Age Regression Therapy – Reframing Birth to Give a Client New Life
By Eleanor Laser, PhD.
They say that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. This applies to our personal histories as well. It’s incredibly important to understand our pasts if we are going to live happy, healthy lives in the future. Indeed, age regression, going back, is really the way to go forward as one of my clients, a very angry husband found out.
Derrick and his wife, Mary, came to me for counseling because they argued ceaselessly and were on the verge of divorce. Mary said Derrick was always angry, always running hot and cold. Scream, calm down, repeat was his constant pattern of behavior. As I talked to Derrick, I heard the voice of one of my mentors, Dr. David Cheek, obstetrician, author, and master hypnotherapist in my head. Dr. Cheek’s voice said, “re-birth the client.” In other words, use age regression therapy just as Dr. Cheek had taught me.
Age regression is a technique that helps the client access childhood feelings, thoughts, and memories, the early perceptions that weave a pattern throughout our lives. Hypnosis supports age regression by helping clients explore these recollections and reach parts of themselves that might be hard to access. Why is this important? Because early recollections are the key to positive change and to diagnosing conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which the Mayo Clinic defines as a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event.
When I trained at the Alfred Adler Institute in Chicago, I became adept at collecting early recollections, but they were always gathered when subjects were awake, not in a hypnotic state. I wondered what would happen if I combined the two and collected memories during hypnosis. What happened was that current behavior patterns became extremely clear and instantly relevant to my clients. Suddenly their past experiences had powerful meaning in the present. The clients discovered these revelations themselves, usually with such clarity that I didn’t need to add my own interpretation.
his was especially true for Derrick. Derrick agreed that I could use hypnosis to regress him back to the womb where he felt comfortable, warm, safe and secure. Then we went through his birth experience exactly as he recalled it and Derrick’s whole demeanor changed. As he entered the world, Derrick was hit with a radically different temperature than he experienced in the womb, a temperature Derrick not only found freezing but infuriating. “I’m cold!” he screamed as he emerged, “I’m angry!” Derrick remembered shivering and shaking, so much so that as he sat across from me, his entire body trembled, and his chair literally came off the floor. ” I’m freezing!” Derrick yelled, “and I’m furious!”
That temperature shift was the source of Derrick’s fury. Seeing this, the anger with which he remembered his birth, I knew he needed a fresh start - he needed to be reborn. A rebirth would allow me to permanently reset Derrick’s body temperature and hopefully, his rage. I explained how this would work. During his new delivery, I would turn Derrick’s temperature up to 98 degrees. When he emerged, he would be as warm and comfortable outside in the world as he was inside the womb and this warmth would continue.
With that anchored in his mind and with Mary by his side, Derrick emerged from the womb again. His rebirth was peaceful, warm and comfortable, so warm and comfortable that Derrick’s anger dissolved. So did all thoughts of divorce. The couple stayed together because Derrick’s angry behavior changed. This is a powerful example of how regression therapy works. In this case, regression therapy prevented a divorce because it changed a destructive pattern of behavior in the present. Indeed, early, past recollections can play a significant role in diagnosing current day problems.
Age regression hypnosis is especially helpful with PTSD-like symptoms including flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about an event. This support helps clients achieve positive outcomes and live their best future lives because like Derrick, they now understand the past.
ELEANOR LASER, PH D is a medical hypnotist who is also trained to practice Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP); Eye Movement Desentation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Hypnotherapy. To learn more about Elly's work, please see her articles on LinkedIn and www.laserhypnosis.com.
Eleanor D. Laser Ph D
Elly.Laser@me.com
Laserhypnosis.com
312-961-7727