"PAST-LIVES. PRESENT INSIGHTS" 

 Dominique Glaub, Ph.D.

For some time now Don has been using past-life therapy as a way to explore different aspects of his personality and be more in touch with who and what he really is. He originally came to my office to address an addictive behavior. From feeling unsettled professionally as a lawyer to being obsessed with problem-solving, Don wanted to deal with his compulsive nature and find his true life purpose.

Each lifetime he revisited gave him a better understanding of his compulsive nature and where it was coming from; it also helped him release physical pain and emotional tension in his body. But most important, each life time he revisited was an opportunity for him to look at his existence from a higher perspective and heighten his awareness so as to gain clarity on the lessons his soul came here to learn. As a result of his inner exploration Don’s life became more manageable, and his self more authentically aligned with his life path.

This article is the result of an interview I conducted with Don on his past-life therapy and how it has helped him improve the quality of his everyday life. At the time of the interview Don had already recovered many pieces of his life puzzle through regression therapy. As an experiment, I suggested that he go back to a life time that would be significant to him. In his regression, Don is made aware of his habit of “anticipation” which shed some additional light on his compulsive nature. He also gets insights on his path.

Dr.G.: Where are you?

Don: I am walking. The sky is changing from red to purple. There is a sunset over the horizon.

Dr.G.: What are you wearing?

Don: I have brown leather sandals, leggings, a form of green trousers and a poncho. I have black hair down my shoulders

Dr.G.: Are you male or female?

 Don: Male. Dr.G.: How old are you? Don: I am 23

Dr.G.: What is your name?

Don: Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud

Dr.G.: Where do you live?

Don: I live in what is now known as Arizona territory.

Dr.G.: Describe where you are

Don: I am on a rocky butte, above the village. I walked up from the valley to look around and be alone. It’s hard rock. The earth is baked. I am walking on a trail that has been long walked by animals and people.

Dr.G.: What you are doing there?

Don: I am here to ask for guidance on whether or not to take a journey. There comes a time when everyone in the tribe has to determine what their path is. Many have visions that describe their life path, but others are not as sensitive and seek experiences that will open them up...to get a flash of insight, a vision of an animal, a path or calling, or a feeling of calmness to tell them that they are fine wherever they are.

Dr.G.: What about you?

Don: I am wandering. When you wander you take uncertain steps...just one step following the other. You are ready to jump but can’t because you don’t know where to jump.”

Dr.G.: How long have you been feeling this way? Don: For about 6 years. Dr.G.: At what age does one usually get their insights?

Don: Oh, between 18 and 20. It’s late for me...

Dr.G.: What’s happening now?

Don: I am walking up the mountain. I am apprehensive. I am waiting for something to happen, waiting for a sign of some kind. I am walking carefully, trying to watch and listen to everything at once. The edge of the plateau is now crumbling away. I slip off the side of the trail. I can‘t hold on to anything. I scream. I try to hold on to the rock. I hit a ledge with my hip. I fall to the ground. All I can feel now is this intense pain in my leg and lower back. I ask him now to look at himself from 5 feet away. From this position he can review the incident objectively, get a true understanding of the situation, and receive direct insights from his Higher Mind about what has happened and why.

Dr.G.: Where is Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud?

Don: He is lying face down on the side of the ledge. His body is all scraped and twisted. He is barely conscious, his mind half working.

Dr.G.: What happened?

Don: Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud was looking for a sign, not paying attention...trying to anticipate a sign and a message. He was not paying attention to the possibility of missing his step on the narrow path. He walked it many times but he was not anticipating that there would be a loose rock he’d step on and that would send him off the cliff...too busy anticipating the sign, and not paying attention to where he was in the here and now. I suggest that Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud go to another life time related to this particular incident. He goes back to 480 AD in Canada. He is Stalking Wolverine a Native Indian who, along with 5 other warriors, is about to ambush another party in the woods. He is walking very quietly, careful not to make any noise. He slips. The noise alerts the enemy. His party gets outnumbered and quickly defeated. Stalking Wolverine is shot in the lower back with an arrow and falls, face down. One opponent approaches him, scalps him alive and slits his throat. He dies instantaneously.

