What is the difference between regression and past life regression?

Regression and past life regression are two different concepts:

1. Regression: Regression, in a psychological context, refers to the process of returning to an earlier stage of development or a previous state of mind. It involves accessing memories, thoughts, or emotions that are associated with a particular time or period in a person's life. This process can be achieved through various therapeutic techniques, such as hypnosis or guided imagery.

In the context of psychotherapy, regression can be used to explore unresolved issues from the past, childhood traumas, or repressed memories that may be impacting a person's current thoughts, behaviours, and emotions. The aim is to bring these issues to the surface and work through them to promote healing and personal growth.

1. Past Life Regression: Past life regression, on the other hand, is a belief or practice associated with the idea of reincarnation, which posits that an individual's soul goes through multiple lifetimes, being reborn into different bodies. Past life regression involves accessing supposed memories of previous lives through hypnosis, guided meditation, or other altered states of consciousness.

During a past life regression session, the individual is guided to explore their subconscious mind and access memories or experiences from alleged past incarnations. Advocates of past life regression suggest that exploring these past lives can provide insights into current life issues, relationships, and patterns of behaviour.

It's important to note that past life regression is not based on scientific evidence and critics argue that the memories retrieved during past life regression sessions are often influenced by suggestion, imagination, and cultural beliefs, rather than representing actual past lives.

In summary, regression in psychology refers to accessing memories and emotions from an earlier time in one's current life, while past life regression is a belief or practice centred around accessing memories from supposed past lives through altered states of consciousness.