by Edith Fiore

Past-Life Therapy is an extremely effective treatment for the full range of problems that are brought to a mental health counselor’s office. Through the years, I have found that many physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual symptoms and conditions are either alleviated or totally eliminated, often after other therapies, including suggestive hypnosis, have failed. When it is allowed to work, it results in a permanent cure.

After using Past-Life Therapy exclusively for several years, I thought that this treatment resulted in a cure rate of greater than ninety percent. Now, eight years after conducting my first past life regression. I have lowered the figure substantially. Thinking back over my case load for the past year or so (approximately one hundred new patients), I realize that at least fifty percent of those who sought my help dropped out by the fifth session or so, before significant changes occurred. I can only assume that the treatment was not what they expected.

Often, during the first interview, it became clear that the person assumed there would be a “miracle cure” within one or two sessions. Especially disappointing to most was their first experience with a regression. They felt upset because they did not “re-live” the experience, did not feel hypnotized, felt they were making it all up, and could remember everything that happened! When I reminded them that this is what I had pointed out might happen, they were still unconvinced and jumped to the conclusion that this treatment could not be effective. Still sure that in the next session these matters would improve, they came again, some of the time.

Of the remaining fifty percent, one half discontinued therapy when resistance persisted, rationalizing excuses to terminate.

The rapidity of cure depends completely on the outer and inner resistance of the patient. Some occasional patients, even in the first session, which is usually structured as an interview, within a few minutes and with a very brief induction, if any, regress to the event responsible for the condition, with subsequent demonstrated elimination of the presenting problem. At the other end of the continuum are those patients who do stay in treatment without any alleviation of their symptoms, the resistance being insurmountable. At one point, it becomes necessary, unfortunately, to terminate the unsuccessful treatment or decide with the patient whether it is worthwhile to continue the therapy as a supportive measure, or with the hope that the resistance can be worked through.

It is important to be realistic with oneself and with the patient right from the beginning. Past-Life Therapy is not a panacea because it is nothing that is done to the patient, and so the whole burden rests with the patient.

I believe there are two major ways to solve any presenting problem or symptom. One is to attack the symptom, which can be done in many ways: diet, vitamin therapy, supportive and other types of psychotherapy, including suggestive hypnosis. The other is to find the cause. Past-Life Therapy falls into the second category, although I often decide to “attack” the symptom, also, as the therapy proceeds. I feel that a symptom may be eliminated, perhaps for the rest of the person’s life, by the first approach, but, the cause is ever-present, ready to assert its energy and bring a recurrence of the symptomatology. Until the cause has been dealt with, this possibility exists.

Since no two cases are alike, because no two people are, even though I use a fairly standard format with each patient, there are always variations—and sometimes complete changes—in the way I conduct the session So, like a good tailor making a suit, the person’s needs, reactions and wishes must prevail, rather than forcing the body into a factory-made garment, without adjustment expecting it to be a perfect fit.

Freud made the analogy between chess and therapy—there are rules for the opening moves and the closing ones, but what happens in the mid-game cannot be predicted. I will give you my “rules” for the opening and closing moves and thoughts about the mid-game, which makes up the bulk of the therapy.

During the first session, the patient tells me as much as possible about the symptoms or problem. I want to find out as many details as possible in order to develop “leads.” This generally involves a very precise history of the problem and its ramifications, including any other measures that were taken. From the start, I structure the therapy as a joint effort of two “detectives;” one knows (at a subconscious level only) the culprit; the other, myself, knows how to track down our elusive subject. So we look for clues (the details of the history). I make it an article of faith to be totally open with the patient throughout the treatment. What I know or guess about them, they know. So, even in the first session, I share any hunches I have about what kind of subconscious event or events may be causing the problem. If I am right, it helps to speed up treatment. If I’m wrong, it seems to have no negative effects. I also point out the nature of the therapy, the drop-out percentages, the role of resistance, and offer them hope. Of course, I answer any questions that time permits.

During the second session, I explain the nature of hypnosis, especially emphasizing that they may not feel at all hypnotized, will not be “unconscious,” and will have a total recall of all that they experience. I answer any further questions at this point about hypnosis.

Next, I outline my procedures for the regression, describing briefly the induction technique and giving them a viewpoint which helps them deal with what they will experience. Since this orientation is vital, the verbatim instructions follow:

Therapist:    Do you know what a Court Reporter is? Imagine a court room scene. There is a judge, attorney, witness, jury and last, but not least, the Court Reporter. This is the position I want you to take. The Court Reporter simply takes down everything the witness says. In your case you will report verbally everything that you experience with the same objectivity as the Court Reporter. Now, the judge may say, “Strike that from the record because you read that last night or saw it on TV, etc.” But you are not to judge the material that comes to mind. That’s the hard part. It is essential that there is no censoring for any reason. For example, the Court Reporter would not stop transcribing because the witness was wrong, or lying, or confused, or repeating himself (herself), would he (she)? No.

Next we have the attorney who asks the questions, “What country is this? What’s my name? What happens next?” Don’t fall into the attorney role. The Court Reporter wouldn’t interrupt the proceedings to ask the witness questions. The jury decides who is the good guy or the bad guy and remember, the Court Reporter doesn’t fall into that trap. So you are the Court Reporter as well as the star witness, because, as I told you, deep down at a subconscious level, you already know the answers. Do you have any questions so far?

