Like most of us, I was introduced to Art Bell's world while driving late one night in my car. Working in San Francisco at the time, selling "hi-fi" equipment at 69 Green ("Systems Warehouse") at the tender age of 22, I was cruising down route 5 near Bakersfield, looking for an AM radio station to "keep me awake."
I had just declined an offer to manage a new stereo store in Santa Cruz - which the owners (Eckart, Jim) tried to point out was a "huge break" for someone so young - but I felt my path lay elsewhere, and I trusted that instinct. Before I headed back east to finish college in Boston, I drove down to LA when I found Art Bell on the radio dial. (LA is where I would return years in the future to USC film school, which led me to a screenwriting class with Luana Anders, who led me to the Flipside some 30 years later).
The older one gets, the clearer the path appears.
The signposts, although zooming by on a dark desert highway, all were pointing in one direction - something we realize once we get where we're going. The journey - windows rolled down, crickets chirping as a passing symphony - may seem random, even coincidental, until you reach your destination.
But as I've recounted, I took Flipside around to all the major publishers via agent Joel Gotler - Joel did his best to let me down easily "They're telling me they don't know how to sell you. It's not like you're a doctor, or famous - so how can they book you on a talk show to sell the book?" I understood the point, and went the self publishing route, via Createspace (prior to its being purchased by Amazon.) I put my book out - a couple of people read it - I got one "mediocre" review on Amazon, and thought "well that was that!"
But I asked my friends at the "Flying Saucer's cafe" in Santa Monica if I could do a book talk, and the owner said "sure." At the last moment, I decided to set up a camera to film the event. Ten people were in the audience - some old, old friends, from Larry Grennan from grade school, to Peter Bill from nearby Venice. I posted the hour long talk on my youtube filmmaker's account - and a thousand people watched it. And from that thousand, one invited me to the IANDS (international association of near death studies) in Virginia Beach.
It was while talking about "Flipside" at the Edgar Cayce institute, (to a larger crowd of about 300) a former Baptist minister said to me, "Oh, you should be on "Coast to Coast!" You're perfect for that show!"
I vaguely remembered that night driving down the California Coast, listening to Art Bell, wondering if his guests were "kidding" or some kind of theatrical construct designed to haunt or amuse the audience. Like a version of "Firesign Theater" but without the Second City feeling. I said to this retired Minister: "Heard of it, just haven't listened to it lately."
But this minister said "Art Bell has retired - George Noory is the host, and he'd love you." I admitted I'd never listened to the show since that night so long ago - and when this person offered to "write a letter to George to get me on the show" - I chuckled. Jaded Hollywood guy that I am, I thought "Right. Some producer will get this enthusiastic letter and choose the guest that the publicists were hawking." And that will be the end of the proverbial "that."
I got a call from a "Coast to Coast" producer - two producers actually - both asking me to come on the show. "We'd like you on for an hour on Sept. 11."(2012) I said "Auspicious date. Sure." He said "What else can you talk about besides the Flipside?" I said, "Well, I've spent 20 years working on a film about what happened to Amelia Earhart after she crashed... based on eyewitness evidence." He said "Okay, we'll have you on for 3 hours. One to take calls."
So I did the first of six interviews with George - (two on his TV show) and he's an excellent interviewer. Each time I'm on my books jump to #1 in kindle in their genres at Amazon. George single handedly turned this obscure, not-a-doctor, not-famous-for-anything a "best selling author" in one day.
He's invited me to join him on June 27th at the Great Greek in Van Nuys California. Details can be found here: "Enjoy gathering with other like-minded people as you have fun at lunch and meet some of your favorite people in the world of the unknown and curious. Tickets will go fast, so reserve a spot now! Email your name and phone number to: lunchwithgeorge@gmail.com. You will be called back with details."
About a year ago, I got a call from Art Bell's new show - "Midnight in the Desert" - Art is producing a new show, hosted by Heather Wade. I'll be on Wednesday May 24th at 9 pm West Coast time. It should be interesting, as they're giving me 3 hours as well - one hour for calls - and 2 to talk about the latest developments in my Flipside research.
http://midnightinthedesert.com
Now... onto the topic at hand.
I interviewed Paul Aurand for the film "Flipside" and book. He is the former President of the Newton Institute, and runs workshops in Europe for those who'd like to learn the technique. Paul has incredible insight into the Flipside, into the between lives realm, and has amazing personal experiences to back them up. (Including a between life experience after being struck by lightning.)
