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James Leininger

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life Regression

I wrote recently about the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS). This is a research unit of the Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine in the United States that researches accounts of past lives. One notable case is that of James Leininger, a young boy who had verifiable past-life memories of being a WWII pilot.

James was born in 1998. When he was 22 months old his father took him to a flight museum in Dallas, Texas.  He was fascinated by the planes and took particular interest in the World War two exhibits.  This trip seems to have unearthed memories of a past life as a wartime pilot. While playing with toy planes he would frequently say, “Airplane crash on fire”. At this time he also started to have nightmares in which he seemed to be reliving a plane crash.

His parents asked him about the dreams and James said they were memories of a past life. They continued to ask about these memories and over time they were able to establish that he flew from a ship called Natoma and that he was killed when he was shot down by the Japanese while flying a Corsair aircraft.

His father did some research and was able to find an escort aircraft carrier called USS Natoma Bay that operated in the later part of World War Two in the pacific. His parents asked him his name and his said he was called James. They also asked if he remembered the names of anyone else, and he said he knew Jack Larson. Later while his father looked through a book called ‘The battle of Iwo Jima’, James said, “That’s where my plane was shot down”. It was a picture of Mount Suribachi, a prominent feature on the southern tip of the island of Iwo Jima.

Armed with this information, James’s father attended a reunion of the Natoma Bay crew. He was able to verify that there was a Jack Larson on the ship and that he was still alive. Crucially he was also told that a James M Huston Jr was the only pilot from the crew shot down at Iwo Jima and it was exactly as his son had described. Interestingly, his son would sign his drawings ‘James 3’ (even when he was not three years old) and this now made sense as James Huston, the pilot, was a James Jr.

It was at this stage that the Division of Perceptual Studies was asked to investigate. Dr Jim Tucker investigated and concluded that that there was a very good chance that these recollections were memories from a past live. There is a full report, written by Dr Tucker. In this report he concludes, “The documentation in James’s case provides evidence that he had a connection with a life from the past. On the face of it, the most obvious explanation for this connection is that he experienced a life as James Huston, Jr. before having his current one”.

Also James’s parents, Bruce and Andrea Leininger, wrote a book about the family’s experience and their sons memories called ‘Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot’.  The Psi Encyclopedia, created by the Society for Psychical Research also has an account of James’s experience.

If you are interested in exploring your past lives then contact me.

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Society for Psychical Research

by Past Life Regression

The latter half of the nineteenth century was a period of intense intellectual research and debate, as science-based explanations increasingly challenged the old, often religious based, worldview.

Also at this time, the new religion of Spiritualism gained a foothold and increased the popularity of, and interest in, psychic phenomena. This sparked fierce debate as some wondered if these could be fully accounted for in naturalistic terms, or did they point to aspects of consciousness as yet undocumented by science?

So, in January 1882, a conference was held in London to discuss the viability of setting up an organisation to carry out formal scientific research into the subject.  Shortly afterwards the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) was formed. It’s leaders quickly created a methodological and administrative framework, including a scholarly journal in which psychical research could be reported and debated worldwide.

Their initial work was across a number of areas of research with each having a committee charged with collecting historical and current evidence. These included investigating thought-reading (soon to be renamed telepathy), mesmerism (hypnotism), clairvoyance, physical phenomena of the séance room, as well as apparitions and hauntings.

In America, a similar society formed under the leadership of William James, leading to collaboration between researchers on both sides of the Atlantic. During the 1930s, the centre of this activity increasingly shifted to America, with the establishment of JB Rhine’s Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Today the SPR is still going strong and has an impressive Past Research Catalogue, which contains brief summaries of almost every item published by them up until 2011. They also maintain the Psi Encyclopedia, which offers descriptive articles on a variety of topics. And it’s this repository that interests me specifically. Within the Psi Encyclopaedia are a large number of fully researched and documented case of past lives, especially in young children.

The Society for Psychical Research along with other academics such as the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) within the Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences unit of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine are setting out to scientifically prove the existence of this previously taboo phenomena.

While I don’t believe in all paranormal phenomena, I think it’s important to keep an open mind about things we don’t entirely understand. As Hillary Duffy (American Actress) put it. “I have always been interested in the paranormal and afterlife, everything from ghosts to angels. I think that everyone has that curiosity of the great unknown”.

