How Do You Know If You’ve Lived Before?
Have you ever wondered if you’ve lived before?
Maybe you’ve felt a pull toward a specific time period, met someone who felt instantly familiar, or carried a fear you can’t explain. These moments often leave us asking, “Could this be a sign of a past life?”
As a Certified Hypnotist and Metaphysical Practitioner, I’ve guided many clients through past life regression sessions where these very questions come up. Sometimes the answers are surprising. Other times, they bring a deep sense of relief and healing—because recognizing the signs of a past life can help explain parts of yourself you never quite understood.
In my experience, past life signs can show up in subtle or dramatic ways. For some people, it’s a vivid dream about a time they’ve never studied. For others, it’s an unshakable connection to someone they’ve just met. And sometimes, it’s as simple as a birthmark that aligns with a regression memory of trauma from another lifetime.
The important thing to remember is:
Your soul remembers what you need to heal, learn, and grow.
That’s why these signs don’t surface randomly. They show up when your subconscious—or Spirit—knows you’re ready to explore them.
In this guide, I’ll share a comprehensive list of the most common signs of a past life, blending my personal insights, client stories, and professional experience as a regressionist. Whether you’re here out of curiosity or searching for answers to lifelong patterns, this list will help you recognize clues from your soul’s journey.
Emotional & Physical Indicators of a Past Life
One of the clearest ways a past life can show up is through emotional or physical signs that don’t seem to have a clear cause in this life. As a regressionist, I often tell clients that these signs aren’t random—they’re clues from the subconscious or the soul, gently pointing toward something unresolved.
Here are some of the most common emotional and physical signs of a past life:
Unexplained Fears or Phobias
It’s common for people to carry irrational fears or phobias that don’t match anything from their current-life experience. For example, someone might have an intense fear of drowning despite never having a traumatic experience with water in this life. Or they may panic on bridges or in small spaces without knowing why.
In my practice, I’ve seen clients uncover the roots of these fears during regression. One client came to me with an overwhelming fear of crossing bridges. Through regression, she discovered a past life where she died in a horse-drawn carriage accident while crossing a wooden bridge. After the session, her fear significantly decreased—not because the event was erased, but because it was understood.
Birthmarks and Physical Sensations
Some people believe that birthmarks may represent past life wounds or scars carried into the current body. Dr. Ian Stevenson, a well-known researcher on reincarnation, documented cases where children had birthmarks matching the injuries they remembered from previous lives.
I’ve had clients describe a deep, aching pain in specific areas of the body that had no medical explanation. In regression, those same areas were often revealed as places of trauma or injury in a previous life.
Personally, I’ve experienced this too. I have a birthmark on my ribcage that always made me curious. During one of my own regressions, I saw myself as a soldier who died from a spear wound in that exact spot. Whether you view that as literal or symbolic, it provided emotional insight and healing for me.
Lingering Emotional States
Sometimes, people carry emotional echoes from a previous life—feelings of grief, guilt, or even unworthiness that don’t match their current life experiences. These emotional patterns can be frustrating because they seem to appear without reason.
I worked with a client who had everything she wanted in life—success, love, family—but she constantly felt an underlying sadness. In regression, she uncovered a past life where she lost her children in a tragic accident. Once that memory surfaced, her unexplained grief finally made sense. The awareness helped her release some of that sadness, replacing it with compassion for herself.
Learn more about how past life regression can help resolve emotional patterns in: Past Life Regression Therapy
Why These Signs Matter
If you’re experiencing physical sensations or emotional reactions that don’t have a clear cause, it could be your soul’s way of pointing toward something deeper. Sometimes, just recognizing the pattern brings relief. Other times, exploring these signs through regression can lead to powerful healing and growth
Dreams, Visions & Intuitive Experiences
Another powerful way that past life signs show up is through dreams, visions, and intuitive knowing. These experiences can feel surreal, but they often carry deep spiritual significance. In my work as a regressionist, I’ve found that the subconscious mind uses dreams and flashes of insight as a natural doorway to soul memories.
Here are the most common dream-related and intuitive signs of a past life:
Recurring Dreams of Other Times or Places
Some people have vivid, recurring dreams of eras, locations, or situations they’ve never experienced in this life. These dreams often feel more real than ordinary dreams, and they may contain sensory details that stick with you—smells, textures, emotional intensity.
