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  #1  
Old 18-10-2018, 11:05 AM
Still_Waters Still_Waters is offline
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Michael Newton's "Journey of Souls - Case Studies of Life between Lives

I am currently reading Michael Newton's book, "Journey of Souls - Case Studies of Life Between Lives". It was given to me as a gift by a close friend who is very conversant in such subjects.

From the Back Cover of the Book: Journey of Souls presents the first-hand accounts of twenty-nine people place in a "superconscious" state of awareness using Dr. Michael Newton's groundbreaking techniques. This unique approach allows Dr. Newton to reach his subjects' hidden memories of life in the spirit world after physical death. While in deep hypnosis, the subjects movingly describe what happened to them between lives. They reveal graphic details about what the spirit world is really like, where we go, and what we do as souls, and why we come back in certain bodies.

While I continue to ponder some of the things that are brought up in this book, I was wondering if anyone here has read the book and, if so, is willing to discuss the points raised in the book. Since I am not very familiar with hypnotherapy, it would also be interesting to hear what anyone has to say about the value of using such a technique in this context.
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Old 18-10-2018, 12:43 PM
Bornonthecusp Bornonthecusp is offline
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It's funny, just as I was thinking to myself that I had nothing to say on the forums lately, this comes up. I have read the book, and I thought it made a lot of sense, it felt right for me. The thing I found most fascinating was what happens to the souls of people who kill themselves and how it seems to push back their journey. If I'm remembering right, they go to a kind of limbo place? Maybe you could correct me if I'm wrong. This seems to be confirmed by Eric Pearl in his book "The Reconnection" And while I can believe this is probably the case as I believe that life is to be lived and learned from (as I;m sure many of us here do) My dad killed himself and visited me in a dream quite a few years ago now, and he seemed happy, like a guide and he wasn't in some limbo place. I got the feeling that he returned to a beautiful place (which I couldn't follow him to) So, my experience is quite inconsistent with that, or perhaps he did what he had to do to continue his soul's path?I don't know...

I have no idea about hypnotherapy, only that it seems to work for people's addictive behaviours and have absolutely no idea about past life regression sessions although I am interested in doing one.

What have you taken from the book so far? What are your thoughts/feelings about it?
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Old 18-10-2018, 06:33 PM
Rayden_Greywolf Rayden_Greywolf is offline
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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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Old 18-10-2018, 07:08 PM
inavalan inavalan is offline
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Quote:
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!

When under hypnosis, you don't get access only to your subconscious, but at the other participants' subconscious too: facilitator's and witnesses'.

Your regression experience is influenced by those participants' beliefs and emotions.

Have you noticed how one regression hypnotist tends to get subjects that describe similar experiences? If the hypnotist subscribes to Newton's model of afterlife, that hypnotist's subjects will describe that kind of experiences. If the hypnotist believes in aliens, that's what his subjects will describe.

You didn't get the same descriptions from your subjects as Newton did, because of your reservations about his model.

This is why the LBL hypnotherapist told you to not have those expectations.

I read Newton's, Weiss', and others books. I don't subscribe to the anthropomorphic afterlife models they presented. They're similar to religious models, with another twist.
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Old 18-10-2018, 07:25 PM
inavalan inavalan is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bornonthecusp
It's funny, just as I was thinking to myself that I had nothing to say on the forums lately, this comes up. I have read the book, and I thought it made a lot of sense, it felt right for me. The thing I found most fascinating was what happens to the souls of people who kill themselves and how it seems to push back their journey. If I'm remembering right, they go to a kind of limbo place? Maybe you could correct me if I'm wrong. This seems to be confirmed by Eric Pearl in his book "The Reconnection" And while I can believe this is probably the case as I believe that life is to be lived and learned from (as I;m sure many of us here do) My dad killed himself and visited me in a dream quite a few years ago now, and he seemed happy, like a guide and he wasn't in some limbo place. I got the feeling that he returned to a beautiful place (which I couldn't follow him to) So, my experience is quite inconsistent with that, or perhaps he did what he had to do to continue his soul's path?I don't know...

