Taking you into Sacred Space is Shea a Past Life Regressionist

What brings you to Phangan?
I was in Chiang Mai doing a Thai massage course and discovered that a few of my friends were on the island so I came along. I was here two years ago, but was just passing through and didn’t have a chance to experience Sri Thanu. I’ve been travelling Asia for nearly three years now and will be here for some time.

Talk us through what you do…
I became interested in regression because of the hypnosis and trance books I was reading. Learning about the experiences of ordinary people under hypnosis affected me on a deep spiritual level, as much as ancient scripture.

A regression involves relaxing your body, projecting your soul, and then inviting spirit guides and wise ones to show you a past life that would be of benefit to remember in your current life. I call my practice ‘Sacred Space’ and help people to remember their soul's timeline by asking questions.

Soul progressions are in a deeper stage of trance. Hypnotists in the 70’s and 80’s discovered using between-lives techniques that if they regressed subjects deep enough into a theta state of trance, they would all go to the same place and describe the same things, no matter what their spiritual beliefs or cultural backgrounds. I take people there to see if there are any patterns or issues they can work through.

I became a hypnotist 7 years ago, and continuing to work on physical issues through thai yoga massage was kind of the next step in my development as a practitioner. With it, I help people to relax by working on their subtle body energies. It’s a Buddhist practice, developed at the time of the Buddha.

What happens when a person has a past life regression?
In my own experience, my first regressions before I became a hypnotist were to heal throat problems, I had trouble speaking and being creative and had a chronically sore throat. I went back to three past lives, in one I was beheaded, a second where I had been burned at the stake as a witch for speaking my truth, and a third where I had been nearly stoned to death for standing up against corruption. I was just amazed at the healing I experienced after remembering and using the mental techniques I was given to overcome the blockages. That’s why I decided to become a past life regressionist. With other people, the results are varied, every regression is different. I always call spirit guides to help and we follow the path that is laid out by the subject's higher guidance. That is one of the things that sets this practice apart from clinical hypnotherapy. Some people are really good at remembering details, what point of time they are in, which country, these types of details. Whereas others remember their past emotions better, not what things look like but how they feel.

How do you know this works?
When I first started it felt like I was imagining things and making it all up, but it was the benefits that I experienced afterwards that made me believe it was real.

The possibility exists that people are shown a lifetime that would be beneficial for them to remember as an archetype, for instance, there are a number of people who remember being the same famous person, and it seems there are a number of advanced souls incarnating on this planet for the first time.

It’s about healing rather than ensuring that something truly happened. But there have been occasions where I’ve had people tell me about plagues or battles they have been in, and we have been able to go on the internet and confirm that these events actually did happen in history.

How do you get people in a deep enough hypnosis?
I start off by asking the subject to be aware of their breathing, then body relaxation, then we move into visualisations, picturing things with the mind's eye and asking for the help of our spirit guides. Then I take them through memories in their current life, we work back through childhood and infancy, back into the womb and then back into a tunnel of light that they follow into space.

Are there some common problems that you heal?
I'm not the one who does the healing, I just try to facilitate it, but the sessions usually come down to physical issues, relationship issues and how to live a better life.

The people who come to me are generally pretty aware and teach themselves through their inner guidance system, rather than relying on a guru. I stay in spiritual communities and do my work by donation and through word of mouth, so the people who hear about me are practicing meditation and energy work already, and are prepared to experience their soul in a more eternal way.

Can you explain the place of ‘theta trance’?
The term people in the hypnosis community usually use is the 'spirit world.' After death you meet a guide and follow them through a tunnel of light to a subtle plane that feels like it has always been your home. You meet your soul group, these are friends who you incarnate with repeatedly throughout time.

Soul age is another factor in this work, younger souls have a more dense energy and are aware of themselves and surrounding community, while older souls have more vast energy and are aware of the needs of the planet and beyond. I don't usually use the terms 'old and young souls' because time as we know it ceases to exist when we leave earth, but it's a common terminology and the metaphor makes sense.

So you meet with the soul group and spirit guides to discuss the lessons you have learned on earth. The majority of people see a Council of Elders who are ascended masters and the guides of their personal guides. Ultimately we are all one though, like individual fingers on one hand.
They are shown a life review and helped with evolutionary lessons that continue from lifetime to lifetime. Then they choose a body for a future incarnation, that will be of most benefit as they progress on their path. Sometimes it's a challenging body in a challenging situation, as that can offer many opportunities to advance quickly.

Do you think this can help people be less scared of death?
Absolutely, I think when people remember having died before and remember where they go between lifetimes, the fear of death dissipates, because a fear of death is a fear of the unknown.

What stories have you heard from people you have benefited?
There was someone who died of a skin condition in a previous life and had minor skin issues in her current life. I saw a vision of her spirit guide offering her a shower of light to cleanse and purify her body.
She did the visualisation I described to her and later on her skin issues cleared up.

Someone else was having prosperity issues, not enough money, so we went back to his previous life as a monk who took a vow of poverty. These vows don’t die with death, so by returning and undoing the vow, he was able to live more authentically as a layperson in this lifetime.

I have people coming in with karma tied up with a loved one; they meet someone, fall in love quickly and the feelings are very powerful. The hard part is when the love is not destined to last the lifetime, but is for the partners to balance karma and learn from each other for only a period of time. One person had been married to a maharaja in ancient India, he had left her broken hearted and alone, and in this lifetime she was leaving him. She felt guilty and sad about needing to leave, but really it was just karma balancing out with lessons of love, kindness and patience being learned by both sides.

A lot of teachings we hear about karma are based on fear and retribution - if you do this or that, something bad will happen and you will suffer. Or, you're suffering now because of all the terrible things you have done in the past. But love based karma is more about learning lessons of compassion, goodwill and service to others.

What do you think about the spiritual community here?
I hear Koh Phangan is a crystal island and it really does have powerful energy. Crystals are alive and they emit loving peaceful vibrations and conscious souls are really attracted to that.
I enjoy learning and the spiritual community on Koh Phangan has a lot to teach me.

In the last ten years I have spent time with many different Buddhist communities and while they are all focused on enlightenment, it sometimes seems like this focus is on the concept of enlightenment as it pertains to others - Shakyamuni Buddha or their own teacher - rather than the actual light that emits from themselves and from everyone.

I like that people here are very aware of the Shift from the old age to the new age – an age of darkness to an age of light. They all have something to offer an enlightened planet and make great efforts to do so. It's very heartening.

What are your current projects?
I do guided group meditation sessions for more traditional hypnosis suggestions, like releasing attachment and enhancing prosperity. It's amazing how people coming together for a common purpose can really intensify the meditation session.

My day job is as an editor and transcriber of Buddhist and other spiritual material. I also work online as an ESL teacher, teaching English to people using Buddhist books.

I have been doing one-on-one sessions, as well as continuing to write a book on my experiences as a past life regressionist.

What do you enjoy about Koh Phangan in your spare time?
I like going swimming and spending time at the beach. I meditate, read tarot cards, do yoga and qi gong, play the flute and spend quality time with friends talking about the nature of the universe.
I love listening to so many different opinions and learning from different but like-minded people. I take long walks using mantras, training my mind and body as I go.

What is your life philosophy?
Be of service to humanity. Be kind, thoughtful, patient, compassionate and loving.
Let the negativity of the world wash off and shine my little light.