Paul posted this interview the other day, and I wanted to reproduce it here for people who'd like to know more about "Between life" hypnotherapy from the former President of the Newton Institute.
If you're in the NYC area, or can make one of his workshops in Tuscany - I can vouch that it (and he) will change your life.
Based in New York City and founder of the Holistic Healing Center there, Paul Aurand, MHt, is an award winning Master Hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy instructor who has worked in the field for nearly 30 years. He has been honored as “Educator of the Year,” “Therapist of the Year,” and “Hypnotherapist of the Year,” and has been featured in films and on television (Flipside, On the Threshold, Dying to Know, and Discovering Regression Therapy) for his work with the ground breaking Life Between Lives Regression Therapy developed by Dr. Michael Newton....
Please describe Dr. Newton’s Life Between Lives (LBL) process.
PA: “Life Between Lives is a deep hypnotic regression to that very special time a soul spends in spirit between incarnations. During an LBL you experience yourself as an immortal soul, meet your guides, loved ones and otherwise beings who help you explore your soul lessons, life’s purpose and other questions that you have prepared for the session. During this time in spirit many experience healing, unconditional love and oneness with all things. LBL is a profound, life transforming experience.
LBL regression therapy is based on research by Dr. Newton that spanned more than 25 years with over 7,000 of his clients. Since his initial research approximately 35,000 LBLs have been conducted by 200 LBL therapists in about 40 countries.
An LBL begins with a long and very deep hypnotic induction to help the conscious mind to disengage and achieve a highly expanded state of consciousness. The actual regression begins with going back to some pleasant childhood memories. From childhood, we continue back to that unique time in the womb, after conception and before birth. Here, we get the first soul memories. In the womb, we can explore such things as how you feel about coming to be born and what it is you hope to do, learn or work on. From the womb, we go back to the most recent past life to review some of the significant events as well as how that life ended.
This is one place where LBL differs greatly from traditional past-life regression. Rather than doing a detailed review of the past life combined with interventions, we want to use the past-life death scene as a doorway into spirit. Once the soul enters the spirit realm, the reviews, interventions and heal-ings will be done in a most loving way by the guides and loved ones rather than by the therapist.
It is important to note that once the soul remembers returning to the spirit world, it enters ‘Now Time.’ Being in now time, allows for review of the soul’s past experiences and it also allows for insight and guidance about the current life and future events.”
The Newton Institute
Would you describe what you and other Newton trained LBL practitioners have learned about the nature of soul and its stages of evolution, soul mates and spiritual guides and also how the several hundred practitioners he trained and worked with came to understand that the voice of the patient being hypnotized, who speaks about recalled personal experiences involving LBL and past-life states of being, is actually that patient’s soul?
PA: Simply put, souls come to earth to learn and grow. Some come hoping to accomplish something great, most come hoping to refine certain aspects of their soul character. “Regarding the voice of the soul, learning to distinguish these differences is part of the art of LBL therapy. The tone of voice, the choice of words, and the energy of what is being spoken is identifiably different when coming from conscious mind, subconscious mind or soul mind.
Ultimately, determining the meaning and the validity of the retrieved memories during an LBL is up to the client. If there is doubt, I use three criteria to help the client gauge the validity of their memories. One is, ‘How much emotion is there during the experience?’ A pure fantasy or wishful thinking is usually devoid of strong emotion. This is one place that the recording of the session can be so valuable. When the LBL client hears their laughing, crying, surprise, confusion, elation, awe, being moved beyond words, on their recording, it is easier for them to trust their experience.
The second is ‘If you are going to make up a story, why this particular story?’ Long held, limiting beliefs, old patterns and misunderstandings in the soul are being addressed and transformed during an LBL. When the conscious mind and even the soul are having difficulties understanding and absorbing the love, insights and wisdom that are being com-municated, this too, I trust. And thirdly, ‘What is the result? Is there healing and transformation from what is received?’”
In your case study “Love as a Catalyst for Change,” (Note: This is a chapter from the Michael Newton edited book "Memories of the Afterlife") you present a case where there is a long-term primary soul mate (Mark) and a companion soul mate (Raul). In your experience is it common to have multiple soul mates in a single lifetime, and if so are they alternate possibilities as in this instance or are they sequential, as in one following the death of the other? Also, are multiple soul mates always (or usually) within the same soul group as in this case?