If you are interested in exploring your past lives then contact me.

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Shanti Devi

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life Regression

The case of Shanti Devi (1926 – 1987) is a well-known and thoroughly investigated case of reincarnation where the past life was remembered, discovered and verified. She had previously been Lugdi Devi (1902 – 1925), a young married woman who had died after giving birth.

Shanti was born in Delhi, India. As a child she was discourage from talking about her previous life by her parents. So, frustrated, aged just six, she ran away to try to reach the city of Mathura (some 145 Km away) where she had previously lived with her husband.

Once back at home, she told a teacher that she was married and had died ten days after having given birth to a baby boy. When she was interviewed by her teacher and the headmaster, she stated that her husband was a Merchant called Kedar Nath. Also, during the interview, she used words from the Mathura dialect. The headmaster conducted some research and was able to locate a merchant by that name in Mathura who had indeed lost his wife, Lugdi Devi, nine years earlier, ten days after having given birth to a son.

Later, Kedar Nath travelled to Delhi and, pretending to be his own brother, visited Shanti. But she immediately recognised him and their son. It became clear that she knew several personal details about their life together and so he quickly became convinced that Shanti Devi was indeed the reincarnation of his wife, Lugdi Devi.

The case came to the attention of Mahatma Gandhi (Indian Leader) who set up a commission to investigate. The commission travelled with Shanti Devi to Mathura, in November 1935. There she recognised several more family members, including the grandfather of Lugdi Devi. During this visit she also discovered that her former husband had not kept a number of promises he had made to her on her deathbed. The commission’s report, published in 1936, concluded that Shanti Devi was indeed the reincarnation of Lugdi Devi.

In 1986 the case was also investigated by Dr Ian Stevenson, the founder and director of the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) which is a research unit of the Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine in the United States. He said: “I also interviewed Shanti Devi, her father, and other pertinent witnesses, including Kedar Nath, the husband claimed in her previous life. My research indicates that she made at least 24 statements of her memories that matched the verified facts”.

A one – time critic, Sture Lonnerstrand (Swedish Author), when he heard of this case, travelled from Sweden to India to expose the ‘fake’. However, having investigated wrote, “This is the only fully explained and proven case of reincarnation there has been”. He went on to write the book I Have Lived Before: The True Story of the Reincarnation of Shanti Dev, published initially in Swedish in 1994. The Society for Psychical Research have a more detailed account of Shanti Devi on their Psi Encyclopaedia website.

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

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Past Life Memories

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life Regression

It is not unusual for young children to talk or reference another life. This occurs once they have learned to talk and up to around the age of six. In rare cases, the memories persist into adulthood, although usually with much less intensity.   For example, Shirley MacLaine (American actress) has made the following claim, “You know, I think I had my first past life recall when I was 7”.

This might be a vivid imagination or play, but sometimes it becomes clear it’s more than that.  They talk quite naturally about another life and do not realise that this can cause concern or alarm in their parents.  You might find your children’s claims to remember previous lives incredible, but for the child these memories are simply part of their experience of life.  

The sorts of statements made by a child who seems to be remembering a previous life can be quite varied. The following is designed to give an idea of the kinds of things a parent or guardian might hear. Typical statements can include, “I have (had) another mommy / daddy”, “When I was big, I used to …” and “I used to live in … ”. These recollections and statements may also be accompanied by other behaviours, such as unexplained phobias or preferences.

So, what do I do if my child talks about a past life? Well, sharing the memories can be emotionally intense for both the child and parent. But you should listen with an open mind and asked open ended questions such as “Tell me more about …” or “What else do you remember?”

Sometimes a child may insist that they want to go to or live with their old family or old home. While this might be upsetting it’s often useful to make it clear that while they may have had another family from a previous life, their current family is the one they have for their current life. 

You might want to make notes about anything your child says about a past life.  This can be particularly interesting if the child gives enough specific information to identify whose past life is being described.

I have written before about the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) which is a research unit of the Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine in the United States. Amongst other things they research the reported past lives of children experience memories like these. They are interested in hearing about cases of young children who are currently recalling memories of a previous life. 

You can email their research assistant, Diane Morini, at dsm3j@virginia.edu or DSM3J@uvahealth.org to submit your observations and experiences of your child’s behaviours and statements about memories of a previous life.  They do not disclose any information in the report without the explicit permission from the parents. And only qualified study team members will have access to your report. They have a strict code of privacy and confidentiality in all instances.

