Talk:Past Life Regression

By Vishal Agarwal

Past Life Regression (PLR) is a special case of past life recollection in that the individual does not recall his past life simultaneously but rather does so only under deep hypnotism. The reason for the recollection of past lives under these conditions is that,

“The deeply relaxed hypnotic state facilitates a calm but clear state of mind that results in less mental chatter. Quieting the brain’s frenetic analysis and worrying apparently allows awareness of other information not usually accessible in the waking state.”

Several psychologists in modern times use regression therapies in which the patient is hypnotized and is able to recall incidents from his past life. These incidents then explain the patient’s phobias in current life, and help him overcome them. For example in a documented case, a little boy named Chase got panic attacks upon hearing loud sounds, and also had a patch of incurable eczema on his hand that he itched continuously leading to a wound. Chase’s mother brought him to a regression therapy session, during which he was made to relive the time and place when something had happened to his hand with the eczema patch. It turned out that the boy in his previous life had engaged in a battle in which he had heard loud noises like those from gunshots and cannons (hence his fear of loud noises) and had been shot with a bullet at exactly the same spot on his hand where he had an eczema patch in his current life. Luckily, the boy had survived the battle, but the fear of gunshots and the memory of the gun-wound on his hand had lingered on to his present life. But now that he re-lived his old memory and fears, they no longer bothered him after the regression therapy session. In fact, even the eczema patch mysteriously disappeared soon thereafter.

The most extensive research on past-life regression was carried out by Dr. Helen Wambach, who was a psychologist in a medical institution in New Jersey. She engaged over a thousand volunteers who were regressed and then answered questionnaires in that state. The findings were quite interesting, and can be explained adequately only by accepting rebirth: “When Wambach’s results were analyzed, they revealed distinct and unexpected patterns. For example, it was found that although the volunteer participants were allowed to regress to any one of the ten given historical periods from the last 4,000 years, the graphs of the periods chosen replicated the graph of population densities during these periods. In other words, more people were found to have regressed to periods of higher population than to periods of lower, although no details of population densities were given to them before the experiment. Another interesting finding was that although more people usually claim, when asked, that they would prefer to be male than female if they had a choice, the balance of the sexes along the regressed lives showed only a very small preponderance of male incarnations over female (50.3 per cent as opposed to 49.7 per cent, much as in real life). Many males regressed to lives as females and vice versa. Among other important findings was that, contrary to popular misconceptions, very few people claimed to have regressed to lives of any consequence or even particularly happy lives, and no one claimed to have been a known historical figure. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the lives concerned were reported as obscure or even humble (70 percent reported lives in lower classes, 23 percent in the middle classes, and only 7 percent in the upper classes). In addition, the details given of such things as clothing, footwear, architecture, food, domestic utensils and climate were found to be accurate for the historical periods involved, even though of the 1,088 participants, only 11 produced results that showed discrepancies with the known historical facts.”

Dr. Wambach regressed 750 individuals to their pre-birth or birth period. The findings were quite interesting and confirm the ancient teachings of Hindu scriptures, which however still contain more details and granularity than modern scientific studies on this matter. “Choosing Rebirth: Apparently, people were not eager to come back to earth: Eighty-one percent said they chose to come back, 19 percent said they were not aware of making this choice, and only 26 percent were enthusiastic; while 68 percent reported resistance, and 8 percent did not respond. Those who were enthusiastic also generally reported careful planning with counselors and hope of achieving their planned goals. Many reported consulting with counselors before birth, and 59 percent of those who had help planned with more than one. Wambach’s research found that 10 percent had someone in their current life help them in the prebirth phase.”

The above parallels narratives in Hindu texts, like that of the dead son of King Chitraketu who refused to come back into his dead body and bring it back to life, despite much pleading by his parents.

Another interesting fact that emerged from his study was that people tended to reborn in familiar surroundings-

“Karmic ties: Fully 80 percent of Wambach’s research participants knew people in their current life from both previous lives and the interlife. People came back both with those they loved and with those they hated and feared. Clearly, there were lessons to be learned through karmic relationships.”