PA: Although there are many variations, I think it is safe to say that we have a number of soul mates, one of which is our primary soul mate. Soul mates are usually in our soul group or a closely related soul group. If you have more than one soul mate in your current life, it is well worth exploring why that is.
Most often, soul mates come into our life to love and support us or to help us learn something or both. In spirit, from a higher perspective and an expanded state of consciousness, soul mates make plans about the life to come. They decide how they want to help and challenge each other. As the soul incarnates and the brain and body develop these plans are forgotten. Meeting these soul mates in life evokes deep emotions and stimulates growth. We always have free will, but remembering these plans and these relationships can help resolve so many issues in life.”
What are the principal insights you have gained about the state of superconsciousness?
PA: I often say: ‘My mind thinks. My heart feels. My soul knows.’ My mental (meaning analytical) mind is an important thing. It helps me function in my daily life. It helps me reason and analyze. With-out it I could not function on this planet. As bright and intelligent as an analytical mind might be, it is still a rather limited thing. My analytical mind would love me to believe that all I am is it! But I am so much more than my analytical mind.
It is essential that we learn to expand consciousness beyond the limits of the analytical mind. In this way we can experience ourselves as some-thing far greater than our analytical mind.
There is a great trend today to move from thinking into feeling. We hear leaders in consciousness tell us to ‘listen to your heart’ and to ‘follow your heart.’ Listening to the heart is an essential step towards moving beyond the limits of the analytical mind. But, we must go beyond the heart mind into the soul mind and the superconscious. In the expanded state of the soul mind we can, not only remember, but really re-experience what it is to be loved unconditionally. We can once again swim in the sea of universal consciousness and re -experience what it is to be one with all things.”
In practical terms, how do you deal with the problem of fear and other impediments to clients accepting, comprehending, embracing and integrating the spiritual insights and challenges they encounter in their LBL work?
PA: I think there are primarily three things that we are working with while conducting any kind of regression therapy. These are the emotions we carry from the past, the limiting beliefs that develop as a result of our experiences, and the unconscious strategies we develop in order to survive and get love.
The fear and other ‘impediments’ as you call them, arise from these emotions, beliefs and strategies. This is why I think the methodology that Dr. Newton developed is so brilliant. On the way into spirit, we pass through childhood, womb and past life where these fears and impediments develop, so we can identify and resolve them on the way back to or in spirit.
LBL is truly profound soul work. After a transformational, consciousness expanding, mind blowing return to spirit, it can take time to digest and live what is revealed in these sessions. I know for me personally, although I understood the deeper soul lessons I learned from my first LBL session, it took me a more than year to really be able to live what I learned.”
Can you give some examples of the types of transformational benefits attained by LBL and past-life clients as a result of their usual two sessions and any other follow-up work done with you and other LBL practitioners you know, and in your opinion what causal factors are key to meaningful transformational growth?
PA: Some people think reincarnation, guides and having a soul are interesting concepts that might be true. Others believe in reincarnation, guides and having a soul. During these sessions, you not only remember, but you experience your own reincarnation, your guides and yourself as an immortal soul. After these sessions, you know that you have reincarnated, you know your guides, and you know yourself as the soul that you are.
I would like to quote Ann Clark, our director of research, here: ‘From our pilot study The lived experience of a visit to the spiritual realm during LBL, we learned that participants reported less fear of death, a clearer sense of their life purpose, a new perspective on troubling relationships in their lives, and less anxiety about challenges they were currently facing, as well as learning new strategies for coping.’
What casual factors are the keys to transformational growth?
I would say that the first key is the desire and willingness to learn and grow. The second key is the readiness to take in and act on, the insights, love, support and wisdom received.
How do you answer criticisms of the LBL process expressed by some psychologists, psychiatrists and academic scholars involving accusations such as “the patient is making up all this soul stuff” out of fantasies and therefore it is unreliable information, and other common criticisms by such skeptics?
PA: There was a time when I, too, was quite skeptical. Long before learning past-life regression, I was practicing medical hypnosis at a clinic for patients with chronic pain and chronic illness. While administering hypoanesthesia to a patient who had suffered with chronic shoulder pain for nearly seven years, a mysterious thing happened. During the treatment, she began to tell a highly emotional story of being a slave who was caught stealing food and beaten to death for it. As part of the process she described her shoulder being stomped on and crushed. After describing her own death, she emerged from hypnosis and exclaimed: ‘My shoulder does not hurt! It is the first time in years that I have had relief!’ We were both stunned. Was her past-life story a fantasy? Was it a psychotic break? Was it a metaphor? I was not sure, but for me, the most important thing was that she was pain free. She remained pain free! It was after a few of these accidental or spontaneous regressions that brought inexplicable healing, that I knew I had to study regression therapy.