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Hiraeth

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life Regression

I thought I was say a few words about why you might want to have a past life regression. And to do so I am going to have to use a Welsh word as there is no equivalent one in English. The reason you should have a past life regression is hiraeth. Roughly, it translates as a longing for a time or place you can never go back to. It can also mean homesickness tinged with grief and sadness over the lost or departed.

Perhaps you visit a place and immediately felt at home or even ill at ease. Perhaps you have unusual memories, an unexplained interest or fascination with somewhere. In a previous life perhaps this place was important to you. Phil Collins (Drummer and Singer) has an obsession with the battle of the Alamo and believes he is the incarnation of one of its defenders.

In a similar way to being drawn to a place, a particular time may be important to you. Tina Turner (Singer) has a great interest in ancient Egypt and believes she is the reincarnation of an Egyptian Pharaoh. And she is not alone. The musician and songwriter Marc Bolan (Glam rock band T Rex) said, “I personally believe that I was… a previous life or something… a previous reincarnation, a bard of some sort, because most of the things I write about are descriptions of places I’ve never been to”.

Another reason is if you have unexplained physical symptoms? This is one of the most common reasons to have a session. Called somatizations, they are physical symptoms that can’t be fully explained by the presence of a medical condition. These are often physical expressions of traumas and other psychological issues sometimes rooted in a past life. It is often possible to completely heal or alleviate these symptoms using self-healing techniques.

Past life regressions can also be used to cure phobias. A phobia is an excessive fear of something. So, while it’s normal to be wary of certain creatures (snakes, etc.) or situations (flying) an extreme reaction can be a sign of a past trauma. So, is the phobia explainable? If you have a phobia of dogs, but have never had a bad encounter with one, perhaps the cause is from a past life. For example, the singer Stevie Nicks has a phobia of exposing her neck. She believes she was beheaded in a previous life.

When having a past life regression it is common to come into contact with a guide or your higher self and it is often possible to ask them questions. For example, you may feel you have met your partner in a previous life, worry whether you are doing the right things in life or have an important (life changing) choice to make. These are all popular things to ask about.

And now you have found this article and are thinking that everything happens for a reason. The universe is giving you a gentle nudge. And maybe it’s time to listen and contact me for a session.

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Division of Perceptual Studies

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life Regression

As you know I am a believer in reincarnation and one of my passions is to help others experience their past lives. And you may well share my beliefs and also be interested in past lives. But did you know that there are a growing number of scientists and researchers who are working to prove that we have past lives and investigate them.   

Founded in 1967, the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) is a research unit of the Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine in the United States. For the most part, science and philosophy see the mind, personality and consciousness as by-products of brain activity which end at death. Through it’s research, DOPS challenges this view by rigorously evaluating evidence suggesting that consciousness survives death and that the mind and brain are distinct and separable. 

DOPS has four main areas of research – altered states of consciousness, near death experiences, Neuroimaging Studies of Psi (Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) and Psychokinesis) and Children Who have Memories of Previous Lives. And it’s that last one that really interests me. Yes, they have a large number of children who remember past lives and they have researched these lives to see if the information they provided could be verified. And, in many cases it can.  

I have written before about reincarnation and the cultures and religions that believe in it. In the west this is regarded as highly unusual and is often not believed. As Jim Tucker (Director of the Division of Perceptual Studies) says “Some young children, usually between the ages of 2 and 5, speak about memories of a previous life they claim to have lived. At the same time they often show behaviours, such as phobias or preferences that are unusual within the context of their particular family and cannot be explained by any current life events. These memories appear to be concordant with the child’s statements about a previous life”. 

A notable example is Ryan Hammons who recalled specific facts about the life of a man name called Marty Martyn.  Research revealed that these were verifiable memories of being a Hollywood extra and talent agent. One further case is that of James Leininger, a young boy who had verifiable past-life memories of being a WWII pilot. And due to the unusual nature of his death it was possible to verify his recollections. 

There are several interviews with Jim Tucker and others from DOPS on YouTube and I have included them here.

So, who were you in a previous life? To find out using past life regression then contact me.

