Association for the Alignment of Past Life Experience

The Association for the Alignment of Past Life Experience grew out of the work of Morris Netherton, a pioneer practitioner of past life therapy. He began his career as a psychological counselor with the Los Angeles County Probation Department for 14 years before moving into private practice. Here he was able to work with the idea of reincarnation and previous embodied lives as a tool in psychotherapy. In 1978 he wrote the original book on regression therapy, Past Life Therapy, that included accounts of people who had been regressed to birth and/or to a previous existence as part of their healing treatment. Continued work with regression therapy led him to develop what is now known as the Netherton Method of past life therapy. Netherton's second book on the therapeutic techniques, Past Life Discovery & Integration: A Teaching Manual, appeared in 1996.

The association was founded to teach and practice the Netherton Method. It is the assumption of the Netherton Method that one's current life can be enriched by knowledge of one's past life experiences. Netherton does not use any formal hypnotic induction, but relies upon the existence of hypnotic states that remain in the patient from prior traumatic experiences and are still unresolved in the present. While it is Netherton's opinion that a belief in reincarnation is not necessary to successfully use his method, it is also his opinion that those under-going therapy should integrate personal religious beliefs with the techniques and procedures. Such integration allows the process to be experienced fully by all aspects of the self. For some people, the experiences of past life therapy may lead to a radical change in spiritual perspectives.

The association offers classes leading to certification as a past life therapist in the Netherton Method. It includes an introductory weekend, a set of classes, and supervised clinical sessions. Any professional who completes the training may be certified. The association may be contacted through its Internet site at http://www.aaple.com/.

Sources:

Association for the Alignment of Past Life Experience. http://www.aaple.com/. May 20, 2000.

Netherton, Morris. Past Life Discovery & Integration: A Teaching Manual. Privately printed, 1996.

——. Past Life Therapy. New York: William Morrow, 1986.