Foreword by Andy Tomlinson

In Hello Me! you will discover an absorbing spiritual and healing journey through the narrative of one of Sheela Jaganathan’s clients. I first met Sheela in 2012 when she was training as regression therapist by my Academy. I never suspected that this talented therapist would grow to be an author with the courage to speak her truth in a book, and I can vouch for her professionalism and that she works with integrity. 

In the world of healing, we look to medical doctors to be dispenser of wisdom about our health. However, much of the current attitude of medicine towards regression therapy or any therapeutic intervention is rooted in the classical science of Rene Descartes. In the seventeenth century he divided everything in the universe into the realm of matter and the realm of the mind. He viewed spiritual, mental and emotional content as being incapable of scientific description because it lacked a physical aspect that could be quantified. In this view, matter was the only reality and consciousness an activity of the physical brain. As memories are stored in the brain it was assumed that after death consciousness and memories would cease to exist. 

Even in today’s world of modern medicine, illness, disease and ill health is treated by a physical means – surgery or pharmaceutical drugs that can reduce the symptoms. How healing takes place or the cause are not understood. Emotions, the mind or the spiritual aspect of a person are ignored. Even in pharmaceutical trials for new drugs trails when the mind brings about a spontaneous healing it is referred to as the placebo effect and dismissed.

At odds with this view, regression therapy works on the basis that emotional disturbances are at the root of a person’s illness. Holistic health teaches that when souls take on too larger life lesson, they can become overwhelmed with the emotional issues. This can be with terror, fear, powerlessness, anger, guilt, depression, loneliness or shame. Spiritual deficits that lead to illness are often characterized by a lack of forgiveness, tolerance, love, wisdom and compassion. The therapeutic objective is to activate the client’s inner healing power to overcome the emotional cause of the illness. The physical symptoms are not ignored, but are seen as conveying a particular symbolic meaning that can be used to guide the person to understand why the illness occurred.

One fundamental change that often emerges from the client after a successful course of regression therapy is that they are more in touch with the divine aspect of themselves. For a client who has been exposed to the full range of past life emotions during therapy sessions, they appreciate that the series of past lives have being undertaken within an environment of increasing personal responsibility, free will and spiritual growth. As the client’s physical symptoms vanish and the emotional issues are resolved with the therapy, they start to listen to the urging of their inner voice. This also leads to a motivation to move on in life in a meaningful way, just like it happened to Kalina.

Andy Tomlinson

Training Director of Past Life Regression Academy

January 2016

Preface by Sheela

In the spring of 2005, while living in Germany, I had an experience that made me question what truly happens after death. At the time, my family and I were in the midst of moving houses when I contracted terrible back pain, which I attributed to packing and shifting heavy things. On the third evening and with the pain getting worse, I went to bed early. Some hours later, I woke up with a start, feeling as if I had been set on fire!

I tried to call out to my husband but my mouth was frozen shut. In fact, my whole body was paralysed. Right across my bed, I caught a glimpse of the bright red numbers on our alarm clock glowing 04:06. Things started to get hazy soon after as the pain became increasingly excruciating. Inside, I was panicking and thought it was the end for me; I saw my life flashing before my eyes. Just like it happens in the movies, little snapshots of events from different stages in my life rushed past my mind's eye. The last image I saw were pages from the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, which I had read months earlier. The flashes ended on the page that talked about the practice of  Tonglen. How bizarre! I had had difficulties understanding the advantage of the concept then, but in the scary situation I was in now, it actually offered me solace.

Reciting my favourite mantra, I told myself to let go. In the next instant, a part of me lifted upwards and outwards, and flitting through a spiralling portal, plopped out on the Other Side.1 had fallen into a gigantic, golden sphere filled with millions of super-tiny glowing lights! There was no sense of time and space in this place-it was relative and irrelevant at the same time. Pure bliss permeated within and outside of me. I sensed I could have whatever I wanted, as long as could imagine it. Best of all, there was no pain! I was enjoying the amazing sensation of being suspended in space, feeling fluid and filled with an indescribable depth of freedom and joy, until I looked at myself. I had no fixed form and neither was I solid! 

Before I could even formulate a thought, a voice boomed out from everywhere saying, "What is she doing here? It's not her time yet!" A moment of stunned silence later, who or whatever that voice was kicked me back to earthly reality. When I opened my eyes, the clock showed 06:28. I could move my limbs again and the pain was substantially reduced. Since that night, I wondered where I had been. Why didn't I sense any fear over there, like I did before I went over? How could I feel so complete inside that golden sphere and incredibly lacking here on Earth? Who commanded me to return? But no answers were forthcoming.

In 2008, I gave birth to my youngest daughter. She was born with a port-wine stain birthmark on the right side of her face. The attending doctors' prognosis was unsettling. That and a personal crisis I went through in 2009 eventually led me to hypnotherapy.

In 2011, after moving to Singapore, I signed up with Past Life Regression Academy to do a hypnosis course. It was also around this time that I crossed paths with Kalina. She was my first test client for hypnosis and for all the other new techniques I was going to learn, including regression therapy. One day, in early 2013, Kalina saw the growing pile of her session notes and jokingly said I should have them compiled into a book. At first, I laughed it off but a few days later, looking at the haphazard stack of notes and sketches still lying on the dining table, I imagined that I had indeed penned a story about Kalina's adventures. Usually, my fantasies run a pleasant course but in this case, I doubled over feeling absolutely sick. An unexplainable sense of fear coursed through my body, and I was very afraid for my life! It sounds like a terribly over-dramatic reaction to a pile of paper, but that was what I felt then.

The nauseating dread did not make sense to me and it kept on happening whenever I thought about those notes. It was getting absurd. Why would the idea of putting a bunch of notes together make me feel like I was at death's door, again? To find out where this fear was coming from, I approached a fellow regression therapist for help.

Under hypnotic trance, I regressed back to 13 century Europe. I saw myself as a male caretaker of a church located somewhere in Spain. While going about my duties taking care of the church interiors and compound, my mind would wander and speculate about God and his intended plans for me. I wondered too, how the Moslems and the Jews, who were migrating in big numbers into our country then, viewed their gods. In time, I made friends with some of them and looked forward to our occasional-albeit secret-discussions on religion, god and the afterlife. I recorded my observations on paper scraps and kept them hidden under my bed. Alas! My days became numbered after my supervisors discovered the sketches, during a sudden inspection in my quarters. I was brought before the church elders who accused me of a few wrongdoings. First of all, I had taken paper scraps from the church offices without permission for personal use. Next, I had been seen associating with people of non-Christian faith. Lastly, and worst of all, based on the sketches and notes made, the church elders concluded I was coming up with ideas that were 'going against the natural order of things'.

Impertinence, heresy, and treason were just some of the colourful words thrown at me. In my defence, I explained I was only looking for common factors uniting all the different religions out of curiosity and without intent to challenge the Bible. The church elders could not agree on what to do with me. It was one thing to steal stationery but another thing altogether for a lowly caretaker to compare notes on various religious beliefs!

After a quick deliberation, my case was passed on to a special committee dealing with heresy and such inconvenient matters. Long story short, I was hung and decapitated for my deeds. At the point of death, I was in deep shock and disbelief. Feeling betrayed by the church, the legal system and the government, my last thoughts at death were that of contempt and disdain towards those in authority. Later, my soul observed in dismay as my physical remains were unceremoniously thrown into a pit and covered up with rubble. Later, during the transformation phase in the session, as ghoulish as it sounds, the very first thing I wanted to do was attach my head back onto my past life body. I just wanted to feel whole again!

And during the integration process in the session, I finally understood why I felt paralyzing terror whenever I thought about compiling this book. Although personally I found the subject matters of religion and afterlife fascinating, I was afraid others might feel offended by my findings. In truth, I wanted to avoid being ridiculed and persecuted like it had happened to me in the Spanish life.When I finally acknowledged that self-limiting belief coming from the past, something literally clicked in me. I felt a deep sense of relief; I could breathe better. Things started to fall into place after that and I began transcribing the notes from Kalina's sessions that slowly led to this book.

