, it is explained, permits access to memories that are not limited to the brief span of time that consciousness has occupied our physical body. These Spiritual Self memories include remembrance of past lives lived and of the experiences and lessons accrued in what has been termed “Between-Life” states. Through hypnosis it is possible to consciously realize that we are spiritual beings occupying human form, not human beings striving to be spiritual. The LBL spiritual regression experience is characterized as a means to consciously experience our own permanent identity and the realm in which our soul resides, while answering the fundamental questions “Who Am I?” and “Why Am I Here Now?” The site points out that the procedure requires entry into a deep trance during a single three to four-hour session. LBL assists individuals in realizing themselves as spiritual beings—not through belief, but through an actual conscious experience of that heritage. As a result of a deepened perception of one’s own immortal soul, values—and the priorities, emotions, and actions that spring from them—change. Those who are interested in the LBL experience can click on the Referral section to find a list of certified LBL practitioners. This section comes with a warning: “SSR is aware that there are other organizations and private websites offering client sessions or training to therapists in life-between-lives hypnotherapy and spiritual regression that may refer to Dr. Michael Newton and his work. Neither Dr. Newton nor the Society for Spiritual Regression can vouch for the quality of such sessions, programs or that of the training of their students or graduates.” Hmmm ... I for one would feel more comfortable knowing that my LBL practitioner trained with the pioneer in the field. Two of those practitioners serve Illinois: Lauren Pohn, MA (847- 274-7043) and Susan Wisehart, LMFT (847-438-7878 or 847-438-7878). I got a chance to chat with Lauren Pohn, who likened the LBL experience to putting a drop of water under a microscope. “At 1X power, nothing is visible,” she states. “At 5X power, interesting little squiggles begin to appear, and at 25X power, there is a whole universe. That’s where we’re going—to quite a high place.” Lauren became interested in LBL after reading Dr. Newton’s books. She thought it would be interesting and worthwhile work, but at the time Dr. Newton was not training others. Then synchronicity stepped in and within a week of having that thought a friend called to tell her about a new LBL training class with Dr. Newton. Susan Wisehart is a well-known LBL practitioner who lectured at the National Conference of the International Association for Near Death Studies National Conference in Evanston, Illinois, this June. She also has her own website, www.susanwisehart.com. The most intriguing section of that website in my opinion is the page dedicated to testimonials. Here are some examples from that section: “I have referred patients to Susan over the past five years and have used Susan’s services myself. A few years ago, I went to Susan more or less out of curiosity ... The results were amazing! I didn’t even realize how much I needed what she gave me. But, I can happily say that because of my work with her, I no longer deal with two issues I had been unaware I had been hiding from since my childhood. These things had caused me to hold on to some disempowering beliefs and were affecting many different areas of my life ...” —Dr. Kevin Donka, chiropractor, author, lecturer. “Susan is a wonderful therapist and guide to help you take the deepest of looks into what makes you tick. She has helped me immensely to realize that I can truly heal myself of those obstacles that get in the way of true joy.” —Melissa Giovagnoli, author of best selling books Networlding and Angels in the Workplace. “I was able to see patterns and habits that were rooted in beliefs and assumptions from time long past. I started to drop old attitudes that no longer served me and move on to a better place. Easily the best inner work I’d been able to do in quite some time.” —Pat Hill, computer analyst. I don’t know about you, but I’m seriously considering giving LBL a try. I’ll keep you posted if I do. Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford has a Master's Degree in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) in June 2002 and is working on a Ph.D. with a focus on the new scholarship of Unlimited Love and the Other Regarding Virtues in the Fall of 2002. She is also in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
All content and articles copyright ©2005by Lightworks Inc except where noted. All rights reserved.