Article that appeared in the Kent Life Magazine August 2005 as a result of local Author David Arthur visiting me for a Past Life Regression experience.

More things in heaven and earth, Horatio…

Would I be interested in going along to see Tonbridge hypnotherapist David Allen for some PLR, or Past Life Regression? Would I! I’m a sucker for new and unusual experiences, writes Dave Arthur

Years ago I’d read The Search for Bridey Murphy, about American hypnotist Morey Bernstein’s 1950s work with Virginia Tighhe, who vividly recalled her 19th-century Irish life as Bridey Murphy. Sadly, this and a couple of other widely publicised regression experiments were subsequently proved fakes. But, as David himself says, it only needs one verifiable case to validate the whole premise of regression, and over the last 20 years a lot of thought-provoking evidence supports the idea. Not enough, though, to completely convince me. So I rang the doorbell in a state of mild cynicism, but determined to be open-minded and objective.

David is a friendly, down to earth, middle-aged guy who, with his trim figure, polo-shirt and trainers creates an impression of someone who is kind, gentle and capable of empathy and rapport. Originally an atheist, he’d gradually been won over to the reincarnation camp by, for him, a growing body of positive evidence. In fact, so convinced was he about the soul’s journey, and also the power of hypnotherapeutic regression in treating phobias and addictions, that he gave up his IT company to train as a full-time therapist.

He ushered me into his small consulting room, with its bookshelves, leather recliners and a laptop computer on which he burns a CD recording of the session for the client to take home and ponder on. David thinks we’re all capable of reaching our own conclusions concerning the regression. He readily admits some of the ‘remembered’ material may come from the plethora of information we’re subjected to in this life, but he believes that if we pick our way through these memories we’ll find nuggets buried among the flotsam and jetsam of our subconscious minds.

He talked me through the hypnotherapy process and put me at my ease by pointing out that hypnotic trance is a natural state, which many people employ every day, daydreaming being a good example.

According to David: “Past Life Regression is usually done for two reasons. The first is principally the search for enlightenment and understanding, and the second is as a therapeutic technique to address and resolve issues that may have their roots in a previous incarnation.”

And, as he pointed out, these reasons aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive because “the benefits tend to cross over, so enlightenment can also be therapeutic and the therapy can also reveal an understanding.”

By the time I left, David had, with his accounts of many successful hypnotherapy sessions, reaffirmed my own belief in the power of the mind, and positive thought, to heal and re-frame many psychological problems, when guided by a sympathetic facilitator such as himself.

On the PLR front, I am still unsure. Although I went into a wonderfully relaxing trance state my visualisations of past places and people, were not terribly detailed, and what I did see may possibly have come from my ordinary memory and imagination. I did describe myself as more than one other person and gave some specific names and dates and described circumstances, seemingly not related to my known current life experiences, but not everything was a clear or ordered as I would have liked but, as David explained, practice can enhance the ability to achieve deep levels of trance and improve the detail of long forgotten corners of our memory where, perhaps, lurks evidence of previous lives.

As for me I approached this as a skeptic and I will need some convincing to change long held views but, for now, I really just don’t know.'