That said, the Newton Institute has a highly-qualified research team that continues the research that Michael Newton began in the 1960s. We have very consistent case studies from LBL therapists who continue the work as reported in Memories of the Afterlife and we carry on the research across many religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.”
How do you regard alternative approaches to spiritual growth and transformation such as meditation and related spiritual practices?
PA: I think that any practice that raises one’s consciousness and vibrational energy is beneficial. Something that I often hear guides tell clients during their LBL is that they ‘should stay in touch more.’ The most common ways they recommend doing this are through meditation and spending time in nature.
One thing I’ve noticed is that after an LBL session the client finds it easier to reconnect with their own personal guide and the spirit world. It is as though a door has been opened or the connection strengthened.
Although it was my clinical work that led me to past life regression, it was my near-death experience that led me to LBL. In 1998, I was struck by lightning. During the brief time that I was ‘dead’ I experienced many of the same things that years later, I would hear clients report during their LBLs.
Whatever the modality might be, my preference is for a client centered, transpersonal approach. When you walk through my door, I trust that you have all the answers within or that you can find them. For me, this is the ultimate form of respect. I am an expert at helping you achieve the state necessary to find those answers. I am a skilled facilitator that can guide you on your journey within, but it is not me, the facilitator, giving you the answers. My intention in facilitating a session for you is to help you find the answers yourself. The flip side of this transpersonal approach is that it is up to you, the client, to take responsibility for the answers you receive and for what you do with them.
If there is one thing that I have learned from conducting LBL sessions it is that you cannot judge. Sometimes things that seem to be wrong or even bad from a human perspective aren’t at all. The answers a client receives have a particular meaning to them. I do not feel it is for me to judge or interpret the answers they receive.
I think it is only natural that there are similarities between Life Between Lives, near-death experiences, out -of-body experiences, deep meditation, journey work and other forms of exploration through expanded consciousness. Part of my search was to find a way to experience these higher realms without the trauma I experienced during my near death experience. LBL is the best way I have found to do that.”
(Excerpt from "Exploring Life Between Lives with Paul Aurand" by David Stang for The Academy for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies, Inc) for more info, please contact Paul Aurand here: http://www.paulaurand.com
I had just declined an offer to manage a new stereo store in Santa Cruz - which the owners (Eckart, Jim) tried to point out was a "huge break" for someone so young - but I felt my path lay elsewhere, and I trusted that instinct. Before I headed back east to finish college in Boston, I drove down to LA when I found Art Bell on the radio dial. (LA is where I would return years in the future to USC film school, which led me to a screenwriting class with Luana Anders, who led me to the Flipside some 30 years later).
The older one gets, the clearer the path appears.
 |
| The first photograph. An old road and a ghost in Paris. |
 |
| Flying Saucers alas, is no more. |
But I asked my friends at the "Flying Saucer's cafe" in Santa Monica if I could do a book talk, and the owner said "sure." At the last moment, I decided to set up a camera to film the event. Ten people were in the audience - some old, old friends, from Larry Grennan from grade school, to Peter Bill from nearby Venice. I posted the hour long talk on my youtube filmmaker's account - and a thousand people watched it. And from that thousand, one invited me to the IANDS (international association of near death studies) in Virginia Beach.
It was while talking about "Flipside" at the Edgar Cayce institute, (to a larger crowd of about 300) a former Baptist minister said to me, "Oh, you should be on "Coast to Coast!" You're perfect for that show!"
I vaguely remembered that night driving down the California Coast, listening to Art Bell, wondering if his guests were "kidding" or some kind of theatrical construct designed to haunt or amuse the audience. Like a version of "Firesign Theater" but without the Second City feeling. I said to this retired Minister: "Heard of it, just haven't listened to it lately."
But this minister said "Art Bell has retired - George Noory is the host, and he'd love you." I admitted I'd never listened to the show since that night so long ago - and when this person offered to "write a letter to George to get me on the show" - I chuckled. Jaded Hollywood guy that I am, I thought "Right. Some producer will get this enthusiastic letter and choose the guest that the publicists were hawking." And that will be the end of the proverbial "that."
