Before our session, the client did not get much sleep and their nightmares of "fields of dead bodies" intensified. In their nightmares, the client was instructed to "touch the dead bodies". Being fearful of doing so, the client did not take this advice. The dream experience was trying to tell the client that, only by reconnecting with the pain of the past, could they let it go. This was the client's body's way of preparing for our session together so the pain of this past lifetime could be released.

Breathing Imbalance - No Sense of Smell: One time in the trench, the soldier was late in getting his mask on. He breathed in some gas. It destroyed his sense of smell, burning his nostrils, nasal passages, and throat but did not kill him.

In this life, the client was born without a sense of smell and was very prone to nasal infections. Ironically, even though the client could not smell anything in this life, they "instinctively knew" what dead bodies smelled like.

This was because the soldier smelled dead bodies in trench prior to his nose being burned (trust me, it is a smell you never forget). This answered the client's long unanswered question of "How can I know what dead bodies smell like if I never was around them and never was able to smell?"

Breathing Imbalance - Restricted Breathing: During the session (particularly at the beginning), both our bodies began experiencing difficulty breathing. As the channel, my coughing was necessary to help wick the soldier's past life pain from the client's present day body. For the World War I soldier had learned not to breathe too deeply after his nose was burned.

This deep seated mistrust of the air carried over to the client's present life through their cellular memory. In this lifetime, the client intermittently experienced difficulty with breathing because their body had not learned "to trust the air" again. This "automatic response" was carried in their body as a learning of the past put to use in the present for "their own protection".

Eating Imbalance - Compulsive Eating: The client's compulsive overeating also originated in the trenches. During the war, food delivery to the trenches was infrequent, fights over food were commonplace, and food was routinely stolen.

So the soldier learned to eat whenever food was available, even if he was not hungry. This manifested in the client's present life as compulsive eating which was unrelated to their hunger. The client's body still remembers the lack of food and tries to keep them safe by piling on the pounds.

Stress Imbalance - Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome: World War 1 was the first war in which the mental and emotional scars resulting from the war experience were formally acknowledged. Soldiers suffering from such scars were called "shell shocked". By the time the soldier was killed in action he was shell shocked.

In the client's present life, years of intensive abuse from family members resulted in their being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (which is the modern equivalent of "shell shock"). Although one dies, their problems still remain.

Life Style Imbalance - Hedonistic Living: In his final days in the trench, the soldier promised himself that "if I ever get out of this trench alive, I am going to…"

In this life, the client made good on the soldier's promise by living out all "his wild dreams". The client dabbled in substance abuse, had a variety of sex partners, and spent money maxing their credit cards. Since they knew "how to make life work", they never were swamped by their problems and always got what they needed.

Life Style Imbalance - Family Patterns: When it came to their family, this client literally picked up where they left off. In both lives, they were headstrong, rebellious, and in deep conflict with their father (the same individual both times).

In both lives, they always felt at odds with their family and suffered abuse (both physical and verbal) at their hands. In both lives, they often felt closer to their dog than their family because the dog always gave them love when the family did not (it was the same spirit in the dog also).

Life Style Imbalance - Decision Making: In many lifetimes, this client was very idealistic. During World War 1, the soldier was influenced by war propaganda ("the war to end all wars"). He did not have to go to war: he volunteered. It did not take the soldier long to realize that he had made a hideous mistake.

He died blaming himself for this one "bad" decision (normally he had excellent judgment). This caused the client to doubt their judgment now which was an unconscious protection against making another fatal mistake.

Life Style Imbalance - Responsibility: Coming from a wealthy family, the soldier was put in command of others ("noblesse oblige"). This heightened sense of responsibility made the soldier feel that he needed to be available at all times and that he had to "stick it out no matter what."

This imbalance both set up the client's present day hedonistic lifestyle and helped to aggravate their sleep problem. The pain of this sacrifice manifested in the client's present life as a constantly congested throat and an inability to cry (the World War I soldier had vowed never to cry). Constant congestion is the body's way of "crying inside" when grief cannot be released.

Personal Qualities: Skills and Abilities: Before the soldier entered the war, he was studying to be a doctor. When he joined the Army, the soldier was in the middle of his college career.

In this lifetime, the client had reconnected with the soldier's memories while in college. The client had "always wanted to be a doctor" but "due to late start' in life caused by the family abuse, the client was "studying to be a therapist instead."

Personal Qualities: Traits and Preferences: In both lifetimes, the client was idealistic, concerned with "doing the right thing", and was overly critical of their own actions. They also had a very strong prejudice against wealth, elitism, and snobbery (which was a cause of the soldier's rebellion against his family). Their "inner nobility" helped them to gain respect of others around them in both lives.

Case Learnings: This case is a graphic demonstration of the "weird logic of the body". The client's body was acting to protect them from danger - but it was reacting against something no longer there (ie. the client was not at war now).

It also shows the true value of past life work: that in seeing the pattern of your past lives you can choose to rise above them. Finally, it delivered the message of all true experience: learn to "love yourself" by seeing how "you are and were a totally generous, loving, and warm hearted person."