One of my clients repeatedly dreamed of living in a small village in Europe during a war. She had no interest in history, no conscious knowledge of that time period, but the dreams were specific and emotional. During her regression, she saw the exact same life, down to the uniform she wore and the village layout. After the session, the dreams stopped, as if the memory had finally been acknowledged.
Déjà Vu and Spontaneous Past Life Memories
Most of us have experienced déjà vu—that sudden, overwhelming feeling that you’ve been somewhere or met someone before, even when you logically know you haven’t.
Sometimes déjà vu is just a brain glitch, but in spiritual terms, it can be a clue from a past life. I’ve had clients describe walking into a city they’ve never visited and instantly knowing where the streets lead. Others recall meeting someone new and immediately sensing a deep, unexplainable connection, as if they’ve shared lifetimes together.
Speaking Foreign Languages in Dreams or Having Unlearned Skills
Occasionally, people will speak words or phrases in a foreign language during dreams—a language they’ve never studied in this life. Others might have unexplainable skills, like playing an instrument they’ve never practiced or creating art in a style from a specific culture.
These experiences often surface in past life regression sessions. I’ve had clients speak softly in languages they don’t consciously know while in trance, or describe intricate details of life in ancient civilizations that they’d never studied. Whether these memories are literal or symbolic, they usually carry emotional or karmic significance.
Strong Intuition and Spiritual Sensitivity
Some people have heightened intuition or empathic abilities that feel like they’ve been “carried over” from past lives. If you’ve ever felt a spiritual calling, had psychic experiences, or simply “known things” without knowing how, you may be tapping into lessons or abilities from your soul’s previous journeys.
This is especially true if you’ve had lifetimes as a healer, intuitive, or spiritual guide. In regression, many clients uncover memories of being shamans, midwives, monks, or spiritual teachers—and find that their current-life gifts make more sense after that discovery.
Why Dreams and Intuition Matter
Your subconscious mind remembers more than you think. Dreams and intuitive moments are one way Spirit helps bring those memories to the surface—not to confuse you, but to help you heal, integrate, and understand your soul’s journey.
Relationship Clues and Soul Connections
Relationships often reveal some of the strongest signs of a past life. Certain connections feel too deep, too immediate, or too complicated to be explained by current life circumstances alone. From instant bonds to difficult karmic ties, relationships are one of the soul’s most common ways of continuing growth across lifetimes.
Instant Recognition and Familiarity
Have you ever met someone and felt like you’ve known them forever? That feeling of instant comfort or connection is one of the most common signs of a past life relationship. Sometimes it feels like picking up where you left off, even if you’ve just met in this lifetime.
In past life regression sessions, I’ve guided clients who recognized new friends, romantic partners, or even coworkers as people they’d loved or known before. One client came to me after meeting someone who felt like “home.” During regression, she remembered lifetimes spent together as traveling healers in ancient times. That awareness deepened their bond in the present life, giving it more meaning.
Karmic Relationships and Recurring Lessons
Not every past life connection is soft and comforting. Sometimes souls come back together to resolve unfinished business or learn lessons they couldn’t complete before. These are often known as karmic relationships.
I’ve worked with clients who found themselves stuck in the same relationship patterns over and over—abandonment, betrayal, unrequited love—only to discover in regression that they were repeating unresolved dynamics from previous lives. Awareness of these patterns allows healing to begin, shifting the cycle into something more conscious and healthy.
Soulmates and Twin Flames from Past Lives
Some people meet a soulmate or twin flame in this life who has been with them in many lifetimes before. These relationships often have an intense magnetic pull, whether they’re romantic or not. You might feel like you’re meant to be together, or like your lives keep intertwining in meaningful ways.
In one of my personal regression experiences, I uncovered a past life where I shared a deep connection with someone (my husband) who is still in my life today. Understanding our past bond helped me approach our relationship with more compassion and patience in this life.
Repeating Relationship Patterns
If you find yourself repeating the same kinds of relationship struggles, it could be a clue that you’re working through lessons from a past life. For example, always choosing emotionally unavailable partners or attracting the same type of conflict might point to unresolved soul contracts.
Through regression, many clients gain insight into why they’re drawn to certain people and how to break free from patterns that no longer serve them.
