Over the past 20 years, I’ve used meditation and regression techniques with thousands of patients, helping many of them alleviate psychological and physical symptoms. The benefits of meditation, healing visualization, and regression have been extensively documented in my previous books; in addition, my CDs have helped many people achieve states of inner peace and tranquility. My book Mirrors of Time allows you to take the next step and use the same regression techniques and exercises that I use with my patients. The benefits of regression therapy extend far beyond the alleviation of symptoms. Healing often results on all levels of our being, including the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual.

Before you embark on your own experiences with regression techniques, here are some of the most frequently asked questions I hear about the process:

Q. Do the regression exercises always evoke memories of past lives? Is this the only way to have such memories?
A. It’s certainly possible to have actual past-life recall through these regression exercises, although many other types of relaxation or meditation techniques can lead to the same thing as well. People may also experience past-life recall during dreams, spontaneously (often seen with children), or in many other ways. For example, my first recollection of a past life actually didn’t take place during regression therapy or hypnosis, but as a result of the state of relaxation caused by shiatsu massage (or acupressure). Suddenly, I vividly observed myself as a priest in ancient Babylon. I’d like to point out that it took me three months of daily meditation before I had this regression. So the more you practice, the better prepared you’ll be to open up to these experiences.

Q. What are the memories like that come during regression?
A. I find that actual past-life memories are usually accessed and described in one of two ways. The first is the classical pattern, where the person enters one lifetime only and is able to perceive an extremely complete, detailed depiction of that life and its events. Almost as if it were a story, much of the entire lifetime passes by; that is, it often begins with birth or childhood and doesn’t end until death. It’s possible that the person will painlessly and serenely experience the death scene and a life review, where the lessons of the lifetime are illuminated and explored with the benefit of the person’s higher wisdom and possibly by a religious figure or spiritual guide.

The second pattern of past-life recall is what I call the key-moment flow. Here, the subconscious knits together the most important or related moments from a cluster of lifetimes, those key points that best elucidate the person’s hidden trauma and can most quickly and powerfully heal them.

Q. How can I know if the memories I have are real, or if they’re fantasies or the result of my imagination?
A. It isn’t critical to determine whether what comes to mind is a symbol, a metaphor, a true memory, your imagination, or a mixture of them all. My advice is to relax and let what happens happen, in a nonjudgmental way. If you allow the rational side of your brain to take over, you may block memories and waste an opportunity. Just experience and let your subconscious wisdom come—afterwards, you can analyze what you’ve gone through. With practice, things become clearer, and you can differentiate what is memory and what is metaphor, symbol, or imagination.

There are many people who try to validate their memories with proof. Some of them have found their own graves; others find official records that confirm evidential details of their recall, offering proof of past lives. One of the most extraordinary cases of this involves a woman named Jenny Cockell. As a child, she had memories of living in Ireland and dying when her children were still small. As an adult, she decided to look for them, and she managed to find five of the eight children that she had borne during that time.

Validation may also take place through the intensity of the feelings associated with the memory and by the alleviation of symptoms. Xenoglossy, which is the ability to fluently speak a language one has never learned or even encountered, is another type of proof.

Q. What is the reason for using images of light, a staircase, and a garden during the process?
A. The image of the light (and its symbolism) is found in all cultures and societies on our planet. In near-death experiences, a magnificent light often appears as the consciousness detaches from the physical body. The light transmits the feeling of peace and is associated with understanding. And just like color, light is a form of energy. I like to use light and colors to deepen the induction to regression, and as a metaphor for opening up the mind and enhancing perception.

As for the staircase, slowly descending it symbolically leads to deeper awareness and concentration. The garden is a metaphor for a safe harbor, or the place where one feels protected and secure from any danger. This is why I sometimes recommend that when people experience anxiety and tension, they should breathe in deeply, imagine themselves immersed in light, and visualize the garden of safety and serenity.