Dr.G.: What is the common thread between these 2 past-lives?

Don: Trying to anticipate and not being present. Both Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud and Stalking Wolverine needed to be present to their immediate environment and sensitive to the forest, the ground, the trees, the rocks. Instead of being in the moment, they were anticipating and apprehensive. By anticipating, they lost their awareness and concentration and made a mistake.

Dr.G.: How does this relate to Don in 2003?

Don: Don is repeating the same problem of anticipating. It’s strange because there is no need for him to walk carefully or think carefully, or try to be on the alert at this time. Yet...it’s almost a compulsive reaction. He is constantly paying attention to what is going to happen or what might happen, trying to avoid the mistake rather than staying present.

It is clear now that Don’s pattern is a carried-over from other life times. Since Don sees and understands this specific pattern now I send him back to Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud and instruct him to re-experience the same situation. This time, however I suggest that he change the way he deals with the “anticipation” factor. I suggest that he re-write the script of the incident so as to include a positive outcome based on the newly-found wisdom instead of his conditioned response from the past. This is an important element of the transpersonal approach I take in therapy. The client has to find his own way of resolving a situation by listening to his own inner voice rather than being guided by some external source. Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud choose to re-experience his time on the mountain with full awareness of his immediate environment. He feels the warmth of the sun, and the warmth of the rock under him. He hears the wind and pays attention to all the slight smells around him. He is present and feels part of everything. I ask him next to pay attention to the guidance he is receiving right now.

Don: The sun is my source of guidance. It’s telling me that change is now, not in the future...there are no mistakes now or in the future, there are simply changes now. The path will unfold. You can either walk gingerly or firmly on the path; it‘s your choice for the path will remain the same. Trying to anticipate or to avoid making a mistake is an illusion. There is no need to be hesitant or apprehensive. Simply be present and walk the path. Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud speaks softly and with poise. His body is relaxed. Serenity is all around him. I know that he is now in the moment. The healing has taken place. I ask him to move forward in time to the next morning when he goes down to the valley.

Don: I feel good! I am walking down the path firmly with contentment ready to do whatever is presented to me! When you feel that...oh my goodness, this is confidence!!! It’s time for me to bring Don’s consciousness back to the present. He is happy and excited about this feeling of confidence and sense of purpose he experienced through Sun-Bursting-out-of-a-Cloud. He also notices the connection with his Indian name and his source of guidance which, in that life time, was the sun. After he is through commenting on his experience I ask him to check his lower back since he had complained several times to me about the chronic pain in this part of his body. I suspected that some physical healing may have occurred. Because of the past-lives he had re-visited and the understanding he got, his body could finally relax and let go of the tension. To his great surprise the lower back pain was not as intense as it had been.

Dr.G.: How are you going to use this past-life experience in your life?

Don: Well, if I feel the anxiety about where I am going I can stop or make a little mental note that the sun is still there. So that way I pull back my awareness from anticipating things and that should release my sense of struggle.

Dr.G.: Are you beginning to see how you can mentally affect your outer world?

Don: Yes. I have this feeling that if I stop identifying with my struggles and stop looking ahead and anticipating struggles, they may not show up anymore. Which is the whole point!

Using past-life exploration as a therapy and a self-awareness tool has enabled Don to find his own answers and get an understanding of his compulsive behavior in his own terms. The words of wisdom he got while under regression and the resolution on how to handle his pattern in a practical way came directly from his Higher Self instead of an external source. While re-visiting these 2 past-lives, Don was able to experience first-hand his pattern of “anticipation“, as well as feel the emotions related to it. This objective perspective made him aware of all kinds of compulsive behaviors such as getting up in the morning and running directly to the computer, or drinking cokes in excess to keep his energy up. In past-life therapy, going back to the root cause of problem is essential for the successful healing of a symptom. In Don's case there are still more past-lives to tap into until he gets to the real source of his compulsive nature. In the meantime though it is essential for him to apply himself to staying in the present, and manage his compulsive nature until eventually it will cease to be an issue.

 

Other articles on past-life therapy and healing:  

"Going back to the root cause"   

"Nordyke on the battlefield"  

BACK to Past-live Therapy