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Hypnotic Regression

by HypnosisHypnotherapyMental HealthPast Life Regression

Hypnotic Regression is one of the most powerful techniques at a Hypnotherapist’s disposal. It enables me to guide a client back to an important prior event or trauma and explore their memories, thoughts and feelings about it. With my help the client can reframe any negative feelings and perceptions of the past to enable progress towards the client’s objectives today.

It can allow clients to find the cause of their current issues such as phobias, unwanted habits, behaviours or routines and eliminate the effects of their past traumas. When clients are hypnotised, they are in a relaxed state that allows for their subconscious mind to be accessed. And it here that the behaviours and habits that people exhibit are rooted and controlled. Often these behaviours and habits continue to be repeated even if they are no longer necessary or useful. Hypnotic regression allows clients to purge their unnecessary behaviours and move forward.

Recently Davina McCall (English television presenter best known for presenting the reality show Big Brother in the UK) took part in the Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett podcast. During her appearance she shared she experience with a Hypnotherapist using Hypnotic Regression and how it changed her life. Previously she had struggled with drug and alcohol abuse and fear of abandonment.  Interestingly, she didn’t seek help for these issues, but to check whether she was claustrophobic.

As part of the session the Hypnotherapist used a regression technique to take her back to when she was four years old. And it was here that she discovered the roots of many of her life defining behaviours. She had been left with her grandmother so her mother could go on holiday, but after sometime is dawned on her that her mother would not be coming back. This had caused a fear of abandonment and feeling that she had to please people otherwise they would not like her or leave her. The Hypnotherapist was also able to guide her through the process of healing the emotional scars that this traumatic event had caused. She had said in the past, “I think probably the whole reason why I wanted to be on television was to show my mum that she was making a mistake. That I was amazing. Look at me, I’m worth something. Look at me”.

I think this is a fascinating case of Hypnotherapy helping to improve the quality of life of someone. I have added Davina to my collection of people who have used regression to explore the past. Most of these are people who have explored past lives, which is also possible with this technique. Her page contains more details of her experience and how the hypnotherapy worked for her. If you would like to see the full Steven Bartlett interview its available here.

If you think that regression and hypnotherapy can help you then contact me.

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Dalai Lama

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life Regression

I wrote recently about reincarnation and how many people believe that some part of us persists beyond death either in some afterlife or to be reborn. I thought I would write about the Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, who it’s thought has a very interesting relationship with reincarnation.

Avalokiteśvara is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism. It is been widely believed by Buddhists that for the last millennium Avalokiteśvara has had a special relationship with Tibet and has intervened in it’s fate. Specifically, Avalokiteśvara has reincarnated as early Tibetan kings and emperors and more recently Dalai Lamas.

So rather than being the reincarnation of just anyone, the current Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of the same being who has been reborn many, many times to perform the same role. There has been a total of fourteen recognised incarnations of the Dalai Lama starting with Gedun Drupa (1391–1474) all the way up to the current one, Tenzin Gyatso, who was born in 1935.

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Phowa is a tantric practice found in both Hinduism and Buddhism for the “transference of consciousness at the time of death”. It is believed to transfer the mind stream to the intended (future) body. And it is believed that with this method that the Dalai Lama reincarnates. As he said, “Death means change our clothes. Clothes become old, then time to come change. So this body become old, and then time come, take young body”.

Upon the death of the Dalai Lama a search for the Lama’s reincarnation (yangsi), is conducted. The new Dalai Lama is born soon after the death of the old one and the search usually takes several years. For example, the current Dalai Lama (the 14th) was born in July 1935 and was identified in 1939. The previous Dalai Lama died in December 1933.

It is very unusual for someone to always play the same role in all of their lives. It is believed that the soul is on a journey to experience many different situations and learn all it needs to achieve some form of higher state or enlightenment. An explanation of this, in the case of the Dalai Lama, is that it is believed that the being that is reincarnated is thought to be a deity.

One notable other example of someone living the same sort of life over and over is General George Patton (1885 – 1945). He was a general in the United States Army and commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean theatre of World War II and the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion. Patton strongly believed he had many past lives and always as a warrior. He is said to have had visions of previous lives as a hunter-gatherer searching for mammoth as well as historic battles, including the Greco-Persian Wars (499-449 BC), Siege of Tyre (332 BC), Roman–Parthian Wars (54 BC – 217 AD), Battle of Crécy (1346), and Battle of Waterloo (1815).  He concludes that he was an instrument of God, eternally betrothed to combat. 

