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Soul-Mind Fragmentation and Recovery – William J. Baldwin (Is.13)

by William J. Baldwin, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Dr. Baldwin is no stranger to our pages or to members of APRT. In the paper below he presents his findings on the condition he calls soul-mind fragmentation and makes some concrete and useful suggestions for diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, he pulls recent research on Dissociative Identity Disorder, spirit releasement, past-life therapy, and fragmentation therapy together in a novel and effective way.

 Soul-Mind Fragmentation and DID

The concept of divided or multilevel consciousness has been studied extensively in recent years. The divisions of consciousness have been labeled variously as ego states, subordinate personalities, subpersonalities, alter personalities, fragments, special-purpose fragments, mind fragments, inner children, compartments, parts, voices, complexes, and selves. An emotional or physical trauma can cause parts or fragments to split from the core personality. These fragments of consciousness are active in the daily functioning of a “normal” individual. These partial personalities, or subpersonalities, retain the person’s age and characteristics at the time of the split. They strive to fulfill the unfulfilled need that led to the split, and continue to maintain the emotional mood of the traumatic event. These subpersonalities are literally stuck in the incident (Crampton, 1981).

Subpersonalities do not become the personality in charge nor do they take control of the behavior. Rather, they manifest as subconscious urges, and can cause variations in mood, physical energy, sociability, likes and dislikes in food and drink, unusual eating habits, and many other aspects of physical and emotional conditions and behavior (Assagioli, 1965; Ferrucci, 1982; Brown, 1983; Stone & Winkelman, 1985, 1990).

Forgiveness as a Therapeutic Tool – Henry Leo Bolduc (Is.13)

by Henry Leo Bolduc

Mr. Bolduc discusses the importance of bringing about forgiveness for past-life healing, and he suggests some concrete methods to achieve this. Some of what follows he presented before the full APRT Convention in May, 1995, at Washington, DC.

Introduction

My awareness of the overwhelming importance of forgiveness is an outgrowth of my thirty-three years’ research into past lives. My experience during those years has convinced me that we are eternal beings, souls, who are given the opportunity to return to a physical life on Earth countless times to attend the “Earth School” for our spiritual development. Why are we granted more than one life? I believe that for more than any other reason, it is to learn the lessons of forgiveness. Almost everyone says they forgive others, but in reality, few of us really do so. Yet the many lessons learned in other lifetimes can enable us to forgive much more easily.

 

Past-Life Scenes in Spiritual Emergence – David Edwards (Is.13)

by David Edwards, Ph.D.

David Edwards is a newcomer to our pages, and a welcome one. He documents a process of intensive altered states psychotherapy as he works through the difficulties his client, “Marian,” encounters on her road to growth. Using breathing and bodywork interventions, he accesses and processes past lives related to the spiritual crises Marian was facing in her life. Dr. Edwards examines some ideas from psychoanalytic theory as they may relate to past-life therapy and spiritual emergence.

I am indebted to “Marian” for giving permission for the use of the material of her psychotherapy as the substance of this paper.

 Introduction

Stanislav and Christina Grof use the concept of spiritual emergence to refer to intensive processes of personal transformation such as psychic opening, Kundalini awakening, or shamanic initiation which are characterized by a series of powerful and often disorienting experiences (Bragdon, 1990; Grof, 1988; C. Grof & S. Grof, 1990; S. Grof & C. Grof, 1989; Edwards, 1991a). In the process of psychic opening, the individual may experience telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinetic phenomena, which are often a prelude to the development of skill in giving clairvoyant readings or exercising gifts of spiritual healing. In Kundalini awakening, a powerful energy is experienced surging through the body, especially up the spine. The energy surges can be physically painful and can be accompanied by a range of phenomena including emotional lability and the spontaneous experiencing of past-life scenes or spiritual visions. In shamanic initiation in traditional cultural settings, physical illness, dreams, or waking visionary states introduce a process of deep transformation. Many of the dimensions of consciousness and symbols of transformation that are accessed in spiritual emergence have parallels with the symbols and processes of alchemical transformation described by Jung.

Past/Future Lives and Brain Wave States: A Suggestion for Research – Paul L. Fleming (Is.13)

by Paul L. Fleming, M.S.

The following paper presents a suggestion for research that would examine correlations between past-life regressions and/or future life progressions and simultaneously-occurring brain electrical activity. In his approach the author extends the Mind Mirror research of Lucas, presented in the Journal, IV, 1, 1989, but widens the scope of that study. If you are interested in his idea, please write to Paul (he is in the APRT directory) or in care of the Journal.

