Chapter 6

OPENING NEW DOORS
"Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future, And time future contained in time past." T. S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

Until now this book has mainly been about my years of research into past life regression. The Bridey Murphy book stimulated my interest. Experiments with Cal and many others over the years taught me how to use hypnosis to initiate regressions. My experience with Chuck convinced me once and for all that past life regression - or time travel, a phrase I coined to cover any journey in time, either to the past or the future - is a reality; and my own voyages into the past were sources of enormous personal growth. Gradually, through these and other experiences, I came to see the therapeutic value of time travel, as the transcripts of Geraldine's sessions show.

Ann and I left Dallas in 1980 and moved to Independence, a tiny town in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. There, almost by accident, I was to begin a new and incredibly absorbing phase of my work, helping people to become channelers - that is, to become vessels through which other souls or entities speak. Before I tell that story, I'd like to pause in my narrative to reflect on some of the things I have learned about hypnosis and past life regression. This chapter and the next deal with those topics.

Why travel to a past life? "Because it's there," as the mountaineer said when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. Because I believe in the reality of past lives (and believe that we all have many), I want to explore them. I want to explore the process of time travel - simply to experience the experience. But also, I am a soul explorer on a life quest, a learning quest. I seek personality integration, spiritual development, and just plain fun. The people I work with share some or all of my motives for traveling in time. Some also want to have fun - to "experience the experience," to adventure into the past. Some hope for relief of a problem; some seek spiritual enlightenment. Let me discuss these things more fully, as well as offer some suggestions for the beginning time traveler or guide.

Having Fun With Time Travel

To me, past life work is like dancing in eons of time. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will "bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26). This is what my work is all about. If I choose I can walk into the misty, echoing ruins, witness ancient happenings, tune in to primeval beginnings. I grow to realize that each lifetime is but a step in an eternal dance, and I am one of the dancers. Fun? Yes! Enjoyment is a valid reason to do this work. During my school years I noticed that teachers who made their classes and subjects fun were the ones who enjoyed their work the most. I observed that as students we learned and remembered far more from those teachers. Education can be fun, life can be fun, spiritual development can be fun, work can be fun. If my worked stopped being fun I would quickly find something else to do.
I am not saying this work is a laugh a minute - no way. In fact, I witness more tears than laughs. But the tears of remembrance wash away the crud shadows and stains of the past, and people then speak of great relief.

That is rewarding, and that is accomplishment, and that is fun. Of course, there are sessions in which a person laughs and laughs. There is great release in laughter also; there is a whole spectrum of human experience in these time travel sessions. Closely allied to the fun of time travel is the pleasure of experiencing the experience. Why do people travel to England when they can go to the library and get free a book that shows almost everything they will see and tells more than they will ever learn? Because they want to do it, to be part of it, feel and smell and taste it. We all want to experience it firsthand, whether it be a present or a past life.

Spiritual Development Past life study gives an overview of the soul's journey and purpose: spiritual development. Most especially, journeys through time gain clarity or an overview of life eternal and universal. Spiritual development is the most important reason for undertaking time travel, but it is not necessarily everyone's first choice. A far larger number try it out of curiosity, but that curiosity may lead to a fuller understanding of the continuity of lives. Spiritual development is personal and different with every person. The goal is to learn, to improve, expand, and unfold into a more whole, healthy, and happy person. Spiritual development is what Earth School is all about. But as children in school we seldom think of our reasons for being there; and even less about our purposes and ideals. We are there because we have to be there to learn our lessons.

Personality Integration

My work is practical, not theoretical. I see that delving into past lives sometimes eases the pain a person experiences in the present. For instance, Geraldine, whose story is in Chapter 5, was relieved of nightmares and headaches after her sessions. I don't know why it works, although I believe we are on the verge of great discoveries about the mind's and soul's memory; as we do more we will learn more. (For those who wish to pursue the theoretical and practical foundations of regression therapy, a reading list is included at the end of this chapter, and other books are referenced in the Notes.) I am not a psychotherapist, and I never call myself one, practice as one, or offer my co-workers in time travel assurances that therapeutic goals will be met. (I do not call them clients because I do not accept payment for the regression work we do.) Once, in a reading, I was told that my role as a regressologist is to a be a "door opener." Can't you just see it on a business card? Henry Bolduc, D.O. (Door Opener) But that's really what my work is.

When I agree to work with a person on a past life regression, I am helping open the doors of the subconscious. I want to help people learn about themselves, I want to learn about the processes of past life regression, I want to cover new ground and explore new territory, and I want to set up a program that can be duplicated by others. Time travel is a tool for better understanding one's inner self, for obtaining greater insight into soul origins, life purposes, and skills. With great self-knowledge the past can be used to relieve present-day problems and to build a brighter, more rewarding future. Although triggered by present life circumstances (parents, school, television), human neurosis and character disorders are usually rooted in the soil of times past. Budding, they grow again in the present.

