Why Group Regressions Often Don't Work
It's fairly common for practitioners who speak about past life therapy to conduct a group regression in their workshops. They will put a large audience en masse into a hypnotic state and attempt to lead them into some adventure into their past lifetimes. Brian Weiss is well known for doing this in his presentations.
It's also fairly common for the participants in these group regressions to not experience much of anything. Either they'll just feel relaxed but not 'see' anything; they'll get colors or a brief image; some people even go to sleep. In fact, the typical success rate in a group regression of retrieving something that might be past life material runs around 50%. This can be highly frustrating for the 50% that doesn't get anything. These people often end up in my office seeking an individual session, but worried that it won't work for them either. The flaw is not in the individual, but in the challenges of a group regression. Typically these clients have no trouble at all with an individual session.
A group regression experience is rarely an optimal setting to enter the kind of relaxed state that past life work requires: A large room filled with a lot of strangers, uncomfortable chairs or lying on the floor, maybe the temperature's too cold or too warm ... there are many physical factors that come into play. Add to that the fact that the relaxation and induction procedure is a multipurpose, one size fits all approach. It can work for some people, but the process is much more effective if catered to the individual after some discussion. On top of that, an in-office regression involves an interaction between client and therapist where the latter acts as a skilled guide to help the client past those 'blank' places and stuck points. In a group regression, you're on your own!
The key thing to know is, if you've tried a group regression and weren't successful, don't be discouraged. In no way does it mean that you can't retrieve past life material. It probably means you'd do better in an individual session in a safe, protected environment with personalized guidance. You'll also be able to more fully investigate and work through the details of any past life that arises, which is almost impossible to do in group settings.
Some people do get interesting information and some value from a group experience. After all, there is that other 50%. Have you had a group regression experience you'd like to share?