But that's not what happened.
I got a call from a "Coast to Coast" producer - two producers actually - both asking me to come on the show. "We'd like you on for an hour on Sept. 11."(2012) I said "Auspicious date. Sure." He said "What else can you talk about besides the Flipside?" I said, "Well, I've spent 20 years working on a film about what happened to Amelia Earhart after she crashed... based on eyewitness evidence." He said "Okay, we'll have you on for 3 hours. One to take calls."
So I did the first of six interviews with George - (two on his TV show) and he's an excellent interviewer. Each time I'm on my books jump to #1 in kindle in their genres at Amazon. George single handedly turned this obscure, not-a-doctor, not-famous-for-anything a "best selling author" in one day.
 |
| George Noory - Coast to Coast AM |
He's invited me to join him on June 27th at the Great Greek in Van Nuys California. Details can be found here: "Enjoy gathering with other like-minded people as you have fun at lunch and meet some of your favorite people in the world of the unknown and curious. Tickets will go fast, so reserve a spot now! Email your name and phone number to: lunchwithgeorge@gmail.com. You will be called back with details."
 |
| George and Mr. Flipside |
Tune in, call in, drop out.
http://midnightinthedesert.com
 |
| Can you hear me now? |
Now... onto the topic at hand.
I interviewed Paul Aurand for the film "Flipside" and book. He is the former President of the Newton Institute, and runs workshops in Europe for those who'd like to learn the technique. Paul has incredible insight into the Flipside, into the between lives realm, and has amazing personal experiences to back them up. (Including a between life experience after being struck by lightning.)
Paul posted this interview the other day, and I wanted to reproduce it here for people who'd like to know more about "Between life" hypnotherapy from the former President of the Newton Institute.
If you're in the NYC area, or can make one of his workshops in Tuscany - I can vouch that it (and he) will change your life.
Exploring Life Between Lives with Paul Aurand
by David Stang for The Academy for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies, Inc
Based in New York City and founder of the Holistic Healing Center there, Paul Aurand, MHt, is an award winning Master Hypnotherapist and hypnotherapy instructor who has worked in the field for nearly 30 years. He has been honored as “Educator of the Year,” “Therapist of the Year,” and “Hypnotherapist of the Year,” and has been featured in films and on television (Flipside, On the Threshold, Dying to Know, and Discovering Regression Therapy) for his work with the ground breaking Life Between Lives Regression Therapy developed by Dr. Michael Newton....
 |
| Michael Newton |
Please describe Dr. Newton’s Life Between Lives (LBL) process.
PA: “Life Between Lives is a deep hypnotic regression to that very special time a soul spends in spirit between incarnations. During an LBL you experience yourself as an immortal soul, meet your guides, loved ones and otherwise beings who help you explore your soul lessons, life’s purpose and other questions that you have prepared for the session. During this time in spirit many experience healing, unconditional love and oneness with all things. LBL is a profound, life transforming experience.
LBL regression therapy is based on research by Dr. Newton that spanned more than 25 years with over 7,000 of his clients. Since his initial research approximately 35,000 LBLs have been conducted by 200 LBL therapists in about 40 countries.
An LBL begins with a long and very deep hypnotic induction to help the conscious mind to disengage and achieve a highly expanded state of consciousness. The actual regression begins with going back to some pleasant childhood memories. From childhood, we continue back to that unique time in the womb, after conception and before birth. Here, we get the first soul memories. In the womb, we can explore such things as how you feel about coming to be born and what it is you hope to do, learn or work on. From the womb, we go back to the most recent past life to review some of the significant events as well as how that life ended.
This is one place where LBL differs greatly from traditional past-life regression. Rather than doing a detailed review of the past life combined with interventions, we want to use the past-life death scene as a doorway into spirit. Once the soul enters the spirit realm, the reviews, interventions and heal-ings will be done in a most loving way by the guides and loved ones rather than by the therapist.
It is important to note that once the soul remembers returning to the spirit world, it enters ‘Now Time.’ Being in now time, allows for review of the soul’s past experiences and it also allows for insight and guidance about the current life and future events.”
The Newton Institute
Would you describe what you and other Newton trained LBL practitioners have learned about the nature of soul and its stages of evolution, soul mates and spiritual guides and also how the several hundred practitioners he trained and worked with came to understand that the voice of the patient being hypnotized, who speaks about recalled personal experiences involving LBL and past-life states of being, is actually that patient’s soul?