Past life therapy is a not a gimmick nor a quick or painless process. In past life therapy, patients may experience once again the terrible hurts, the loss, death, and pain of times past. The work is not always easy and tears flow in abundance. But these are the tears that wash and cleanse the soul; therapy without tears is like bathing without water. But the most painful lessons of the past are usually the ones that teach us most in the present, and growing through these lessons is what brings true wisdom. For wisdom is but having learned to grow from our myriad incarnations.
Past life therapy helps people to be more balanced and responsible, to gain emotional and spiritual maturity and a sense of their true worth. In some cases the recall and therapy is so vibrant that it is like a total and complete spiritual release, followed by profound peace. Although many people experience great revelations in past life exploration, there is no guarantee that everyone will. In fact, some stored memories can be very difficult to accept or even to understand. A person with major psychological problems may wish to clean up some present-life situations before delving into other lives, and disturbed people especially may wish to undergo traditional psychotherapy.

Past life therapy is a good tool, but first comes the desire and determination to get well no matter what method is used. There is another reason for undergoing past life regression than just erasing and healing the problems of the past. Great benefit comes also from reliving joyous experiences. The times of great love and accomplishment are also healing. I help people focus on their positive patterns of fulfillment, the triumphs of the soul. As for myself, integrating my present and my past has not always been easy. First I have tried to get the essence of each life condensed or distilled into its most important nuggets. I search for the reasons for each life and seek its most important lessons. I try to form this all into a whole picture to bring all the varied parts and experiences together to get an overview. I study how the past fits into my present and where my present is reflected in my past. From this process have come many revelations.
The biggest one is that what I dislike in others is often a part of myself (past or present) I am unhappy with. As I grow more tolerant and appreciative of others I recognize parts of them as part of myself; I see myself reflected in other people. Most of my problems are thus self-created, whether in a past life or the present one.

A personal example of growth is that I have been able to combat a childhood sense of inferiority and self-doubt. I learned to compensate by masking my feelings with arrogance. Then, after some regression work, I saw those extremes rooted in my past. By using self-hypnosis tapes, I was able to create a more healthy self-confidence. I have learned to laugh at my follies and the really dumb things I have done (and do). I have improved my attitudes, learned to understand my emotions better, and discovered reasons for living more fully by seeing my many lives as a whole and growing experience. In turn, I become more whole.

Hypnosis as a Tool

Hypnosis makes past life recall easier by bypassing the critical conscious mind to give access to the subconscious memory banks. It is not the only tool used to reclaim memories of past lives; others are dreams, meditation, study, imagination, travel, and drugs. I believe hypnosis is the quickest and most direct. Drugs are unstable and uncontrollable. The other approaches are valid and time-tested, but very slow. Recently Shirley MacLaine, the actress, reported using acupuncture successfully to stimulate past life recall (MacLaine, Shirley. Dancing in the Light. New York: Bantam Books, 1985).

All recall is based on accessing short-term or long-term memory files. Present life memories are often recalled both consciously and subconsciously. Most present life memories are readily available in the conscious or short- term memory (except early childhood and repressed traumatic memories which are buried in the subconscious). The conscious mind questions, filters, weighs, and analyzes information. On the other hand, past life memories are usually only recalled subconsciously. There is little conscious confirmation or rejection. The subconscious stores long-term memory and information. It does not confirm or evaluate.
Events and experiences that are not well understood have a way of appearing either miraculous or sinister. In truth, they are simply events and experiences that need to be further explored and better studied. Facts are simply that - facts. There is no judgment. My early experience, for example, I was perturbed to discover I had been a prostitute, but now that revelation just amuses me.

Past Life Proof

But is that information true? I believe so, but who knows? I wonder sometimes at the intellectual arrogance of those who scoff at the idea of past lives. The idea that the earth revolved around the sun, instead of being the center of the universe, was considered heretical (by the Christian church) and idiotic (by scientists) as recently as the 17th Century, when Galileo espoused it; yet now it is the foundation on which all astronomy is built. Not until later could scientists prove the original idea, propounded by Copernicus in the 16th Century, was correct. Is it any less possible that the existence of past lives - in which Eastern cultures have long believed - could someday be similarly proved? My friend Eileen, of whom you will read in Section III, likes to tell a story that illustrates this point. The scientists are climbing the mountain to find out what God and creation are all about. They struggle over all obstacles, they learn all the scientific rules and unlearn them. They are about to conquer the highest peak, and they are about to yell out their victory. And as they pull themselves over the last rock, there we all are, meditating.

