What To Expect From A Past Life Regression

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Past life regression experiences are becoming more popular, especially among those who’ve lost a loved one and are questioning what happens after we die. Is there a way to connect with deceased loved ones in spirit, by visiting past lives and even life between life? I first became interested in past life regression just out of curiosity after reading the books Many Lives, Many Masters, Journey of Souls, and Destiny of Souls, among others. It seemed pretty wild to me, but reincarnation in general made just enough sense that I didn’t completely dismiss the possibility of revisiting past lives in a guided setting. I didn’t seek out the experience for myself, however, until after my brother passed away. Since we’re coming up on the first anniversary of my first-ever past life regression, and I’m now trained and experienced as a regression facilitator myself, I’m sharing what you should plan for in a past life regression, how it works, and how to process the experience when it’s over. Past life regression with a trained facilitator can be a great way to learn more about yourself, and connect with loved ones and guides.

Preparing for a past life regression appointment

Just as you would with any other appointment, you’ll want to do your homework ahead of time. What credentials and experience does your past life facilitator have? Are they recognized in the field? Do they have satisfied clients that recommend them? This is really important because it’s a relatively unregulated field where pretty much anyone can say that they’ll “facilitate” a regression for you, and you find yourself sitting alone in a room listening to a CD of a “guided regression” that someone bought at a New Age conference. Spoiler alert: you likely will not have great results with this approach. I worked with someone who had previously had a regression that went pretty much exactly that way, and while she felt she may have caught a glimpse of a past life, she had no idea what to make of it, and the “facilitator” wasn’t even in the room to guide the experience and provide feedback. So here’s what you want to make sure of before you book a past life regression appointment:

1. Has this person been trained, and by whom? Before my session, I sought out facilitators that had been pioneers in the field, with significant experience as researchers and guides. A series of serendipitous events led me to connecting with Carol Bowman, of whom I can’t speak highly enough. I ultimately went on to train with her directly to facilitate past life regressions myself, and it’s one of my favorite experiences to guide people through. Carol is widely considered an early pioneer in the field of past life research, has authored multiple books on the subject, consulted media professionals and spoken at length on the topic in public, including with Oprah!

2. How do they operate? Are they guiding it themselves, do they use a script, do they play a CD, etc.? If they’re using a pre-recorded CD, grab your money and run! That will pretty much be a completely useless experience if you’ve never had a regression and/or are unfamiliar with self-guided inner work. If they loosely refer to a script that’s not uncommon, but you want to feel confident that they are skilled enough to ask the right questions, provide meaningful insights and ultimately support you in resolving the reason for your visit.

3. How much experience do they have? There’s nothing wrong with working with someone newer (we all started somewhere!) as long as they’ve been appropriately trained and are facilitating it directly. Again, no CD’s, please!

4. What is the setting? A 1:1 experience will be the most impactful for sure, but also the most significant investment financially. While a group setting will not provide the hands-on guidance and support for processing emotions, if that’s the most accessible option for you, it can’t hurt. You may have a legitimate experience, but will likely be on your own for a lot of the processing work that follows.

5. Do they have referrals, and will they answer your questions? You’ll want to make sure that whoever you’re considering working with is clear, direct and confident in answering any questions that you have about the experience. If they try to rush you, or won’t speak with you before you pay them, drop it and move on. A respectable past life regression facilitator will be interested in making sure you’re comfortable with the experience and know what to expect.

Once you’ve found a trained, professional regression facilitator that you’re comfortable working with, you’re ready to go with setting up an appointment! Depending on who you work with, you may be able to schedule something right away, but more experienced or well-known regression facilitators often have a lengthy waitlist, sometimes in excess of a year or more, so be prepared, but don’t compromise the vetting process just for the sake of getting something scheduled more quickly!