Caroline Myss, bestselling author and internationally renowned speaker in the field of human consciousness, once said, "The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind." Like me, Kalina too learned to silence her mind and with the information obtained through regression therapy and spiritual regressions, aligned herself to her life purpose.

As you go through the chapters in this book, you will see how Kalina retrieved stories stored deep in her heart to help manage her current life difficulties. In the process, she re-discovered her life purposes. While she was doing that, Kalina unwittingly prodded me into realising one of my own earthly aspirations. She let me examine to my heart's content the topic of afterlife and write whatever notes I wanted on whatever paper I could get hold of-without fear.

When Kalina and I started our adventure, we had no idea how far we would travel in spirit and in reality. We do know now we have travelled far and wide, only to come back to an enhanced version of ourselves.

These are my takeaways from the journey I had with Kalina. One, we can influence our destiny. Two, everyone has a precious role to play in this mighty universe and it's not about the size of that role but how well you will play it with others to fulfil your own soul desires. Three, we all have stories hidden deep inside us that are just waiting to be re-told; stories that can heal and inspire us in the now for a more fulfilling future.
Sj

Chapter 1 

Hypnosis

In 2005, a few months following my 'out-of-body' experience, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
After doing the tender points test, the attending rheumatologist immediately prescribed anti-depressants to help ease my symptoms. I refused the medication. By then, I was getting weary (and wary) of doctors suggesting happy pills for just about anything. Two other medical specialists I consulted in the previous months for migraine and tinnitus symptoms had recommended similar remedy. That's when I started looking into alternative therapy.

I eventually found relief for fibromyalgia and migraine through Jin Shin Jyutsu and Reiki treatments, without any side effects. It was also during this time that I came across the concept of hypnotherapy. However, after reading a couple of chapters in the handbook I had bought, I decided to drop that idea. The worry that I will end up under the control of a hypnotist (based on what I had seen on television shows) was too strong.In 2009, I suffered from insomnia. Searching for solutions to counter the sleepless nights, I came across that hypnotherapy handbook again. Reading it to the end this time, I realized there was more to hypnosis than I had foolishly assumed. However, still apprehensive of seeing a hypnotherapist in person, I bought some hypnosis CDs to try out on my own first. I listened to the hypnotic inductions cautiously for possible hidden commands or tricks, but was unable to detect any. In fact, all I heard were a bunch of instructions repeatedly asking one to relax and visualize things.
In the end, selecting the most appealing track, I started listening to it at bedtime. On the fourth night, the magic happened—I experienced deep sleep—and in the following days and weeks, my sleep pattern continued to improve. I admit I did not lose control or get stuck during any of the self-hypnosis sessions. In fact, the more I listened to the script, the more effective the suggestions became. Nowadays, if I ever want to have a good night’s sleep, just the thought of wanting to listen to the CD will already make me heavy-eyed.

Mind matters
The desire to intentionally enter into an altered state of mind to seek clarity and healing is nothing new. To be in trance is a natural phenomenon and what we call hypnosis or hypnotherapy in modern day setting has existed for thousands of years across the globe in various forms.

Mantra chanting, singing, meditating, rhythmic dancing, performing shamanic rituals, using incense and ringing bells are some of the popular rituals people still use to connect to their inner realms. The belief is by switching away from our conscious mind through repetitive words, music or actions, we can somehow invoke the powers of our sacred mind to find insight and relief.

Reading up on the topic of hypnosis led me to diverse literature on the workings of the human mind. From religious points of view to logical scientific explanations, there are a plethora of concepts out there describing what the human consciousness is, and how the mind functions. They are too many to mention here and are not the premise of this book.

Nonetheless, to understand how hypnosis works, it would be helpful to visualize the potential depths of our own consciousness. For this purpose, I have opted to go with Sigmund Freud’s theory of the human mind. His popularly accepted theory proposes our mind has three levels of awareness—the conscious mind, the pre-conscious mind and the unconscious mind.

The conscious mind or the thinking mind deals with things we are currently aware of. It processes the information we receive through our five senses and makes decisions on what to keep, disregard or put away for later use. Logical thinking, judging, comparing and deciding are part of its main functions.
The conscious mind is also time-orientated with a preference for sequences and a scientific approach to analysing events or experiences. For example, while reading this paragraph, your conscious mind is scanning through the content to see if it could true, against everything you have known before about the subject matter. It could also be as simple as assessing how I structured the sentences or passing judgement on the tone and layout of this book. Yet sooner or later, your conscious mind will shift its focus to another activity, and depending on priority, urgency and/or interest, some things I have mentioned would have already wandered into your pre-conscious and unconscious mind for further processing, or for later retrieval. For the conscious mind can only focus on a limited of amount of information at any one time.

Working together with the pre-conscious mind, the unconscious mind manages many of our rudimentary bodily functions, so that we do not need to keep learning them on a daily basis. These include your breathing, heartbeat and digestive functions. In fact, you are able to read a book without having to relearn your ABCs every day because of your subconscious mind's ability to store information for long periods of time.

The unconscious mind also retains immeasurable amounts of memories, experiences, feelings, beliefs and behavioural influences from the time you were born. In fact, somewhere in its humongous storage capacity, you can find the blueprints to all your traits and habits—both positive and negative ones.
Freud came up with a simple way of illustrating the nature of the human mind by using the Iceberg model. He was of the view, if one were to take a whole iceberg to represent the human mind, then the conscious mind represented by the tip of the iceberg, would take up about 10% of the iceberg mass. The pre-conscious and the unconscious mind—lying beneath the surface of the water, so to speak—would take up the other 90%. In other words, what you know and are aware of right now about yourself and your situations consciously, is only a tiny fraction in comparison to what you have stored away in your deeper minds. This is where hypnosis becomes a useful tool to help one navigate across the different levels consciousness, to find clarity and creative solutions using our own inner resources.
Going into hypnosis trains one to tap the powers of the subconscious mind by bypassing the ever-on-guard conscious mind. By connecting directly to the deep reservoirs of information already available within us, we can find key information to help with transformation on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. That is why modifying a negative mindset or enhancing an existing positive trait becomes possible through hypnosis.

Hypnosis tidbits

The word hypnosis originates from the Greek word hypnos, meaning sleep. In reality, though, one is highly focused and aware during hypnotic trance. 

During hypnosis, some people will find themselves in a deep state of relaxation, while others may feel a sense of comfortable detachment from their physical body. Either way, once you ease yourself into trance, exploring your multi-dimensional aspects becomes a possibility. Evidently, the response to hypnosis will vary from person to person. Some will go into trance easily, while others will take a longer time to let go of their anxieties and inhibitions. The depth of trance one can go into is mostly determined by individual disposition and willingness. 
 
Whether you are into self-hypnosis or prefer a hypnotherapist to guide you, the impetus for a dynamic hypnosis session is simply the act of giving oneself the permission to let go and enjoy the trance experience with an open mind. When all is said and done, it is only you who can allow yourself to go into trance. 

In fact, doing a session half-heartedly may prevent you from taking full advantage of the hypnosis process. I learned this early on in my practice. Halfway through a session, a client who was lying down in trance—without warning—sat up and announced a deliveryman will be arriving at his place soon. True enough, two seconds later, the doorbell rang violently and our session was brought to an abrupt end. Seeing the client wake up suddenly spooked me, but it also proved one cannot be hypnotized against his or her will. 

"Will I get stuck?" is one of the common questions new clients ask me. Frankly, getting stuck is extremely unlikely, as a trained therapist will make sure a client is feeling comfortable during the session, and grounded before letting them go. 

Just as you are unlikely to get stuck during hypnosis, neither will you lose self-control during a session. As a matter of fact, a person under hypnosis goes in and out of different levels of trance during a session; for no one remains in one specific depth of trance, unless there is something there to hold their attention. 

There are many more myths and misunderstandings surrounding hypnosis but suffice to say, when applied properly, it can provide effective relief and create positive transformations. The key to success is using it appropriately and with the right intentions. And just with any other skill you learn throughout your life, the more you use it, the faster you become the master of it. 