So until proof arrives, past life feelings, like love, are hard to prove or even measure. Who can prove love or God or even life? Long ago I stopped trying to prove anything. I have also stopped worrying about seeming discrepancies of dates or years or names or places. What did you have for dinner only one week ago? Where were you when you were five - and can you really prove it? Many case histories have acknowledged discrepancies or inaccuracies. For instance, here is an excerpt from a tape from a session with a friend.

SHARON Nov. 19, 1979 Dallas, Texas

What are you doing?
We are standing on the steps. I'm patting down my dress. We are waiting for the men to come back from the hunt.
Tell me more, please. What is happening?
Some are riding up and getting off their horses and coming up. The King has come up and he will - he's giving his wife, the Queen, a kiss. We're turning back to go up the steps. And they are going off to his chambers. We are going to ours, where we will wait 'til supper.
And now what happens?
I've got - I keep checking my left arm. There's a handkerchief in my left sleeve. It's a nervous habit I have. And I'm looking for something to look in to see myself. I'm looking for a piece of glass, and I seem to have found it. I'm just fixing my hair to make sure it's tucked in. I'm walking down the hall, past the guard and I'm going and turning around and sitting on a bench in my room until I am summoned again. I see myself writing. I see light coming in from a window. I'm writing to someone - I'm writing to someone named George. I can look out the window - and see the lake and there are trees. It's a very nice room. It's nice and airy and open. It's got a very big bed - centered. And there are long high windows on either side. I'm sitting at my desk on the left side of the bed. This is my room.
What are you called? What is your name?
My name is Eloise.
Do you have a family name?
The name in the castle is Hanover - I - that's not my name.
That's okay. We'll come back to it another time. Where is the place? Do you know the country?
Yes. We are in London.
And do you know what date this is, what year?
1640.
And who is the king that rode in?
It's Henry.
And how well do you know him?
I know that he is king. I know that he is husband to the queen, Catherine.
How close are you with Catherine?
I am one of her ladies. We tend to her.
Do you like her?
Yes. She is quite nice. I am treated very well.
What are your duties?
I help her pick her clothes - cut flowers - fix her hair. Sometimes I read to her.
What do you read to her? Is there anything that stands out, that you enjoyed reading? The Bible.
Is that her favorite?
Yes. She likes the Book of James.
Okay. Thank you. Now continue on ahead - to the next event of major importance. Continuing on now, when you are a little older, to another event - a major event in your life. See it, sense it, relive it, and then when you are ready, begin telling me what is happening, what you are doing.
We have just come in from a carriage ride and I'm taking off my coat. The ladies are knocking the snow off my hair and I am walking in by the fire to warm my hands. It's quite cold out there. We have a lovely house - it's the Lancaster house. You can look up and there are windows from floor to ceiling. It's very warm in here; it's very nice. And George has come in and he is standing beside me. We are both getting warm from the fire. It is cold. We have just come from a visit to the King and Queen, who - Tell me. Well, it's not Catherine anymore; it's Anne. He seems to be changing daily. But - he is the king. We're getting ready for dinner. Oh, and the children are coming down. Oh, we're going to have pheasant tonight and we're all at the table now and we're holding hands to say grace. Who says the grace?
George does.
Do you remember what he says? What does he say?
Well, "Bless this food, O Lord, and be glad that we're all here together tonight. Praise be His name." It's nice.
Yes, it is. Thank you. Tell me about dinner. You said it was pheasant?
Yes, pheasant and corn and some potatoes and gravy and wine. And as always, Michael and Seth are sitting there chattering away. It's nice. This is a nice time of day for us; we're all together.
Okay. Thank you.

Now, any historian could pick this material apart. The most obvious "mistake" is that in 1640, the King of England was not named Henry. The king then was Charles I, the second Stuart king. Henry VIII, to whom Sharon seems to refer (because of the references to Catherine and Anne, the first and second wives of Henry VIII) reigned much earlier, from 1509 to 1547. On the other hand, there is an interesting historical usage of which Sharon presumably knew nothing: her mention of corn. We all thought it was a mistake; corn, or maize, is native to the Americas; it wasn't known in Europe until the 17th Century. But she was not mistaken. The British and many Europeans still use the word corn to refer to the most widely grown cereal crop in any given district - so wheat, rye, oats, or barley could all be referred to as corn. The information we all thought was wrong turned out to the right for that time and place. Do the discrepancies matter? Sharon may have had information overlap from her two or more lifetimes in England. Moreoever, the flow, the message, the emotion, and the sincerity are real, at least to Sharon, and that is all that counts. If it helps her or entertains her, what has she lost? - a few hours of her time. Hoping to prove past lives to a closed minded individual is a Catch-22, a no-win situation.

