By Peggy Levinson, LCSW, LMFT
In America, many of us ache for the next thing that will make us feel like we are okay. Sometimes we look to the little things – the company of a friend, escaping into Netflix, a drink, exercise, a delicious meal. Other times it feels like a major life milestone is between us and happiness – a better job, a new marriage, more money in the bank, having a kid, retirement.
While the thing we think we need may vary from person to person, or from one year to the next, one experience is all too common: that things are not okay. We may feel overwhelmed, or anxious, or unworthy of love. There is a sense of being stuck.
Fifteen years ago, I started a personal search for new ways to help my patients. It started with Mind-Body and Guided Imagery training at Harvard, and continued with light hypnosis training at UCLA. Then, in 2013, I began studying Past Life Regression therapy with Dr. Brian Weiss.
In the Past Life Regression work, I’ve found an approach that has been truly transformative for some patients. The practice operates on a simple principle – using deep states of relaxation to tap into different brainwave frequencies (Alpha and Theta states). When we enter these very relaxed states, we can get in touch with past experiences and conditioning in a whole new way. New insights and creativity emerge that helps us shift from dysfunction to health. Instead of examining the past through the lens of our analytical mind, we connect through a more intuitive, unconscious process.
Using this approach, a variety of significant memories come up. These moments can be tender and vulnerable, and are often very powerful. The therapist’s role is to engage gently in a way that facilitates healing and skilled resolution. Experiencing key memories and emotions from our past in a way that leads to healing, opens the door to change.
Peggy Levinson, LCSW, LMFT has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 40 years. Please visit her web-site at www.claytontherpay.com and call her for a free phone consultation at 314.644.3339.