Foreword by Andy Tomlinson

In Hello Me! you will discover an absorbing spiritual and healing journey through the narrative of one of Sheela Jaganathan’s clients. I first met Sheela in 2012 when she was training as regression therapist by my Academy. I never suspected that this talented therapist would grow to be an author with the courage to speak her truth in a book, and I can vouch for her professionalism and that she works with integrity. 

In the world of healing, we look to medical doctors to be dispenser of wisdom about our health. However, much of the current attitude of medicine towards regression therapy or any therapeutic intervention is rooted in the classical science of Rene Descartes. In the seventeenth century he divided everything in the universe into the realm of matter and the realm of the mind. He viewed spiritual, mental and emotional content as being incapable of scientific description because it lacked a physical aspect that could be quantified. In this view, matter was the only reality and consciousness an activity of the physical brain. As memories are stored in the brain it was assumed that after death consciousness and memories would cease to exist. 

Even in today’s world of modern medicine, illness, disease and ill health is treated by a physical means – surgery or pharmaceutical drugs that can reduce the symptoms. How healing takes place or the cause are not understood. Emotions, the mind or the spiritual aspect of a person are ignored. Even in pharmaceutical trials for new drugs trails when the mind brings about a spontaneous healing it is referred to as the placebo effect and dismissed.

At odds with this view, regression therapy works on the basis that emotional disturbances are at the root of a person’s illness. Holistic health teaches that when souls take on too larger life lesson, they can become overwhelmed with the emotional issues. This can be with terror, fear, powerlessness, anger, guilt, depression, loneliness or shame. Spiritual deficits that lead to illness are often characterized by a lack of forgiveness, tolerance, love, wisdom and compassion. The therapeutic objective is to activate the client’s inner healing power to overcome the emotional cause of the illness. The physical symptoms are not ignored, but are seen as conveying a particular symbolic meaning that can be used to guide the person to understand why the illness occurred.

One fundamental change that often emerges from the client after a successful course of regression therapy is that they are more in touch with the divine aspect of themselves. For a client who has been exposed to the full range of past life emotions during therapy sessions, they appreciate that the series of past lives have being undertaken within an environment of increasing personal responsibility, free will and spiritual growth. As the client’s physical symptoms vanish and the emotional issues are resolved with the therapy, they start to listen to the urging of their inner voice. This also leads to a motivation to move on in life in a meaningful way, just like it happened to Kalina.

Andy Tomlinson

Training Director of Past Life Regression Academy

January 2016

Chapter 2

Past Lives & Regression Therapy

“Mama, sometimes when babies are in your tummy, sometimes when they're not strong, they’ll fall out!” declared my four-year-old daughter abruptly, when I was putting her to bed one day. This happened in early 2012.

“Really?”

“I was in your tummy and I fell out,” she replied matter-of-factly. I started to feel uneasy. In 2001, I had miscarried a set of twins at eleven weeks. None of my daughters knew about it.

“Why would the babies not be strong, sweetie?” 

“Because babies have small muscles. The Mamas have to eat, so they grow!”

During my first pregnancy, I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness requiring medical treatment. I threw up everything I ate and drank, and lost a massive amount of weight in no time. In fact, I did not realize I was carrying twins then, which made the situation even more precarious.

"Where did you go after that?"

"To the doctors who tell if I’m in the tummy." She was right again. I had to see two doctors within hours to confirm the miscarriage.

"I wonder why you came to me again?"

"I said I can be with you all and that's how I do it. First, I pick the big people like Mama and Papa, and then Sister." 

"Have you ever been in another body before this?" 

 My little daughter put her hands on her hips, peered at me indignantly and said, “Mama, I used to live on that planet where you can have everything! If you want chips, you think about it, and it'll be there.” Her statement tickled me because 'that planet' sounded like the golden sphere I had seen during my out-of-body experience in 2005—a place where you can have anything you can possibly imagine.

“And why did you leave that planet?”

"Because a lot of people come to our place. Now, I’m looking for my friends here again," she replied sadly. 

I asked for more details, but it upset her to talk about her friends and so I left it at that. On and off, I would ask her about the planet she was from. Her answers were always the same and she always spoke of her friends with deep yearning. That odd but earnest conversation with my little one revived a few questions that had been bugging me for a long time. Do we truly have immortal souls? Is death painful? Did I make the twins suffer? 

Until the time I started with the hypnosis course, I had no firm opinion on the concept of past lives. Even though I was brought up as Hindu, I was also fascinated by Buddhist teachings. Either way, I was aware of the concept of reincarnation and karma, but beyond that they were not the driving force in my life. That all changed during the hypnosis course.

A small diversion

During the hypnosis training course, a group session was held for the participants to familiarise themselves with the trance experience. Our trainer read out a hypnosis script that led us through various landscapes found on a beautiful uninhabited island. The goal of the session was to simply relax.

Halfway through the script, I heard the trainer asking us to imagine strolling along a deserted beach. Then she asked us to walk up to the water’s edge to dip our toes in the cool seawater. In trance, as I shifted my attention from looking at my feet to the vast sea in front of me, I became agitated. Instead of a calming sea view, I saw a huge wall of water falling over and squeezing the life out of me! Then, from a somewhat higher perspective, I witnessed my physical body being sucked away by the undercurrents, as another part of me floated upwards towards the sky.

I was flabbergasted, because I had read through that script beforehand and there was absolutely no mention of killer waves in it! My trainer—noticing I had drifted off course—quickly helped me to get an overview of the situation I was in before bringing me out of trance.

To say I was feeling perplexed would have been an understatement. During the drowning scene, I felt myself rolling inside deep waves of water, even though in reality I was lying flat on a mattress, in a room, on dry land. Yet, I could clearly sense the intense force and the extreme cold temperature of the seawater on my body. I even became aware of gritty sand in my eyes, nose and throat, causing me to choke for real. Along with the physical sensations, I picked up strong feelings of sadness and futility connected with whatever body I was in then. Most strange of all, I wondered how it was possible to view one event from a few different perspectives simultaneously.

I thought about putting that experience down to super-vivid imagination but the intensity of what I felt was too real to dismiss, or deny. Plus, I could not find one logical explanation why I would self-sabotage a nice relaxing walk on a beautiful beach, even if it was an imaginary one! As a matter of fact, I am afraid of deep waters and big waves because I can hardly swim. So why would I have myself be crushed by a five-storey high Tsunami wave on purpose? The other participants had experienced a relaxing hypnosis session, while the same script had triggered a different reaction in me.

I knew deep down the person I was during the Tsunami scene was not the same me from this life. In fact, I had not been alone on that beach. A storyline had formed intuitively while I was tumbling inside the waves. In my mind's eye, I was part of a group of worshippers who had gathered to perform a ceremony by the sea. The village I lived in had been affected by a series of hurricanes and landslides, and the villagers were trying to pacify the Pagan Gods by offering prayers and sacrifice. Unfortunately, we were doing it in the wrong place at the wrong time.

After that baffling episode, I started looking for proof on past lives and came across the case studies compiled by Professor Dr. Ian Stevenson (1918-2007), an American psychiatrist renowned for his research into reincarnation. Since the 1960’s, he had documented more than 2800 cases of children who had experienced spontaneous past life recall. The children, many aged between two and five, recounted their past lives without being prompted or going under hypnosis. They gave verifiable information about their past life identities, and even causes of their previous deaths. Some cases involved children born with birthmarks and deformities. In these cases, Dr. Stevenson established corresponding links between the existing birthmarks and deformities, and the position of the fatal wounds suffered by the persons the children claimed to be in their previous lives. 

Pondering over Dr. Stevenson's proposition, I became convinced the Tsunami incident I experienced had nothing to do with my current life. Logically speaking, even if I wanted to imagine something happening to me on that beach while in trance, it would definitely be something pleasant! Dressed in a scratchy robe, swinging incense burners and praying to the gods of the sea in nasty weather, is not something I would consider doing to relax.

Maybe something about the beach scene triggered a distant memory. Perhaps, it was the universe giving me another nudge. For whatever reason it happened, that unplanned glimpse into an ancient life piqued my interest in regression therapy, and I signed up for the training that started in February 2012. The bedtime conversation with my daughter happened a few weeks afterwards but as weird as it was, it also gave me the closure I needed. She and I had accessed memories of existences before our current ones, and I could even confirm hers.

