Past Life Regression Therapy is a technique in which the therapist uses hypnosis to regress the patient to a time in their past life. The patient will revisit an event or experience from their past life, and then share it with the therapist. The therapist can also ask questions about what they saw during this session by asking them out loud. If at any point in time, the patient becomes distressed or uncomfortable, they are able to end this session at any time with just one word. By teaching people how to use tools from their own subconscious mind such as memory recall and imagination, Past Life Regression Therapy is meant for those who are experiencing anxiety disorders such as Panic Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
It has been believed that regression therapy came about in part of the increased interest in reincarnation, spiritualism, and the paranormal. In the early 1900s to 1920, hypnosis was used as a form of alternative medicine. There were three types of hypnosis that were used in this time period: auto-suggestion, trance induction and hypnotic regression. J. Maxwell (2000) defined hypnotic regression as a method to recover memories from early life experiences that have been repressed due to painful or traumatic events.
In 1910 Freud introduced psychoanalysis which is a psychotherapy that focuses on resolving unconscious conflicts by bringing them into consciousness.