I have no idea about hypnotherapy, only that it seems to work for people's addictive behaviours and have absolutely no idea about past life regression sessions although I am interested in doing one.

What have you taken from the book so far? What are your thoughts/feelings about it?

The usual takes on suicide mimic the religious beliefs about that, and are influenced by the general fear of the unknown (death, and after that), and the selfish wish of keeping others around even if they're in beyond miserable condition.

We actually add to the misery of those who contemplate and commit suicide, by stirring in them emotions of fear, guilt, and such, which affect their emotional makeup both here, and after here.

Their thoughts and emotions go with them in the thought responsive afterlife, where they quickly degenerate in nightmarish scenarios, for a while.

While still here, their thoughts generate thought forms that aren't destroyed when they pass on, but will materialize and join them in their other incarnations (karmic balancing). The soul will experience those thought forms from the other side than the side that generated them.
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  #6  
Old 18-10-2018, 10:28 PM
kuurt kuurt is offline
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I have read Michael's books a while back. And if you like those books, you might also like Dolores Cannon's books. She does the same thing. Michael tends to stick to past lives and life between lives. I think Cannon covers that too, but she also tries to unravel the truth about a lot of different topics. On here website you can even take classes to learn how to do her deep hypnosis method. And even find practitioners that are trained in her method.

On thing that I found interesting about Cannon is that she says that when she has a person under deep hypnosis, she gets a wise voice that speaks to her through the hypnotized subject. And no matter who she has under deep hypnosis, this same wise voice will come through and continue talking where they left off with the last person. I think she incorrectly calls this voice the unconscious, but I think it sounds like it's the Holy Spirit.
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Old 19-10-2018, 11:36 AM
Still_Waters Still_Waters is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bornonthecusp
It's funny, just as I was thinking to myself that I had nothing to say on the forums lately, this comes up. I have read the book, and I thought it made a lot of sense, it felt right for me. The thing I found most fascinating was what happens to the souls of people who kill themselves and how it seems to push back their journey. If I'm remembering right, they go to a kind of limbo place? Maybe you could correct me if I'm wrong. This seems to be confirmed by Eric Pearl in his book "The Reconnection" And while I can believe this is probably the case as I believe that life is to be lived and learned from (as I;m sure many of us here do) My dad killed himself and visited me in a dream quite a few years ago now, and he seemed happy, like a guide and he wasn't in some limbo place. I got the feeling that he returned to a beautiful place (which I couldn't follow him to) So, my experience is quite inconsistent with that, or perhaps he did what he had to do to continue his soul's path?I don't know...

I have no idea about hypnotherapy, only that it seems to work for people's addictive behaviours and have absolutely no idea about past life regression sessions although I am interested in doing one.

What have you taken from the book so far? What are your thoughts/feelings about it?

I don't recall reading about the "limbo" to which suicidal people go, but I will check that out again. I do recall, however, that those who commit suicide due to chronic painful health conditions are accepted quite freely and non-judgmentally. As for those who commit suicide for other reasons, my recollection from the book is that they don't go "limbo" but are counseled for missing an opportunity to address a certain weakness. The point is made that they will be reborn at some point to learn the lesson that they avoided by committing suicide. There are parts of the book in which I have more confidence than in other parts, and I agree with your perspective based on direct experience that suicides may have simply lost an opportunity to work something out and hence must repeat a similar experience to learn the lesson.

Dr. Newton's stated "mission" was to make people more comfortable with death and he certainly accomplishes that objective. He even states that being born is more of a shock than dying and I agree with that completely. I recommend this book as a starting point for those who may fear death as the book is very comforting in that respect.

Having said that, however, Dr. Newton points out that his case studies are most assuredly skewed by the fact that "advanced souls" do not come in to solve their problems by hypnotherapy and he did not have any "Level VI" cases. The section on the "Advanced Soul" was particularly interesting as well as the "Selection" section. I found myself questioning the book as I started reading since it seemed to be too anthropomorphically organized. At the first reading, I eventually fast-forwarded to the "Advanced Soul" section to check for substance and, since that section was appealing, I then went back to read the whole book from the beginning. (I haven't finished it yet but am near the end now.)