Why does this happen? People want to come back to familiar surroundings, just as we self-select in our lives to be around people we know the most, in places that we are most familiar with, even if such associations are not necessarily pleasant-

“….when a Hindu dies, his or her soul may be most comfortable reincarnating as a Hindu once again – perhaps even within the same general geographic area – simply because that particular soul finds doing so to be “easier” than starting over in a new and alien culture.....We as a species tend toward the path of least resistance; why should it be any different in the spiritual realm?”

The story of Sant Bahinābāī (17th cent. CE)

At the age of 72 years, Bahinābāī was finally at her deathbed. She summoned her son, saying that she would attain Moksha in 5 days. She also said to him, “In my last twelve births, I have been striving to attain Moksha without success, but this time I will be united with Bhagavān. You have been associated with me in some way or the other in all of these 12 births. In the first three of these 12 births, I was born in the homes of Vaishya families. However, in all the cases, my family was advised not to marry me and let me be devoted to Bhagavān. I lived to the ages 13, 28 and 24 in these three lives. In the next four births, I was born in the families of milkmen. Again, I was very devoted to Bhagavān. In the last of these (viz. seventh lifetime), a Sadhu came to my family and declared that I was a Yogabhrashta – a person who was spiritually very advanced but not yet united with Bhagavān. As a result, my family asked the Sadhu to take me away. I advanced spiritually under the guidance of my Guru, and lived to the age of 63. In my lives 8-12, I was born in Brahmana families. In my 8th birth, I was married and also became a widow very early. But I too died at the age of 18. In my 9th birth, I lived only till the age of 9 years. In my 10th lifetime, I lived till the age of 42. And you, my son, were my eldest son in that life. In my 11th lifetime, I was married at the young age of 7 years. Fortunately, my husband was a yogi and he also became My Guru. I lived to the age of 43 years in that life. In my previous or the 12th life, I was born in the home of a very pious and religious couple. They married me to a man who was also very spiritual. Together, we advanced spiritually till I died at the age of 36. Now in this life, I have already seen how I will die. When my breath stops, my soul will depart and unite with Brahman – the Supreme Being. I will not be reborn thereafter. Just like the waters of a river merge with ocean, I will merge with Bhagavān. When the water puddle dries up, no one talks of reflection of a pot in it. Likewise, of what use is the body when my soul has united with Brahman? I am crossing this physical and material world, and will pass over into the infinite joy of Brahman!”

Did these study subjects feel that their physical body was separate from their ātmā? Once again, the Hindu viewpoint of the distinction between the body and the ātmā was vindicated-

“Soul entering the fetus. The 750 participants were almost unanimous on the point that their consciousness was separate from the fetus, and 89 percent stated that they didn’t become part of the fetus until the sixth month of pregnancy or later, with 33 percent joining the fetus just before and during the birth. Many reported being aware of their mother’s thoughts and feelings.”

This timeline to somewhat corresponds with what the Hindu scriptures say, in greater detail, regarding conception and the subsequently union of the Jīva with the fertilized embryo/fetus.

Finally, the respondents also confirmed the Hindu belief that the ātmā really has no gender-

Soul and the gender: “How important is the choice of sex? Again those responding to the question about choice, 24 percent said it made no difference. Interestingly, no one in her survey said the “inner self” was either male or female. Apparently, sex makes a difference to society but not to the soul, except for learning purposes.”

Past Life Regression and Genus: PLR studies have also noted instances of human subjects recollecting past lives as animals and plants. For instance- “In Exploring Reincarnation, Hans TenDam cites an example. Two men visited a town in Prussia for the first time in their lives. One of them was familiar with every house, street and tree in that town. Then he came across a house with a dog kennel and then remembered living there as a dog named Pitzky. A woman living nearby confirmed that such a dog had died there about 28 years previously. TenDam cites another case of a man who, during regression, remembered past lives as a moss, lava rock, frog, seal, monkey and then many lives as a human on various continents.”

Each Jīva is assigned a subtle body which remains with it for the entire duration of the universe (or till it attains Moksha). This subtle body retains memories in the form of impressions from even non-human existences like animals or plants.