Some holistic practitioners believe the history of the soul’s journey is recorded and stored in the unconscious mind, available for retrieval at any time.  Looking at your past lives is thought to bring insights to your present life. All we need to do is put aside our analytical minds for a time and open our hearts. Years ago, my first past life regression (PLR) experience broke my heart.

During my session, the practitioner put me in a relaxed trance. Then she had me visualize my feet. What I saw was the tan, dirty feet of a young Hispanic woman. I was observing her surroundings through her eyes. In the mid-1800s, she lived on a poor dirt farm with her elderly father. At this particular moment in time, she watched her beloved disappear over the top of a dry grassy hill in the distance.

During my session, I sobbed at the deep sorrow I felt coming from her. She had spent hours watching the hill, her emotions fluctuating between the desperate hope that he would come back for her and the consuming grief that he had moved on without her. Every day for the rest of her lonely life, she awaited the return of this man. With no friends and no love in her life, she had only her father, who worked her to the bone. Every day was the same. As an old woman, she died not knowing if the man had ever loved her at all.

After the session, I felt a profound sadness. My body trembled in pain for this person. The only thing she wanted in her simple life was to be loved. Her story still haunts me, and I cry every time I tell her story. Was this woman made up from my imagination or was she a true past life? I don’t know. Real or not, it affects my writing.

I strive to write about those emotions that transcend all lives—to love and be loved. I’m compelled to write characters with deep backstories. I want readers to step into these lives and feel the power of their emotions as I did during my PLR session. I’d like to think the experience has made me a better writer.

Have you ever had a Past Life Regression (PLR) session? How did it affect you?