Let us look at a controversial therapy topic: age regression through hypnosis. There are opinions on all sides of this topic, from so-called experts and people who just believe or disbelieve in the process.
My experience with age regression came during my hypnotherapy training and we used it to an apparent good effect, whereby clients were able to resolve/solve issues/problems that were holding them back or interfering with their health and/or happiness. However, we never concerned ourselves with the arguments about whether or not the age regression experience was real – instead, we focused on whether or not the clients could find some individual beliefs that would improve their individual lives.
To that end, age regression worked – and I’ll leave the arguments about real or not to others.
Age regression is a hypnosis technique utilized by hypnotherapists to help clients remember the perceptions and feelings caused by past events that have an effect on their present emotional problem or illness.
Hypnotic age regression occurs when a person is hypnotized and is instructed to recall a past event or regress to an earlier age. The client may then proceed to recall or relive events in his life. If the hypnotherapist suggests that the client is of a certain age, the client may begin to appear to talk, act, and think according to that age. This allows for the client to reinterpret their current situation with new information and insights.
Every age regression session varies based on the skill of the hypnotherapist and the desire of a client to discover the bedrock issue.
Purpose
The purpose of hypnotic age regression is to reframe the negative feelings and perceptions of the past to facilitate progress towards the client’s goals. It allows clients to find the cause of their current blocks and eliminate their past traumas.
When clients are hypnotized, they are in an altered state that allows for their subconscious mind to be accessed. The subconscious mind holds all the memories of the behaviors and habits that people exhibit to protect themselves.
Hypnotic age regression allows for clients to reframe and purge their unnecessary behaviors.
Levels of regression
There are three different levels of hypnosis; each level has a regression counterpart. Depending on the level of hypnosis and regression, the client will be able to recall a past event as if it were occurring in the present. When utilizing hypnosis, a memory can be frozen and explored more in-depth.
1. Light level
The first level is a light level. It is often referred to as the hypnoidal level. The regression counterpart of this level is recall. For many, the first level of age regression hypnosis is subjectively similar to the state one enters during meditation. The mind is still aware of what is occurring, but the subject is much more relaxed and is better able to focus their attention.
While in this level of regression, the client is able to recall the event. The client’s memory will typically be more detailed than their memory when they are not hypnotized though this is not always the case.
2. Medium level
The next level of hypnosis is the medium level. This level is referred to as the pseudo-regression level. While in this stage, the client is in a very relaxed level of consciousness and is less aware of their body.
During the pseudo level, the client is able to focus on specific details of his memories. The experience for the client in this level of regression is similar to watching a videotape of a past event. Often, they are able to see and feel the past experience. However, he is still very much aware of the present moment. The client is simply primarily focused on viewing the past.
In this stage, the client has a lot of control. He could choose to spend more time on pleasant memories instead of unpleasant memories. Clients are even able to smell odors or hear sounds related to the specific regression. The client possesses control of the entire regression experience in this level.
After the regression is finished, the client is still able to recall everything that he spoke of while hypnotized.
3. Deep level
The third level of hypnosis is the deep level or somnambulistic. Somnambulism is a commonly utilized to describe sleepwalking, but in hypnosis, it is referred as the deepest level of hypnosis. This state is profound relaxation and the regression counterpart of the deep level is revivification, which means to revive.
During this level of hypnosis, a client’s voice and other characteristics may begin to change accordingly to the time that they are regressing to. Clients may even begin to use phrases that they have not used since they were of that age. There are experts that possess doubt in the validity of this phenomenon; they state that it is merely the client’s hypnotized imagination at work, rather than an actual regression to that age and state of mind.
In the deep level of hypnosis, clients are unable to recall all of the events that occurred during their regression, similar to a dream. The client is able to recall certain details, but he feels the emotions as if he had just lived through the experience again. The fact that it is difficult for clients to recall the details of their regression in the deep level makes it difficult to fulfill the purpose of a regression. However, it is still an important level to reach during an age regression.
False memories
False memories are memories that seem to have happened, but are not real. These may be created at any time in everyday life.
However, people are much more susceptible to suggestions that may create false memories during hypnosis. If the hypnotherapist does not lead the client, then false memories are not as likely to occur. Contrastingly, if a hypnotist implies that some event occurred that did not, then a false memory may be created.
Some hypnotherapists argue that suggestions are a positive attribute during age regression and that they are merely suggesting a direction and seeing what the client reveals from it. It is, nevertheless, a procedure that must be used with caution.
Can most people experience level 3 age regression? I’ve heard something about a hypnotisability scale and I’m under the impression that some suggestions are harder than others. Anyone can be hypnotized but the kinds of suggestions we respond to and how we experience them is unique to each individual maybe? I don’t know. Is age regression something that you need to be highly suggestible to experience?
The thing about hypnosis is anyone, anywhere, any time can be hypnotized, but some are easier than others. However, if someone did not want to be hypnotized (go into trance) their resistance only makes it much, much harder to accomplish. But why would any operator want to hypnotize a subject that was unwilling? So, as long as they really want to use hypnosis for a specific reason (such as age regression) the suggestibility is already there. What may make the task more difficult and/or time consuming is the underlying fear – and we all have something(s) we fear.
The short answer is – if all conditions are go – is yes. But I would never go there unless the client had a good reason for the age regression – such as wanting to find out why they lack confidence or feel like a victim… and so on.