My research into William Swygard and his innovative work with the Awareness techniques has uncovered an interesting and mysterious woman doing similar work in the same city at the same time. Helen Hoag is the author of a series of books on past lives, including "What Happens Between Lives" and "Technique of Past Lives Recall.' Helen Hoag may be the missing link in this story, even if there is no record of her. A huge 'thank you' to Af Slv, my friend and an amazing researcher in Portugal who found Helen's work and made scans of her books available to me. What makes Helen so mysterious is, she references the awareness technique, multi-level and multi-plane awareness, and running, and she established "The Awareness Research Foundation" in Florida in the late 1960's. Adding to the mystery, her publications pre-date Swygard's by a year or so. (Hoag published the above books, actually 50 page pamphlets, in 1969, Swygard published "Awareness Techniques Book 1" in 1970). In the acknowledgements to "What Happens Between Lives", Hoag says "My sincere thanks to the more than one hundred students whose experiences in viewing their past lives furnished the examples for this book. Without their interest in, and their 'running' of their past lives, we would not know so much about life after death.", dated "Copyright 1969". In Swygard's preface, he says "The technique 'multi-Level Awareness', has been tested in all its aspects upon persons of various races, religious backgrounds and ages for over eighteen years in the Miami, Florida area.... Most of the work involved in the book you are holding, its writing, publication and distribution, was done by the delightful members of the Miami group." It is signed: "William Swygard, Miami Florida, December 1968"but the copywriter date is "1970 & 1975".
Hoag and Swygard apparently worked together in the Miami Florida area for some time, enough for Helen to do "more than one hundred" sessions, yet they published separately, within months of each other. And Swygard references "the Miami group" of which Helen Hoag may have been a member. And Hoag's book teases "other titles planned, some by new authors", maybe implying Swygard's own book? But neither refers to the other by name. I would love to have access to the monthly bulletins from "The Awareness Research Foundation, Inc." that Hoag mentions in the end pages of her book. The "Awareness Research Foundation" is no longer active, and repeated attempts to locate living relatives have been unsuccessful. If there is anyone who has any information on Helen Hoag and her work, please contact me and I will pass it along.