Awakening Dormant Memories
Recently, I was chatting with a friend who asked me, “What is the experience of hypnotic regression really like?”
I thought for a moment and said, “It’s not like a movie, nor is it pure imagination. It’s more like walking into a room that hasn’t been opened for a long time, seeing those memories that were once forgotten.”
Many people are curious about hypnosis, and some doubt its authenticity. For me, what’s important has never been proving that those images belong to a certain life, but rather how they help us understand ourselves anew.
A journey beginning with relaxation
That day, we went to Sydney Olympic Park. The weather was nice, and the grass swayed gently in the wind. We found a quiet place to sit down and prepare to begin an inner exploration.
The facilitator asked us to close our eyes and focus on our breathing. At first, I could still hear the laughter of children in the distance, the sound of wind through the leaves. Slowly, these sounds became more and more distant.
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Unknowingly, I gradually relaxed, quietly entering an unknown world.
Those lives that emerged in memory
Terry: A lonely soul
Terry saw himself transformed into a golden monkey standing on a vast coastline.
The sea breeze blew, and a huge eagle circled in the sky. In the distance, a flying craft slowly rose, as if preparing to leave the planet.
That monkey had no companions and didn’t know why it was there. It simply sat quietly, watching the waves crash against the shore again and again.
A deep sense of loneliness welled up.
I sat on the beach, looking up at the deep blue sea. It was a vast, boundless world of peace. My heart began to calm down, and the sadness seemed to fade a little.
Between people
Another person saw himself climbing a very high mountain.
The path was rugged, and below his feet was an abyss. Along the way, images of life and death appeared, frightening yet unavoidable.
But he did not stop.
He continued climbing upward until he passed through the clouds and saw the light in the distance.
After the meditation, I gained a new understanding of human relationships.
In the past, we often wanted others to change according to our own expectations. But on that mountain, I suddenly realized that everyone has their own path.
True companionship is not about walking for the other person, but about standing by when they need it.
A tree on a yellow planet
Someone arrived on a yellow planet.
There was no one there, no sound, just a solitary tree. The branches were withered, the leaves had long fallen, and the surroundings were an endless wasteland.
He walked up to the tree and gently placed his hand on the trunk.
Suddenly, a green spot appeared on the branches. Then, more and more new buds sprouted.
It became more familiar, and I no longer resisted its closeness. It turned out that when I was willing to accept it, change began.
Woman and lion
A woman saw herself standing on the grassland.
A lion slowly approached her. It did not attack her, just stood quietly in front of her.
She reached out and touched its mane.
At that moment, she remembered someone she had deeply loved but who had eventually left.
She suddenly understood that some love is not about possession, but about allowing the other person to leave.
Just as it turned to leave, I woke up, my eyes already wet with tears. But it wasn’t sadness, it was a feeling of finally being able to let go.
Understanding from memory
Respecting a child’s nature
A mother saw her child sitting alone by the piano.
In the distance, other children were running around on the playground. She had always hoped her child would be as lively and outgoing as others, but in the scene, the child was just quietly playing the piano.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that the child didn’t need to be anyone else.
I began to understand that some growth is not about correcting someone, but about understanding who they are.
Hannah: War and reconstruction
Hannah saw herself standing on a piece of land destroyed by war.
Houses had collapsed, and dust filled the air. In the distance, people were clearing the ruins and rebuilding their homes.
A white tiger stood beside her.
She was originally afraid, but when she approached it, she found that the tiger represented a long-suppressed power.
She no longer blamed her emotions or feared the past. The trauma had become strength, and that tiger had become a symbol of her inner courage.
I began to understand that some growth is not about correcting someone, but about understanding who they are.
Jack: Pressure and the body
Jack saw a huge heart floating in front of him.
Around it were constantly appearing numbers, curves, and health data.
He suddenly realized that the long-term pressure he had been under had already sent signals through his body.
