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Remains of the Day
Jayalakshmi Sengupta/Trans World Features
Is it true that your past lives carry the blueprint of your present? Jayalakshmi Sengupta delves into the alternate healing practice of past life regression, or PLR as it is known, that promises not only to repair and restore life but also to unbolt "abundance".
If you believe in "after life" then a soul's journey is an eternal voyage through time warp - throwing up endless possibilities of healing and knowledge. "It is a matter of faith", says Manasi Sose a past life regressionist (PLR). "But a conviction alone, that life is not limited to here and now, can be a powerful tool to levitate your mind to achieving greater happiness and success."
Even for the doubting Thomases PLR has provided an opportunity to grow from this awareness. For still others who are simply seeking the thrill of a little bungy jump into the past life, what can be more exciting than coming face to face with their doppelganger?
As a serious branch of alternate healing, PLR is gradually becoming more and more popular. "Is it true that you can regress into your past to heal your present?" is the obvious question. Mr. Vikram Puri (President Rotary Riverside, Pune), a sceptic, is ready to accept the possibility of a soul as a vehicle of composite past memories but feels we "could be a little irresponsible to seek justification in the past."
Patanjali, the ancient Indian Yoga philosopher, talked about the soul (chitta) carrying impressions (samskara) of karmas from previous birth, as far as back as in 4th c BC. He advocated the practice of meditation to cleanse the soul. The Buddhist concept of Nirvana works along similar lines. Freud and Jung did not believe in past life but used different techniques to release negativity from the subconscious/unconscious mind and got the same results.
In the modern day Dr Brian Weiss, a renowned psychiatrist has popularized PLR as a therapy. His student Dr. Newton, a practising PL regressionist in Hyderabad, says, "Medical sciences may never accept such natural sciences but spiritually inclined doctors all over the world use this technique today as an alternate healing method."
"Most of our health problems are a result of misalignment of the latent natural energy within us," reminds Sose. Be it stress, depression, all sorts of aches and pain, ulcers and hypertension fall under the category of psychosomatic diseases. Several of these disorders incidentally are at the root of other malignant diseases like Cancer.
New alternative ways of healing claim to be very effective in permanently curing psychosomatic diseases. It works on the principle of aligning inner energy by forming links between the emotional, intellectual fields and physical organs- Or, the subconscious unconscious mind – Or, the body, mind and soul, like PLR does
PLR therapy works on the premise that the cause of a patient's physical and/or psychological ailments is a direct manifestation of personal ordeal buried deep within the subconscious not just the immediate past, but that of many lives.
Like deep "childhood psychosis" affects the mind and consequently the destiny of human, deep "life psychosis" may set a "soul's blueprint" in motion. Like habits that develop since childhood, patterns may form over many lives, which are easy to understand and dispel only in perspective.
Practitioners of PLT use methods ranging from hypnosis to acupuncture for inducing patients to regress to their past lives and identify the root of their present problems, essentially by coming to terms with what has been relived. The therapy proves to be beneficial only when the patient is able to accept the past trauma and is ready to progress beyond that.
But for disbelievers it is just hocus-pocus. "Unconventional therapy has a huge market and people who want to believe in it are usually the emotionally vulnerable lot, who may get easily duped," says Dr Neha Dewan. " Occultist practices, like PLR, do not bring consistent, observable and measurable results and hence not that dependable either."
"It is a matter of faith," reiterates Sose . "But it is also about keeping your mind open to new possibilities." Instead of medication acupuncture helps in hypertension why not? If balancing of energies helps you to avoid a minor operation, why not? Why should one not promote alternate healings like PLR that has no side effects and reduce our dependencies on pharmacy?
PLR is not just about curing physical ailments. It is about steering in "abundance" in all walks of life. Be it finding a purpose in life, or resolving relationship issues, or enhancing career matters, or getting rid of bad luck, PLR taps into the vast reservoir of the timeless past, to bring clarity, focus, peace and above all abundance.
"To see things as they are," has been the key to enlightenment to all seers all along. For a lay man this is not easily comprehensible. An exercise like PLR has a therapeutic effect that helps even an ordinary man to rise above and experience life as an extraordinary experience. This itself is a healing process and cannot be undervalued, according to Sose. "It actually helps a person take responsibility for himself and not be victim of his own insecurities or deep seated fears and doubts."
26-year-old Deepali Karandikar, a corporate manager, feels it is "the best thing" to have happened in her life, something that "changed her life completely". Through her PLR sessions she has been able to find solutions to chronic physical ailments that even doctors were not able to treat. Today far removed from the burden of fears and complexes she was carrying over the years (and literally weighing 20 kgs less) she is a new person. Similarly 15-year-old Divyang Arur has learnt a few things about how to take control of his own life by breaking away from abusive relationships.
The answers were apparently imprinted in the many life time mistakes that flashed before his eyes, in a pattern. Not all people always see their past in vivid technicolours. Some like 38-year-old housewife Gauri may just "sense" them. But a certain understanding "dawns on you to help you clear your mental blocks. Prakruti Jain, a young hairstylist, had a similarly deep, kinaesthetic experience. After reading Brian Weiss she had begun to question the theory of karma.
Her own regression seemed to complete the puzzle that was tormenting her for the longest time. "More than answers my past lives gave me certain clarity and changed my attitude and now no problem seems insurmountable."
They all saw, felt and moved to a better understanding of themselves or their relationships. Sometimes they even grew to discover hidden talents like Sose herself who has turned into a professional artist, overnight. But unfortunately a lay man may not be able to afford a PLR session even if it is one time. "These are like designer outfits, custom made, for a select lot - the elite aficionado," argues Dr. Dewan.
That is why its popularity remains limited to a small section while the majority continue to struggle with their "present" - with never so much of even a clue, of how life could have been changed around, by just peeking through the looking glass.
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