Hypnotic Regression
What is Hypnotic Regression?
Hypnotic regression - or simply "regression" is a term used to denote the process of retrieving past memories and information through hypnosis. Regression used in hypnosis is not the same as simply ‘remembering’. Rather it is a process akin to mentally returning to an earlier time or event and in a form safely re-experiencing that event in order to retrieve memories and information that may have been “forgotten” or lost to the conscious mind.
The hypnotist gently guides the hypnotized subject through the use of verbal prompts and non-leading appropriate questions to safely facilitate memory retrieval on the unconscious level. Client agreement is always obtained prior to the induction and regression.
Types of Regression
Age Regression
Is primarily a therapeutic process that approximates re-experiencing an earlier age or event in order to understand and address the origins of problematic thoughts, beliefs and behaviours.
Recall Regression
Is used for the more mundane purposes of retrieving lost or forgotten information - eg. to locate lost objects when people simply can’t remember were they were put. For recovering valuable objects hypnosis may be a very practical tool.
Regression is sometimes used in crime investigations as it can assist witnesses in recalling crucial information or details about crimes that were observed - e.g. license plate numbers or specific facial features of a suspect etc.
Past Life Regression
This is an extension of (but somewhat more controversial use of) age regression whereby an individual is in-effect regressed to a time before their birth where they sometimes apparently experience living a different life previous to the one they are currently living.
This is a somewhat different experience and will be discussed under the “Transpersonal” section of this website.
Age Regression
Age regression is the type most commonly used at the Glen Tara Centre.
This process is a form of mentally returning to an earlier time or event and in-effect re-experiencing that event. Memories and information that have been ‘forgotten’ or lost to the conscious mind are retrieved.
Purpose:
Most frequently the purpose is to uncover the initial event(s) (usually in early childhood) that lead to the development of a particular distorted feeling, belief, thought pattern or emotional reaction that continues into adult life.
Process:
Once hypnotic regression has identified the “initial sensitizing event” that lead to the distorted perception, further hypnotic processes are undertaken in order to modify or “reframe” the original perception of the experience. In effect this “erases” the old, deep troublesome “core belief” and in it’s place “installs” a new positive or empowering core belief.
Result:
When the subject is brought out of hypnosis, a new belief has, in-effect been “installed” to replace the old dysfunctional one.
Long standing negative patterns can often be effectively eliminated through this process and the effect can often be substantially healing and transformative.
The subject is always informed in advance of the regression and must be in agreement to undergo the process. If the subject at any point feels uncomfortable during the regression they will signal the hypnotist if they need to pause or discontinue.
Is the Information Retrieved During Regression Accurate?
Memory is a subjective and somewhat "malleable"thing! Information retrieved through regression can be influenced by a number of factors and may or may not be completely accurate. The only way to verify whether or not information gathered through hypnotic regression is accurate is through true objective evidence. For example, if someone discovers where their lost item is through hypnosis, then goes to the place they recalled and actually finds the object they had lost, the memory has been verified. Or if a person remembers an incident that happened as a very young child, and the same incident is able to be verified by older family members who were also present at the same incident, that helps verify that the memory is true.
On the whole, useful information is usually obtained through hypnotic regression.
False Memory Syndrome:
Although useful information is often obtained through hypnotic regression, memories are still highly subjective and are also relatively easy to change, modify or manipulate. For example, poorly done regression where the hypnotist asks 'leading’ questions under hypnosis can lead to “false memory syndrome” where a memory is created out of the imagination of the subject through implication and suggestion. Therefore in law enforcement, information retrieved through hypnosis in-and-of-itself is rarely allowed as evidence in court because information retrieved under hypnosis can always be questioned as to its validity.
* Unless the objective verification of an event has occurred, clients who retrieve memories under hypnotic regression need to be cautioned that the memories could be fabricated or significantly distorted.
* As with all therapies, individual results may vary.
Information Retrieved During Therapeutic Regression
In therapeutic hypnosis the objective accuracy of the memories retrieved through regression is not so much of a concern because it is the person’s perception, interpretation of, or belief in the memory that is key.
It is the perception that the event happened - and happened in the way it is remembered - that is the issue. Whether or not the whole event is actually objectively “true” is of secondary (or perhaps even little) importance. If the person believes something happened in a certain way, then to them it is true. If it is true for them, then the issue will continue to affect them until the perception of it is altered. The therapeutic benefits of regression work are experienced regardless of how “real” or accurate the memory of the past troubling event was.
Types of Regression Done at Glen Tara Centre
The Glen Tara Centre offers all the above forms of hypnotic regression for personal interest and/or therapeutic use only.
We do not conduct hypnotic regression for legal or court-related purposes (due to the explanations given above).
For more information
Phone - 519-803-2965
email - Hypnosis@glentaracentre.com
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