Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

I've never really 'got' the past lives thing.
I consider myself to be a reasonably rational, logical person and I enjoy keeping an open mind about all aspects of 'unexplained natural or supernatural phenomena', but I really struggle with what is meant by a 'past life'.

I understand that the 'past life' is most often discovered under some sort of hypnosis, correct?
What I totally fail to understand, and bear with me here, is where is/was the awareness of the 'consciousness' of that past life?
I'm going to make an assumption here - This is, the present, the only time we are all aware of a consciousness. A 'me' if you like. A 'life' we are living. So my question to the past life people would be is the past life a 'memory', an image that is viewed as distant or disconnected or was it lived "entirely", meaning as aware then of the 'type' of consciousness we have right now in our lives.

I'm sorry for all the inverted commas and the vague language but its a difficult thing to convey. Also trying to type this quickly on an ipad, which doesn't help!

To put it a different way in order that I might be understood - Was the past life 'lived' as this life is now? Was it as 'real' as this life? And, if so, why is it that this life is the only time we all feel 'aware' of a life, a consciousness.

I probably won't be able to get back on here til tomorrow, but if anybody is willing to share their past life experience and give me an answer, I'd be grateful!