From Colosseum to Conference Room: Tracing Anxiety from Ancient Battles to Modern Life

For two years, my client, who held a senior position in his company, relied on anxiety medication to cope with anxiety attacks triggered by work-related issues. Gradually, he tapered off the medication but was concerned that there may be a resurgence of anxiety attacks in response to work-related stressors. 

He regressed to ancient Rome and found the connection. 



"My anxiety starts when I face a win-lose situation. 
To me, it is like a life-and-death situation. I’m afraid of losing. 
If I lose, I might lose everything, even my life. 
Anxiety occurs when too many things are beyond my control
and coming at the same time." - Client


Client: “I’m in Rome, in the arena. I am one of the gladiators. There are muscular guys around me. I am holding a knife. I have to walk into the arena. I have to fight with the lions and the other gladiators. There’s a lot of fear in me. I see a lot of blood. There are many spectators at the top. We are in the middle of the rink, at the bottom. Some people are pulling away some dead bodies.”

“I was forced to become a gladiator, I was treated like a slave, thrown into the ring and had to fight for my life. I’m a muscular person, tall, well above six feet, with plenty of muscles…. a very rough guy.”

“I feel like I’m viewing from inside the person’s body. (First person point of view). I look down and I can see chains on my legs and hands. I’m 30+ years old. I’m holding a sword.”

“I’m standing inside the gate, before going into the arena. There is a lot of screaming and cheering from the spectators.”

“I have to fight with the other gladiators. This round I survived. They took me out to a cell where they kept all the prisoners. The condition is very bad. Only once a day, they gave me food, and I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. I’ll probably be killed.”

(I brought client to an earlier time in that life to see how he was put in that situation)

“I’m just walking on the street. There are many merchants on the left and right, a lot of people. Suddenly some army people come from behind me… they just captured me and pulled me away. They put me into a prison together with the others. They are the gladiators whom I will be fighting against later”.

(I brought client to an even earlier time to find out about his life and work)

"I am a sword maker, knocking steel into a sword. Due to my work, I had to use a big hammer to knock at the steel, that’s how I became muscular. The year is 405AD.” 
(I later googled and found that the last gladiator fight is 404AD, but the year he gave me was very close). 

“I lived in a hut. The roof is made of dried grass. The wall is made of clay. There are individual houses clumped together in a neighbourhood. I was staying in the hut alone. I was not married. There's not much furniture, there’s only a bed and stove area.”

(I brought client back to the arena)

"I’m sitting there: tired, hungry and there’s some injuries, some blood on the body. I can hear the noises from the other cells. People are groaning and crying due to injuries.  Someone is in pain, it is a very nasty place to stay, damp and smelly. I can smell a lot of blood in the cells. I’m not seriously injured. There are bruises on my body. I’m wearing just a cloth covering the loin area. I have no shirt on.”

End of life:
“This time I have to fight a much taller guy, a dark-skinned guy. My height is already six feet plus. He is another head taller than me. I have to fight against him. Both of us have a sword. He’s another slave as well. This round I lost. He killed me. His sword went through my body. I lay down on the floor and can see a lot of blood.”

“I can see a lot of rich people, sitting on top there, to them it is just a game."

Reflection:
He realised that his anxiety in the workplace was carried toward from that lifetime as a Roman gladiator. The workplace stressors and workplace conflicts triggered his anxiety attacks, as it was akin to being in battle in the arena, in his past life. He felt as though he was in a life and death situation, and he was afraid of losing, as it may cost him his life. He would also have anxiety attacks when there are many things thrown to him and beyond his control. I did healing via hypnotherapy to help him release those trauma and blockages).