The Client, the Therapist, and the Ethical Use of Language – Tibor Magyar (Is.15)
Tibor Magyar, Ph.D. In this article, the author calls to the therapist/reader’s attention the importance of language in the therapeutic process and presents the reader with a series of timely suggestions, caveats and admonishments for the practice of past-life therapy. There is a magic in words. Language has power. Every word has at least three meanings: connotative, denotative, and stipulative. Beyond the dictionary definition, each word is also defined by current usage and the experience/value system/understanding of the user and the receiver. To add further complexity, it is not only what is said, but how it is said. Ultimately, it is also what has not been said. According to Davis (1994) these are the three vital dimensions of any verbal message. As therapists we are often fond of referring to the so-called medical model. It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss whether or not the medical model
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 AIDS epidemic, genetic engineering and a mushrooming of homosexuality, bisexuality, transvestism, transexuality, and submissive-dominance sex-game behaviors. While some of these trends have brought greater fulfillment between the sexes, much remains to
Pardon Me, Your Archetype is Showing – Brad Steiger (Is.15)
Brad Steiger Brad Steiger makes some witty comments about one of the common excesses of our field, but he also offers an excellent theory as explanation. Steiger’s theory is helpful to therapists who must deal with clients’ sometimes exaggerated notions, as well as a gentle warning to all of us not to believe everything we hear. At the May, 1997 APRT conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I frequently heard such comments as the following: “There are no strangers here. Everyone I meet seems like a family member,” or “I have met so many people these past few days, but it feels as if I have always known them.” Honored to be asked to make Friday’s Keynote Address on “The Healing Power of Forgiveness,” I told the audience, on behalf of my wife Sherry and myself, “Thanks for asking us to attend the family reunion this year.” I can state with
A Study of Spirit Releasement Therapy for Individuals Who Believe They are Involuntarily Possessed – Jacqueline Whitmore (Is.15)
Jacqueline Whitmore, Ph.D. Saybrook Institute, 1995 Although there have been many definitions and little agreement as to what constitutes “possession,” for the purposes of this study possession was defined as “a subjective belief in the involuntary, non-culturally and non-religiously sanctioned, undesirable influence by an outside entity such as a spirit, power, deity, or other person.” The participants were twenty-two healthy, basically well-functioning adults who had chosen to experience Spirit Releasement Therapy (SRT) because they had come to believe that they were possessed. The researcher was not the SRT therapist, but had the therapist’s full cooperation. Before SRT, 24 hours after SRT, and one month or more after SRT, participants were interviewed and completed pre- and post-treatment measures: the Hardiness Scale, a Semantic Differential Scale, the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), and the Conversion Hysteria Scale (Scale 3) of the MMPI-2. The research questions were: 1) Will these individuals perceive differences in
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 re-discover their own healing capacities. We realize that human beings have an innate healing power, which in illness has somehow been blocked or stuck, and that our primary duty as therapists
Differential Diagnosis in Spirit Releasement Therapy – William J. Baldwin (Is.14)
by William J. Baldwin, D.D.S., Ph.D. The problem of correctly diagnosing various kinds of entities is one that confronts all practitioners of Spirit Releasement Therapy. In this new paper, Baldwin presents some specific questions to ask clients and tells us what the possible answers to them might mean; along the way, he gives us some tips on what to do next. This paper might be considered a continuation of his paper in the 1995 Journal, “Soul-Mind Fragmentation and Recovery.” Introduction This article addresses the differential diagnosis of sub and alter personalities and the three types of attached entities which are most often discovered in clinical sessions. These three types of attached entities are: 1) human entities, which include the earthbound spirits of deceased persons, spirits of a terminated pregnancy (whether by miscarriage or abortion), and mind fragments of other living persons (Baldwin, 1995); 2) dark force entities (DFEs), the classic
Healing the Wounded Child From Past Lives – Margaret Lento (Is.14)
by Margaret Lento, Ph.D. Margaret Lento presents some ways to heal the client who was wounded as a child in a past life, using three clients’ cases as examples. Especially interesting is the way she follows her client’s lead as to the best way to heal the child and then to bring the child’s good qualities into the client’s “here and now.” The benefits of current-life inner-child healing are very well known and accepted. But uncovering and reliving a traumatic experience as a child in a past life may reveal fears that have been built up over the years, over many existences. These fears must be eliminated before the regression can be permanently beneficial. I refer to it as “transforming the wounded child into the wonder child.” It occurred to me from my work with clients who relived a past-life trauma as a child that the same negative energy that
Beyond Bereavement – Daniel Hutt (Is.14)
by Daniel Hutt, C.S.W., B.C.D. Daniel Hutt addresses the problem of dealing with severe grief in this moving paper. The client was a young man, racked by guilt and grief, who was helped by Hutt’s use of past-life therapy following other, more conventional, approaches. Hutt shows us the healing process of the young man in a clear, concise way. Who among us has not experienced the loss of a loved one? And who among us has been able to use this experience to enhance their lives? Sounds paradoxical? This article proposes a clinical practice model for therapists whose job sometimes entails helping in the face of helplessness, and a way to go beyond bereavement. Sometimes a client comes along who presents a particularly moving portrait or a problem which challenges the therapist on many levels. Such a case creates a visceral, core emotion evoking feelings within the therapist that may
When a Fetus Dies Unborn – Alice Givens (Is.14)