When recalled information is not substantiated by history, it is discounted or rejected. If the recalled information is confirmed in a book then the cynic will smugly say that the subject read it as a small child and consciously forgot reading it. Followup research and investigation can verify or disprove any historical information. (Though I sometimes wonder about history. History is only as unbiased as the people who write it, and the victors write the history.) The personal validity of the information is proof for most people. For others, the experience is in itself sufficient and revitalizing.

People who brush aside regression experiences by saying they are just imagination have probably not truly experienced them. For others, there can never be proof. Past lives do not need to always be literal but can be symbolic and still helpful. The overview and the potential for learning is enough in itself. And although I accept most of this work as valid or "really real," some people accept it only symbolically or allegorically, as archetypes, metaphor, or a collective unconscious, but they can still receive benefit and betterment no matter what they label it.

Sometimes in a session a past or present life memory can be disjointed. Sometimes information comes and there is not time to follow up on it, or the follow-up questions are not asked. For example, I would love to know more about Louana and the principles of Pyramadis from Chuck's sessions in Chapter 3. Sometimes the full picture becomes clear only after several sessions. I encourage people with whom I work not to be distracted by attempts at verification, but to continue on the path of honest, open-minded exploration.
Each of us tells a story with our lives, one different from all other stories, our own unique history. Results do not require belief. Open minded inquiry is all that is necessary. Several people with whom I have worked did not believe in past lives. Nonetheless, through the experience of time travel, they achieved positive results and insight. Not all information proves to be applicable and a person may wonder if he or she is just making up details of the life. Often a person thinks it's his or her imagination. Shirley MacLaine wonders at length about this in Dancing in the Light.

The human mind is an unlimited storehouse of knowledge. The answers are already there. All that is required is to ask the right questions and evaluate the answers. The mind resonates with the excitement of discovery. Time travel is perhaps one of today's greatest adventures.

Books and Periodicals on Hypnotic Regression

Past life therapy is being used more every day and has become an innovative and important tool in the field of mind sciences. Professional past life therapists honor confidentiality and are considerate and protective of the client's soul history. Past life therapy is a valuable tool in the workshop of the mind, but it is not the only tool. The solution to every problem is always an individual one.

Every subject has a "secret memory," as Carl Jung said, and in unlocking this memory is the key, the clue, to the therapist's success, no matter what method he or she uses. Many excellent books and articles by nationally known psychologists, counselors, therapists, and doctors who use past life research to discover the origins of patients' fears, anxieties, and habit patterns are now available. Here are some I consider excellent.

Periodicals:
Regression Therapy, the Journal of the Association for Past-Life Research and Therapy, P.O. Box 20151, Riverdale, CA, 92516. Published quarterly.
The journal describes itself as "a professional journal with articles prepared by skilled professional people. The information in the journal is designed to aid the less skilled hypnotist to manage situations that may be encountered spontaneously at any time during the hypnosis of a client. Ongoing articles will keep the hypnotherapist informed on techniques to improve their service to humanity."

Reincarnation Report, Malibu, CA: Valley of the Sun Publishing Co., c1982.
No longer published, but back issues contain articles on reincarnation, hypnotic regression, astrology, predictions, prophecy, karma, altered states of consciousness, future life, and New Age.

Books:
Note: These titles are from such Cayce Library categories as "Regression, Hypnotic," and "Past Lives Therapy," but there are hundreds more titles on past life work under the general topics "Hypnosis," "Hypnotism," and "Reincarnation."

Dethlefsen, Thorwald. Voices from Other Lives (translation by Gerhard Hundt). New York: M. Evans and Co., Inc., 1977.

Goldberg, Dr. Bruce. Past Lives, Future Lives: Accounts of Regression and Progression Through Hypnosis. North Hollywood, CA: Newcastle Publishing Co., 1982.

Moss, Peter, with Joe Keeton. Encounters with the Past: How Man Can Experience and Relive History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1980.

Netherton, Morris, and Nancy Shiffrin. Past Lives Therapy. New York: Morrow, 1978.

Riley, Betty. A Veil Too Thin: Reincarnation Out of Control. Scottsdale, AZ: Valley of the Sun Publishing Co., 1984.

Steiger, Brad. You Will Live Again. [New York: Dell Publishing, c1978].

Sutphen, Dick. Past Lives, Future Loves. New York: Pocket Books, c1978.

Sutphen, Dick, and Lauren Leigh Taylor. Past-Life Therapy in Action. Malibu, CA: Valley of the Sun Publishing Co.,[c1983].

Wambach, Helen. Life Before Life. New York: Bantam Books,[1979].

Weisman, Alan. We, Immortals: The Dick Sutphen Past Life Hypnotic Regression Seminars. New York: Pocket Books, [c1977].