PA: Simply put, souls come to earth to learn and grow. Some come hoping to accomplish something great, most come hoping to refine certain aspects of their soul character. “Regarding the voice of the soul, learning to distinguish these differences is part of the art of LBL therapy. The tone of voice, the choice of words, and the energy of what is being spoken is identifiably different when coming from conscious mind, subconscious mind or soul mind.
Ultimately, determining the meaning and the validity of the retrieved memories during an LBL is up to the client. If there is doubt, I use three criteria to help the client gauge the validity of their memories. One is, ‘How much emotion is there during the experience?’ A pure fantasy or wishful thinking is usually devoid of strong emotion. This is one place that the recording of the session can be so valuable. When the LBL client hears their laughing, crying, surprise, confusion, elation, awe, being moved beyond words, on their recording, it is easier for them to trust their experience.
The second is ‘If you are going to make up a story, why this particular story?’ Long held, limiting beliefs, old patterns and misunderstandings in the soul are being addressed and transformed during an LBL. When the conscious mind and even the soul are having difficulties understanding and absorbing the love, insights and wisdom that are being com-municated, this too, I trust. And thirdly, ‘What is the result? Is there healing and transformation from what is received?’”
In your case study “Love as a Catalyst for Change,” (Note: This is a chapter from the Michael Newton edited book "Memories of the Afterlife") you present a case where there is a long-term primary soul mate (Mark) and a companion soul mate (Raul). In your experience is it common to have multiple soul mates in a single lifetime, and if so are they alternate possibilities as in this instance or are they sequential, as in one following the death of the other? Also, are multiple soul mates always (or usually) within the same soul group as in this case?
PA: Although there are many variations, I think it is safe to say that we have a number of soul mates, one of which is our primary soul mate. Soul mates are usually in our soul group or a closely related soul group. If you have more than one soul mate in your current life, it is well worth exploring why that is.
Most often, soul mates come into our life to love and support us or to help us learn something or both. In spirit, from a higher perspective and an expanded state of consciousness, soul mates make plans about the life to come. They decide how they want to help and challenge each other. As the soul incarnates and the brain and body develop these plans are forgotten. Meeting these soul mates in life evokes deep emotions and stimulates growth. We always have free will, but remembering these plans and these relationships can help resolve so many issues in life.”
What are the principal insights you have gained about the state of superconsciousness?
PA: I often say: ‘My mind thinks. My heart feels. My soul knows.’ My mental (meaning analytical) mind is an important thing. It helps me function in my daily life. It helps me reason and analyze. With-out it I could not function on this planet. As bright and intelligent as an analytical mind might be, it is still a rather limited thing. My analytical mind would love me to believe that all I am is it! But I am so much more than my analytical mind.
It is essential that we learn to expand consciousness beyond the limits of the analytical mind. In this way we can experience ourselves as some-thing far greater than our analytical mind.
There is a great trend today to move from thinking into feeling. We hear leaders in consciousness tell us to ‘listen to your heart’ and to ‘follow your heart.’ Listening to the heart is an essential step towards moving beyond the limits of the analytical mind. But, we must go beyond the heart mind into the soul mind and the superconscious. In the expanded state of the soul mind we can, not only remember, but really re-experience what it is to be loved unconditionally. We can once again swim in the sea of universal consciousness and re -experience what it is to be one with all things.”
In practical terms, how do you deal with the problem of fear and other impediments to clients accepting, comprehending, embracing and integrating the spiritual insights and challenges they encounter in their LBL work?
PA: I think there are primarily three things that we are working with while conducting any kind of regression therapy. These are the emotions we carry from the past, the limiting beliefs that develop as a result of our experiences, and the unconscious strategies we develop in order to survive and get love.
The fear and other ‘impediments’ as you call them, arise from these emotions, beliefs and strategies. This is why I think the methodology that Dr. Newton developed is so brilliant. On the way into spirit, we pass through childhood, womb and past life where these fears and impediments develop, so we can identify and resolve them on the way back to or in spirit.
LBL is truly profound soul work. After a transformational, consciousness expanding, mind blowing return to spirit, it can take time to digest and live what is revealed in these sessions. I know for me personally, although I understood the deeper soul lessons I learned from my first LBL session, it took me a more than year to really be able to live what I learned.”