by Alice Givens, Ph.D. Alice Givens calls our attention to the importance of prenatal experiences from past lives. Although many therapists explore the prenatal experience of the present life, Givens finds that a trauma endured as a fetus in a past life, especially a prenatal death, may have equally powerful consequences. She discusses her findings and presents several cases in illustration. I first learned about the soul that kept returning to the same mother while working with Malcomb. He came to see me because his business and family were falling apart. He said he worked all the time but nothing was effective. He fought with his business partners and his wife and nothing was going right. Everything he had worked for — his business and his family — were crumbling beneath him. Malcomb believed that he had had a good childhood amid many relatives and with much happy activity. His
“Anything Else But” Past Lives – Robert T. James (Is.14)
by Robert T. James, J.D., C.Ht. Robert James Fights Back! In this well-researched article, James discusses the “Anything Else But” syndrome, a mental state that seems to afflict many critics of all things parapsychological, including past-life regression work. He makes some solid criticisms of his own in this astute analysis of some of our critics’ own research. Let the critics beware! In a recent talk given in Colorado, Dr. John Mack (1995), the Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard Medical School psychiatrist and author of the controversial book Abductions: Human Contact with Aliens (Mack, 1994), commented on the vigorous efforts on the part of his detractors to find that the alien abduction phenomenon is due to a cause other than that the experiences of the abductees are real. He described the efforts of his detractors as seemingly being affected by an “Anything Else But” Syndrome. A review of the literature indicates that the
Two Notions: Snugging Into Paradigms – Thelma B. Freedman (Is.14)
by Thelma B. Freedman, M.A. In this article, Thelma Freedman speculates on ways in which past-life narratives, if real reincarnation memories, might fit within already established models of the world. Her interest is to stimulate conservative model-making based on what we really know. Past-life therapy is at a decisive moment in history, both its own history and the history of humanity. Past-life therapy is not about to move into the mainstream: It is already on the march, as we see more therapists every day discovering this magical approach to healing. That is all to the good. We also see that more and more people are accepting reincarnation as their personal belief system, and that is probably a good thing, too. In the next century, reincarnation may well become as common a Western belief as it is today in other cultures, and it can be a freeing one for humanity itself
Learning Through Happy Past Lives – Pierre Dubuc (Is.14)
by Pierre Dubuc, M.S.W. Pierre Dubuc adds a new dimension to past-life therapy with his suggestion that healing can occur from examining happy and successful past lives as well as traumatic ones. Drawing upon his long experience as a therapist, he discusses his approach and stresses the need for “accentuating the positive” in utilizing past lives in therapy. A welcome new writer to the Journal’s pages, Dubuc practices past-life therapy in Quebec, Canada. It is interesting to observe that in the literature of past-life therapy little attention has been given to the concept of happy past lives whereby one achieves success and develops positive qualities and strengths. Very little attention has been paid in the literature to the idea of recognizing those past strengths in order to retrieve them and to benefit from them. It is true that many past-life therapists utilize the spiritual possibilities of past-life therapy, such as
The Influence of the Therapist in Past-life Therapy – Rabia Lynn Clark (Is.14)
by Rabia Lynn Clark, Ph.D. Rabia Clark recommends that past-life therapists question some of their fondest assumptions about past-life therapy. Like David Ritchey in this issue of the Journal, she discusses the “false memory syndrome” controversy as it may relate to our methods of practice. Clark suggests self-examination and a further dialogue on the subject. The “false memory syndrome” is a controversial issue right now, and one very relevant to us, as past-life therapists may encounter serious repercussions if they create false memories in their clients. Perhaps they should re-examine their techniques to avoid being thought unethical. A Doonesbury cartoon puts the issue in a nutshell. A therapist is interviewing Mark on the radio. The therapist says: “It’s many years ago – you’re in your own bed – it’s late at night – Someone quietly steps from the shadows – Do you see him, Mark?” Mark replies, “I do –
Rememberings from Somewhen: Brain, Mind, Memory, & Other Lives – David Ritchey (Is.14)
by David Ritchey, Ph.D. In the following paper, David Ritchey, as does Rabia Clark in the next article, discusses the “false memory syndrome” and its relevance to past-life therapists. Among other things, Ritchey reviews the history and definitions of false memory syndrome, the arguments “pro” and “con” that circulate around it, and the possible states of consciousness that are involved. Like Clark, Ritchey ends with a warning for caution in our interpretations of “past lives.” Introduction While this paper is specifically directed toward those who work with memories of “other lives” (a term I will use henceforth in lieu of “past lives,” so as not to limit too narrowly the boundaries of my thesis), the dynamics involved apply as well to other transpersonal experiences. I will, therefore, be using the terms “other lives” and “transpersonal experiences” interchangeably. The “Recovered Repressed Memory” or “False Memory” syndrome controversy is likely to go
Extra-Terrestrial Contact Experiences: How Regression Therapy Can Help – Barbara Lamb (Is.13)
by Barbara Lamb, M.S., M.F.C.C. The following paper deals with a highly controversial topic, extraterrestrial abductee reports. Although this topic may seem altogether too controversial to some of our readers, the Editors suggest that you put skepticism aside as you read this paper. We did, and we’re glad we did. The author is a noted authority on the phenomena of abductee reports and their treatment, and her paper is full of valuable information. We think it is also fascinating, and hope you do too. Ms. Lamb begins the paper with the following quotation, and it is a good one to begin with. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. (William Shakespeare, Hamlet) Introduction Regression therapy is the most helpful and effective way I know for getting to the source of a continuing problem, whether past or present life. Sometimes, however, the
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,
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
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 &
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
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%. Clients: Men