I do not know what caused my spontaneous diversion into a Pagan life but this much I gathered through that experience—I did not really lose the twins. They had lived on in some form. I just did not know how and where to look for them back then.

Regression Therapy

The aim of regression therapy is to help individuals tie up loose ends from the past which is still impacting them in the present to encourage deep energetic healing. Regression therapy goes beyond just viewing past lives, to transforming challenging moments and integrating the lessons learned from the past into the client’s current life.

As Andy Tomlinson states in his regression therapy handbook, during a regression session, “A client is guided back and encouraged to relive and resolve the conflicts from the past that have often been inaccessible to their conscious mind, yet have been influencing their mental and emotional stability.”

For example, if someone has a phobia, they can be regressed to find out at which point in time the fear crystallized. That phobia-triggering event, be it from the past or current life, can be re-examined to bring about understanding and eventual healing. Essentially, with the help of a therapist to guide them through their inner journeys, clients use the power of their subconscious mind to find creative solutions to their problems.

But, does one need to believe in the concept of past lives itself to do regression therapy? To satisfy my own curiosity, I once collaborated with five very sceptical clients. All did not believe in reincarnation.

In the end, out of five, four found the causes to their problems in current life childhood days and in 'past lives'. One candidate could not be hypnotized at all. I did not follow any scientific protocol but here's an interesting fact—the four who regressed gave similar feedback when they woke up. They said whatever they experienced may have come from things they have read, seen or heard from books, movies or other information sources. But when asked about the emotions they exhibited during the session, they stated they did not make it up and were unsure how it came to be. In the same vein, they were unable to figure out how some of the 'past life characters' resembled some of their present life acquaintances, friends or family members. All suggested it was down to their imagination.

Yes, imagine that!

Joseph Joubert, a French moralist and essayist, once said, "Imagination is the eye of the soul." In regression therapy, imagination or creative visualization is part and parcel of the healing process. Imagination lets us translate our hidden thoughts and inner observations into concepts that can be comprehended by another.

To clients who wonder how clearly they can experience past life characters, I tell them it feels similar to imagining someone who is not physically present in front of you. Take your best friend, for example. The moment you start thinking of your best friend, you would be able to assign a specific feeling or thought to him or her. Even though that person is physically absent, you know immediately what he or she means to you on an energetic level. These impressions carry unique charges enabling you to differentiate between two of your best friends, or between two events that you have experienced with just one of your best friend.

When you travel into a past life and meet the significant characters and re-live major moments there, they too carry their own energetic identification traits, and some of them might even match some people or events from your current life. 

The question then arises who or what is facilitating all the sensing and searching for information during hypnotic trance? The answer lies in the concept of the higher self. The higher self is the part of your soul energy that is presumed to remain in the light realm, while the rest of it reincarnates into a physical body on Earth (lower self). Your higher self is somewhat like a library for all the information you have collected and retained from the beginning of your time as an individual soul. 

During hypnosis, the lower self and the higher self merge and mingle. Thus, from the omniscient perspective of your higher self, seeking out information from any of your lives, be it past, present or future life becomes possible. Impressions in the form of images, sounds, words, events or a combination thereof can emerge from the depths of your mind—some of which you may not know about or even think of concocting during normal waking moments.

To be frank, I was sceptical about past lives until a Tsunami came crashing down on me. In retrospect, that tidal wave and the tumultuous ocean beyond, in all probability, represented the dynamics and depth of my own subconscious mind—one that I had to experience up close, in order to believe. Thus, imagined, or not, we retrieve our memories in the way we have stored them away. But how will retrieving old memories help us now in the present? What if the past life story is ridiculous, mundane, or simply horrible? 

Case in point

While I found the topic of past lives fascinating, to professionally cross over into alternative therapy from the familiar legal field required more commitment, discipline and faith, than I thought it would. It was like jumping across a ravine with no safety measures whatsoever. The learning curve was steep and I was in doubt if regression therapy was my calling. Then, in a moment of massive frustration, an epiphany! Why not use the method I was learning to get insights into my own issues?

A fellow course-mate agreed to regress me. My aim was to find out if I was cut out for regression therapy work. Under hypnotic trance, I ended up in ancient Egypt. In the first scene, I saw myself as a ship builder who designed ships and boats in various sizes and dimensions to test their durability at sea. When a ship managed to return home from its test voyage, we would reproduce the same design with improvements and in bigger quantities. 

In the next scene, I saw myself walking along a beach on a moonlit night and fretting over the fate of the ships that never returned. I then come across an elderly man who was busy staring at the star-studded night sky and jotting down notes on parchments of paper. Being curious, I asked him what he was up to.

The old gentleman took me by the hand, showed me the map he was making and started pointing out certain star formations. Looking deeply into my eyes, he said a bunch of things in an unfamiliar language. I felt transfixed by his piercing gaze and enthusiasm, as he invited me to sit down on the sandy bank and continued to tutor me for some time about the movement of the stars. The next thing I know, he simply vanished into thin air! I watched in amazement as his body disappeared and the dark blue velvety cape he had on slowly disintegrated into the sand. It was a magic show at its absolute best, but what was the point of it all?

The therapist asked me to look for information that could help me clarify my current issues.

Looking at the Egyptian life, I was captivated by the time period I found myself in, my enviable station in life, the army of labourers I had under my command, and even with my fine attire. Yet, despite the comfort and power, I was under enormous stress and scrutiny from my superiors to deliver efficient ships. At this point, correlating it to my current life, the past life story seemed to reflect some of the impatience and anxiety I was experiencing from sending off case studies for approval to my course supervisors. 

The encounter with the elderly foreigner was fascinating, but I did not understand a word he said. I was impressed he was able to look at millions of stars and create some kind of order out of it, but I was uncertain how that was of any use to me. My job then was to build ships that could go fast without breaking up into pieces during voyage. How was a random jumble of sparkly dots in the night sky supposed to help me?

With guidance from the therapist, through a combined transformation and integration process, I found the answers. She enabled me to see beyond the facade of the ancient Egyptian life and in the process, my view towards regression therapy shifted and I gathered valuable tips for conducting sessions.

Here are the little gems of wisdom I gleaned from that Egyptian past life: that I should practice my skills on as many people as possible (the numerous ships) and experiment with new or modified techniques where needed (various ship designs). While I could look for guidance from above when troubled (the stars), I had to set limits to what I will do or not do during a session (the constellations). Further, I should seek out the experienced and learn from them (the elderly man), even if the area of expertise may seem unrelated at first (switching from legal field to alternative therapy). Finally, on a lighter note, to never stop believing in magic (the vanishing act)!  

Immediately after the session, I started searching on the Internet for information on Egyptian shipbuilding. The type of ships or boats I saw in trance did once exist. My conscious mind, however, fully back in action by now, responded with the thought that I could have seen them in a documentary on Egypt.

The tug of war between my logical and intuitive sides continued until I chanced upon an artist’s rendition that matched the features and attire of the elderly stargazer. It was uncannily alike. He was a Roman citizen who had once lived in Egypt. It was Claudius Ptolemy. And the more I looked at the sketch, the more I recalled his energetic presence—knowledgeable, kind, generous and real.

Ptolemy or not, that chance encounter left an indelible mark on me. It made me believe in the power of intention, in interconnectedness, and in the potential of the universe that exists inside every one of us. I also learned the easiest way for me to connect with the mystical side was to feel it—without judgment, expectations or over-thinking it. 

Benefits of re-experiencing past lives

If we did indeed carry memories of the lives we have had before, it must surely be there for a reason.

Dr. Linda Backman, a licensed psychologist and regression therapist, calls those by-gone impressions the soul memory code and goes on to interpret it as "...an energetic repository you carry that is imprinted with the experiences of each of your past lives..." She further states, "...unresolved elements of one or more past lives that are imbedded in your soul memory code can lead to anxiety, avoidance, physical symptoms, and more."