Why These Relationship Signs Matter
When you understand your soul’s history with another person, your relationships start to make more sense. Whether you’re meant to heal, grow, or reconnect in this life, these experiences are opportunities to deepen love and release old wounds.
Affinities with Cultures, Eras & Skills
Another sign of a past life is feeling drawn to certain cultures, time periods, or abilities you’ve never learned in this lifetime. These affinities can feel like a magnetic pull toward places, skills, or knowledge that seem oddly familiar.
Fascination with Specific Time Periods or Cultures
Have you ever felt an unexplainable connection to a particular historical era or location? Some people are obsessed with ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, or specific Indigenous cultures without any logical reason for it. They might collect artifacts, dress in the fashion of a different era, or feel deeply emotional when learning about certain historical events.
In regression sessions, I’ve had clients discover that their fascination wasn’t random—it came from real experiences in those lifetimes. One client, for example, had a lifelong interest in Japanese samurai history. In regression, he recalled a life as a warrior who valued discipline, honor, and meditation. That connection helped him understand his current life tendencies toward strict personal codes.
Unexplained Talents or Skills
Some people have natural abilities that they’ve never studied or practiced in this life. They might be able to play an instrument with ease, create artwork in a specific cultural style, or have a natural fluency with certain languages. These talents are sometimes called soul imprints.
I once worked with a client who could design intricate architectural structures without any formal training. During regression, he saw himself as a builder and planner in ancient Rome, working on city layouts and aqueducts. Whether literal or symbolic, the regression helped him embrace and refine his skills in this life.
Feeling at Home in Unfamiliar Places
It’s not uncommon to travel somewhere new and feel as though you’ve come home. Some clients describe stepping onto foreign soil and immediately knowing their way around, even though they’ve never been there before. Others report emotional reactions—tears, a deep sense of peace, or waves of nostalgia—when visiting places tied to their past lives.
These moments can feel surreal, but they’re often gentle reminders from the soul of places you’ve lived before.
Why Cultural and Skill-Based Signs Matter
These signs often surface when your soul is reminding you of past gifts, experiences, or identities. They can help you understand your natural interests and abilities, and they often point the way toward your purpose in this life.
Karmic Patterns & Life Lessons
One of the biggest reasons past life signs surface is to help you recognize karmic patterns and work through lessons your soul hasn’t yet completed. Karma isn’t punishment—it’s a cycle of learning, growth, and healing. When lessons go unlearned in one lifetime, they often repeat in the next until you’re ready to face them consciously.
Repeating Life Themes
Many people experience recurring struggles or life themes that seem to follow them like a shadow. These might include financial hardship, betrayal, abandonment, health issues, or cycles of failure and frustration. If you’ve done everything you can in this life to change the pattern but it still persists, it might have roots in a past life.
I once worked with a client who felt stuck in a pattern of poverty, no matter how much she tried to shift her mindset. In regression, she saw herself as a wealthy merchant in a past life who hoarded resources while others suffered. Her soul chose to experience financial struggle in this life to develop empathy and generosity. After her session, she didn’t instantly become wealthy, but she stopped carrying the emotional weight of shame and scarcity. That shift created new opportunities in her life.
Carrying Over Emotional Wounds
Sometimes, emotional wounds from past lives carry over and continue to shape your current life choices. This can include feelings of guilt, shame, regret, or fear that don’t match your current life circumstances. These emotions often come from past experiences that were left unresolved.
One client came to me with intense feelings of guilt about setting boundaries, even though no one had ever told her she was wrong for doing so. In regression, she uncovered a past life where she was punished for speaking out against authority. Knowing this helped her release the guilt and begin standing up for herself in this life.
Lessons Repeated Across Lifetimes
When the soul doesn’t complete a lesson in one lifetime, it usually returns to that lesson again and again in new forms. Sometimes this shows up as repeating relationship patterns, cycles of fear, or life events that feel frustratingly familiar.
The good news is: once you recognize the pattern, you have the power to break it. Regression often helps people see the full picture and make conscious choices to do things differently this time.
Why Karmic Patterns Matter
Understanding karmic patterns gives you a roadmap for healing. It helps you shift from feeling stuck to feeling empowered. When you become aware of the lessons your soul is working on, you can approach life with more compassion, patience, and wisdom.