Often, we think emotions exist only in the mind, but the body remembers everything.
When I was willing to face these issues, my body began to slowly respond to me.
A rabbit stepping out of the mountain pass
Someone saw himself transformed into a small rabbit living in a valley surrounded by mountains.
It had always believed that the world was only so big.
Until one day, it decided to climb up the hill.
When it stood on the mountain top, it discovered that on the other side of the mountain were forests, rivers, and vast plains.
It was no longer that little rabbit trapped in the mountain pass, but a rabbit about to embark on a journey to distant lands.
A shift in emotion
A woman saw herself standing in front of a pyramid.
Strange planets floated in the sky, and the whole world seemed like a dream.
She had always tried to get rid of a certain emotion, but no matter where she went, it followed her.
Until she stopped and turned to face it.
That black shadow gradually shrank, finally becoming a beam of light.
Often, change is not about driving emotions away, but about understanding them anew.
Water source in the desert
A person walked on a desolate land.
He was very thirsty, yet could not find any water.
Behind him, old memories appeared: disappointment, failure, and things he had once given up.
When he finally turned around to face these memories, a small stream appeared beneath his feet.
Water might represent not just survival, but the most essential thing in life.
A touching encounter
Someone arrived at an ancient market.
Stalls lined the streets, and people moved back and forth.
In the crowd, he saw a stranger.
When the two looked at each other, it felt as if they had known each other for a long time.
They didn’t say much, just gently holding each other’s hands.
Some feelings cannot be explained, yet they leave traces deep in memory.
The dark side of human nature
Someone arrived in a dense bamboo forest.
Many people were competing to cut down bamboo, as if by having more, they could gain a sense of security.
But as the bamboo forest became less and less, everyone began to fight over the remaining resources.
Jealousy, fear, and greed gradually surfaced.
Perhaps, in everyone’s heart, there exists a part of darkness. What’s truly important is not to eliminate it, but to see it and not be controlled by it.
After returning to reality
Parents and children
A mother saw herself and her child hugging tightly together.
In the past, she always felt she had to make her child more excellent.
But in that scene, she suddenly realized that what the child truly needed was not more demands, but acceptance.
Sometimes, a parent’s love is not about telling the child who they should become, but about letting them know: no matter who you are, I will love you.
Understanding is often where a relationship truly begins.
Commitment
Someone saw himself standing on an ancient battlefield.
A general made a promise to a woman, but ultimately did not return.
That promise remained in memory for a long time, becoming an inexplicable wait.
When the scene reappeared, he finally understood that some promises are not meant to be fulfilled, but to help us understand why we have been unwilling to let go.
Some promises don’t have to be fulfilled.
What’s truly important is understanding why they exist.
Money and energy
Someone saw coins, light, and different versions of himself along a spiral path extending endlessly.
He had always seen money as a source of pressure.
But in that scene, money seemed more like a flowing energy. It itself had no good or bad, what truly mattered was how we used it.
When I looked at money anew, it no longer made me anxious, but became something I could understand.
The future self
Someone saw different versions of himself at different ages standing on the same road.
The young self was full of questions, the middle-aged self had experienced setbacks, and the old self stood in the distance smiling.
The old self did not give answers, just told him, “Keep going, you will understand.”
Sometimes, the true mentor is not outside, but the future self.
From dreams to reality
When hypnosis ended, we slowly opened our eyes.
The sunlight still shone on the grass, and people in the distance were still walking and chatting.
Everything looked unchanged, but we knew something had changed inside.
Where exactly these images came from might never be proven.
But they helped us see ourselves again.
We saw loneliness, but also courage; we saw loss, but also letting go; we saw fear, but also love.
Perhaps, this is the true meaning of hypnotic regression.
Not to escape reality, but to return to reality more clearly.
Not to find a past identity, but to understand the present self.
Dreams will end.
But after waking up, we can still choose how to live.
What’s important is remembering the direction we saw in the dream.
