Anna: Hi everyone and welcome to our fifth episode of the Estafet video for the Earth Association. And today I am very happy to welcome our dear Sergio from Brazil. So, we went to Turkey before and now, we are all of a sudden with you, Sergio. Good morning and welcome. I’m very happy to see you and to thank you so much also for spending some time for this and talking with us.
How are you doing today?
Sergio: I’m glad to be here. Very, very good to see you again-
Anna: Yes, always good to see you.
Sergio: -in this project.
Anna: Great. So, if you can, please introduce yourself your name, where you from and where do you live now?
Sergio: OK, my name is Sergio Werner Baumel. I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And now I live in another state in Brazil, Espirito Santo, in the city of Vila Velha which is by the sea, a very, very good place to live.
Anna: Amazing. And so, Sergio, tell us what is your education or training or your profession- because we’ll talk about regression later, but is there anything that –you know– your education from before our profession?
Sergio: That would be a not-so-short answer because, well, first, I am a physician, a medical doctor, and I specialize in neurology and intensive care medicine. And later I decided to study a bit more about psychotherapies in general and including hypnosis and regression therapy so I went on to graduate also in psychology and I did my master’s degree in psychology and presently I am in the middle of my doctorate. Of course, if everything goes right, I’m gonna be a doctor doctor. MD PhD.
Anna: The learning must go on, so you continue education.
Sergio: Yes. Yes. There is so much to learn. You can never stop. Always lots of it. And today I practice in my private office. I used to work in hospitals in the ICUs. But it’s not what I am doing now. I just work in my office. Both as a neurologist and as a psychologist doing psychotherapy.
Anna: All right, so you practice all of those things together. Wonderful. And how did you come, as a doctor, as a professional doctor, how did you come to regression therapy?
Sergio: Well, that was a long story. The first contact I have was from books. I read, but I had also contacted it in Umbanda. Yeah, that’s uh, a Brazilian religion that deals with mediumship. And they speak about reincarnation there, but still it didn’t convince me that much because of the information was coming from the mediums, so, um. And I personally believed it because I thought they are not gaining anything, that there was no money involved, and so on. Other religions always have money involved, but they wouldn’t. Then I thought, “Well, if they’re gaining anything, why are they saying and doing such things? So, it must be true.” And anyway, then sometimes I saw that there was some gain, some psychological gain The mediums that got most spirits to talk, they were treated differently in that community. So, then I came across a good work from the books from Brian Weiss, “Many Masters, Many Lives” and “Only Love is Real” and so on. And he has the story very similar to mine: he was a complete sceptic. Jewish. I am Jewish and he worked with hypnosis and people got talking about. So, I went on to studying it and I began to do experimentally in my practice. I didn’t charge for the ones I was experimenting with it. Most like it was the model used by every one of the pioneers. They went and experimented. I went there and experimented. And then I went deeper and deeper in my hypnosis, of course, Ericksonian hypnosis. Still, some people said “you were not, not graduated from that” and so on. So, I went there to study with Brain Weiss in the United States. And then I started participating on the congresses, and then I joined EARTh.
Anna: Great. Which year was that did you join EARTh? Do you remember?
Sergio: That was really recent. I think it was in- the Congress in India, I think. Or one before that, there was Turkey and then India. Yes. No, no, that that was Turkey and then Portugal.
Anna: Might have been in Portugal then, yes, because India was more recent, yeah.
Sergio: Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t know in which one I joined, in India or in Portugal, I don’t really really remember, but it’s- it’s very recent. I was mingling with you in EARTh without being a member. But then I said, well, let’s go- yes, it was in India because I mean, first of all, we want to go and listen to a group of physicians, medical doctors that doing regression therapy and we formed the SMAR-RT[1], society for medical advance and so on. Andy (Tomlinson) got that going and then, we did some things and then we were stopping, the purpose was: well if you want to go on this you have to become a member of EARTh. So if you want to to stay here with this group you have to become a part of EARTh. So, I joined EARTh later because of that.
Anna: Right, and we are very happy to have you as a member.
Sergio: I am very happy to be here.
