| The purpose of this study was to explore whether an attempted regression of subjects to purported "past lives" and "past deaths" would change attitudes towards death, and alter or change life values. Subjects were 41 persons from the San Francisco Bay area. The study used an experimental group (N = 21), and a control group (N = 20). All subjects were tested with the following instruments: (1) The Lester Attitude Toward Death Scale, (2) The Templer/McMordie Death Anxiety Scale, and (3) Ring Life Changes Questionnaire. All subjects also completed a three-question form at the end of the sessions. Experimental group subjects participated in a series of four "past-life" regression sessions. Testing took place both before and after the sessions for the experimental group, while the control group was tested and retested with an interval of approximately four weeks between testing. Results were analyzed from the testing instruments and from the reports given on the three-question form.;A qualitative analysis of data from the response forms showed three areas of interest which were: (1) Growth/Healing, (2) Death/Dying, and (3) Other-Oriented, with the Growth/Healing category being the largest.;Suggestions for future research are that a strongly experiential component should be incorporated into the study, that subjects should first be screened for existing levels of death fear and only subjects with high death fear used, that subjects who do not meditate may provide results showing a greater decrease in death fear, and that follow-up testing be conducted in order to see whether responses change with the passage of time.;Comparisons of scores for the demographics of age, gender, religious/spiritual beliefs, education, and practice of meditation were made. Differences in scores were noted but no consistent patterns emerged except for practice of meditation. Statistically significant results were obtained in only one of the factors of one instrument, that of the Ring Life Changes Questionnaire. Analysis of non-meditators yielded scores on the Templer/McMordie Death Anxiety Scale that were much larger than subjects who never, or who occasionally, meditated. |
