Article Keyword: case study

Bernie, the Buffalo Soldier and Me: Whose Life Is It Anyway? – Thomas G. Shafer (Is.17)

Thomas G. Shafer, MD

In this article, Dr. Shafer discusses his recollections of two of his past lives and then goes on to offer opinions and speculation, largely based on Jewish Hassidic thought, regarding the actual nature of the eternal existence of the soul, the reason for successive incarnations and the role of Past-Life Therapy in the process of spiritual evolution.

Bernie was born in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. Creighton University wouldn’t take him because he was Jewish but he did get a scholarship to study engineering at the University of Omaha. And the one thing he wanted to do more than anything else in life was to fly P-38 Lightnings.

He did become an aviation cadet but an … Read the rest

1 December 1999

Opening the Doors to the Self: Relationships and Regression Therapy – Isa Gucciardi (Is.17)

Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.

Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., has appeared in the Journal’s pages before. She is exploring the many connections between hypnosis and past-life regressions, and the diversity of effects both of these therapeutic modalities have on clients. In this article she examines some relationship problems that had roots in past lives.

Recently I heard an interview on National Public Radio’s program, Fresh Air, with the Dalai Lama’s official translator. The interviewer, Terry Gross, asked him if there were ever western concepts he had trouble translating into Tibetan. The translator said the hardest concept he had ever tried to convey emerged from a conference on Buddhism and psychology held in the United States. He had enormous difficulty trying to translate … Read the rest

1 December 1999

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

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

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

From Shiloh to Saigon: Treating the “Nonbeliever” – Thomas G. Shafer (Is.16)

Thomas G. Shafer, M.D.

Multiple sources have said that belief in past lives is not a prerequisite for successful regression therapy. But exactly how do we use past-life therapy with the “nonbeliever?” The author, the Journal’s new Associate Editor Thomas Shafer, presents a case of a man who improved after exploration of past-life type dreams even though his religious tradition prohibited any belief in reincarnation or any work in altered states of consciousness.

(Author’s note: This is a case from my psychiatry practice but names and identifying details have been altered to protect confidentiality.)

 George M. was a 49-year-old white male US Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran who presented to my office at the US Veteran’s Administration on referral … Read the rest

1 December 1998

A Phenomenological Study of Post-Modern Transpersonal and Spiritual Experiences with Quantitative Survey and Case Study Interviews – Janet Cunningham (Is.15)

Janet Cunningham, Ph.D. Walden University, 1997

The phrase “transpersonal and spiritual experiences” refers to the sense of identity of the self extending beyond the personal to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, psyche, or cosmos. Western scientific exploration of such experiences has been nearly nonexistent, due primarily to the currently accepted scientific paradigm. But a study of the psyche that fails to deal with the transpersonal and spiritual realms is, by definition, unscientific in that it fails to take into account, or even to report, a large body of phenomena.

All participants in this study were healthy, well-functioning adults. The study had two foci: first, to discover if people who claim to have had spontaneous transpersonal and/or spiritual experiences … Read the rest

1 December 1997

Healing Through Time: Reconnecting with an Old Foe – Isa Gucciardi (Is.15)

Isa Gucciardi, M.A., C.Ht.

Isa Gucciardi describes combining hypnosis, past-life therapy, depossession/entity release, and soul retrieval in the treatment of a client. She suggests that combining these modalities as needed can get better results than using only one or two alone.

My work as a hypnotherapist takes me to many times and places in my clients’ psyches. I use many tools to help people discover the origin of the problems they come to me for help with. My work is inspired by some of the studies that Irene Hickman, Edith Fiore, William Baldwin and Michael Harner have presented on spirit depossession, past-life regressions and soul retrieval, but I have found that most sessions do not confine themselves into the … Read the rest

1 December 1997

The Trans-Gender Soul – Amy Shapiro (Is.15)

Amy Shapiro, M.Ed.

Can past-life therapy assist relations between the sexes? Using five cases of men and women who uncovered prior lives as the opposite gender, Amy Shapiro discusses how their newly reclaimed soul-memories expanded their identities to transcend gender stereotypes and prejudices. The author distinguishes between her application of the term “trans-gender” in this context and its use in discussions about trans-sexuality.

The past few decades have witnessed intriguing shifts in relations between men and women. In our search for gender truth and meaning, we struggle to understand our drives and the consequences of their activation in our evolving society. The most visible contributors to this sexual sea-change are the availability of birth control, the feminist movement, the … Read the rest

1 December 1997

Linking Two Disciplines: Homeopathy and Regression Therapy – Deborah Collins / Bert Esser (Is.14)

by Deborah Collins, M.D., and Bert Esser

In the following article the authors, a husband-wife team who live in The Netherlands, illustrate their way of blending regression therapy and homeopathic medicine. Collins is a homeopathic physician, who first trained as a traditional M.D., then trained extensively in homeopathy. Her husband, Esser, is (among other things) a regression therapist trained in the Dutch school. They find that their two approaches complement each other.

By blending two disciplines, homeopathic medicine and regression therapy, we find a way of thinking and working which has proved very fruitful to us in helping “helpless” patients. We share an urge to go to the core of a problem with our patients, and to help them … Read the rest

1 December 1996