Regression @ MindSay

I was thinking earlier when thinking about the past, maybe I try hard to overcompensate for some sort of deep down inferiority complex - I do things that are designed to subliminally boost me - I reassure myself, I tell others what I want to hear myself, I listen to music where I wish it was directed at me.

I mentioned the theory to my dad, and said how I am amazed by the wisdom and abilities of youngsters today compared to what I was like, to which he kinda launched into an attack on me - along the lines of "you were normal until you reached the middle of school when the your friends started to push you around, then you went drastically into retreat in life".

After some soulsearching I admit deep down I am frightened of life, which is causing me problems - but is it any wonder? If I do have an inferiority complex deep down it's not helping if my dad views me as inferior himself and psychologically attacks me, but maybe that's the only way he knows. On many other levels though we get on well and things are much better. He always claims that we make him proud, but I know really he secretly looks down on me for being quiet, he much prefers the company of loud people and it's obvious by the people he favours and his happiness around them and my sister (who is outgoing) - me on the contrary always have to defend myself. Feeling sad, or at least showing it is considered a bad thing, and gains no sympathy.

Nevertheless, realising that bit of my past might've unlocked something, regressing to it made me a frightened child again, for awhile, so that I'd realise, but I think I've overcome something deep down, at least a little. Hopefully my bravery when facing the world will be more genuine and less superficial, and will let me do more, and I think If I can start driving, get a decent job, and maybe even start dating, I'd have proven the world wrong about me, I'd have proven my capability to myself, and I'd be totally released from my fear, hopefully. I've achieved some goals already making progress to that end (getting a crappy job as a start, getting the degree, and something I'd rather not go into ;) )

While tidying up around the apartment I turned on the TV and came across Oprah doing a show on past-life regression. Eric makes fun of me whenever I confess to watching Oprah because I'm always complaining about how she drives me crazy; my defense is that if the current show's topic is interesting enough, I can put aside my dislike for the host and watch it anyway (the same applies to Dr. Phil).

Anyway, the topic of today's show, as I mentioned, was past-life regression. A therapist was leading patients with unusual phobias into what he claimed were past lives to help uncover the supposed source of said phobias. For instance, a woman with a lifelong fear of sharp corners and having her neck touched discovered that in a former life she had been slain by an Indian warrior with a spear to the throat.

The skeptic in me finds it very interesting that what seems to be 98% of patients who undergo past-life regression therapy report having been something akin to a member of royalty or a Babylonian high priest in a previous life. Remarkable, given the percentage that people of such status would have occupied in the general population. Why is it that no one seems to regress themselves into unglamorous identities, like chief stall-mucker or lonely Victorian widow? One of the patients did suggest that the therapy has a "fantasy" element, which lends even less credibility to the whole past-lives thing. I also found that the questions the therapist was asking had a definite "leading" quality.

Maybe it doesn't matter if the therapy is reality-based or total hocus-pocus -- if it helps the patient, maybe that's all that really matters. No doubt past-life regression therapists will have to break out the waiting lists now that they've received Oprah's coveted stamp of approval.