Now, how will you experience the regression? First, you may or may not see anything. Most people expect it to be like the movies and seeing a film in 3-D Technicolor. Don’t be disappointed if you do not see a thing. Often memories come as emotions, thoughts, sometimes visually. You may find yourself aware of a taste, a smell, sounds. Usually the first way people experience a memory is by a body sensation—a pain, a sense of floating, an itch in your big toes. So, remember, whatever comes to mind, speak without judging. Do you have any questions?

At this point the induction begins. Usually I spend at the most five minutes, including the hypnotic regression suggestions. Any induction technique can be effective. After giving the patient a few suggestions to relax into the chair (reclining), I have him visualize a miniature sun in his solar plexus radiating out through his body and beyond an arm’s length in every direction, creating an aura of brilliant white light. I explain that this raises the frequency of his already existing aura, preventing anything of a lower vibratory nature from penetrating it, thus protecting him from any negativity, which is a lower frequency. Once protected, I suggest that the patient place himself at the top of a very beautiful staircase, the staircase to his subconscious mind. Then he is to take a step down with each count as I count from 21 down to zero, going deeper with each step.

At this point I ask him to go to the event responsible for the problem (specifying the symptoms), asking him to focus on my voice as I count from one to ten. I then ask him what he is experiencing. I avoid asking what he sees because this will bring up the very problem discussed above in the pre-regression instructions. If he comes up with something, the main role at this point is to allow him to develop the theme. If it is clear that he is blocking, “I’m not getting anything, or “I’m right here in this room,” I have found that it is very efficient and effective to immediately suggest that he “break the ice” by simply making up a dramatic story about someone, somewhere, doing something (sometimes suggesting a theme relevant to his symptoms), with a setting long before he was born. More help may have to be given at this point. This usually works like a charm, and within seconds he is in the midst of a regression (although he would vehemently deny it if asked!)

Before finishing a session, it is important to take the person through the death experience and let him get into the stage of floating or, better still, joining the light. Even if you have to skip over what you judge to be important events in the same lifetime, it is better to leave them for the following session, rather than to leave the death experience until then. (It is important to avoid negative repercussions from the therapy and these usually occur because of a traumatic experience that he has gotten close to but not experienced.) The patient is then brought back to the present by counting from 10 to zero and given suggestions for well-being, et cetera, and brought out of hypnosis.

I find it is not at all necessary to do any interpreting or to ask the patient to forgive others or himself. It seems that all that is necessary is simply experiencing in any way (reliving, vividly remembering, or simply recalling). Everything else is superfluous and a waste of time.

As to the “mid-game” portion of the regression, this is perhaps the part that depends more on the skill, judgment, and intuition of the therapist than either the beginning or the end. It is important not to miss anything important, yet most of the time, all that is necessary is the death experience. If the patient resists going to the death experience, usually there is no problem if the following suggestion is given: “Now move to the moment that the spirit leaves the body.” After that you can have him describe what he is experiencing and remembers having just happened. This is one time I ask him what he sees as he looks down. This is a very easy way for him to face how he died. At this point, move him back to one minute before his death. The worst is over because he has allowed himself to remember the death after-the-fact and so now some of the charge is out of the experience, and a lot of the fear of the unknown is removed.

It is my contention that beneath each symptom is energy-sustained guilt. If the patient remembers a traumatic death as a victim, then it is necessary for him to go back to the Karmic Event which necessitated this outcome. If there is time during the same session, this can be done immediately following release from the body, by saying, “Now move back to the Karmic Event associated with this death.” If necessary, count back. Of course, he must have been educated beforehand as to the “Karmic Events,” the concept of Karma, et cetera. I make it a point during the first interview to find out the patient’s belief or disbelief in reincarnation. If the person does not accept the concept of rebirth or is neutral, I ask him to accept it only as a “working hypothesis,” a framework in which we will be doing our work. I point out that it is not necessary for him to believe in reincarnation to use the technique. I joke about the fact that neither one of us is attempting to do research in reincarnation, and that I’m not one hundred percent convinced of its validity myself, yet I use it daily because it works.

Before getting deep into the ongoing therapy process, or even during the first or beginning of the second session, it is important to give the patient a way of looking at himself in the “bad guy” role. I point out the analogy between school and progressive classes, lessons and examinations and the cycle of rebirth. I add that in my opinion we are never good or bad spiritually, but, like students passing or failing tests, ample opportunity will arise for taking the final examination. This relieves the person of feeling that he is bad because he did something formerly that he would not do now. I say this shows he’s eventually passed the test and has learned different values, but deep-down energy is still tied up in the failure.

One final and tantalizing point: if a regression is done that fits the symptomology perfectly and yet there is no relief, there is a strong possibility[1] that the patient did not remember his own past life but that of an entity which is affecting him, causing the problem. In this case, it is necessary to release the spirit into the light. Then there is usually a complete elimination of the symptom.

“When I was a young man I, like so many others, was bewildered. I found myself asking the question…“What are we here for?” I found no answer. Without some answer to that question life is empty, useless. Then one day a friend handed me a book (A Short View of Great Questions by Orlando J. Smith)…That little book gave me the answer I was seeking. It changed my whole life. From emptiness and uselessness, it changed my outlook upon life to purpose and meaning. I believe that we are here now and will come back again…And that we go on. Mind and memory—they are the eternals.”

From an interview with Henry Ford for the Hearst Papers (April, 1938)

[1] Finger signals may be helpful to ascertain the presence of one or more entities and also to check for whether they have left. Finger signals are helpful only and should not be relied upon as always correct.