In other words, the soul memory code carries valuable information on the state of your soul. Yet, over time, it is possible some of that information may have become outdated, unbeneficial or downright damaging to you. While not every challenging issue or symptoms you have now is attributable to past life causes, often the ones you keep struggling with may well benefit from regression therapy.

Through regression therapy, a client has the opportunity to re-enact any of his or her unresolved issues from the past to a satisfying end. When a client can freely express his unsettled issues and find new ways to untie the emotional knots, it will have a curative value, regardless in which time period the incident took place, or if the experience can be empirically proven or not.

In my case, the anxiety I was experiencing in the current life about my new career choice was traced back to a life in ancient Egypt. It did sound far-fetched at first, but once I recognized the pattern in both lives at the emotional level and understood the lessons behind it, my self-confidence literally moved up a notch, in the present. 

Regression therapy is not only helpful for resolving traumas and distress but when we so intend, we can also bring back useful knowledge and abilities from a positive past life. For example, a client downloaded healing and channelling skills he once possessed as a medicine man in ancient Mayan times after he had successfully worked through issues relating to his self-worth. That same client is now putting his innate skills to positive use by helping many others connect to their divine aspects.

Here's another benefit—through regression therapy we can engage with those of other dimensions to absorb their wisdom and benevolent energy. Whether one calls them angels, spirit guides, power animals, Wise Ones, the Elders, or simply loved ones, I have witnessed clients of varying faith and beliefs speak about the special beings who guide and advise them during sessions. While I myself started off feeling sceptical about these ethereal figures, over the years I have experienced too many co-incidences and weird happenings to say they do not exist at all. 

In essence, regression therapy helps to make sense of our internal chaos through assisted self-introspection. Going into a past life enables the client to put their persistent challenges into context; while the transformation and integration phases of regression therapy promote clarity and deep healing within.

Like Ptolemy who scrutinized the movement of the stars to understand astronomical phenomena, a regression therapist helps a client to look inside their mind to encourage inner clarity, release blocked emotions, and find creative solutions to life challenges. All one needs to do is relax, connect to the sacred space within, and let their heart and soul work its magic.

Chapter 3 

Patron Claude Dupret of Aix-en Provence 

In early 2012, armed with theoretical knowledge and practical tips from the first module of regression therapy training, I wondered if I could find enough people to practice on. 

I knew not everyone would readily consider the possibility of dimensions other than the one we live in now. Even if they did, I was not sure how far they would willingly allow themselves to go and explore those other realms. Therefore, when Kalina volunteered to be my first client for regression therapy, I was thrilled because I had someone to work with immediately. 

Kalina, in her 40's and originating from Europe, is a project manager with an international institution. Currently, she is on extended leave to care for her three children. Kalina was brought up in the Roman Catholic tradition and is a well-organized, pragmatic and down-to-earth kind of person. She is honest to the core but can be ironic, when you least expect it. Being a stay-at-home mother and with her husband travelling frequently on business trips, Kalina ended up handling the bulk of the childcare, household and school responsibilities. 

Tiring discussions and arguments with her boisterous children—aged five, eight and ten at the time of the interview—over minor issues became a norm and over the years, she had became impatient with them. For our first session in March 2012, Kalina’s objective was to access a past life that could explain the difficulties she was having with her children. She wanted to find ways to connect with them without getting upset or impatient so quickly. 

Once Kalina settled down on the mattress, keeping my fingers crossed and concentrating on her session objective, I read the induction script carefully, hoping she would experience some form of trance suitable for past life entry. When I reached the end of the script, I asked Kalina to describe what she was going through. 

A nerve-wracking pause later, she whispered softly, “Lavender! I see lavender fields!” And just for a split second, the walls of my living room appeared translucent and I 'saw' a huge flash of purple looming out into the horizon, before it vanished just as quickly. Talk about dramatic effects! I chalked that one up to first-time-with-a-real-client jitters and insufficient breakfast... 

The past life story 

As Kalina merged with her past life body, she identified herself as Patron Claude Dupret, a lavender farmer living in Aix-en-Provence in 19th century France. 

Claude came from a well-off Roman Catholic family and being the only child, had the good fortune to attend a monastery school in Rennes—from age 14 to 16—to learn languages, writing, religion and general knowledge. Coming of age, Claude was one of the good-looking eligible bachelors around his hometown and many single ladies jostled for his attention. However, with his parents' encouragement, Claude settled down with the beautiful and shy Bernadette, and looked forward to having children of his own. Unfortunately, Bernadette was unable to get pregnant. Out of desperation, the couple even tried various fertility aids available at the time, including seeking the help of medicine women and donating money to monks to pray for them. Yet, nothing worked. After some years, Claude and Bernadette gave up trying for a child altogether. 

I asked Claude (C) what he felt about being childless. 

C: I'm sad in a way because I'll never have descendants! I'll not be able to pass the farm on to the next generation. 

S: And what about Bernadette? 

C: Bernadette felt she wasn't a good wife because that's what she heard people say about her...so she kept herself busy by organizing and supervising the work in the kitchen and the house. 

The couple never discussed their problems openly with one another, preferring instead to push the issue aside by concentrating on the farm, which Claude had taken over from his father. While Bernadette was in charge of housekeeping and food logistics for the seventy-odd workers, Claude managed the production of various types of lavender goods, including oils, soaps and scented pillows. Although he was doing well financially, Claude was unsatisfied. He had a secret wish. 

C: My dream is to open up a school for the children, to teach them to read, write and calculate... 

In the meantime, Claude spent more of his time reading stories from the Bible to the children of his employees and educating them. The rift between Bernadette and Claude became wider and wider. He then went on to have a short-lived affair with Arielle, a kitchen staff, who falls pregnant with his child. Claude refused to acknowledge the affair, or tell Bernadette about it. Feeling betrayed and under pressure, Arielle married a fellow employee who was interested in her, before her pregnancy became obvious. 

Claude’s illegitimate daughter with Arielle, Marie, grew up on the Dupret farm not knowing her real father. Other than secretly offering some financial assistance to Arielle, Claude made sure his only biological child did not get too close to him. At age five, Marie died after being accidentally run over by a horse-drawn carriage on the farm. 

Meanwhile, Bernadette had her suspicions about Claude and Arielle but she never asked them outright, due to her own sense of failure for not giving Claude an heir. According to Kalina, Bernadette passed away in 1868 after a short illness. In the following years, the French government started to recruit soldiers to prepare for the imminent Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). Claude tried very hard to discourage his workers from joining the army. He told them horrifying war stories he had heard from his father who had been in the Napoleon War, but it did not discourage the workers from joining the Army. Running the farm with only a handful of employees, Claude’s health started to deteriorate fast. Weighed down by obesity and mobility problems, Claude passed away at age 73. Prior to his death, Claude drew up a will leaving his farmland and money to his employees and the instruction for his house to be converted into a school. 

By now, Kalina had rattled off so much information my head was spinning. She even noticed Claude’s life span from 1812—1885 etched on his tombstone in the village cemetery. I thanked my lucky stars! Kalina had told me an information-packed story but that was the easy part, as the vital transformation and integration work was yet to come. 

Transformation phase 

What makes regression therapy unique from a basic past life regression is the inclusion of the transformation and integration phases during a session. 

The transformation stage takes place after the death of the past life character. Depending on the circumstances surrounding its demise and how it interprets the experience, a soul may choose to go many different ways after its physical death. For example, some souls may choose to stay behind in the physical world to take care of unfinished business, while some may linger on because they have not realised or accepted their death. Others may leave directly to the spirit realm, while some may head to a resting place to receive energy clearing. 

In the majority of cases, the soul will meet up with its spirit guide(s) for a past life review in the spirit realm. During the review, the soul will re-evaluate the decisions and actions it had taken in the immediate past life and the consequences thereto. Often the spirit guide will give its feedback with the goal of helping the affected soul to learn from its experiences on Earth. If the said soul feels the need to clarify or rectify any outstanding issues with anyone, it will have the opportunity to do so. 

Claude's transformation 

And so it was, after leaving the physical body, Claude travelled to the spirit realm to review his learning on Earth. Shortly after arrival, Claude started to complain of terrible discomfort and heaviness on his shoulders. 

