Memories of the Afterlife: What We Can Learn from Our Life Between Lives

by Michael Newton, PhD
(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)
I have written three books about our soul journey from death through the life between lives experience and finally the spiritual path we take into the next life and our new body. These three books, Journey of Souls, Destiny of Souls, and Life Between Lives, contain over one hundred case histories involving my discoveries about the spirit world. Now there is a new Llewellyn book on this subject called Memories of the Afterlife. This book about our life between lives (LBL) is different from my other books in two respects. First, this time around I was primarily the editor working with the cases of thirty-two LBL hypnotherapists. I wrote the introduction and footnotes after each story to give the reader greater perspective about the topics discussed in each case, due to the fact that they are essentially different short stories designed as book chapters rather than one large novel with one author. Secondly, what makes this book so unique is that each case contains details concerning a post-session follow-up with every client who went through a life between lives hypnosis procedure. Our organization wanted to document the benefits of spiritual regression in terms of how the information received resulted in significant life-changing personal gain.
The authors of all the stories in Memories of the Afterlife are LBL hypnotherapists that my staff and I have trained under the direction of the Newton Institute of Life Between Lives Hypnotherapy (TNI). They are all certified by TNI with years of experience both as traditional and past-life hypnotherapists before being trained in our methodology for life between lives work. These authors represent many different voices, from regions as far apart as Australia, Europe, Asia, and the US. We have LBL practitioners in some twenty-two countries offering LBL hypnotherapy in nine different languages.
Each of the stories in the book describes the client and their presenting problem—the issues that brought this individual to the LBL hypnotherapist—and how the case unfolded in their office. The cases include past life information and what events took place in the afterlife that intimately transformed the client as a result of their hypnosis experience. All the authors chose to write about cases that were most intriguing to them and that would be of interest to the general public. The fact that the book contains the individual work of thirty-two authors brings a variety of style and content to each page.
I believe Memories of the Afterlife has something for everyone. Certain cases will resonate with readers who will personally identify with the client's presenting problem because they have similar issues in their own lives. The book focuses on sensitive and enlightening observations about such topics as soul mates, spirit guides, spirit masters, soul groups, the death of loved ones, the influence of past lives, selection of a new body, identification of the soul Self, and life purpose. Core issues of clients include fears of helplessness, feelings of rejection and abandonment, the pain of personal loss, unfulfilled lives, frustration over relationships, desire for greater self-worth, the need to know one is not here by accident, and that the afterlife is a place of order, forgiveness, and love.
Readers will learn that the challenging experiences of our lives typically do not happen by accident but rather emerge through karmic influences that were in place at the time of birth. However, there is always free will and the responsibility to make our own choices during life. These stories show that many past life experiences have influence on who we are today. During my editing of Memories of the Afterlife, I have noted certain primary themes:
  1. A soul mate learns that everyone, especially those they love the most, must be allowed to make their own choices in a relationship.
  2. In terms of matching up with a soul mate, sometimes we have misconceptions about who we really are as a person. Questions arise; "Is this person right for me?" Our human brain sends conflicting messages that may not conform to our immortal soul identity. There is often past karma involved between the two souls. The LBL session can strip away much confusion here with the help of spirit guides, our soul group, and master counselors.
  3. By identifying and understanding the members of our soul group as major players in our life today, we may improve our own direction in life.
  4. Children are powerful teachers and healers. When a child close to us dies, their departing can cause severe depression but also lead to great spiritual growth if we can understand why they left us when they did and to know we will be with them again in the afterlife.
  5. Where medical and psychological science may fail to provide answers for our physical and mental distress, reaching into the mysteries of our higher consciousness may offer us paths to self-discovery that on a conscious level are only imagined.
  6. Events in our past lives in other bodies that caused emotional and physical pain can be carried into our current life. Understanding and eventual resolution of these problems are advanced by perceptions gained through a between lives spiritual experience.
  7. Our path of development and lesson learning as souls over hundreds of past lives has many twists and turns that can be unraveled by seeing our place in the spirit world and listening to the advice of spiritual counselors.
  8. The chaos of natural and human disasters on the planetary school of Earth is designed to teach us to overcome obstacles and grow in development as souls. These ideas are difficult to understand in our normal conscious state. However, people in the superconscious state of deep hypnosis who visualize the adventure of between lives encounters see that the ultimate reality of our existence is one of order and planning. Upon awakening from a trance state they are amazed by this knowledge. Understanding the meaning of life provides comfort and strength to meet these challenges.
  9. The concept of hell is of earthly construction. Places of judgment and punishment do not exist in the afterlife. People who mentally experience the afterlife in their present body come away with greater feelings of trust and serenity because they see the spirit world is their permanent home and sanctuary in the cosmos.
  10. Experiencing an LBL hypnosis session allows clients to both see and feel the presence of those higher powers who watch over us and influence our planetary life.
The stories in Memories of the Afterlife all involve personal discovery because the answers we seek to the mystery of life are all contained within our own minds without the need for religious intermediaries. Once in a deep trance state, under the guidance of an experienced, well-trained LBL facilitator, we see the interdimensional reality of cosmic manifestations. When people who undergo this process no longer have a fear of death, there is a personal transformation in the way they conduct their lives in future. I especially appreciate the fact that the practitioners of the art of spiritual regression in our organization have expanded my own discoveries to new levels and thus have added validity to the entire field of life between lives hypnotherapy.
Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2009. All rights reserved.