Is there good evidence for reincarnation?
Researchers say yes.
HAVE YOU LIVED BEFORE? The concept of
reincarnation -- that our souls may experience
many lifetimes over centuries, maybe even
thousands of years -- has been present in
virtually every culture since ancient times. The
Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Aztecs all
believed in the "transmigration of souls" from
one body to another after death. It's a
fundamental precept of Hinduism.
Although reincarnation is not a part of official
Christian doctrine, many Christians believe in it
or at least accept its possibility. (Jesus, it is
believed, was reincarnated three days after his
crucifixion.) That's not at all surprising; the idea
that after death we can live again as another
person -- maybe as the opposite sex or in a
completely different station in life -- is intriguing
and, for many people, highly appealing.
Is there any truth to it, however? Is reincarnation
just an idea, a fantasy? Or is there real evidence
to support it? Here's some of the best evidence
available, gathered by researchers who, in some
cases, have devoted their lives to the subject.
Examine it, then decide for yourself.
PAST LIFE REGRESSION HYPNOSIS
The practice of reaching past lives through
hypnosis is controversial, primarily because
hypnosis is not a reliable tool. Hypnosis can
certainly help reach the unconscious mind, but
the information found there is not reliable as
truth. It has been shown that the practice can
create false memories. That doesn't mean,
however, that regression hypnosis should be
dismissed out of hand. If the past life information
can be verified through research, the case for
reincarnation can be considered more seriously.
ILLNESSES AND PHYSICAL AILMENTS
Do you have a life-long illness or physical pain
that you cannot account for? Their roots could be
in some past life trauma, some researchers
suspect.
Next Page: Phobias and Nightmares; Children's
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The most famous case of past life regression
through hypnosis is that of Ruth Simmons. In
1952, her therapist, Morey Bernstein, took her
back past the point of her birth. Suddenly, Ruth
began to speak with an Irish accent and claimed
that her name was Bridey Murphy, who lived in
19th century Belfast, Ireland. Ruth recalled many
details of her life as Bridey, but, unfortunately,
attempts to find out if Ms. Murphy really existed
were unsuccessful. There was, however, some
indirect evidence for the truth of her story: under
hypnosis, Bridey mentioned the names of two
grocers in Belfast from whom she bought food,
Mr. Farr and John Carrigan. A Belfast librarian
found a city directory for 1865-1866 that listed
both men as grocers. Her story was told both in a
book by Bernstein and in a 1956 movie, The
Search for Bridey Murphy.
In "Have We Really Lived Before?", Michael C.
Pollack, Ph.D., CCHT describes his lower back
pain, which grew steadily worse over the years
and limited his activities. He believes he found
out a possible reason during a series of past life
therapy sessions: "I discovered that I had lived at
least three prior lifetimes in which I had been
killed by being knifed or speared in the low back.
After processing and healing the past life
experiences my back began to heal."
Research conducted by Nicola Dexter, a past life
therapist, has discovered correlations between
illnesses and past lives in some of her patients,
including: a bulimia sufferer who swallowed salt
water in a previous life; a fear of indoor heights
caused by carving the ceiling of a church and
being killed by falling to the floor; a persistent
problem in the shoulder and the arm area having
been caused by participating in a tug of war
which injured the same arm; a fear of razors and
shaving was found to have its root cause in
another lifetime where the client had chopped off
someone's fingers with a sword and then as
retribution had his entire hand cut off.
