Yes, profound is a good word for it. At first I just thought, "I'm making this up!" (There is an awareness of self that you have while under the hypnosis; but you are hyper-focused on whatever you have been directed to focus on.) The hypnotherapist would ask me questions - "Who are you now? What is your name? Look down at yourself - can you see what you're wearing?" and I would answer them. I did struggle with describing the part where I was strangled as a young pregnant girl, that one made me begin to cry out while under hypnosis.
As we moved from life to life, each life seemed a little easier to recall until finally, that last life seemed just like a memory almost. Not sure if it was because it was so recent chronologically, or if I was warmed up by then.
I hav a CD and book combo of his where he takes you through a guided meditation and you can try to go back to your past lives on your own, but I had a hard time with it. Still, I've come a long way since I originally tried; maybe I should try again.