Can you give some examples of the types of transformational benefits attained by LBL and past-life clients as a result of their usual two sessions and any other follow-up work done with you and other LBL practitioners you know, and in your opinion what causal factors are key to meaningful transformational growth?
PA: Some people think reincarnation, guides and having a soul are interesting concepts that might be true. Others believe in reincarnation, guides and having a soul. During these sessions, you not only remember, but you experience your own reincarnation, your guides and yourself as an immortal soul. After these sessions, you know that you have reincarnated, you know your guides, and you know yourself as the soul that you are.
I would like to quote Ann Clark, our director of research, here: ‘From our pilot study The lived experience of a visit to the spiritual realm during LBL, we learned that participants reported less fear of death, a clearer sense of their life purpose, a new perspective on troubling relationships in their lives, and less anxiety about challenges they were currently facing, as well as learning new strategies for coping.’
What casual factors are the keys to transformational growth?
I would say that the first key is the desire and willingness to learn and grow. The second key is the readiness to take in and act on, the insights, love, support and wisdom received.
How do you answer criticisms of the LBL process expressed by some psychologists, psychiatrists and academic scholars involving accusations such as “the patient is making up all this soul stuff” out of fantasies and therefore it is unreliable information, and other common criticisms by such skeptics?
PA: There was a time when I, too, was quite skeptical. Long before learning past-life regression, I was practicing medical hypnosis at a clinic for patients with chronic pain and chronic illness. While administering hypoanesthesia to a patient who had suffered with chronic shoulder pain for nearly seven years, a mysterious thing happened. During the treatment, she began to tell a highly emotional story of being a slave who was caught stealing food and beaten to death for it. As part of the process she described her shoulder being stomped on and crushed. After describing her own death, she emerged from hypnosis and exclaimed: ‘My shoulder does not hurt! It is the first time in years that I have had relief!’ We were both stunned. Was her past-life story a fantasy? Was it a psychotic break? Was it a metaphor? I was not sure, but for me, the most important thing was that she was pain free. She remained pain free! It was after a few of these accidental or spontaneous regressions that brought inexplicable healing, that I knew I had to study regression therapy.
That said, the Newton Institute has a highly-qualified research team that continues the research that Michael Newton began in the 1960s. We have very consistent case studies from LBL therapists who continue the work as reported in Memories of the Afterlife and we carry on the research across many religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.”
How do you regard alternative approaches to spiritual growth and transformation such as meditation and related spiritual practices?
PA: I think that any practice that raises one’s consciousness and vibrational energy is beneficial. Something that I often hear guides tell clients during their LBL is that they ‘should stay in touch more.’ The most common ways they recommend doing this are through meditation and spending time in nature.
One thing I’ve noticed is that after an LBL session the client finds it easier to reconnect with their own personal guide and the spirit world. It is as though a door has been opened or the connection strengthened.
Although it was my clinical work that led me to past life regression, it was my near-death experience that led me to LBL. In 1998, I was struck by lightning. During the brief time that I was ‘dead’ I experienced many of the same things that years later, I would hear clients report during their LBLs.
Whatever the modality might be, my preference is for a client centered, transpersonal approach. When you walk through my door, I trust that you have all the answers within or that you can find them. For me, this is the ultimate form of respect. I am an expert at helping you achieve the state necessary to find those answers. I am a skilled facilitator that can guide you on your journey within, but it is not me, the facilitator, giving you the answers. My intention in facilitating a session for you is to help you find the answers yourself. The flip side of this transpersonal approach is that it is up to you, the client, to take responsibility for the answers you receive and for what you do with them.
If there is one thing that I have learned from conducting LBL sessions it is that you cannot judge. Sometimes things that seem to be wrong or even bad from a human perspective aren’t at all. The answers a client receives have a particular meaning to them. I do not feel it is for me to judge or interpret the answers they receive.
I think it is only natural that there are similarities between Life Between Lives, near-death experiences, out -of-body experiences, deep meditation, journey work and other forms of exploration through expanded consciousness. Part of my search was to find a way to experience these higher realms without the trauma I experienced during my near death experience. LBL is the best way I have found to do that.”
(Excerpt from "Exploring Life Between Lives with Paul Aurand" by David Stang for The Academy for Spiritual and Consciousness Studies, Inc) for more info, please contact Paul Aurand here: http://www.paulaurand.com
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