C: It feels like I'm carrying a heavy, brown sack with lots of dirty spots, and it smells old and musty! 

When I asked Claude to release the contents of the sack, he said a bunch of "horrible things" spilled out of it. They were energetic imprints of unpleasant issues that Claude had been unwilling to face or deal with during his physical existence—including hurtful things he had said and done to others. I told Claude he could still call on the souls of those he had affected and resolve any outstanding issues. 

Even before Claude could decide on his next step, he said a few persons were already waiting in line to see him! The first one to greet him was his wife, Bernadette. 

Bernadette 

After greeting Claude, Bernadette explained how unhappy she was during their marriage. At one point, she started to believe Claude was more interested in the welfare of his employees than in hers, because she was unable to give him children. 

Feeling miserable and bitter from not receiving enough attention and comfort from Claude, she took out her frustrations on the employees. Realising now that he had misinterpreted Bernadette's feelings and her subsequent cold behaviour towards the workers, Claude apologized. 

C: I'm sorry. I felt disappointed after realising we couldn't have children of our own. That's why I spent more time with the worker's children. I didn't think by providing you with extra attention or luxury, I'd have improved our situation. I helped the villagers because I wanted to and you're the only one who didn’t seem to appreciate what I was doing. 

As there was no response coming forth from Bernadette, we requested for the assistance of Claude’s spirit guide. 

C: There’s a blue light approaching me from the left side. 

I felt an energetic shift in our surroundings, as a wave of cool breeze swept across the area where Kalina was lying. The hair on my arms and at the back of my neck stood on end. When Kalina spoke next, her voice had changed to a deeper and more deliberate tone, and spirit guide Joshua introduced himself. Talking through Kalina, Joshua pointed out gently that Claude could have spent more time talking to his wife to explain what was on his mind. To Bernadette, Joshua (J) said she should have spoken up more instead of presuming things. 

J: ...even though they lived beside one another as husband and wife, there was no real communication between them. 

After listening to Joshua's advice, Bernadette chose to forgive Claude. She acknowledged her husband had continued to provide for her, unlike other men who sent their wives away when they were unable to bear children. Claude explained he was unable to find the right words for their situation and he took the easier way out by concentrating on the welfare of the workers and their children. He admitted neglecting her then and said he was feeling remorseful about it now. 

A poignant reconciliation took place as Claude apologized to Bernadette for judging their situation without looking into the heart of the matter. In time, the soul of Bernadette bade farewell and moved away. Next, a former employee of Claude stepped forward to speak with him. 

Marcel 

Marcel introduced himself and insisted Claude had wrongfully dismissed him. He said two other employees, who were eyeing Marcel’s job for their friend, had falsely accused him of stealing food from the kitchen pantry. Claude, who was busy dealing with urgent matters on his farm, had readily accepted the word of the other workers without carrying out an investigation. 

In the spirit realm, Claude was shown the truth by his guide—some hungry children had pinched the food. Seeing this, Claude was overcome with regret and started to admonish himself. 

C: Deep inside myself I knew I was wrong for not taking time to start a proper investigation...the worst thing was I called Marcel a liar and a thief without finding out the truth. He said it was hard for him to live with the knowledge that I thought so badly of him. 

Claude apologized profusely to Marcel for causing him so much distress. Marcel indicated he had always looked up to Claude as a mentor, and that incident had caused him a lot of heartache right up to his death. Once the matter was clarified, Marcel left saying he was finally happy to have his name cleared. 

Arielle and daughter Marie 

Next, Claude stated he had to meet Arielle and Marie, but the thought of it was making him extremely anxious. Kalina who had been lying calmly on the mattress until now started to move about, almost as if she wanted to run away from the situation. I reminded Claude/Kalina he could call on Joshua for help anytime. 

C: The encounter with Arielle is going to be the hardest one for me to resolve. She looks so sad! 

Finally, facing Arielle, Claude confessed to starting the affair with her after becoming frustrated with Bernadette’s behaviour. He admitted he chose not to acknowledge Arielle and the baby because he was afraid of being ex-communicated by the church for committing adultery. 

C: I know I should have confessed about the child but I didn't want to lose face in front of my wife or my workers. And I didn't want you to get into trouble, so I left the matter like it was. 

Arielle was naturally unhappy with the explanation but more than anything she just wanted Claude to acknowledge Marie as his daughter. She explained how Marie often felt "useless and a big burden to everyone". She was constantly brooding and did not seem to have any zest for life. Her sudden death at such a young age made Arielle realize how precious a life is no matter how it was conceived. She felt guilty for not doing enough to reassure her daughter while she was alive. 

Reflecting on his actions that had negatively impacted those around him, Claude conceded he should have been truthful and not hide behind the façade of a pious man. 

To rectify the situation, Claude spoke at length to Marie and acknowledged her as his daughter. He also explained how their situation came about and reassured her it was not her fault. 

The transformation was brought full circle when Claude went to Bernadette, owned up to her about Arielle and Marie and sought forgiveness from her. As Claude continued in the spirit realm to make things right with all those he had affected, the brown spots on the sack disappeared one by one. 

Integration phase of past life lessons 

The integration process during regression therapy is intended to bring the client's attention back to the overall learning experiences they had during the session. By this stage, a client would have an overview over his or her current life and past life patterns, and the root cause of their current emotional turmoil revealed. As the client continues to join up the dots, a new understanding takes place deep within them, and often acknowledging the reason for their problem may already bring about positive changes. 

Claude's integration 

After completing the transformation work, spirit guide Joshua came through and stated one of Kalina’s current life purposes was for her to work on her communication style, especially when talking to her children. 

J: Love is the key to resolving any conflicts or communication problems. Forgiveness is possible anytime. 

When I asked Kalina what similar patterns she noticed between her past and present life, she said the souls of her current life and past life parents were the same. She also identified Claude’s manager as her current life husband. 

More importantly, Kalina recognized the personalities of her current life children corresponded to that of Bernadette, Arielle and Marie in the past life. In the current life, there was an obvious sense of competition between the first two siblings for the attention of their mother, just like it was then between Bernadette and Arielle. Her third son spent much of his time alone, but he was happy to be independent. Marie, however, hated being left on her own. 

Kalina conceded everyone around Claude was experiencing various degrees of neglect and disappointment, all caused by lack of proper communication between the parties. Having had the chance to experience and understand her situation from a higher level of awareness, Kalina now had some ideas how to deal with her children in the current life. 

Bringing the session to a close and coming back to the present moment, the lightness I felt during the session was quickly replaced by the denser energy of practical considerations—I was hungry and tired. 

Kalina, on the other hand, was excited about her spirit guide who had patiently guided her through the session. She knew she had to start communicating differently with others around her, and this meant taking a good look at her habitual reactions. 

But can Kalina change as quickly as she wanted to? 

Kalina's comments 

First of all, entering Claude’s past life felt unreal and real at the same time. Part of my mind knew I was lying on the floor in Sheela’s living room but I was also experiencing actual scenes being played out in southern France. The people and locations around me seemed so real. I could feel the sun on my skin and smell the lavender around me. 

I watched the scenes from the farmer’s life, which I then described to Sheela as if I was talking to her on the phone—describing the surroundings, the atmosphere, the people and all the actions. I saw the different characters so clearly! I was stunned and just could not talk fast enough to explain everything I wanted. I could feel Claude was passionate about teaching. And that he spent more time with the children of his employees, especially after he and Bernadette could not have their own. 

The interaction with my spirit guide was all in energy form. I felt so comforted when Joshua was around. It felt like I was blanketed in soothing and nurturing energy. He appeared magically as a blue light and put thoughts into my head that I spoke out loudly for Sheela. This part felt weird because I didn't know what he would say until I had said it out loud. At the end of the session, he even sent me what felt like a rain-shower of energy to recharge ‘my batteries’. 

Being in the spirit realm and asking forgiveness from all those people whom I had affected was the right thing to do. Of course, when they were confronting me there, I was anxious and it felt like there was no way out. Yet, every time one of them forgave me, the burden on my shoulders became smaller and smaller until it almost disappeared. I know the heavy, dusty bag symbolized the feelings of guilt, which I had been carrying around for a long time. 

