Ben felt he’s not making what’s he’s worth. 46, happily married with 3 kids. Though he was a brilliant man and a gifted freelance photographer, he somehow never had enough money.
He was just surviving. I asked him if he can identify a pattern. Does he spend his money too easily? Is he unable to close enough deals with his clients? Does he charge too little for his work?
He said he didn’t get enough work as if he didn’t want to have money and when he did make money, it tended to run out quickly. He would get a speeding /parking ticket; or bigger bills than usual and so on.
I asked whether he was raised very poor or very rich and whether he thought that money was: “the root of all evil.” He laughed and said he was raised in a middle-class family and he couldn’t point out anything specific. He also mentioned that both his siblings were well off and had no issues with money.
He closed his eyes and took a few deep breathes. He got very excited and started describing: “Wow, I love my shoes! They are made of orange and yellow fabric triangles, a bit funny. And my clothes…and look at this bazaar! (market place) So colorful and crowded!… But I think they are afraid of me. Weird.”
“Where are we and what year is it?” I inquired. “Iran. 1612” he replied immediately. “I’m a prince. We’re very rich… but the people are very poor; they’re dying of hunger. I don’t care. I have a great life.” Said Ben. “How do you spend your time?” I asked. “I hang out in my beautiful gardens, have fun with my women….I’ve got plenty of those, you know…I can do whatever I desire. My father runs the kingdom, so I don’t have to worry about anything. I like that” He said.
“O.K. Let’s go to another scene in your past life” I asked. “Who the hell is she?” He said suddenly. “She’s ugly! And looks poor. Another wife? I don’t like her!” He complained. “My father is forcing me to marry this woman for political reasons. She belongs to the people; she’s not royalty”. He explained. “All right. Let’s see what happens next.”
I encouraged him to move on. “What’s going on?! The mob is taking over the palace! Hey you! Knock it off! They are dragging us all to the city square! It’s insane! And this woman, she orchestrated it all! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her!” He got excited. “Let’s just observe that, as if it’s an old movie of a past life” I said to calm him down.
“Well,” he sighed and continued “It’s getting hot in here, my feet… now my knees, I’M BURNING! I’m on the stake! They are burning me!” he yelled. “Take a few breaths and tell me what’s on your mind,” I said soothingly. “I’ll never have money again; it can kill me!” He said instantly, surprising himself.
Still under the hypnosis, we discussed his beliefs regarding money. He said that money could corrupt you, spoil you, make you insensitive and heartless and brings out the ugliness of human nature, such as greed and jealousy. I guided him to let go of his old beliefs from this past life, which does not serve him and adopt a new, positive attitude towards abundance. As he opened his eyes and gazed at me, he said: “No wonder I can’t get enough money today, I believed it could put my life in jeopardy!”
