Letter to the Editor concerning the article by Kevin McClure, Reincarnation International, No. 13, pp. 24-27         

Denial is also a belief

KEVIN McClure’s article on past-life therapy (Reincarnation International, No 13) has missed one example:

“People have long found ways in which to try and prove to others the reality of what their own faith leads them to believe in...”

The missing example is:

“The belief that we don’t, or at most only rarely, reincarnate has led them to materialistic views which claim that any kind of ‘memory’ of a ‘past life’ must be wrong, and to denying people who believe otherwise the right to deal with this according to their own but different belief systems.”

If I try to respect his belief system, I hope that he will respect mine, and that of others’.

The examples of cases of alleged abuse in the childhood are problematic. Obvi­ously, the accused part will usually go to any length in defending his innocence, and with it his social position — even if it really did happen... And he will have a far better chance in court than the therapist — not the least since his lawyer can successfully refer to prominent sceptics like Mr. McClure, who effectively have already ruined the case of true recall of suppressed childhood abuse memories!

But the basic mistake of such therapists is that of making the clients challenge or accuse the perpetrator. In that way, the trauma is fixed rather than resolved!

The key to catharsis lies in forgiveness. When the subject can truly forgive the perpetrator — and she (or he) doesn’t have to talk about the incident with him (or her) in order to do that — the trauma is definitely resolved. I have had remarkable results with this approach.

It must, of course, be admitted that false “memories” are possible. But to stretch that to the end that all memories would be “false” is a gross exaggeration. If the regression experience leads to a drastic improvement for the client, this is a central point and one which by its result supports the theory of the method. As the saying goes: “Who heals is right.”

One more thing: If the client comes with a belief in reincarnation that the therapist shares with him: Why should one play hide and seek and let Kevin McClure impose his belief system on the session?

Mr. McClure has his right to act according to his belief, but reincarnation therapists have just the same right — in any case with clients who also claim that right.

As for the “risk” and “danger”, he seems to only be aware of hypnosis as a method. There are other ways! Hypnosis is becoming outdated for the purpose.

I recommend reading the book The Voice of Experience (not “The Politics of Experience” as erroneously printed in my article in Reincarnation International, No. 5) by R.D. Laing (Penguin, 1982).

Because of the striking tone of the quote on the graphic on page 25 — “…and therapists who do so for money are beneath contempt” — and not because money should be a central issue: The true therapist is, of course, one who sleeps under a bridge, gets his food and clothes from the Salvation Army and makes his sessions under a tree in Hyde Park.

Sarcasm aside: His fees must certainly be reasonable!

I would like to finish with two quotations from my book (translated from German):

“…critics of regression and reincarnation therapy … almost without exception are persons who have not had the experience themselves. Their attitude is also such that they will not expose themselves to such an experiment (since there would then be a ‘danger’ that they might have to change their opinion).

“Thus, they speak about past-life regression like the eunuch speaks about physical love...”

“The basic attitude is: Instead of exposing himself to a therapy in this manner, the client should rather refrain from seeking a solution to his problem...” —

Dr. J.E. Sigdell, Slovenia (formerly in Switzerland)