Through the new knowledge gained from this session during integration, I realized I had difficulties in being honest, open and communicative with people close to me. I know now part of the reason for my frustration was coming from taking care of the children round the clock and therefore some things appeared more annoying than it really was. In contrast to me, Claude only spent time with the children during certain hours of the day in a pleasant and quiet way. 

The messages from Joshua on communication are definitely relevant to my situation. I had over the years become more concerned about what people would say about my family and me, than what was happening to us. I had been trying to make my children conform to the standards imposed by the society and in doing so caused only stress to my family and myself. 

After the session, I started focusing on finding practical solutions to deal with my family issues and was able to concentrate better on the actual needs of my family, instead of projected ones. 

On and off, I experienced flashbacks from the session, including seeing scenes of the lavender farm, which I found rather funny, yet puzzling at the same time. 

Chapter 4 

Oro from West Africa 

Seven months after her first regression session with me, Kalina came by for another one. She had, in the meantime, implemented some of the tips given by Joshua. 

Kalina mentioned she had "become more thoughtful before saying anything" and this had resulted in better communications with her family members. Her children were bickering less and the atmosphere in the house after school was more pleasant. Yet, one issue with her eldest child Paul bothered Kalina a lot. She said whenever her husband was away on business trips, Paul would "start acting like the man of the house". It had begun around age four and as the years went by, Paul had become bossier. 

Kalina had put up with Paul’s conduct in the past as she thought it was his way of trying to protect her. But now—after six years—it had gotten to a stage where he was trying to dictate decisions for the family, whenever the father was away. Paul also wanted to know Kalina’s every single activity during the father’s absence. Even though she had on numerous occasions discussed the issue with Paul, he continued on with his habit. 

Kalina wondered if a regression session would help to shed light on Paul’s odd behaviour during the father’s absence. 

In due course, Kalina was guided to connect to a past life that could explain the current conflict she has with Paul. 

A few minutes into moderate trance, Kalina started to shiver and mumble. She stated her "hands and feet were bound up" and she was "feeling confined and trapped". 

S: Tell me what's happening, Kalina (K). 

K: I'm on a shaking boat. I feel fear! It's dark inside the boat. I can’t move...there're a lot of people around me. Everyone is afraid. We're tied up and can't walk around. There’s some light coming from between the wooden gaps or from the trapdoor whenever they open it to give us food or water. I've only some strips of cloth around my hips. I'm a man in my 40’s but I feel old. I've black skin and short curly hair. My lips are bigger than mine now, and they're bleeding from too much thirst. We're freezing. I can’t see properly but I know it's my whole group, and only the men were taken from my village. They told us we’d have to work for them. 

S: What's the name of your village? 

K: The village is called Anguka. I'm Oro (O). We all have family in the village. Our children and women were hiding in the forest, so the white men didn't find them. That was the plan of our Chief because he had a feeling that these white men were very bad men. (Whispering)...he told us to get our family to hide in the forest. 

S: Is the Chief in the boat with you? 

O: Yes, and he's looking so angry! We've been in the boat some days and nights. I'm thinking of my family that I left behind in the village. Three of my sons are with me. I left my daughters behind. My woman (wife) passed away already. I hear the angry voice of the Chief. Wait, the Chief is Paul. It’s his soul! He's complaining, shouting and moaning but the white men don’t understand our language. There're about a dozen white men and 35 of us. They took him out and punished him. They were beating him and he was crying in pain and then they threw him from the boat. We heard the body splashing into the water. The white men are laughing...we're all trembling and frightened to death. 

S: Go to the next significant event. 

O: There’s a storm coming up and the boat's sinking! The water's coming in! We all drink this water and die. I remember the water very cold coming over my body. The water's on us...(deep sigh)...we have no chance, we just let go...in a way I felt relieved...my last thought is 'Thank God, it’s over. I hope the family left behind will be safe.' I move away from the ocean towards the sky. All the men from our village move away as a group. 

S: Do you see the white men? 

O: Yes, they're still fighting for their lives. We know already that they won’t make it, but they try to swim and sit on wooden planks. They had no pity for us even when we died, so we don’t care about them. Now that we're higher, we see in the distance some islands, but we know that they won’t reach it. We're a little smiling. Since they're mean to us, we don’t go back and help them...we go on and on... 

S: Do you take all your soul energy back with you? 

O: Yes, I think so. I feel energetic and complete. 

S: Good. Do you see the Chief? 

O: Yes, he's waiting for us. We bow our heads to him and say we felt pity for him. He replies he also felt pity for us because he couldn't save us from these rude guys. He says, “I only asked for food but they didn't understand me!” He was very worried about us, so he sent energy to us to keep us calm. That's why nobody from us talked in the last few days. We understand now. 

S: Tell me about the Chief. 

O: The Chief's a good-looking young man in his 30s. In our village he's the best hunter and fastest runner. He's very good with weapons and with his intuition. That’s why he became the Chief. His intuition saved the women and the children, but he has a lot of regret because he couldn't save his men. Actually, we look up to him and admire him. I want to tell him that he was a good Chief for protecting our women and children, and for wanting to take care of us men. I just realize I'm one of the oldest men in the group. I tell him I'm so proud of him for asking for more food. Oh! He's bowing his head towards me and crying. It meant so much to him that I'm saying all these things. I'm his uncle. His father passed away long time ago. 

S: What have you learned from this exchange, Oro? 

O: When we were alive, I never thought I was special for him because we didn't talk so much. Actually, it was I who didn’t talk so much. I was very silent. 

Oro felt remorse for not praising his nephew for his bravery and leadership qualities during that past life. Oro also admitted his nephew was under pressure to take over the Chief's position, as he (Oro) had shown no interest in it. 

Meanwhile, the Chief carried a huge sense of regret for failing to save his fellow villagers from the slave drivers. Therefore, it appears that Paul in the current life is still running on the old program of trying to create a safe place for his community—only this time it is made up of his mother and siblings. This could explain why whenever Paul's father left on business trips, being the next male figure in line, Paul is triggered into taking on the Chief's role. The sense of helplessness felt by the Chief could have been further compounded by the torture he was subjected to before his death. The negative imprints of oppression felt in that past life may then have been brought over into Paul’s life to be worked on. 

Yet, there was also another layer of significance to the relationship between Oro and the Chief. Being the younger man taking charge of the villagers' safety, the Chief sought his uncle's approval and recognition. I wondered if Paul was looking for the same from Kalina in the current life? 

Before finding a way to help the Chief, I asked Oro to meet with the perpetrators and find a solution to his own issues first, but Oro insisted he would only meet with the white men if accompanied by the other villagers. 

Transformation and integration phases 

In the spirit realm, gathering his fellow villagers together for support, Oro met with the white men. He then challenged the men to take a closer look at the way they treated the villagers on the slave boat. 

S: How do they respond? 

O: The white men feel pity now and say they did that to make money and weren't thinking of us as humans. They said, “We wanted to take you to our country, so that we could sell you.” 

S: Which country is that? 

O: America. They wanted to take us to America and sell us as 

slaves and make money. They think we aren't humans, just some kind of labourers! 

S: Ask them where their line of thought comes from? 

O: They say, “We didn't see that you’ve families. We also need to earn money to give to our families, so we just did it. Everyone's doing it and so we didn't think much about it.” 

Oro reported tension was mounting among the men. The whole idea was to seek clarification but even in the spirit realm, it sounded like a nasty confrontation was going to take place. I asked Oro to call on the guides of those present to help explain the situation. Kalina stated Joshua appeared but stood next to the white men instead. 

Oro shouted out in frustration. 

O: (Addressing Joshua) Why are you not coming to me? Why are you over there? Can’t you see I’m scared? (Upset) There’s no reply from him. He's so far away! 

I found this situation worrying, too. From what I have experienced so far, spirit guides will tend to stand by the side of the persons they care for, or at least are close by to offer support and advice. Why would Joshua go to the white men when he should be by Oro's side? I asked Oro to move forward to check on the situation but he refused saying he was too scared. 

S: Do you recognize any of the white men? 