This paper is prompted by two recent articles in the Journal, VII, 1, Clark (1993), and Goldberg (1993). These papers raise core issues challenging the credibility of past-life/future life therapy. The first issue is whether or not reported past lives represent legitimate past lives and the second concerns an attempt to establish a rationale to explain the phenomena. The diversity of opinions reported by Clark regarding the source of information produced in these reports demonstrates that there is no consensus among therapists on either issue; Goldberg’s attempt to “fit” past and future life reports into the frameworks of theoretical physics is interesting but essentially unprovable. Of course, at the present time there is no method for “proving” anyone’s view on these matters. Still, it would seem wise to at least attempt a more complete understanding of what is taking place during regression/progression sessions. This paper attempts to set forth a hypothesis and a means for exploration.

Analysis of a Past-Life Therapy Practice – Hans TenDam (Is.13)

by Hans TenDam

Hans Ten Dam is a Life Member of APRT and a familiar (and much loved) presence at APRT conventions. In the paper below, he shares with us his somewhat provocative findings from a two and a half year analysis of his past-life therapy clients. Since his practice is in The Netherlands, it is especially interesting to us on this side of the pond. As Hans hints, there may be some differences.

 Introduction

This article presents the results of a statistical analysis of 127 courses of treatment with 118 different clients, done over a period of 2.5 years. The group consists of 38 men and 80 women, ages 22 to 81 years, with an average age of 44 years. All percentages are rounded off to the nearest 5%.

Spiritual Nomads: Research into Past Lives – Judy Bertrand/ Jim Charleston (Is.13)

by Judy Bertrand, M.S.W., and Jim Charleston, M.Div., M.S.W.

Editors’ Note: This research study was discovered by our Editor (and APRT’s Ambassador to Cyberspace), Russ Davis, through a chat group on America Online. Bertrand and Charleston had had no awareness of APRT before Russ found them but they had courageously pursued their research because they believed it was important (as it is). They are to be commended, and also, welcome to APRT to these two new members! They used past-life regression to examine connections between present life preferences and past-life experiences in other civilizations.

 Introduction

Our desire to explore past-life therapy began when Ms. Bertrand was working at a county department of social services with physically and sexually abused adolescents. Some of these youngsters deliberately cut themselves with knives and razor blades. At the time, Mr. Charleston had a private practice in intensive family therapy and worked sometimes with families with crack-addicted babies. We were talking about the traits of these clients and speculated that if we were in some other societies these activities and behaviors would not be unusual. For example, even today in many parts of Africa, carving and cutting skin to produce scarring is still a form of self-beautification, and in some South American (and other) cultures, mothers chew cocoa leaves and babies are often born addicted. Perhaps our clients were only engaging in behaviors that they had done in other lives.

Our final motivation for beginning past-life research was to try to make sense out of why people behave in certain ways and hold certain beliefs that have no basis in their current lives. We decided to start by developing a questionnaire that would identify associations with previous civilizations. But more, we wanted to develop specific techniques that would use past-life therapy in positive ways and pull from people’s strengths as opposed to some traditional therapies, which often focus only on trauma and the negative conditions in people’s lives.

Past-Life Therapy for Phobias: Patterns and Outcome – Thelma B. Freedman (Is.13)

by Thelma B. Freedman, M.A.

The following paper presents the results of a small research study that the author carried out in partial fulfillment of the requirements for her Ph.D. at Saybrook Institute. The author examined the past-life and interlife reports of phobic people, looking for any significant patterns and also for therapeutic outcome. Her results seem heartening to our field.

 Introduction

I became interested in examining past-life therapy for phobias in part because I had seen its effectiveness in my own practice. Treatment of phobias is mentioned by almost all writers on past-life therapy methods, and Clark (1995) found, in her survey of therapists, that nearly all (93%) placed phobias high on their lists of successes.

However, this was all anecdotal: There had never been a satisfactory formal study of this reputed success with phobias. But I knew that outcome with phobics could actually be measured, unlike some other conditions, because the symptoms of phobia are well-known and can be found on numerous scales and checklists, as well as in all the DSM’s. In fact, phobias are often the choice for researchers in all fields precisely because the symptoms are so easy to measure. So it was not hard to design a pre/post test study for the therapeutic results of past-life therapy with phobic people, using pre/post test scales to measure their phobia symptoms. These scales would give me real numbers that could be analyzed for significance.