Anna: So, tell me more about your practice, so as you practice how do you implement regression therapy in your psychology practice? Also, what you prefer, what works for you, what is most beneficial you find?
Sergio: Well, first, because I came to this by experimenting regression therapy, and then during Ericksonian hypnosis course, then during the regression psychology I did exactly the opposite. First, I did the regression therapy. Then I added other things to my regression therapy practice. So, I don’t only use regression therapy as a whole but I use many tools into my therapy practice.
Anna: All right. And what about yourself? Have you had any benefit from regression therapy for yourself and your life?
Sergio: Well, yes. Not directly because I am that kind of a person who doesn’t see very much in the regression, I just get all those feelings. Every time when I did- somebody did regression with me I just got the feelings or sometimes one flash but not the full story.
Anna: Alright.
Sergio: Maybe it’s not for me to know, but some things I did elaborate and- What was most important for me is learning from the experiences of other people and making the ends meet. Because when you see one story, it is partial, but you see many stories and you understand the puzzle. And that gave me a certainty of my most spiritual things that I didn’t have before. I was a very- very early and really in very long period of my life, I was a sceptic, I didn’t believe anything spiritual. I was not even curious. Then I got curious and then this whole thing fit. So today, I am pretty sure that certain that these things happen, really. And they are true. And when you get back, you change your values. That is my values for viewing of the universe. And like, when you discover that – you know- this is not the first and not – neither the first nor last time you’re being here and you’re continuing, and purposes to your life, to your existence. So, every time I learn a little bit more and this gives me peace, inner peace. That I didn’t have when I was younger.
Anna: Beautiful. Is there any interesting story from your practice- from regression sessions that you could share with us?
Sergio: Well, there was but- Well, it is in the book we did with SMAR-RT. One of the chapters I wrote was about relationships. And this patient of mine, she was a person, very pretty person and young. And she’s a teacher. But she couldn’t get into relationships with men. She wanted to. She was willing to have relationships, but she couldn’t get into it. She had done therapy before, and there were some issues with her mother and father who had separated. And her mother was very straightforward thinking and she kept saying that “Men cannot be trusted” and so on and so on and so on. But then when she did the regressions, and it was unusually long with treatment because she had no belief in anything like that, she was a protestant, very straight- narrow minded in that way. But then she did see a bit of something and then she got to face it. It took a little bit more but then after a long treatment I said “OK, go and live your life, if you want you can come back” and she came back sometimes and we did some work. But then, some years later, I got the wedding invitation.
Anna: Nice.
Sergio: She was getting married. She couldn’t have any relationships, not even friends who were man. And then I got the invitation, she was getting married. So, I went there to the marriage, by myself, I sat alone with everybody else in the public and they were saying vows Something she said –I can’t remember— take me to the past. Because during our therapy, one of the first one of the first things she saw, not scenes but chronologically, you know, the first one in chronological lines of lives she saw, she was a young girl who believed in love and she had a friend, saying “no” to love. She had said, “No, I have no love. This is not- this is just illusion.” But she believed in love and was saying “I will find someone.” But then she was forced to marry and eh, with a disgusting man. And then she just stopped believing in love. She didn’t believe in love anymore. And in other lives, she kept doing the same thing, the same mistake, and and and and couldn’t get love. But when I went there, she looked at her fiancé and was saying her vows, she said: “Well, thank you so much for making me believe in love again.” But then she turned her face directly to me and sent me a kiss.
Anna: Awww.
Sergio: And at that time, that thing struck me. I could be dead, I was happy because I did one thing to one person. That was the most emotional, most beautiful moment in my life.
Anna: It is beautiful. I’m having goosebumps too.
Anna: So now, as we’re moving closer to the end of this, is there –with your extensive experience in therapy and as a doctor and as a member of EARTh, do you have any message for all your fellow EARTh members and therapists?
