(Mythological Case study)
Session – 1
Vitals
Name – Shikhandi
Born as – Daughter of King Drupada 
Gender – Born female (Shikhandini), lived as male (Shikhandi)
Pain level before-10/10
Pain level after-0/10
Theme: Unfinished vows 
and gender transformation across lifetimes.
History in client’s words
“I have felt different since childhood. My father raised me like a son, trained me in warfare, and expected me to fight like a warrior. But inside, I never felt fully at peace. I don’t feel like an ordinary girl, nor fully like a boy. I feel caught between two worlds.
At times, I sense a strange anger inside me, but I don’t know its source. I often feel restless, as if I was born for some unfinished task. I am respected as a warrior, but deep within, I carry a sadness and a heavy burden I cannot explain. I do not remember where this feeling comes from. All I know is that my life is not my own , it belongs to some destiny beyond me.”
Session – 2 (Regression)
(Therapist begins induction – relaxation, light, stairs, garden, door)
T: What comes to your awareness?
C: I see myself as a young woman, wearing royal clothes. I am standing in a palace courtyard.
T: Who are you?
C: My name is Amba. I am the princess of Kashi.
T: What is happening?
C: A man has taken me away by force… Bhishma. He brought me and my sisters to Hastinapur. My sisters… they found their fate. But me… I was left behind. I went to the man I loved, but he rejected me. Bhishma too rejected me. I feel thrown away… dishonoured.
T: How are you feeling?
C: (crying) Helpless… angry… burning inside. I curse Bhishma. I go to the forest. I want justice.
T: What happens then?
C: I see myself praying to 
Shiva. I am crying, screaming… asking him for justice. Shiva appears as light. He says “You will be reborn. You will be the cause of Bhishma’s death.” I accept. I take that vow into my death.
(Pause – therapist lets client stay with the feeling until ready to move forward)
T: Now move to the moment where this vow continues. What do you see?
C: I can see present lifetime…I am a child but different. My father is King Drupada. I am his daughter, but he raises me like a son. My name is Shikhandini. I am holding a bow. People don’t know, but I know I am meant for something bigger.
T: How do you feel in this life?
C: I don’t feel like a girl. I feel different. Neither only a girl nor a boy. I live like a warrior. I carry the memory of Amba inside me.
T: Go to an important moment. What do you see?
C: (pauses) I see a battlefield… Kurukshetra. I am standing in Arjuna’s chariot. Bhishma is there, across from me. He sees me… but he lowers his weapons. He won’t fight me because once I was born a woman. At that moment, Arjuna’s arrows pierce him. He is falling. My vow is complete.
T: How do you feel?
C: A burden has lifted. The fire inside me is gone. I am relieved. My soul is lighter.
Integration & Closure
The journey of Shikhandi shows how unresolved vows, pain, and humiliation can carry forward into another life. The soul does not forget; it seeks completion. Amba’s grief turned into Shikhandi’s destiny. Through gender transformation, vows, and divine will, the cycle was completed.
The lesson was clear – unfulfilled promises and unresolved emotions bind the soul, but when the vow is fulfilled, release and peace follow.
Follow-up
If Shikhandi were a client, after such a session, the relief would be immense. The burden of vengeance would no longer remain. They would understand why their identity did not fit in one frame of male or female, because their soul carried a higher purpose. The completion of the vow brought peace not only to Amba but also to Shikhandi.
P.S-Shikhandi’s story reminds us that past lives are not just memories ,they are threads of destiny, carrying pain, vows, and lessons until they are healed.
Sources:-
-Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva (Book 5, Ch. 170–194), trans. Kisari Mohan Ganguli.
-Mahabharata, Adi Parva (Book 1, Ch. 95–96).
-Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva (Book 6, Ch. 108–111).
-Supplementary retellings: Harivamsa, Bhagavata Purana.
-Modern interpretations: Devdutt Pattanaik, C. Rajagopalachari.
-Therapeutic framing: Amarantos PLR methodology.