The belief in reincarnation is far from uncommon. Hinduism, one of the oldest major religions ever recorded, believed so strongly in it that it became a pillar of their faith. According to the Four Vedas, life is an endless circle in which we are born, we die, and then we are born again into various castes and social circles; like a life-sprial that can either go up or down depending on your behavior.
Although this kind of fundamental belief is rarely found in everyday America, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Believe it or not, more and more are discovering reincarnation as a possible explanation for where they are now, and the strongest believers are far from who you'd expect.
Imagine walking into your therapist's office, ready for another session (or maybe it's your first?). You take a seat in that big comfy chair, lean back, try to relax, maybe stare at that impressive array of diplomas on the wall; whatever it takes to prepare yourself. As your psychiatrist walks in and takes a seat across from you, he/she offers up what seems to be a quick remedy to your problems: "Would you be interested in trying past life regression?"
Maybe it sounds a bit silly to you, far too Eastern for your Western philosophy, but if you decided to take the plunge, the question is would it really help?
Past life regression utilizes hypnotherapy to "unleash your consciousness." By slipping a patient into a docile trance, it apparently dissolves the mental block that divides the memories from this life from those of any past lives.
Granted, it doesn't always work.
Sometimes the mind will conjure up faux-memories that can be similar to a dream, a fantasy, or even a combination of seven or eight movies you've seen. So how will you know whether what you're experiencing is your previous life or just a montage of "My Fair Lady"?
Well, you won't.
It's completely hit or miss when it comes to regression, but according to Dr. Elizabeth Laquidara, it shouldn't matter. The whole concept behind PLR is to ease that "restless spirit" inside, so to speak. By experiencing what we've already experienced, we cmap out our lives like a family's medical history and find out what problems are hereditary. If we can see what we've been through before, maybe these previous life lessons can help us in our current position today? Even if the regression is just a sham, Laquidara believes, if it helps you in some way, shape, or form, then it shouldn't make a difference whether it was real or not.
Personally, I find PLR absolutely fascinating. Whether or not it works, the concept of being able to slip back into what may have been a past life is such a strange and unusual phenomena previously reserved for only New Ageists and palm readers. The idea that something so clearly Eastern in philosophy and practice is now being given the nod from Western doctors is absolutely thrilling.
Maybe PLR is just a hoax by medical standards and is simply reserved for teenaged slumber-parties, but we'll never truly know unless we try. Even if it doesn't provide any life-changing insight, then what harm has it done? When you crawl back up and out of that rabbit hole, you'll only be right back in the life you were in before you tripped and fell.
Extracurricular: Many Lives, Many Masters
Photo by Daniele Buetti
No comments:
Post a Comment