January 2024 – Allison Biel

Will

Will (not his actual name) was born in the American Midwest in 1980. Unusually, he claims to remember as many as thirty past lives. Like General George Patton almost always as a soldier of some sort and remembers lives from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, the American Civil War and both World Wars.

Also, untypically for an adult, his memories come to him in a waking state about 80% of the time. He also can obtains them by clearing his mind (15%) or in dreams around 5% of the time.

As a child, he had no explanation for the images and sensations that sometimes came to him. Around the age of eighteen, he learned about reincarnation and realised that they maybe past-life memories. The first he still recalls, aged six, was an unbearable smell he knew at the time was ‘the smell of death’, and which he associated with the ‘skeleton people’, he saw in his nightmares.

His case was investigated by Karen M Wehrstein – a journalist, novelist, reincarnation researcher and one of the Psi Encyclopedia’s most prolific writers. It was published as an adult reincarnation case with multiple solved lives: Recalling Wilhelm Emmerich. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 83/1 1-17. Wehrstein, K.M. (2019).

Examination of the historical records showed that Bavarian-born Wilhelm Emmerich (1916-1945) became an Oberscharführer (senior squad leader) with the Schutzstaffel (SS). He was assigned to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp and was later transferred to the Bergen-Belsen camp in April 1945, just prior to its liberation. He died there of typhus 25 May of that year, leaving a wife and son.

It details vivid and accurate memories of events which were later verified, as well as behavioural signs such as a fascination with Nazi insignia despite parental disapproval, and some physical signs related to a gunshot wound Emmerich suffered. He was shot by a female prisoner in the undressing room of crematorium II in Birkenau

During her interviews with Wehrstein, he said, “First was a memory of shooting a man in the back who was running away, second was standing in a room with white walls which was filled with people, hearing two shots and turning to see what had happened and feeling a searing pain in my right leg (it felt like someone had put a hot pipe across my leg—it burned) and then the lights going out. … I also remembered my name was Wilhelm, and I was about 98% certain I had worked at Auschwitz”.

I am an award winning Past Life Regression specialist. If this is something you are interested in then contact me.

In-Yun

In-Yun is a Korean word and means “providence” or “fate”. But it’s specifically in connection with relationships between people. There is not real equivalent word in English, although I did recently blog about a welsh word – Hiraeth which has a similar meaning.

The word expressed the idea that you can feel a strong connection to someone you have only just met, perhaps because they are part of your soul family or you have known them in a past life. While South Korea is a fairly secular society, one of the main religions is Buddhism which has the idea of rebirth and reincarnation.

I think Stanislav Grof (Czech-born, American psychiatrist) summarised it well when he said, “Many cultures have independently developed a belief system in reincarnation that includes return of the unit of consciousness to another physical lifetime on Earth”.

Often the idea of reincarnation also includes the concept of learning lessons over many life times and sometimes with the assistance of other related souls (your soul family). The idea of In-Yun is you recognising that you know this soul and that they may a role, albeit perhaps a small one, in your life.

Annie Besant (British Philosopher) put it quite well then she said, “The soul grows by reincarnation in bodies provided by nature, more complex, more powerful, as the soul unfolds greater and greater faculties. And so the soul climbs upward into the light eternal. And there is no fear for any child of man, for inevitably he climbs towards God”.

In September 2023 a Korean film called Past Lives was released that explores this idea. The film is about two childhood friends (Nora and Hae Sung) who part due to one of them immigrating with her parents to New York. In their case, it is thought that they might have connected and reconnected with each other countless times in their past lives.

I am an award winning Past Life Regression specialist. If this is something you are interested in then contact me.

Male Grief

The treatment of grief is an area I specialise in and I have written before about this almost inevitable experience. It’s a complex response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone you loved. And what I wanted to focus on this time is specifically male grief. It’s that men experience grief differently to women is more that often they have fewer resources to cope. Set aside the old fashioned, stiff upper lip, men don’t cry beliefs, men generally have fewer friends and so less of a support network than women.

Typically, women will choose to talk through their feelings of grief with friends and family while men tend to cope with it though thoughts and actions. Philip Karahassan (founder of Therapy in London, Psychotherapist and Psychologist) believes that society tends to look more virtuously on women’s apparent innate ability to recognise and express their emotions. And this actually makes it more difficult for men to open up about their grief.

He said, “That lack of expression can make us look for other ways to deal with grief such as destructive behaviours, just in order to defer feeling any grief. This can range from rage and anger to substance abuse. It can feel like it is working in the short term but leads to destructive habits and a build-up of hard to deal with emotions.”

Sir Michael Palin (Comedian and Monty Python) recently opened up about his grief at the loss of his wife (Helen Gibbins), who died after 57 years of marriage in 2023. He said he felt, “lopsided” and without a “rudder” afterwards. They had met when he was still in his teens and described her as “the bedrock of my life”.

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Speaking on Rob Brydon’s Wondery podcast Sir Michael said: “We were together for a very long time. We were married for 57 years and I met her before that so more than two thirds of my life was spent with her. And so you form a kind of unit. You don’t realise that until someone’s gone and then it’s slightly lopsided, like something tips over, and your rudder goes. You end up thinking it was just me but I need my partner there to sort of keep me on the straight and narrow. It’s not the great things that you’ve said, very often a lot of things that are unsaid because if you know somebody really, really well, you don’t have to sort of analyse everything or say everything, you just know the way they will feel. So I had to get adjusted to that.”

When someone has experienced a loss it can be hard to know what to do or say. I know when I have lost close relatives, some of friends withdrew not knowing what to do or say and not wanting to make things worse. But in fact, a helping hand, a laugh and a joke or a comforting presence can go a long way. So, offer that helping hand, lend an ear or a thoughtful message and be there for them. Help, how and when you can, and if they are struggling then encourage them to seek expert help.

