Working with Symbolic Past Lives

Between Therapeutic Metaphor and Subconscious Narrative

In therapeutic practice, clients may access vivid inner experiences that appear to be from “past lives.” But are these literal reincarnations or rich symbolic narratives drawn from the subconscious?

This workshop invites practitioners to explore a clinical, non-dogmatic approach to past-life regression, where the focus is not on proving past lives, but on working with the material as a therapeutic metaphor. We will examine how these symbolic experiences can reveal emotional imprints, unresolved patterns, or deep-rooted beliefs, and how to hold them within a safe, structured process that facilitates transformation.

The session bridges hypnotic regression techniques with insights from neuroscience and trauma theory, showing how the subconscious uses imagery, story, and sensation to externalise internal conflicts. We will discuss how to distinguish between memory, metaphor, and psychological projection, and why the distinction may not always be necessary for healing to occur.

Through case examples and practical guidance, this presentation will offer tools for working ethically and effectively with clients who spontaneously access symbolic “past-life” content, whether or not they believe in reincarnation.

This presentation is ideal for hypnotherapists, psychotherapists and coaches interested in integrating regression in a way that is ethical, accessible and grounded in good clinical practice.

Ruxandra Bulzan is a psychologist, transpersonal psychotherapist, internationally accredited trainer in regression therapy, and published author. She is the president of the Romanian Association for Hypnosis and Regression Therapy and one of the few trainers worldwide accredited by the Earth Association for Regression Therapy (EARTh). With extensive clinical and teaching experience across Europe, she integrates hypnosis, trauma-informed approaches, and symbolic processing to support ethical, transformative regression work grounded in psychological and neuroscientific principles.