Other Lives, Other Selves : A Jungian Psychotherapist Discovers Past Lives

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Summary: The REAL thing!!
Review: After reading what is poular today as well as past writers (not naming names) I find that Dr Woolgers work is the most comprehensive approach to Past Life Therapy available. While many using hypnosis place an emphasis on recovering the memory, Dr Woolger's expereince is that the memory is the least difficult part of regression process, guiding the traumatic expereince and wound to the soul to resolution and healing is the cornerstone of his work. This is the piece, personally that I see lacking in other approaches. His work is founded in sound psychological AND spiritual principles and the ability to synthesize this and make it practical and accessable is clear in this book. After reading this book I had the ability to do some training with him personally and would recommend any serious student of this kind of work to try to do the same. At the very least, refer to this book as both pioneering and a classic in the field.

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Summary: Search no further
Review: Ever since I had a Near-Death Experience, 25 years ago, I strongly believe that we are here on Earth on a regular basis, i.e., that we reincarnate. I have gone thru past-lives therapy and found its deep usefulness. All this led me to collect and study most books on reincarnation I could read. When I found Other Lives, Other Selves, I suddenly felt that I had spent too much money on too many books! This is the only book I'd buy if I had had a chance to browse thru all my 100-plus library on reincarnation. The fact that he is a Jungian psychotherapist does not hurt, because he adds to Jung's positions the rich and vast body of knowledge provided by PLT. Look no further: this IS the only book on reincarnation and past-lives therapy you'll ever need.

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Summary: Worth reading.
Review: First because it seems that Roger Woolger is in front of you talking about this theme. Second because he presents the regression as a therapeutic model that lets the patients to heal themselves when they become conscious of determined past experiencies. The author presents the history of the origins of Therapy of Past Lives, analyses reincarnation from the point of view of occidental thinking, explains the work that has been done by some especialists and describes his own method. In most of the cases, he listen to the patient's history in order to know what he must focuse in the therapy. After, he asks the patient to lay down, to close his eyes and to repeat several times some word or phrase that the patient said about himself. Somehow, the patient relives past experiencies of this life or the other lives. Most likely it is the phrase that makes the connection with the past memories. However, Woolger emphasizes that the body can be a connection key to the past, too. Surprisingly, the patient's body behaves itself as if the remembered experience was happening just when the regression was occurring. Roger Woolger believes that only when the patient lives again the whole traumatic experience, he becomes able to heal himself. It is worth reading "Other lives, other selves" because Woolger other than explains the theoy about Therapy of Past Lives, presents a lot of truth cases that exempliflies it.

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Summary: Best Yet On the Subject
Review: I am a hypnotherapist and have read many books on the subject of past life therapy and I think this is the best yet. Woolger presents a more realistic account of past life therapy than some of the other quick fix books that are out there. Unlike others I've read, he doesn't claim that simply recalling a past life cures you of your ills. Instead, he conveys his experience as a therapist, that regression therapy is often a long and challenging process, though one with rich rewards. One thing I especially like about his techniques is his emphasis on incorperating the body into the regression, as that is where much of the trauma is held. While some therapists recommend taking an "observer" position while reliving a trauma, he encourages his clients to reexperience it as much as possible and considers emotional and physical catharsis as keys to healing. It is an enlightening and inspiring book.

Rating:
Summary: Best Yet On the Subject
Review: I am a hypnotherapist and have read many books on the subject of past life therapy and I think this is the best yet. Woolger presents a more realistic account of past life therapy than some of the other quick fix books that are out there. Unlike others I've read, he doesn't claim that simply recalling a past life cures you of your ills. Instead, he conveys his experience as a therapist, that regression therapy is often a long and challenging process, though one with rich rewards. One thing I especially like about his techniques is his emphasis on incorperating the body into the regression, as that is where much of the trauma is held. While some therapists recommend taking an "observer" position while reliving a trauma, he encourages his clients to reexperience it as much as possible and considers emotional and physical catharsis as keys to healing. It is an enlightening and inspiring book.

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Summary: A lot of ...........
Review: I've read several books in the reincarnation genre and I would call this book slightly disappointing. First of all, the book is filled with repetitive examples of how is regression therapy has helped people, but many of them seem like such stretches. And, in his defense, the purpose of Woolger's book is not to prove or disprove reincarnation... it is to talk about a new kind of therapy whether one believes in reincarnation or not. But, I couldn't help but doubt many of the examples given. Let me give you the basic gist: Woolger notices speech patterns in his patients... if a woman is scared of going on vacation, she might say over and over, "I'm scared... I know that I just can't do it." Woolger would respond to this by having the patient close her eyes and repeat that phrase until she was regressed into a past life where that fear originated, thus freeing her from the burden of that pattern of negativity in her cycle of existence. This kind of thing is a fine concept UNTIL examples like this come up (this is an actual example and the exaggeration in it is pretty typical throughout the book). A woman came into Dr. Woolger's office and was complaining that she was a "wimp" that she simply didn't "have the guts" to do anything in her life. She kept repeating the phrase "I don't have the guts" so Woolger had her lie down, close her eyes, and repeat that phrase. Until, suddenly, she was remembering a past life where she was disemboweled and literally "didn't have guts". This struck me as absolutely ridiculous... I can open my mind up to believe that certain physical problems can move into the next life... some have collected data to prove this phenomenon... but to say that the act of disemboweling someone can carry over to another life in the form of not "having the guts" to take risks in one's life is preposterous. That is merely an expression. Needless to say, it shocked me that that could even be considered.

Basically, if you are interested in the subject of reincarnation for it's spiritual significance, or because you want to know what studies out there suggest the existence of reincarnation, don't waste your time with this book. If you are interested in all kinds of therapy techniques, then Woolger's approach might be of some interest to you. I learned some from his book, but overall I felt like I could be reading something that was of much more interest and education to me.