For many people, the concept of reincarnation — that our souls are reborn again and again in different life forms — is a comforting one. But according to Dr. Georgina Cannon, those past lives can also cause present pain, both emotional and physical. We spoke to her about how we can heal our souls through hypnotherapy.

What exactly is past-life regression?
It’s really about the concept of reincarnation — that the soul or the energy that we are doesn’t die; it’s just the body that does. The soul enters other lifetimes. It’s been through other places and bodies, and it will continue to move through others until it learns everything it needs to and it’s joined back with God, or the light.

So your job is to help people examine their soul’s past lifetimes?
Yes. Sometimes people come in out of curiosity. Other times they come in because they’ve had a déjà vu experience they don’t understand. Sometimes it’s because of a fear of flying or snakes or heights.

How does it work? You lead them back in time through hypnosis?
Yes, to a state of gentle relaxation. It’s the same brainwaves as meditation — or what athletes call “the zone.” Really what you’re doing is shutting out the outside and focusing inward. You still know exactly where you are, you can hear my voice and maybe the phone ringing next door — except none of that matters because you’re focusing on what’s happening inside.

So when I have déjà vu or feel a connection to a place I’ve never been before, those are examples of my soul remembering a past-life experience?
Yes. We’ve all had experiences when we think, “I know I’ve had this conversation before with this person” — and it can be a total stranger. I had someone come to the clinic, and she had just been to Edinburgh, to the castle, and her husband kept saying, “Slow down, slow down,” and she replied, “But I know where I’m going.” They’d never been there before, and she certainly had never lived in a castle.

What kinds of problems do people come to you with?
It’s interesting. I get a lot of very senior business people. In fact, I had one yesterday who came in and said, “There’s something not right with the relationship I have with my business partner, and I don’t know what it is.” It turned out the two of them had been arch-enemies, and they had fought a duel in medieval England. So we had to heal it and leave all of that behind — and bring the learning and the wisdom from it.

How does the healing process work?
The soul looks back over that lifetime, and we look and see what brought the most joy, what brought the most pain, what they could have done differently. Then we talk about the overall wisdom that can come from that at the soul level. That’s really the most important part.

It doesn’t sound much different from traditional therapy in that way.
It’s not, except it’s a lot quicker!

If soul rivals can exist, is there such a thing as soul mates?
Yes, there is such a thing as soul mates, and they are people who come into our lives to help us grow. They can be friends, bosses or partners.

Do people ever come to you to treat physical ailments?
They do — although I certainly don’t make any claims about that. But I have had people come in with shoulder pain, for example. So we go back to try to find the source of the pain, and sometimes it’s from a past life.

Is there anyone who shouldn’t try this therapy?
The mentally ill — for example, those with schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. Or anyone who is looking for what I call “spiritual bypass.” People come in and say, “Oh, my life is a mess — it’s my karma.” And they think doing a past-life regression will solve all their problems. And it won’t because you have to deal with what’s here [in this lifetime] first.

How can I make sure that my soul won’t carry forward any negative baggage from this lifetime?
You need to live well and to treat yourself and others kindly, because every day you are making your own karma, and that karma is carried into your next life.