K: Not really...I'd a thought but that couldn't be! Ugh! One of them is my high school teacher who used to treat us badly! 

The stress felt by Kalina became obvious when she started shifting uncomfortably on the mattress. I suggested she mentally reduce the size of the perpetrators, in order to observe them without feeling fear. 

K: Oh, yes! They've become smaller. Now, I know. This man was our biology teacher called Feldman. He was always mean to us. We weren't allowed to go to the toilet during his lessons. He also teased and made fun of us when someone didn't do his or her homework. That student then had to go up to the blackboard to write it out, and that was always so embarrassing! 

S: What was Feldman’s role in the past life? 

K: He was in charge of the boat. As my teacher, he was also in a control function and whenever he could embarrass us, he’d do it so he could feel stronger. He enjoys it! He says they (the white men) left us to lie in our own filth because they couldn't be bothered. They only planned to wash us in the sea before taking us ashore. 

Kalina finally recognized the pattern between her being a slave and a high school student. Gathering up her courage, she scolded Feldman for creating fear in her and her fellow students, and making her lose interest in biology studies. I asked Kalina how that fear had affected her in her current life. 

K: I often felt I wasn't good enough and thought that I couldn't do things right or didn't know enough. Feldman’s punishment caused me to fear arriving late for his class, even if it wasn't on purpose. I was always running. After having my kids, I was sometimes late for appointments because one of them would always have the need to go to the toilet, just before we left! This always caused a lot of stress whenever the kids and I had appointments to keep. 

It is amazing how memories from the distant past can still impact us in the present; but even more surprising is what happens when we finally acknowledge those self-limiting emotions and let them go. 

Cord cutting 

To heal the over-lapping past and current life negative experiences, I suggested the cord cutting procedure to Kalina to disassociate herself from Feldman’s influence. 

Cord cutting is a visualization process that can be used—depending on the client’s preference—to transform, heal or cut off energetic links they have to others, and which no longer serve a beneficial purpose. 

With her agreement, I asked Kalina to shrink Feldman to a manageable size and visualize the energetic links between them. In her case, the energetic cord looked like a thick, dirty nautical rope that went from her abdomen to Feldman’s head. 

Once Kalina had identified the link, she was asked to place onto the rope all the negative feelings she had experienced with Feldman—both from her past life as Oro and from the current life as Kalina. From the past, she released all the physical and mental imprints from the inhumane treatments Oro was subjected to and from the present, she placed the pink biology book she used in school and all the residual fear she had towards Feldman. 

Once she was ready, Kalina was asked to dissolve the links to Feldman, to symbolically free herself from his negative influence. When the cord cutting process was over, Kalina burst into tears. 

S: What’s happening? 

K: Joshua...he stepped closer to me and gave me the thumbs up sign! He then hugged me and gave me healing energy. 

What a relief! So Joshua was helping Kalina and Oro after all to get over their fears. The energy healing with Joshua continued until Kalina felt revitalized and was ready to proceed with the session. 

The firewater 

I recalled the mental note I made about the Chief and asked how the village men ended up in the slave-boat. 

Kalina started to speak as Oro again and explained a dozen white men had sailed up to their village and tried to befriend the villagers. When the white men decided to stay the night in the village, their Chief became suspicious and ordered the women and children to go into hiding in the forest. In return for food and drinks given by the villagers, the white men offered them ‘firewater’ (alcohol) and made them drink it. Sitting around a campfire and drinking to please their guests, the villagers became intoxicated and were easily overpowered by the white men, and loaded into the slave boat. A few days later, the boat sank during a cold, stormy weather on high sea, and all the men drowned. 

I saw a chance for Oro and the Chief to rewrite the past life story. I told Oro if he wanted to, he could reframe the encounter with the white men. 

Reframing 

Reframing a scene during regression therapy gives the client an opportunity to modify a scene in the past life that obviously ended in a bad way for them before. 

Essentially, the act of reframing helps a client to experience therapeutic relief by changing the past life storyline. I explained the procedure to Oro and after considering it, he decided to have the alcohol bottles break into pieces and the contents to seep into the sand. 

The moment Oro voiced his intention, he said he could see his life path taking on a different direction. Instead of socialising with the white men, the villagers decided to go back to their huts. Unable to trick and capture the villagers, the Americans decided to sail off to another place. 

Moving on in that reframed life, Oro says he lived ten more years. On the last day of his life—as he lay dying from a hunting injury—he and the Chief finally express their familial love for one another. One by one, Oro recounted the adversities they had managed to overcome together, including escaping from the clutches of the slave drivers. He then praised his nephew for being brave and responsible. 

O: I admire your courage. You saved us from the white men years ago by kicking the ‘fire water’ bottles and making them break. I'm so proud of you, and I'm sure your father is also proud of you. 

In the reframed life, Oro died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones. He even acknowledged the village women for performing the traditional African death wail after his passing. 

In the spirit realm after reframing 

Going back to the spirit realm after the reframing process, Oro was greeted by his wife, who heaped him with praises for finally declaring his affection towards his nephew. 

Joshua appeared and communicated to Kalina she was "on a good way and should learn to be more focused". 

When Kalina asked Joshua about her current life purpose, he showed her an image that she could not possibly overlook. 

K: I see a blinking pink neon sign with the word ‘Communication’. It looks like an advertisement you see on a building. I don’t hear him speak but I hear him in my head. He said I've to work on what comes out of my mouth. I've to be more friendly and positive because people only take advice when it comes in a nice and friendly manner. 

I found Joshua's action amusing. Who can overlook a gigantic signboard? 

Communication is definitely key to success in all areas of one's life. Yet, through sessions with clients, I have come to notice no matter how easily we souls communicate in the celestial realm, that ability becomes challenging to replicate once we are on Earth. Perhaps, it is so to allow us the chance to experience a myriad of lessons on the physical plane, without too much interference from our all-knowing Self. Or maybe, once we are in the human form, sticking to our old habits is easier than attempting improvements. Whatever the reason, the perfection that we are in the spirit realm seems distant. 

 Today, Kalina did some transformation work for herself and Paul with the hope of releasing past life imprints that were affecting them. But will she reinforce the healing that took place in the spirit realm back here on Earth with him? 

Will Kalina praise Paul, or see his situation from a different angle? Will he let go of the old programming from the Chief's life although it was his mother who did the transformation work? 

Will it be plain sailing for Kalina from now on? 

Kalina's comments 

As Oro, it took me some time to realize the horrible situation I was in, trapped in this slave boat. Even today, it’s hard to find the words to describe the inhumane circumstances in which we men found ourselves. We experienced paralyzing fear, starvation, and extreme mental and physical pain. Our bodies suffered from terrible stiffness from sitting in one place too long and not being able to move about. The air was sticky and the stench coming from our excrement and dried blood was unbearable. We were treated worse than animals! 

The cord-cutting process with Feldman was a good experience. I realized that until then, subconsciously I still retained the fear I had towards this teacher, even though the events actually happened over 20 years ago in this life. I know I was very frustrated with Joshua when he stood by the white men but later when he gave me the thumbs-up sign, I knew that was the best reward I could get for completing the task he had set for me. 

Also, having the possibility to reframe the life of Oro empowered me to give his life a positive ending. It was like holding a book with two possible endings. After having lived through the terrible ending first, it felt really good to recreate a new happy ending. Doing that not only changed my own fate and those of my fellow villagers, it also positively impacted the Chief. The result of this in my current life is I noticed Paul starting to get friendlier and more open towards others, and not treating some of them with so much suspicion as he used to. 

In terms of communication, what I learned from this session is that it's important to put your positive thoughts about people into words and let them know about it. 

Comparing Oro’s life with mine today was interesting. In that life, Paul was the Chief who told me what to do. Now, it is the other way around. Yet, in both lives, we have communication difficulties. So, in a way, it explains why Paul likes to have his word and attempts to influence family decisions, especially when his father is not around. I understand he wants us to be safe. But now, it is my turn to give directions and guidance, which he needs to consider and accept, where necessary. 

I was grateful for this session, as it was an eye-opener on many different levels, even though the past life story itself was absolutely horrible.