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Originally Posted by Rayden_Greywolf
Hi! I've read Dr. Newton's books, and I'm actually doing (unofficial) hypnotherapy research based on his ideas. I can't claim to be anywhere near skilled as he was, but I have done past life regressions and have sort of done life between lives regressions.
So far in my research I have not been able to emulate Newton's findings for the most part. Most of my subjects have been able to access their past life memories and usually meet their spirit guide, but I've only rarely been able to explore afterlife memories, and each individual's account has been unique thus far. Most subjects tend to visualize a light after passing over in their past life, but I have yet to encounter the typical meeting at the gate followed by a life review. I attribute this mainly to my lack of skill and training so far, but it does make me wonder about his findings. I've even had one LBL hypnotherapist tell me to not expect what was found in Newton's books, when I was considering getting a session myself. But its interesting to think about, regardless!
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I too am not experienced in hypnotherapy and I really appreciate your comments. I have meditated for years under the guidance of a revered sage from India. She had said, "You're an experienced meditator. Meditate and all will be revealed to you." In meditation, one does quiet the mind and, in that stillness, one does dive deeply into the "subconscious" and "superconscious" (to use Dr. Newton's terminology) without hypnosis. Verily, the answers to one's questions are revealed. When asked by another about how to recall past lives, my spiritual mentor paused a long time and then responded, "So .... you've already solved all the problems in this life?" Her point was that we should deal wisely with whatever manifests in this life without worrying about past lives. Hence, I have not really had interest in recalling past lives though there are flashes occasionally. (I realize that there are alternate explanations for recalling what one may think are "past lives".) Having said that, Dr. Newton's book does point out how some knowledge of past lives can fill in some of the missing pieces to the puzzle of life.
In reading about Dr. Newton's hypnotherapy technique, I wondered whether his own beliefs and expectations somehow ... telepathically perhaps .... influenced the case studies. The similarity in all the cases is remarkably consistent and the one constant is Dr. Newton. Not being experienced in hypnosis, those thoughts did come to mind with me also. However, I see value in the book and took away what was of most use while leaving some of the rest open to question. That is why I started this particular thread in this forum.
I found Dr. Newton's book to be very thought-provoking but must give more thought to the remarkable consistency of his clients' testimonies. Dr. Newton does sound like a spiritually intriguing person himself.
P.S. In my earlier years, I had a near death experience and so I compare my direct experience to the testimonies in the book. Also, I practice "conscious sleep" regularly (chetan nidra, yoga nidra) and, as the Tibetan Book of the Dead postulates, the process of dying and rebirth is very similar to the process of going to sleep and dreaming before awakening. Everything that comes into my life contributes to understanding the mysteries of life and death ... albeit with some influences becoming more significant than others.
P.S.S. The University of Virginia Psychology/Psychiatry Departments did extensive research on "post mortem survival" whereby a memory of some "past life" is vividly recalled by a child who is just beginning to speak. When enough details are provided, a multi-disciplinary team has been able to go to the venue of the "past life" and validate the memory. The University does NOT claim that this supports reincarnation as there are cases where two people have had the same "post mortem survival" memory which is consistent with Dr. Newton's writings on parallel lives (splitting). In cases where there is apparent "past life recall" , it is interesting to validate the stories if sufficient information is provided. As in your case, there are people who recall other lives but it is not always clear if it's a dream-like manifestation or whether it is something that can be validated. In the case of these "post mortem survival" incidents, the stories were validated and that's what makes them very very interesting. How are such things possible? That provides a stimulus for meditation, as my spiritual mentor would always say when something perplexing (at least to me) just happened.