The Paranormal Blog

Over the weekend I watched a documentary on the recommendation of an SPR member that involved past life regression, and an investigation afterwards into the information retrieved.

It start off with a UK fireman who undergoes hypnotic regression out of curiosity. While under he comes forward with an elaborate "past life" of being a well off rural landowner in the mid 1700s who after the death of his wife loses everything and ends up killing a bill collector.

The memories are so real to him when he awakens from the session and weeks afterward that they leave him emotionally shaken, and driven to find out if he can prove his past life actually occurred.

Armed with a name, some rough dates, a detailed sketch of his former home and lands, and the town he felt this all happened in he approached a genealogist who was able to supply a handful of likely candidates as a starting point.

As the investigation continued he began hitting brick walls and his past life memories began unraveling.......

His father recognized the sketch as a view from their former family home. They were able to go back and compare the sketch with the actual view today, and they were very similar despite the fireman not having seen this view since he was 5 years old. Other bits of the Fireman's current life became very suggestive of his past life, his "wife" dying early - his this lifetime Mom dying early causing him to rebel and suffer terribly etc etc etc

By the end it is fairly clear that the past life was actually a very creative imagining from his subconscious knitted together out of this lifetimes events.

Was fascinating!

I don't think the documentary can take away from those cases that do seem to point strongly to an actual historical person, but it is food for thought.

The strong emotional response to the regression and later the obvious disappointment of the fireman as he comes to grips with his past life unraveling is also interesting to note. He actually says the whole investigation was for shit. I disagree.