Sergio: Well. Yes, yes, there is a message I could really talk about right now. Umm. Even though we believe and see this happening and know that we incarnate and disincarnate and reincarnate and that life keeps going on, even among us there are lots of people who are afraid of some things and see others as enemies, and this is something that we can’t do. There are no enemies. Uh, I’m reaching the conclusion each and every time today that –it is more like what the Buddhists say—the oriental religion says: we are not separate, we’re not individuals, we are ultimately the same person, living lots of different experiences and every suffering that we have, from the smallest to greatest, are really not real. As if you are an actor or actress acting in a play. You go there and you suffer, you laugh and you cry and so on but when the play ends, and it ends, you are not that person. You will be a mother, but you will not be that person. We are the same people. So, we don’t have enemies. Even those we think of as– this person like of Hitler, he got millions and millions of people killed. Millions and millions and millions of people just because they were Jewish. I’m Jewish. I can’t hate Hitler. Because I am him. Not that I had lived that incarnation, but we are the same. When we do things that caused damage to others. We do because we believe we are right. Nobody does it because, “oh, I want to do things really, really bad because I want to be a bad person.” Because this is what people think they are, right? Ohh, they have the right to do it because they were abused or so on. And people have their trajectories, but we are the same. We are one. So, let’s keep that in mind and not be afraid. We’re going to die, yes, but no, nobody dies. What is? What are we afraid of? Ohh. Because it’s based because of that. Because of this goes back. Maybe we’re going to leave this planet. There are multiple number of planets in the universe. There are people everywhere. And when we are free from the flesh we are going to go whenever, wherever we have to go. I hope we don’t destroy this planet. It’s a very beautiful planet. But this planet will end sometime, eventually. Our Sun will go nova and engulf everything. And if it doesn’t, we all go down toward the black hole that’s in the center of our Galaxy. So, yeah, we will all go. So, let’s take care of each other, of animals, the plants, the earth itself, the water, and so on. Let’s do our job. Each of one of us do our job. Some people are not just there yet. They’re also …. and so on. If everybody does what he or she believes is the best. Do it. Do it always having love in in mind.
Anna: In mind, yes.
Sergio: Love is the answer, is the way. Like in Christianity, Jesus said, well, there’s only one
commandment: Love. Love and nothing more. If you love, you are doing right. And that’s my message just.
Anna: Thank you. Wonderful, very beautiful. Sergio, thank you so much. And just to wrap it up and to go to my last question. In the last video I started a new tradition for this project. And so, I ask the previous person, which was Yasmin from Turkey, has asked you a question, as the next person in line to do this interview. And so, the question to you from Yasmin was: how do you manage to stay such a vibrant and kind person?
Sergio: Imagine….. And of course, I’m human. I also sometimes I’m not so kind and not so. But before every decision I make, when I come to a decision I try to think: What is the most loving thing to do? And honestly, I look at myself. And sometimes I managed, but I don’t know so well. I’m still human, have my bad qualities too.
Anna: But we know you as a very vibrant and kind person, so.
Sergio: Thank you.
Anna: Thank you so much, Sergio. It was very wonderful to have you. And so, let’s get to the end of these and you get to name the next person that will be next to be interviewed and also, you can ask a question to the person that I will ask them later.
Sergio: OK. I would like to have you interview Mario Simoes in Portugal. Yeah. I think he’s the person who we don’t really see talking much. So, I’d like to know more about him. What I really want to know about him, I guess it’s a question you will ask him anyway because it’s part of the questions: I’d like to know how did he came to this? From medicine to regression therapy? and what was the details of this trajectory that got him to such knowledge? And that’s it.
Anna: Great. I will definitely ask that question because it is on the list. Great. Thank you so much. Sergio. It was a great pleasure to have you all the way from Brazil and to see you, as always, a great pleasure. Thank you so much for your time and your presence and your knowledge and for your sharing.
Sergio: Thank you so much, and I hope we can meet in person.
Anna: I hope, soon, yes.
Sergio: Maybe in the next Congress?
Anna: Yes, that would be great, thank you!
All right, everyone, thank you so much for watching this. Thank you to Sergio and I hope you enjoyed this and I will see you in the next interview. Bye everyone.
[1] Society for Medical Advance and Research with Regression Therapy