There is no denying that family relationships can offer us the greatest experience of love and joy, as well as our most difficult struggles. Some belief systems espouse the idea that we choose our families for each lifetime before our birth to give our inner being the greatest opportunity for growth. This then means we may have repeat experiences in multiple lifetimes with the same souls, but in different relationships. 

In his breakthrough book, Many Lives, Many Masters, psychiatrist Dr. Brian Weiss told a story of the healing power of past life regression. He attempted to help his patient Catherine, who suffered from anxiety, panic attacks and phobias, however, he had only minimal success from conventional therapy. Weiss used hypnosis to regress her to uncover any hidden memories of trauma from early childhood. To his surprise, the memory she uncovered was from a lifetime many centuries before. At the time Weiss did not believe in reincarnation, but he could not deny the healing his patient was experiencing.

Weiss continued to use the technique of past life regression on many of his patients with similar powerful healing results. Through the experiences with his patients, and some of his own later personal experiences, he came to believe in reincarnation and the power of past life regression/review.

Whether one believes in reincarnation or not, it would be impossible to deny that our relationships are some of the most powerful teachers as we evolve and learn as spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body. In his book, Through Time into Healing, Weiss explores how chronic conflicts in couples and families often have their root causes in prior lives. Conflicts and feelings of anger, fear, hatred and other negative emotions that manifest in current life relationships may actually have their beginnings many centuries ago.

Past Life Review Helps Heal Family Dynamics

One of the ways past life review may heal family relationships is to increase understanding and compassion between family members. A powerful example of this is the story of Diane and her daughter Tamar as told by Weiss in Through Time into Healing. Diane had come to Weiss for help with her depression. It became clear to the doctor that the strained relationship with her daughter Tamar was one of the main reasons for her depression. She told the doctor that, unlike her previous three children, with whom she had experienced joy upon their birth, she had feelings of anger and revulsion towards her daughter when she was born. Now that Tamar was a teenager, the tension in their relationship often resulted in violent arguments. 

In a session where their past lives together were explored, Diane uncovered that in one lifetime she and her daughter had been rivals for the affections of the same man. That man was Diane’s present husband and Tamar’s father. At the time, Diane chose not to share her newfound knowledge with her daughter because of its unusual nature, but she was shocked when her daughter went through her own past life regression, in another state and with a different therapist and discovered the same dynamic in her own exploration. Now that they had an understanding of their previous conflict, this mother and daughter were able to heal their relationship. 

Through past life review, we can gain understanding that can help us make more informed decisions in the present moment, to help resolve conflicts and even rewrite “soul contracts”. A soul contract can be a positive decision made with “God” or our higher selves before conception in the present incarnation. It might include a choice to learn specific lessons or repay karmic debt, be a teacher or leader, or understand decisions about parents or patterns of illness or death. 

Soul contracts can also be decisions made by a soul at the time of death with another soul that might be outdated or need to be adjusted in order for that relationship to be more balanced in this life. Often an indication that a soul contract needs to be rewritten is in the nature of the relationship. If a relationship has a compulsive nature, it is often an indication of a troublesome and obsolete contract between one party and another in a past life. Once discovered, these “soul contracts” may be rewritten between the individuals to find greater peace and balance in this life. 

If typical channels of healing family dynamics fall short, consider past life review as a pathway to healing. 

Thea Litsios is a certified consulting hypnotist, teacher of Active Dreaming and founder of Healing Tree Wisdom, LLC. She can be reached at 203-693-1493 and HealingTreeWisdom.com. See ad, page 13.