Exploring Past Life Regression: What Are We Really Accessing?

Past Life Regression (PLR) is a fascinating and often deeply moving therapeutic experience. For some, it offers a sense of clarity or healing. For others, it’s an opportunity to explore spiritual questions, release emotional blocks or satisfy a deep curiosity.

But what exactly is Past Life Regression – and what are we really accessing during a session?

There’s no single answer to this, because beliefs about PLR vary widely. For some, it’s a spiritual journey through lifetimes the soul has lived before. For others, it’s a powerful metaphorical tool that brings the subconscious mind into view. Whatever your beliefs, PLR can offer insight, meaning and emotional release.This blog explores the different perspectives on what’s happening during a past life regression – from reincarnation to symbolism – and how the experience can be valuable even if you’re not sure what you believe.

What Is Past Life Regression?

Past Life Regression is a therapeutic technique that uses gentle hypnosis to guide a person into a relaxed state where they can access impressions, memories or images that feel like they are from another lifetime. These 'past life' experiences often contain emotional themes, relationships or challenges that resonate strongly with the client’s current life.

During a session, the therapist may help the client explore a particular scene, travel through a lifetime or uncover events that seem to explain persistent emotional patterns or unexplained fears. Clients often emerge with a sense of peace, release or personal insight.

Different Beliefs About What’s Being Accessed

1. Memories of Genuine Past Lives

Many people who seek PLR believe in reincarnation – the idea that the soul lives multiple lives across time and space. From this perspective, what is being accessed during regression are real memories of lifetimes the soul has lived before.

In this view, past life experiences may influence current-life challenges or traits and exploring them can help the soul learn, heal and evolve. A fear of water, a recurring relationship pattern or a deep fascination with a certain era might all be traced back to a previous life experience.

2. Parallel or Alternate Timelines

Some believe that rather than being strictly 'past' lives, PLR may involve tuning into parallel or alternate timelines – lifetimes that are happening simultaneously in a multi-dimensional framework. This idea appears in various spiritual and metaphysical teachings, suggesting that all time is happening at once and that regression connects us to another strand of our soul’s consciousness.

While more abstract, this belief still allows for deep healing, as the emotional resonance of the experience – regardless of where or when it takes place – can impact the client’s present-day life.

3. Collective or Archetypal Memories

Another possibility is that the memories accessed during regression don’t belong to our personal soul at all, but rather to the collective unconscious – a concept introduced by Carl Jung. According to this view, the mind taps into universal archetypes or shared memories, perhaps of ancestors or the wider human experience.

Some clients report past life stories that closely match historical events or experiences far outside their own cultural background. This has led some researchers to wonder whether we can tap into stored ancestral or collective memories – not necessarily our own, but part of humanity’s wider story.

4. Symbolic or Metaphorical Imagery from the Subconscious Mind

From a psychological standpoint, some practitioners and clients see PLR as a symbolic process, where the mind generates stories and images that represent emotional truths or inner conflicts. These 'past life' scenes may not be literal, but they act like dreams or metaphors, offering powerful insight and healing.

For example, someone who struggles with self-worth might uncover a past life in which they were an overlooked servant. Whether or not this life 'actually' happened is less important than the emotions it stirs and the understanding it brings.

This view doesn’t dismiss PLR as untrue – rather, it recognises that truth may be more emotional than factual and just as transformative.

5. Soul Fragments or Spiritual Lineage

Some spiritually inclined practitioners believe we may occasionally access the experiences of other souls, particularly those within our soul group or spiritual lineage. This can explain why someone might regress to a life that feels incredibly vivid but doesn’t seem to 'belong' to them in a linear sense.

In this context, PLR might connect us to guides, ancestors or other parts of a shared energetic field, offering lessons and healing from lives we are linked to in a non-linear or spiritual way.

So… What’s Really Happening?

The truth is, no one can say for certain – and that’s okay.

What matters most in a PLR session isn’t proving whether a life is 'real' or 'imagined' but exploring what it brings up, how it connects to your current life and whether it helps you understand yourself more deeply.

PLR can bring up:

• Strong emotional responses or bodily sensations
• Insights into repeating life patterns
• Unexpected forgiveness or release
• Fresh perspective on long-standing fears or blocks
• A sense of calm or closure

Even clients who are unsure about reincarnation often describe PLR as profoundly moving. Whether the experience feels spiritual, symbolic or somewhere in between, it can open doors to healing and self-awareness.

What Happens in a Past Life Regression Session?

A PLR session begins with a discussion of your goals or intentions. You’ll then be gently guided into a relaxed state using techniques such as breathwork, guided imagery and hypnosis. In this state, the conscious mind quietens, allowing access to deeper memories or impressions.

You may experience:

• A full narrative of a past life
• A few key scenes, feelings or images
• Emotional responses that feel significant, even if the 'story' is unclear

After the regression, you’ll have time to reflect and discuss what came up and your therapist may help you explore any themes or patterns that emerged.

You remain in control throughout the process and nothing is forced or imposed. It’s your journey and your subconscious will only reveal what you’re ready to explore.

Is PLR Right for You?

Past Life Regression can be a powerful tool if:

• You’re curious about past lives or soul growth
• You’re facing recurring emotional or behavioural patterns
• You have fears, phobias or attractions that don’t seem to have a cause
• You’re drawn to certain times, places or cultures for no obvious reason
• You feel ready to explore your inner world more deeply

Whether you view PLR as spiritual exploration, symbolic healing or subconscious storytelling, it can offer clarity, comfort and transformation.

Final Thoughts

Past Life Regression invites us to step beyond the boundaries of linear thinking and explore the stories our soul – or subconscious – wants to tell.

Some see it as travelling through real past lives. Others as exploring timeless aspects of the self. Still others as uncovering rich metaphors that help make sense of the present.

Whatever your belief, PLR is ultimately about insight, healing and personal growth. It doesn’t require any particular worldview – only an open mind and a willingness to explore.

Interested in Exploring Past Life Regression?

If you feel drawn to discovering what insights past life regression might reveal for you, or if you’re curious about how this gentle and transformative therapy could support your personal growth, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I offer a safe, compassionate space for you to explore these experiences at your own pace. 

I look forward to supporting you on your journey.