| There will always be sceptics, cynics, and | | | | |
| debaters who demand "proof" of life's more | | | | It is accepted by therapists from various |
| intangible things, proof which will somehow | | | | persuasions that the past can affect the |
| never be sound enough no matter how well | | | | present and that trauma of the past can to |
| presented.The subject of past lives is no | | | | greater or lesser degree affect actions and |
| exception to this phenomenon and time and | | | | behaviour long after the trauma has taken |
| time again the debate is resurrected to | | | | place.Scientifically it is proven fact that |
| challenge our present-day reality, subjected | | | | emotional and physical trauma can create an |
| to some banal argument or university testing | | | | effect long after the incident has occurred |
| procedure, always controversial and always | | | | and that depression can stem from purely |
| inconclusive.HISTORICAL CREDENCE | | | | psychological causes. The death of a loved |
| | | | one, for example.Chronic pain, it is now |
| Sensitive people, various native tribes and | | | | acknowledged, can have its roots in past |
| others close to nature have believed in the | | | | physical or mental injury. It is agreed by |
| existence of earlier lifetimes for longer | | | | most psychologists and counsellors that |
| than record. The Aborigines in Australia, | | | | upsets, feelings and memories can be carried |
| the Hopis of North America and others in | | | | forward by the individual to affect them |
| Africa and Central and South America all hold | | | | adversely in the present.Past life therapy is |
| such beliefs. The thinker and the | | | | dabbled in by many, used as a "sideline" by |
| philosopher alike have considered and decided | | | | others. Those who dare to take it on |
| in favour of past lives since the earliest | | | | seriously (and there are some) and work with |
| writings. Plato and his followers, Leonardo | | | | people to address real issues achieve |
| da Vinci, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, | | | | startling successes unrivalled in many other |
| Goethe, Blake, Freud, Jung... all these and | | | | therapies.CONSEQUENCES |
| many more believed in the validity of past | | | | |
| lives.The truly religious have found it | | | | We are still children in many ways, and |
| impossible to totally divorce their beliefs | | | | like children, we find it hard to remember or |
| from reincarnation no matter how hard they | | | | recall our errors because we don't like to |
| try. Both the Hindu and Buddhist religions | | | | re-experience those feelings, neither do we |
| believe in the existence of past and future | | | | like to think too much about the consequences |
| lives as foundations of their doctrine.Even | | | | of our actions upon our future. We certainly |
| the man in the street who doesn't believe to | | | | don't like to think about ghosts, to say |
| any degree in past lives is becoming less and | | | | nothing of the thought of being |
| less common. There are many who doubt and | | | | one.ACCEPTANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY |
| "Can't be sure" but "feel there is something | | | | |
| there". The percentage of people who believe | | | | The acceptance of Past Lives brings us |
| that we live only one lifetime are definitely | | | | problems, however:If we take on an |
| in the minority.BODIES | | | | acceptance, belief, and a willingness to |
| | | | experience past lives, then it must follow as |
| Some people have a real difficulty with | | | | surely as night follows day, that we have |
| their bodies. Often these problems are | | | | something to do with the way things are |
| related to gender. A person of one gender | | | | today. After all, we were here before, |
| feels female, yet has a male body. The | | | | weren't we? Do you really want to take |
| problem persists and unable to gain any real | | | | responsibility for that? Isn't growing up, |
| help from therapy or psychology, study or | | | | growing old, and getting through the week |
| colleagues, undertakes a gender-change | | | | enough right now?I'll bet you that acceptance |
| operation.Yet it could be suggested that past | | | | of past lives would be far higher if the |
| life identities were bearing down and there | | | | world today was a rosy Utopia.The other side |
| was an alternative way to address the | | | | of that same coin is this: If we accept past |
| problem. Perhaps there was some "unfinished | | | | lives, we must accept there will be future |
| business" back there?Many of today's | | | | lives, and the future will bring what it has |
| therapies give credit to past trauma. There | | | | always brought - the consequences of today's |
| are many which venture their efforts on | | | | actions. And that can be very frightening |
| resolving issues surrounding the client's | | | | for the many.If we have lived past lives and |
| birth and childhood, following the beliefs of | | | | will live future lives, then we are more than |
| their authors that all trauma and ability | | | | just bodies, not just a brain or pieces of |
| began there. The most courageous of these | | | | meat. Past Life authenticity means answering |
| will even go so far as to prenatal | | | | the question: "Who am I"?It means that there |
| experiences to explain character ups and | | | | really is more to life than eating, TV, |
| downs. But it is still uncommon for a | | | | clothes, football, sex and making lots of |
| therapy to seek answers outside of this | | | | money.It means the weirdos are probably a lot |
| lifetime.Our abilities and disabilities are | | | | more right than they've been given credit |
| attributed to the complexity of the Human | | | | for.The subject of past lives raises many |
| brain, yet far more information exists about | | | | issues. It raises the issue of personal |
| past lives than has ever been directly linked | | | | responsibility to a level where it becomes |
| to the working of the neuron-synapse.Often | | | | un-ignorable and undeniable.And |
| debunked and dismissed as impractical | | | | responsibility, like past lives, is a reality |
| reasoning and illogical thought, the subject | | | | which we so often like to escape from.Stephen |
| of past lives has yet to gain respectability | | | | Kaye is an Author and Businessman. He owns |
| within the world today.PAST AFFECTS OUR | | | | . |
| ACTIONS | | | | |