Spiritual and Psychological Context
When people start noticing signs of a past life, it’s natural to wonder: Is this really happening, or am I imagining it? That question is part of the process. Past life memories don’t always follow logical rules, but they often bring emotional truth and healing—even when they don’t make sense to the conscious mind.
Why We Carry Past Life Memories
From a spiritual perspective, the soul carries memories from previous lifetimes because they hold lessons, growth, and healing potential. These memories may not surface all at once. Instead, they tend to show up when your soul is ready to work through them—usually through dreams, patterns, relationships, or emotional reactions.
Not every memory from a past life will come forward. Spirit typically reveals only what is necessary for your current life’s healing. That’s why past life regression isn’t about curiosity alone; it’s about transformation and clarity.
The Role of Past Life Regression Hypnosis
Past life regression hypnosis provides a safe, structured way to access these memories. In a session, you’re guided into a relaxed state where your subconscious mind can reveal experiences from previous lifetimes that are affecting you now. Some of these experiences may be literal, while others may be symbolic. Either way, the emotional impact is real.
In my sessions, I use a compassionate, intuitive approach that allows the process to unfold at a pace that’s right for you. Spirit leads the way, revealing what’s needed for healing, not what will overwhelm you.
Scientific and Cultural Perspectives
There’s growing research on past life memories, including studies by Dr. Ian Stevenson and Dr. Jim B. Tucker, who documented thousands of cases where children remembered details of previous lives with accuracy that could be verified. These cases add to the conversation but don’t offer all the answers—because past life exploration is just as much a spiritual experience as it is a psychological one.
From a psychological standpoint, regression can help surface subconscious material that explains emotions, fears, or desires in this life. Whether or not you believe in literal reincarnation, working with past life material can offer meaningful healing and insight.
Why Context Matters
Understanding the spiritual and psychological layers of past life work helps you approach these signs with openness and curiosity, rather than fear or skepticism. It allows you to embrace the process as a tool for growth, healing, and soul awareness.
Guidance: What to Do Next
If you’ve recognized some of these signs in your own life, you might be wondering what to do with that information. The first step is to approach it with curiosity, not fear. Past life signs are invitations for healing and understanding, not something to worry about.
Notice the Signs and Keep a Journal
Start by keeping track of the experiences you’ve had that could relate to past lives. Write down your vivid dreams, recurring relationship patterns, emotional triggers, and unexplainable talents or fears. Sometimes the act of journaling brings clarity on its own. Patterns may begin to emerge that help you connect the dots.
Consider a Past Life Regression Session
If the signs you’re experiencing create discomfort, confusion, or curiosity that won’t go away, it might be time to explore them more directly through a past life regression session. Regression allows you to access these memories in a safe, guided way so you can understand the emotional and spiritual lessons connected to them.
During a session, you may:
- Experience memories of previous lifetimes
- Discover the roots of fears or patterns
- Reconnect with soulmates or past life loved ones
- Understand why certain life lessons keep repeating
- Release emotional blocks and gain peace of mind
In my practice, I make sure each session is Spirit-led and supportive. You’ll never be forced to relive trauma. Instead, you’ll be guided to explore only what is helpful for your current healing and growth.
What to Expect After Regression
Many people feel lighter, clearer, or more peaceful after a regression session. Others may need time to integrate what they’ve learned. This is normal. Past life work often opens the door to new levels of self-awareness and spiritual growth. Be gentle with yourself as you process what comes forward.
Why Taking Action Matters
When you listen to the signs your soul is showing you, you give yourself the chance to heal old wounds, break free from patterns, and create a more empowered life. Whether you choose to explore through journaling, meditation, or regression, the most important thing is to follow the path that feels right for you.
Your Soul Leaves Clues for a Reason—Are You Ready to Follow Them?
The signs of a past life aren’t here to confuse or overwhelm you—they’re here to help you understand yourself on a deeper level. Whether it’s a dream that feels too real, a relationship that defies logic, or a fear you’ve never been able to explain, these clues are invitations to heal, grow, and step into your life with greater awareness.
In my work as a metaphysical practitioner and certified hypnotist, I’ve seen how powerful it can be when someone finally understands where their patterns, connections, or unexplained feelings come from. It’s not just about remembering the past—it’s about freeing yourself in the present.
If you’re ready to explore your own past life memories, I’d love to guide you through the process. Together, we’ll uncover what your soul is ready to show you, always with the intention of bringing clarity, peace, and healing.