Verifiable Past Lives: Readily Available? – Robert T. James (Is.13)

by Robert T. James, J.D., C.Ht.
In the Journal, VII, 1 (1993), Dr. James presented the “first wave” of his research on the prevalence and types of past-life phenomena among the general population. In the paper below, he continues that research with a new group of subjects and includes new data about the kinds of past-life experiences reported. There are surprising connections between some of Dr. James’ findings and those of Ms. Lamb as reported elsewhere in this issue of the Journal.

Introduction

In 1991-92, prior to conducting the research I wish to report on in this article, I worked with 107 healthy, adult subjects, conducting a general research project investigating the phenomenon that most people, when in a medium or deep state of hypnosis, can be regressed to what seem to be lives that they have lived before. Three of the 107 did not go into hypnosis, and of the 104 who did, 81 regressed to what appeared to be lives that they had lived before.

In their experiences, those subjects who regressed to apparent past lives appeared to relive rather than just recall their past lives, exhibiting emotions appropriate to the events being experienced. Those experiences seemed consistent with the concept that they were experiencing actual lives that they had lived before, rather than merely reciting information previously acquired, forgotten, and then fantasized in the regression.

I Died on the Titanic: Fact or Fiction? – Carol Eder (Is.12)

by Carol Eder, C.Ht.

In many ways, this article represents both an inquiry into the validity of a particular past-life regression experience, and, indirectly, also raises question to which we all seek a definite answer: Are past-life “memories” real or symbolic, fact or fantasy? The author addresses the topic from a very personal perspective: her own. She was encouraged to submit this article to JRT by Hazel Denning, Ph.D., whom readers will recognize as one of the founders of APRT.

 Man has always been concerned about life after death. Those who accept reincarnation maintain that the soul is immortal and may be reborn again and again in different individuals. How can we know about a possible existence before birth? One way to obtain knowledge of a past life is through hypnotic regression. In this article I relate my own regression experience and compare it to known facts about the Titanic. Is there evidence to support my past-life recall?

n July, 1986, I began to have terrifying nightmares. I would awaken to the sound of my own screams and be fearful for hours afterward. The dreams were images of furniture falling on top of me and huge waves of water pouring into a small space where I appeared to be trapped. I soon became afraid to sleep. Medication helped for a month, but it could not control the dreams. I was referred to a hypnotherapist after several months of unsuccessful treatment.

I did not go as an experiment or out of curiosity. I consider myself to be a rather stable person, but at this point I was desperate.

Releasement of a Non-Human Entity: Case Report – Louise Ireland-Frey (Is.12)

by Louise Ireland-Frey, M.D., C.C.Ht.
No stranger to members of APRT or the readers of JRT, Dr. Ireland-Frey is a physician, well schooled in the rigors of scientific research. It is, therefore, doubly interesting for a person of her background and training to undertake an exploration of this topic. In a recent letter to the Editor, she addressed this, writing, “The trouble—and the fascination—is that the farther we go into the metaphysical and mystical realms, the more questions we come face to face with and the more shaky some of our firm old theories become.” She expects some skepticism. So do we. One of the purposes of JRT is to present new ideas and alternative approaches to inform and, hopefully, stimulate our readers.

Introduction

It is not surprising that even among members of such a group as the APRT, acquainted with mystical and metaphysical ideas and methods, the subject of obsession of human beings by non-human entities is controversial. This division in thinking is due in large part, I believe, to the backgrounds of the various members. Most are therapists with education from the mainstream of Academia, with the vocabulary of modern psychology and with the concepts that stem from Freud, Adler, and especially Jung. Some of us, however, reading Jung’s autobiographical book, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, may have come upon some statements or suppositions that cause us to murmur, “Oh, that isn’t quite the way it is. My experience has found that…” Yet most of our concepts are still the concepts of orthodox current psychological teaching.

Others of us, although perhaps having some background in current psychology, have had teachers from other backgrounds, or have had training that emphasized concepts other than the “accepted” ones. Examples might be Theosophy, Catholicism, or other religious denomination, Taoist or Buddhist or Hindu teachings, etc. At present, for myself, I find it easiest and simplest to put aside my mental doubts and questions and accept at face value just what the obsessing entities say of themselves: that they are individual beings, individual consciousnesses not part of the client.