A Chat With… Dr. Michael Newton
Author, trail blazer, hypnotherapist and for more than thirty years a Life Between Lives pioneer and researcher. His books, Journey of Souls, Destiny of Souls and Life Between Lives have been translated into 30 languages and are sold worldwide. In addition the Institute bearing his name, and carrying on his work – T.N.I. The Newton Institute, is now in 22 countries.
Born in Los Angeles, California, as a child Dr. Newton knew he had a purpose, “I always knew I had something to do for humanity. One major thing. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I had a purpose. I thought everyone did. As a youngster I’d go on long hikes in the Hollywood Hills – it was much quieter in those days –and flashes of pre-cognition would come into my mind. Occasionally at night, I’d dream of a genderless divine spirit kind of watching me – telling me to prepare myself to be mentally strong -but of course I didn’t know then that this was my spirit guide”.
That understanding allowed him to follow his instincts later in life despite his training as a counselling psychologist/hypnotherapist. In the l960s when a client inadvertently went into a past life even though he was not sure about the validity of the journey, he didn’t dismiss the process, the regression itself or the results. Later, in l968, he had his first life between life case that was also a surprise. This experience is described his new book, Memories of the Afterlife. Subsequently, his life work became working exclusively with life between lives although this was way before any great awareness of the innerliife , “My colleagues thought I’d lost my marbles, and they’d say – Michael’s such a good therapist, it’s a shame he’s gone all new-agey” he adds with a grin.
With his subsequent work in the 70’s and 80’s researching and documenting the life between life cases that would become the basis of his book Journey of Souls, he knew that unless he had a solid body of casework that could prove the existence of a time between lifetimes, the whole idea would be dismissed. There was a fear of death, with the thought that death meant going into oblivion , that a person would lose their ‘personhood’. “Right up to the 1980’s even practitioners who were working with past lives thought. that there was nothing they could find between lifetimes. They may have been influenced by the Buddhist premise that there’s nothing between our reincarnations. Like a candle going out, and then being re-lit. One life just followed another,”
His main contribution to the world of therapy and healing, has been the understanding that we each have a soul character which combined with different brain circuitry, nervous system and temperament each time we inhabit a body, enables the soul to learn, and become more enlightened each lifetime. The Life Between Lives enables us to solve the major questions of Who am I? Where did I come from? and Where am I going? “This ,I believe, is my main contribution to humanity” explains Dr. Newton. “My hope for the future is that more traditional forms of psychotherapy will use our methods to help their clients heal more quickly and more effectively.
Since those early days of pioneering alone, thanks to Dr. Newton’s vision and work, our awareness has changed. I trained with him in 2006, which was one of the last times he attended a training program. I was amazed that this very forthright, down-to-earth gentleman, who at one time didn’t believe in ghosts, could be the same person who had devoted his life to researching and recording the Interlife. It seemed such a dichotomy from previous trainings I had attended elsewhere. My mistake! He is profoundly thoughtful, and dedicated to detail – like the necessity to take the client into really deep hypnosis “Otherwise it’s the conscious ego speaking, not the soul.” We learned our lessons well at that training. We dared not to!
Now 78 years old, Dr. Newton is slowing down – coasting and resting. Spending time with the love of his life for 55 years, wife Peggy and two children. “Peggy and I evolved together, I started as a psychologist and she was a hospital nurse with her Masters in Counselling. Together we’ve seen the changes in the work, and now my work is done”.
Dr. Newton’s work is now guided and taught through the TNI Institute and its graduates worldwide – thankfully making the world a better place.