Past life regression therapy?

Freiheit

Just wondering how this is viewed in Psychological circles ?as I noticed a few practicing it in the directory of cbt therapists. I assume myself that memories of past lives are probably inherited and not evidence of reincarnation, yet I'd like to believe otherwise.

Velvety

CBT therapists do past life regression therapy? Really?

Freiheit

I have seen a sprinkling yes, even the odd relatively high profile one

hotspur

I assume by directory of CBT therapists you are referring to searching for CBT through holisto.com. What you then find are hypnotherapists who offer CBT without any psychotherapy training (ICHP diploma in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy doesn't count). Such people have no real training in CBT, and if they say they have a diploma in CBT it is a correspondence course from a diploma mill.

Real CBT therapists do not do past life regression, and it's kind of funny actually if you understand the parsimonious, pragmatic, teleological, problem focused nature of CBT.

Past life regression is not a topic within psychology or psychotherapy. It is the preserve of the non-scientific world such as complementary therapy, including bad hypnotherapists.

There are plenty of hypnotherapists out there who will take your money for guiding you in imagining a past life. By all means knock yourself out, but a question I would ask myself if I were you is why you wish to explore this. If it's mere recreation and you believe in that kind of thing then fine. If you are looking for some kind of help or answers, I would recommend looking elsewhere if you are experiencing difficulties in your life. There are plenty of real and properly trained mental health professionals out there who can help with a range of issues.

Freiheit

It wasn't holisto, it was a recommended directory, yes IACP.....Ivor Browne a a well known irish Psyhciatrist has engaged with such. I wasn't looking for such but couldn't help notice the occasional therapist who practices it.

hotspur

Which directory exactly? I just searched the IACP one for the whole country searching for "regression" and it threw up three therapists, one did childhood regression the other two yahoos did past life. None did CBT.

Sorry if I sound incredulous, but it's just so antithetical to the evidenced based practice ethic of CBT therapists that I find it difficult to imagine that it offered by serious, properly trained CBT therapists, with the natural exception of one or two who may have lost the plot.

Freiheit

Well I looked up the Mid-western region and there was people there dealing with past lives. Maybe it was only one but I thought it was more than one.

Bought Dr Ivor Brownes book, Music and Madness a few months ago and he's a believer in it. I'm not saying past lives are real, just curious as to majority psychological professional opinion on such.

hotspur

If you have ever seen Ivor Browne driving his car via his knees around the steering wheel while he plays the flute then you'll know what music and madness really means

Seriously though, past life regression is seen in the same category as elves and angels within psychology. I wouldn't take Ivor Browne as being representative of the profession. Seems like a very nice guy, but not the sharpest or sanest guy ever to practice as a psychiatrist.

JuliusCaesar

Freiheit wrote: »

I'm not saying past lives are real, just curious as to majority psychological professional opinion on such.

The majority psychiatric and psychological opinion would be against it. We tend to look for EVIDENCE - and there is no evidence that reincarnation in any form exists.

As you'll see if you looked in the stickies - there are only 2 organisations which accredit reputable CBT therapists: the BABCP and the NACBT at the ICP.
If you want links, check the stickies.

Myksyk

It would be a good example of what psychology is not. It occupies the manic space around but outside the scientific study of the human condition. This space is buzzing with hundreds of bogus and nonsensical ideas and therapies. Most of them are looking for the additional kudos of appearing scientific or 'serious' by draping themselves in cloaks of pseudoscience ... while at the same time claiming that 'science doesn't know everything'.

Dave!

Freiheit wrote: »

Just wondering how this is viewed in Psychological circles ?as I noticed a few practicing it in the directory of cbt therapists. I assume myself that memories of past lives are probably inherited and not evidence of reincarnation, yet I'd like to believe otherwise.

Memories of past lives are inherited? How do ya figure that?

PLR is nonsense with no science behind it whatsoever

Freiheit

Well I don't see why memories couldn't be inherited, I don't see why they couldn't have a place in the reproductive cycle somewhere.

JuliusCaesar

I have a vague memory of some early psychology studies into the hereditability of memories in my history of psychology class many years ago. They aren't.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could inherit the knowledge of my parents? Study would be so much easier....

Myksyk

Freiheit wrote: »

Well I don't see why memories couldn't be inherited, I don't see why they couldn't have a place in the reproductive cycle somewhere.

Well if you've no problem with it happening and have deemed it possible/desirable, who are we to dissent and disagree?

Now if you had some hard science to back that up ... all the better.