If you are interested in past lives or would like to know more, then contact me.

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Past Life Therapy

by HypnosisHypnotherapyMental HealthPast Life Regression

I recently qualified as a Past Life Therapy practitioner. The phrases Past Life regression and Past Life Therapy are often used interchangeably, but in fact there is a significant difference. The technique was originally developed by Dr. José Luis Cabouli a pioneer in new techniques in the field. It has been translated into English and is taught by Antonio Sangio.

Unlike a full past life regression, Past Life Therapy is an abbreviated and symptom specific methodology. It uses very simple relaxation techniques that induce a state where you can relive certain events from the past. Using this modality we do not explore past lives so much as focus on one event that is causing problems in the present. The idea is to bring to your consciousness something that is currently hidden in the subconscious. With this technique it is possible to change certain attitudes and thoughts that condition or restrict us that often we do not know why they occur. As Peter A. Levine (American Psychologist and Trauma and Somatic Expert) said, “The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect”.

Using it you will be able to revisit the traumatic episode that is causing your current problems and find the internal resources you have to solve them and create a new pattern of behaviour for yourself. This will allow you to begin a new path of self-knowledge, personal growth and to move away from suffering. One of the advantages of regressive therapy is the speed with which we can identify the core of the problem that affects us and deal with it. 

Somatizations are physical symptoms that can’t be fully explained by the presence of a medical condition. These are often physical expressions of stress, anxiety and other psychological issues. It is all about understanding and getting to the bottom of symptoms like these. Using this therapy you can also achieve profound change and resolve mental blockages, phobias, depression, fears and tensions.

A typical session is about an hour and so it’s shorter and an inexpensive way to resolve past traumas and issues that are impacting your life. Clemantine Wamariya (Rwandan-American human rights advocate) puts it very well, “I’m still coping with my trauma, but coping by trying to find different ways to heal it rather than hide it”.

So, if this is something you think you might be interested in then contact me.

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Reincarnation

by HypnosisHypnotherapyPast Life RegressionSpiritualism

I am sure you know I believe in reincarnation. Being an expert in past life regression I would have to be.  Basically, reincarnation (also known as rebirth or transmigration) is the idea that a non-physical part of a living being (soul or spirit) begins a new life in a different form or body after death.

Many religions and belief systems support the idea of reincarnation. For example, it is a central tenet of many of the religions of the Indian sub-continent such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. It is also common in many pagan, as well as indigenous Americans and Australian, religious groups. And, although not a central tenet, reincarnation is a belief within many streams of modern Judaism.

The majority of Christian and Islamic denominations do not believe that individuals reincarnate. However, there are exceptions such as the Rosicrucians, the Druze and the Cathars. Regardless of specific beliefs in reincarnation, almost all religions believe in some form of afterlife – with god / in paradise or perhaps somewhere or something worse. Meaning that some part of ourselves continues beyond this lifetime.

Now this brings us to the idea of Karma. Essentially, the idea of cause and effect – your intent and actions in this life (cause) influences the future or future lives (effect). So, lead a good life and you may be wealthy in a future life. If you don’t you may come back as an insect. The Jamaican born English professional footballer and manager, John Barnes summarises this very well when he said, “My mother made me believe in reincarnation, in karma. If I live a good life, I believe I will be reincarnated as a higher being. If I live a bad life, I believe I will be reincarnated as a lower being”.

A belief in reincarnation was held by ancient Greek scholars such as Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato. Also, despite the Roman Empire being converted to Christianity, they were several religious groups within it that believed in reincarnation.

In recent years the idea of reincarnation has become popular in Europe and North America and it is often referenced in contemporary media and literature. Indeed it’s common to hear someone say, “I must have been a… in a previous life” to explain some personal trait or skill. And there may be some real evidence for this. Willie Nelson (American country musician) said, “I started out really young, when I was four, five, six, writing poems, before I could play an instrument. I was writing about things when I was eight or 10 years old that I hadn’t lived long enough to experience. That’s why I also believe in reincarnation, that we were put here with ideas to pass around”.

Now the really exciting news is that it is possible to explore these past lives using past life regression. This can provide fascinating information about the origins of current personality traits as well helping to provide healing and forgiveness for past issues and traumas. If you are interested then contact me.