The organizational part of the book seems a little contrived at times as I personally believe (to use Dr. Newton's terminology) that souls gravitate quite naturally to the "clusters" where they feel most comfortable as opposed to being directed there by guides and elders. The distinction, however, is subtle since both approaches lead to the same result. The "inner guide" may replace the "outer guide" as far as direction is concerned. This is mentioned in the "Advanced Soul" section where communication between the guide and the incarnated soul is done by the soul becoming quiet/still and hearing the inner voice.

I found that, even if one does not fully buy into the book, it does trigger reflection on one's one existence. My sense is that the beginner and intermediate souls express their experiences in terms which are familiar to them and hence the process in the spiritual realms might not be exactly as described. However, it may be the best description that the beginner and intermediate souls can give. That is why I found the "Advanced Soul" section to be the most interesting part of the book as well as the "Selection" section. It's unfortunate but understandable why there are so few inputs from the advanced souls. Advanced souls do not show up for hypnotherapy. The book, however, did trigger me ordering the book, Mastery, by the Sufi Master of Masters Hazrat Inayat Khan. I wanted more input on life processes from a more "advanced soul" in language which resonates more with me.

The Selection process was interesting as it's consistent with the Tibetan Book of the Dead and my own belief system. In the spiritual realms, my sense is that we see the possibilities for rebirth and our desires lead us to an incarnation in the physical world. As the book mentions, the future may not be totally clear so one must be very careful in assessing everything before choosing a vehicle for rebirth. Those two sections, the "Advanced Soul" and the "Selection" chapters, are alone worth the price of admission as the expression goes. I'll comment more later.
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Old 19-10-2018, 11:53 AM
Still_Waters Still_Waters is offline
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Quote:
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!

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.
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Old 19-10-2018, 12:07 PM
Still_Waters Still_Waters is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kuurt
I have read Michael's books a while back. And if you like those books, you might also like Dolores Cannon's books. She does the same thing. Michael tends to stick to past lives and life between lives. I think Cannon covers that too, but she also tries to unravel the truth about a lot of different topics. On here website you can even take classes to learn how to do her deep hypnosis method. And even find practitioners that are trained in her method.

On thing that I found interesting about Cannon is that she says that when she has a person under deep hypnosis, she gets a wise voice that speaks to her through the hypnotized subject. And no matter who she has under deep hypnosis, this same wise voice will come through and continue talking where they left off with the last person. I think she incorrectly calls this voice the unconscious, but I think it sounds like it's the Holy Spirit.

This is very interesting and I will check this out.

As I implied in a previous post, the "outer guide" and the "inner guide" may be the same as the "unconscious". In any case, I am inclined to agree with you that this voice is the "Holy Spirit" inherent in all --- the immanent aspect of God Consciousness.
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Old 19-10-2018, 12:11 PM
Still_Waters Still_Waters is offline
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Originally Posted by inavalan
The usual takes on suicide mimic the religious beliefs about that, and are influenced by the general fear of the unknown (death, and after that), and the selfish wish of keeping others around even if they're in beyond miserable condition.

We actually add to the misery of those who contemplate and commit suicide, by stirring in them emotions of fear, guilt, and such, which affect their emotional makeup both here, and after here.

Their thoughts and emotions go with them in the thought responsive afterlife, where they quickly degenerate in nightmarish scenarios, for a while.

While still here, their thoughts generate thought forms that aren't destroyed when they pass on, but will materialize and join them in their other incarnations (karmic balancing). The soul will experience those thought forms from the other side than the side that generated them.

In many traditions, it is believed that the soul lingers after leaving the physical body. Dr. Newton discusses this as well in his book. Dr. Newton indicates that a major concern of the departed soul is to console and comfort those left behind.

I agree with you that those left behind should not instill ... consciously or otherwise .... feelings of guilt or shame in the departed soul. One must accept what is and the crossing over will be easier if those left behind simply bid a fond farewell with positive thoughts for the next step in the journey of life.
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