I spent the months following my soul regression sessions processing what I had experienced. I journaled my memories of the sessions, my reactions and impressions of the things I had learned. I listened to the recordings and made further notes from them. At one point, about halfway through my BLSR session recording I began transcribing almost word-for-word, in order to better recall what I had experienced, and to save it for posterity.

I came away from the session thinking that the soul-regression process was simple enough that I could do this. But I assumed that training to become a hypnotist would be long and complicated and not something I could consider at my age (in my sixties). So I never really gave that serious thought.

In September, I ran across a brief synopsis of Michael Newton’s work. This came from a book completely unrelated to soul regression. At the very end of the synopsis was one paragraph on another therapist using Newton’s methods, who had written a book, Linda Backman. I decided I’d like to read her book. A search around local resources came up empty.

About the same time, Peggy asked me if Linda Backman wasn’t the name of the author whose book I was trying to locate. She said Linda was coming to Calgary to give a workshop at the Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo coming up at the end of September. I immediately enrolled online and made arrangements to attend. This involved a fair bit of juggling since one of the choirs I sing in was doing two concerts that same day. I had to wedge this workshop in between these performances. I went mainly to hear what sort of person this Linda Backman might be, and to buy her book, if I was suitably impressed.

Well, I was impressed, I bought her book, and I armed myself with material on classes she was teaching over the next year. A brief talk with her indicated that becoming a hypnotherapist was not all that complicated, or time-consuming. She operates out of Boulder, Colorado, a location Peggy and I have driven past dozens of times on trips to visit family. So Linda seemed accessible. And then I discovered that some of her courses are taught via tele-conferencing, making them even more accessible.

Wow! Coincidence? I think not! Definitely not! I signed up for the first step (to learn the hypnosis process), and then signed up to become a past-life soul regression therapist. As I write this, I have almost completed this initial training in PLSR. Part of the training, of course, involves doing some practicum sessions with friends and family willing to be guinea pigs. And let me tell you: the exhilaration that comes from leading others into a past-life is almost as profound as having a past-life experience myself!

I came away from my first session thinking, wow, this actually works! And the client had such a profound experience that her first expression upon coming up out of trance was “Wow!! That was so much more than I thought it would be!”

My next step, coming up, is to do a course in between-lives soul regression (BLSR). This is taught in-house, in Colorado. So, as I write, I am preparing for a trip there, and an intensive five days of training. Several of my practicum clients have already let me know they want to be guinea pigs for that next stage of my training! A single past-life session just whets the appetite for more.

After that, we will see. As stated earlier, I try to operate quite immediately, in the present. I do not look or anticipate very far ahead. So my current focus is on the between-lives training. If that leads to a private practice as a soul regression therapist, I would love it. But I don’t know if it will. Only time will tell.

I am also beginning the process of developing this website under the name of Urban Monk. I hope that it will become an instrument for promoting regression sessions, and also a forum for sharing this journal of my spiritual travels. Even writing this account brings no certainty for the future. Should I publish it, seek a publisher, self-publish, or what? Offer it only online? I don’t know. I just know that writing this has been an exercise in obedience to Spirit. I was told quite distinctly in meditation to write this, even given the title (I don’t know what I will do if a publisher wants to publish, but wants me to change the name!!!).

POSTSCRIPT: I decided to post this journal online, and to do it one chapter at a time, over a period of time. Since writing this account I have seen the Urban Monk website developed quite satisfactorily. My son, Isaac, has helped me immensely in setting it up, doing the artwork, and being an encouragement along the way.

Since I wrote these “Out of Winkler” chapters some months ago, I have successfully taken the BLSR course in Colorado, and have completed a number of practicum sessions, working toward my certification.

I am certainly encouraged in this work by God’s Spirit. A lot of affirmation comes my way through prayer and meditation. I see soul regression work as being of great benefit to the spiritual awakening of the human race, in addition to the obvious benefits to the individual being regressed. But, I will deal with more of those sort of ideas in the following chapter, and in the conclusion. More later!!!