Hypnotherapy has several techniques that can help those struggling with a recent loss. If you or someone you know could benefit from hypnotherapy then contact me.

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Obesity Awareness Week 2024

January 10 to 16 is UK National Obesity Awareness Week. In the modern world obesity is a growing problem. It’s estimated that by 2050, 50% of the UK population could be regarded as obese. As someone who has struggled with their weight for most of my life, I know it can be daunting. The good news is that National Obesity Awareness Week aims to demystify obesity and practice easy ways to prevent it.

It is perhaps fitting that National Obesity Awareness Week happens so soon after Christmas. So if not the guilt of over indulging at Christmas perhaps the idea of a New Year’s resolution is a spur to try to lose weight.

Being overweight can cost you, both in literal terms and in with your health. Clearly, eating less would save you money. But also being overweight, especially in later life, can cause problems with the back and joints as well as heart disease and diabetes. It’s thought that these health problems cost the NHS in the UK £6 billion annually.

If you think about it there are no real short cuts, no magic diet. To lose weight you need to make permanent changes to how much you exercise and what you eat. So set realist goals that you can live with permanently. Following a harsh diet will mean you lose weight, perhaps a lot of weight, but once you stop the weight will go back on.

When it comes to diet, calories are important but also fat and sugar content. Try substituting sugary foods for fruit or vegetables. Portion size is also a factor to consider, gradually reducing portion sizes or eliminating side dishes can help you consume less food.

And while adult obesity is a problem, it’s also an issue with children. As Prue Leith (restaurateur and television presenter / broadcaster), “The obesity problem among children is very serious. When advertising budgets are big and business can corrupt the way we live so that it becomes the norm to snack all day – and if you are never hungry you are never going to feel like eating a healthy meal – that can’t be right”.

Finally, a note about weight and the importance of taking into account other factors such as your height when deciding whether you are overweight. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a value (ratio) calculated from the mass (weight) and height of someone. It does use the metric system of weights and measures.

The way to calculate your BMI is to take your weight in Kilograms and divided it by your height in meter squared (timed by itself). So, a thirteen stone man weighs 182 pounds or 82.5Kg. He is six feet tall or 1.83m. So, his BMI is be 82.5 / (1.83 * 1.83), or 24.6. Generally a healthy BMI would be 18.5 to 25. A BMI of over 25 is regarded as overweight. Under 18.5 is underweight.

So, if you are struggling to lose weight then Hypnotherapy can help with breaking habits, will power and support. It can also help you to explore the underlying causes and habits that cause you to eat too much or not exercise enough. If you feel this could be for you, then contact me.

Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta is a, potentially still active, volcano (last confirmed eruption was circa 1250) at the southern end of the Cascade mountain range in northern California. Its elevation is 14,179 feet (4,322 meters). The mountain and surrounding area are part of the Shasta–Trinity National Forest. It is the subject of a large number of myths and legends particular in relation to spiritualism and, as a result, is a place of pilgrimage.

According to local indigenous tribes it is inhabited by the spirit chief Skell, who descended from heaven to the mountain’s summit. Skell fought with the Spirit of the Below-World, Llao, who resided at Mount Mazama, (just over the border in Oregon) by throwing hot rocks and lava.

But it’s not just Native Americans who have stories about the mountain. It is also thought to be the location of a hidden Lemurian crystal city, called Telos, inhabited by advanced beings from the lost continent of Lemuria. In 1899, Frederick Spencer Oliver published his book ‘A Dweller on Two Planets’, which claimed that survivors from the sunken continent of Lemuria were living in Mount Shasta. They were to be seen occasionally walking on the surface dressed in white robes.

In 1931, Harvey Spencer Lewis wrote a book about the hidden Lemurians of Mount Shasta. In William C. Meisse’s 1993 book. ‘Mount Shasta: an annotated bibliography’ describes Lewis’s book as “responsible for the legend’s widespread popularity”.

In 1904, JC Brown a British prospector, claimed to have discovered a lost underground city beneath Mount Shasta. He had been hired by the Lord Cowdray Mining Company of England to prospect for gold in the Sierra Nevada. On his second trip to the region he discovered a cave which sloped downward for 11 miles. In the cave, he claims to have found a settlement he called “the Village” and finding among its dwellings, streets and ornate altars 27 skeletons of beings up to 10 feet in height; an embalmed king and queen. Golden shields adorned the walls and he found artefacts and statues as well. Adjoining chambers were filled with strange drawings and undecipherable hieroglyphics. Another chamber held the bones of what appeared to be more giants.

Apparently fearing his employers would lay claim to his discovery, he waited for 30 years until his retirement. And in June of 1934, he organised an 80 people strong group of prospectors in the Californian town of Stockton. But sometime in the night before the schedule departure, he mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again. The Stockton police investigated the incident and came to the conclusion that Brown was probably kidnapped. Without Brown to serve as a guide, the expedition did not happen.

In the Spring 1953 edition of the Siskiyou Pioneer, Marcelle Masson related a legend from the Wintun Indians concerning a race of fierce giants inhabiting the caves around the mountain.

In recent times, Mount Shasta has been the site of numerous sightings of unexplained lights and UFOs. Many of the stories relating to Mount Shasta sadly lack hard evidence. Nonetheless, the volume of reports seems to suggest that there is something unusual about the area. I think Rekha Sharma (Canadian actress) puts it well when she said, “I believe there’s other forms of intelligence in the universe. I’ve seen and heard some pretty convincing UFO stuff. Besides, if we’re the most intelligent things in the universe… well, that’s just depressing”.