Can Past Life Therapy be a substitute for Near-Death Experiences?
by Anubhuti Rattan Maini, M.A. CHt. PLt. Regd. Ht.

Experienced Therapists talk about the observation that after visiting past lives the client overcomes death anxiety. Dr. Raymond Moody and Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross have done extensive research in the field of Near Death Experiences. Though not the same, past life regressions and Near Death Experiences have some similarities and both are claimed to alleviate death anxiety.

Near Death Experiences are experiences of people who are declared dead by the doctors but come alive after some time. This phenomenon is experienced by one in thousands of people. Past life Therapy on the other hand can be done on anyone who wishes to undergo it.

Each one of us lives with the fear of death in some form or the other. If it is not the fear of our death then it is the fear of our loved ones’ death that torments us. The fear of death largely stems from firstly, the fear of ceasing to exist or the finality of death; secondly, the fear of a painful death and of being left all alone during the final moments; thirdly, the fear of losing one’s loved ones and; lastly the fear of the unknown (Rattan, 2007).

The key to “fighting” this fear seems to be to accept death first. Dr. Paul T.P. Wong (1998) has suggested the following Pathways to death acceptance:

·        Life review

·        Self-acceptance

·        Religious/spiritual beliefs

·        Embracing one’s own life

·        Death education

Past Life Therapy and Near Death Experiences

Past life therapy under hypnotherapy uses not only the visualization of one’s own death in a past life but also the life review. The client also realizes that his/her loved ones will be with him/her in some form in the other births, and thus he/she need not worry about losing them. Another fear which may get addressed by Past Life Therapy is that of the unknown. Under hypnosis the client is able to see life after death and thus the process of death and a glimpse of life after death may alleviate the fear of the unknown in this regard. It is also reported by the clients that when they are in the light after their death they feel very peaceful and completely pain-free thus, their death anxiety actually transforms to a sacred love for death. They report, that now they know what death is going to be like, they find worrying about it unnecessary and are able to live a more fulfilling life.

Near Death experience has been reported to have a healing effect on the person (Moody, 1976). However this is an experience which cannot be induced and thus is experienced by only a few. Past Life Therapy which has a lot of similarities in terms of the experience and visions witnessed by people experiencing it may be used as a substitute to bring this healing capacity of Near Death Experiences to the common man who may not have had a Near Death Experiences otherwise. The author attempts to see if Past Life Therapy is really effective and thus a worthwhile mode of treatment to reduce and/or alleviate death anxiety altogether.

Every Past Life Regression is different. Thus it is difficult to generally give an outline of a classic Past life Regression. Yet usually, when a person goes into his/her Past Life it is usually not at the time of death. The person goes through the entire life span jumping from one significant scene to the next. Finally, the person reaches the death scene. The person may feel a lot of grief due to the fact that he/she is about to “lose” their loved ones. Yet the moment they die in the past life they report a sense of peace and calm. They may “float” up to the ceiling and then look down upon their body, their loved ones, doctors, etc. in the room; they may float to them and bid their farewell. They experience “No time and no space,” thus, the moment they think about someone who may be physically in another country; they find themselves in front of the person they had just thought about. They soon spot a brilliant white light usually above them.

They get attracted to the light and float up to it. There they may find someone has come to welcome them – it could be a loved one who has passed on, or an “angel”, or his/her Spirit Guide, or a being of light or even what is God to them (Jesus Christ, Lord Ram, Mother Mary, etc.). The clients have reported that they experience immense unconditional love in this light. The being then takes them lovingly into the light. They then go to a place where there is a huge screen or Panorama of a kind. Then along with the being they view scenes of their life that just ended, as they flash on the screen. The being is uncritical or completely non-judgmental. The client makes any comments that are made. They say they get to feel the effect of their actions while viewing the scenes as not only do they live those scenes but also the effect it had on the others around them. The being only suggests what could have been done differently when asked by the client. The therapist guides the client to do a life review and the reason why his mind took him to this specific Past Life.