How a past life regression works

Past life regression is facilitated in a light trance state. It’s not the cartoonish hypnosis experience you’d see on TV, but it’s difficult to describe to someone who’s never experienced it. Essentially, you know that you’re in the room with the regression facilitator, you still know that you’re “you”, you can respond to questions and prompts from the facilitator, and you are in control of your body. I was very anxious about my first regression experience, anticipating it to be like going under anesthesia and having no control, but that’s really not the case. You know where you are in your current life, and as you start to regress, you also experience the awareness of the past life you’re viewing. Some things to keep in mind:

1. Experiences are NOT always visual, but they are sensory! That’s why it’s important to work with a facilitator that is actively guiding the whole experience, because not everyone responds the same way to the same prompts. While one person may have a very detailed, visual experience (and I think we secretly all hope that that will be the case for us), others will have a much stronger experience of hearing, feeling, or knowing what’s going on. So if you’re not “seeing” anything, don’t panic, just try to relax and follow the cues from your facilitator. A trained facilitator will be equipped to help you “get there” in a way that works well for you.

2. Refrain from alcohol, heavy foods, caffeine or any other body chemistry-altering substances in advance of your appointment. Alcohol obviously will dull you and numb the experience, just as heavy junk food will make you feel sluggish and possibly uncomfortable from indigestion during the session (which can last several hours, depending on how your experience is structured). Same thing with caffeine but being a stimulant, may make you feel jumpy, unable to focus, and possibly needing to pee during your session, which would totally derail the experience.

3. You can tell your facilitator if something isn’t working for you. Like I said, you still have full control of your senses in this life, while experiencing the past life at the same time. If you’re having difficulty accessing a past life with the prompts the facilitator is using, it’s totally okay to ask for a different approach. A facilitator that knows what they’re doing will not be flustered or offended by this; it happens all the time because different people respond to prompts differently.

4. You can’t “force” a specific experience. You will encounter the life (or lives) most beneficial to support your development right now, and you’re not always in charge of what that is. A lot of people have high hopes of encountering a specific departed loved one or having a vivid “life between life” experience, and this just isn’t always the case. You won’t always be a hero in your past lives; sometimes you just had a “normal” life with more nuanced lessons to take away. It’s not always dramatic. I felt very certain that I would encounter my deceased brother in a past life, but the scene I visited ultimately didn’t have him there. It doesn’t benefit anyone to try to force the experience to be different or lie to yourself about what you’re seeing. The experience that you’re having is showing up for a reason, so pay attention!

5. Make sure you have a “core experience” in this life that you’re specifically wanting to process. This could be a recurring phobia, chronic physical ailment, or difficult emotion that prevents you from living the life you want. I personally screen out inquiries from people who are just curious about the experience but don’t have a specific challenge they’re wanting to address. There’s nothing wrong with being curious, but for the time and money invested, the experience just won’t be as impactful as it will by taking an approach incorporating strong emotions.

Try to stay open and relaxed during your experience. You’ll probably get a lot out of it during the regression itself, but even more insights are likely to come in the days and weeks ahead, so get ready!

Processing a past life regression experience

You’ll want to take time to process your regression experience after it’s completed. If possible, avoid having to rush back to work or family responsibilities right away. You’ll benefit most from having a bit of time and space to reflect on the experience, recall the people you encountered in your past life or possibly life between lives, and note any additional insights that come up.

Insights will usually flood in during a session and immediately after, and that should be part of the process that the facilitator supports. An objective facilitator can help you make connections that you might otherwise miss, and resolve pain and trauma from previous lives that are still plaguing you. If you were just sent on an emotional roller-coaster ride in a past life, the last thing you want to do is bolt out of the office and dive right back into day-to-day life. Take time to fully integrate the experience that you had, with the support of your past life regression facilitator.

Don’t be surprised if additional insights and connections occur in the days and even weeks following your session. I worked with a client recently who had a significant, traumatic encounter in a past life with someone they had cut ties with in this life. Weeks after our session they called me to tell me this person had reached out completely out of nowhere to make amends. This is what healing looks like. It doesn’t mean that you have to be best friends with someone that murdered you in a past life, but it means you can see the experience for what it was, realize it’s okay to leave it in the past, and move on in a healthy way that supports your life now.

Past life regressions can be lifechanging

Ultimately, when facilitated appropriately, past life regressions can be very intense but very meaningful experiences. They can be a beautiful way to connect with departed loved ones and guides in spirit, in a way that is safe and supportive to your current life. Just remember:

Do your research before booking a session with a past life regression facilitator
Avoid substances that will inhibit the experience, and stay open and relaxed as you are guided through
Many insights will continue to flow in after your session ends, so try to pay attention and create space to reflect and integrate the experience.

You can learn more about past life regression with Umoya Institute and apply for a regression here.