Archives: JRT Articles

On the Timelessness of Time: A Personal Past-Life Exploration – Melissa Bowersock (Is.17)

Melissa Bowersock, C.Ht.

Melissa Bowersock, an author new to the Journal but not to PLT, takes us into the mysterious realms of time through her own experiences. She finds that past, present, and future are interlocked and continuously interactive. A thoughtful article that raises questions about the nature of time itself.

I have been fascinated by the enigma of time as much as the next person, maybe more. As a teenager I devoured every book on time travel and/or alternate pasts and futures that I could find. By the time I started experiencing past-life regressions as an adult, however, understanding the concept of time was not high on my agenda. But maybe that’s the nature of true discoveries ‑ … Read the rest

1 December 1999

Anomalous Sensitivity: The HISS of the ASP – David Ritchey (Is.16)

David Ritchey, Ph.D.

David Ritchey is continuing his exploration of Anomalous Cerebral Dominance, which he now calls “Anomalous Cerebral Laterality (ACL),” that he began in his Journal article of 1993. “The role of neurological differences in facilitating past-life experiences.” In the paper below he presents the concept of the “Anomalously Sensitive Person (ASP).” Ritchey has developed a questionnaire, the “Holistic Inventory of Stimulus Sensitivities (HISS),” to identify the characteristics of “ASPs.” The HISS is now in its fourth and final round of testing, with over 500 participants. Here he shares with us his preliminary results from the 66 participants in the third round of testing.

Introduction

In an article that appeared in Volume VII, No. 1 of … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Recovery of Adult Female Incest Survivors: A Psychospiritual Perspective – Barbara Sinor (Is.16)

Barbara Sinor, Ph.D.

Dr. Sinor’s research clearly demonstrates the value of incorporating transpersonal/psychospiritual modalities into treatment plans for adult female survivors of incest. She presented this study in narrative form in the APRT Newsletter, 18 (2), Spring, 1998. Here we offer some of the “nuts and bolts.”

This research was designed to determine whether adult female incest survivors who utilized transpersonal/psychospiritual counseling interventions, including past-life therapy, during their recovery process felt them to be advantageous to their healing. The primary goal of the research was to present a measurable use-effective perspective to the therapeutic community at large of the benefits of psychospiritual treatment modalities for this population. It was the researcher’s hypothesis that the findings would indicate positive … Read the rest

1 December 1993

PLT for Gilles De La Tourette’s Syndrome: A Research Study – Ronald van der Maesen (Is.16)

Ronald van der Maesen, M.A.

Ronald van der Maesen, of the Netherlands, is a newcomer to the Journal’s pages. Here he presents the results of his research on using past-life therapy for people suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome. Since Tourette’s has been thought to be a lifelong condition that usually has no cure, the results of van der Maesen’s study are exciting, both for past-life therapists and for the larger worlds of medicine and other psychotherapies.

Introduction

Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (GTS) is a condition in which the sufferer experiences sudden involuntary and uncontrollable motor and/or vocal tics. It usually begins in childhood and is considered to be a lifelong affliction. It is one of the most socially disabling … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Ancient Egyptian Mythology: A Model for Consciousness – Janet Cunningham (Is.16)

Janet Cunningham, Ph.D.

Drawing upon esoteric texts and her knowledge of ancient initiation rites, Dr. Cunningham discusses the diverse ways in which the ancient Egyptians conceptualized the “body.” As she shows us, they recognized not one but a number of interacting “bodies,” each having its unique purpose and necessary to the individual. She suggests that this model is of practical use to past-life therapists today.

Abstract

 Esoteric teachings throughout time have referred to subtle bodies. The ancient Egyptians have given us clues, through writing, art, and symbols, of their belief in bodies that are separate and independent. This concept can be used as a model in exploring the various experiences of clients in past-life regression and other transpersonal and … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Energy, Information, and Past Lives Within Consciousness: An Integration – Daniel Weiss Miller (Is.16)

Daniel Weiss Miller, Ph.D.

Dr. Miller, Chairperson of the APRT’s Research Committee, is in the forefront of the field of Consciousness Studies and is developing new models of consciousness. Here he suggests a constantly changing, homeodynamic integration of energy, information, and memory (including past-life memories) that has survival value and that may work well or badly.

Definitions and Basic Dynamics

Reformulating our ideas about how information and energy contribute to the complex, dynamic activity of consciousness can help us to understand their relationship to current memory, past-life therapy and mind-body medicine. What follows may help to clarify how and why this three-legged stool — information, energy, and consciousness — fit so well together to explain the somewhat mysterious functioning … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Entropy and the Structure of Time – David P. Armentrout (Is.16)

David P. Armentrout, Ph.D.

The author, new to the Journal’s pages, writes “I was prompted to write this after hearing Joe Costa’s remarks about his view of time and his own regressions, made during the panel discussion at the APRT Phoenix Convention [Fall, 1998).” David has extended Joe’s ideas “a bit,” but concludes “I think Joe Costa’s guides have as good a practical explanation as I have otherwise heard, and I have tried to do them justice.” He extends Joe’s model to incorporate the findings of quantum physics regarding space and time and the infinite possibilities of the universe.

Introduction

The issue of time has never really been wholly resolved. We know that in memory we have access to … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Researching Past Lives: Facts or Subjective Experience? – Wade Bettis (Is.16)

 Wade Bettis, J.D.

The author asks; “What is the best way to examine past-life regressions?” He discusses in depth two careful studies; Venn (1986) and Tarazi (1997). Although these studies are impressive, Bettis finds them both incomplete in the lack of value placed on the subjective experience of the clients. Only the factual data was analyzed. Bettis suggests that more sensitive methodologies would have revealed the deeper meanings to the clients of their past-life narratives.

Introduction

The question of whether or not the past lives that people produce in altered states of consciousness are real reincarnation memories or fantasies is an intriguing one and has not been answered yet. One common approach to the question is to research the … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Portals to the Psyche: Spirit Involvement – Isa Gucciardi (Is.16)

Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Dr. Gucciardi examines the conflicts between western “scientific” approaches to Dissociative Disorders (DD) and those of shamans and today’s spirit releasement approaches. She recommends that the task of therapists working with DD is to let their clients lead the way to “their own maps of their own psyches,” whatever that map might contain, because it is only there that healing can occur. Dr Gucciardi appeared in last year’s Journal.

Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), now called Dissociative Disorder (DD), has only recently been recognized as a separate disorder within the field of modern western psychology. When Freud’s theories reigned supreme in this field, most cases of dissociative disorders were misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. In 1980, the American … Read the rest

1 December 1998

Bridges to the Unconscious Living Images: A Case Study – Zelda G. Knight (Is.16)

Zelda G. Knight, Ph.D.

In 1995, Dr. David Edwards presented an article in the Journal in which he discussed the case of “Marian” and her processes of healing and growth through spiritual emergence (Edwards, 1995a). From the perspective of transpersonal psychology, Dr. Edwards’ colleague, Dr. Zelda Knight, now adds to our knowledge of “Marian,” focusing on two of her past lives that involved traumatic sacred initiation rites and the effect they have had on her insights and growth. On page 99 of this issue of the Journal, Dr. Janet Cunningham discusses similar difficult initiation rites, those of the ancient Egyptians.

Introduction

Transpersonal psychology has developed a particular approach to psychotherapy – transpersonal psychotherapy – which seeks to incorporate and … Read the rest

1 December 1998