Often at this point great learning takes place both for the client and the therapist as this is the point which explains what is causing a problem (of whatever significance it may be) in the client’s current life. The learning then is brought into the current life. The immediate effects of a Past Life Regression are the realization that our loved ones are going to be with us in our life over and over again as we continue to reincarnate. Their roles in our life may change but they usually are present. It is also that the client’s death anxiety goes down sharply. They also make significant changes in life, they may become less abusive and more tolerant with others; they may express their love for others more, etc.

Now let’s see what a classic Near Death Experience is as per the research done by Dr. Raymond Moody (1976, 1978): A man is dying and, as he reaches the point of greatest physical distress, he hears himself pronounced dead by his doctor. He begins to hear an uncomfortable noise, a loud ringing or buzzing, and at the same time he feels himself moving very rapidly through a long tunnel. After this, he suddenly finds himself outside of his own physical body, but still in the immediate physical environment, and he sees his own body from a distance, as though he is a spectator. He watches the resuscitation attempt from this unusual vantage point and is in a state of emotional upheaval.

After a while, he collects himself and becomes more accustomed to his odd condition. He notices that he still has a “body,” but one of a very different nature and with very different powers from the physical body he had left behind. Soon other things begin to happen. Others come to meet and to help him. He glimpses the spirits of relatives and friends who have already died, and a loving, warm spirit of a kind he has never encountered before – a being of light – appears before him. This being asks him a question, non-verbally, to make him evaluate his life and helps him along by showing him a panoramic, instantaneous playback of the major events of his life. At some point he finds himself approaching some sort of barrier or border, apparently representing the limit between earthly life and the next life.

Yet, he finds that he must go back to the earth, that the time for his death has not yet come. At this point he resists, for by now he is taken up with his experiences in the after life and does not want to return. He is overwhelmed by intense feelings of joy, love, and peace. Despite his attitude, though, he somehow reunites with his physical body and lives. Later he tries to tell others, but he has trouble doing so. In the first place, he can find no human words adequate to describe these unearthly episodes. He also finds that others scoff, so he stops telling other people. Still, the experience affects his life profoundly, especially his views about death and its relationship to life.

There are many similarities between the Near Death Experiences and those of the Past Life Regression. The various similarities are:

·   In both, the individual finds himself out of the physical body but in the immediate physical environment.

·        He sees his body from a distance as if he is a spectator.

·    He looks on as the others make last attempts to revive him and he finds himself in a state of emotional upheaval.

·      He notices that he still has a “body,” but it is of a different nature and has different powers than the physical body. He is able to float and travel long distances instantly, he communicates non-verbally by exchange of thoughts directly.

·     “Others” appear before him. He also sees a loving warm spirit - “being of light” who helps in evaluating his life by showing him a panoramic instantaneous playback of the major events of his life.

·        He is overwhelmed by intense feelings of joy, love, and peace.

·        He can find no human words adequate to describe these experiences.

·     The experience affect his life profoundly, especially his views about death and its relationship to life and thus he begins to appreciate life better.

Since there are so many similarities, the author proposes that since Near Death Experiences are experienced by few and they don’t get to choose to experience it, it simply happens to them, then for those, who are not “chosen” but want to experience it Past Life Therapy can be a ready answer, for those who are willing to try it. Also since Near Death Experiences have proven results in reducing Fear of death (Moody 1976, 1978; Kubler-Ross, 1969), then essentially due to the similarities, the Past Life Therapy may also have a healing effect. The advantage being that a person can visit their Past Life more than once, which is not guaranteed in Near Death Experiences. In other words, the author carried out a study to try to see if Past Life Therapy can be an easy alternative to healing obtained by chance by Near Death Experiences and if this is possible, then the study has tried to introduce this option to the society at large for those who would like to utilize its benefits.

References

Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On Death And Dying. New York: Macmillian.

Moody, R. A. (1976). Life After Life. New York: Bantam Books.

Moody, R. A. (1978). Reflections on Life After Life. New York: Bantam Books.

Rattan, A. (2005). Use of Hypnotherapy to Reduce Death Anxiety. Unpublished Dissertation work.

Rattan, A. (2007). “The Question about Death and Death Anxiety”. Hypnogenesis.

Wong, P. T. P. (1998). “Spirituality, meaning, and successful aging”. In P. T. P. Wong & P. S. Fry (Eds.). The human quest for meaning: A handbook of psychological research and clinical applications. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.