Abstract
This work began as my masters thesis
during my course of study with the University of Metaphysics in Arizona. I realized as I pursued my course of study
with the university along side my study in traditional academia that there was
a real need for multiple disciplines to come together to take a good long look
at some of the issues and matters that affect the well-being of humans
incarnate here on planet Earth if we were going to find any way at all to
improve it. My first course of study
following metaphysics was a course in psychology that followed a study on the
biological aspects of aging. Following
that, a bit of self-study in physics and mathematics along with contemplating
consciousness in general and I realized that we are now in a place in our
present day age where it is of the utmost importance that we shift away from
tired and worn biases and paradigms built on false premises, move away from
“because the bible says so” or what we’ve been taught to disbelieve or believe
and begin to look beyond the purportedly tried
and true traditions to find better answers to what seems to ail humanity.
Introduction
This work is a journey into consciousness
and is truly only the beginning for me.
I see things differently than most probably and I realize my course of
study flies in the face of tradition and I’m okay with that; my mind shall stay
open because I don’t want to miss something important out of arrogance or
egoism. If we closed our minds to only
that which the majority considers to be tried
and true, where would that leave our theoretical physicists who are gaining
ground with new hypotheses and discoveries every single day? Where would that leave our doctors who
practice medicine but then later learn that our beliefs affect both our
illnesses as well as our prognoses at times?
Where would we be if we never left our homes or read a book or
entertained new thought in the form of all of the various new theories,
philosophies and possibilities? I’m
afraid we might still believe that the Earth is flat, that the sun revolves
around the Earth and that tomatoes are poisonous. Even the Big Bang theory was not immediately
well received when first introduced by Steven Hawking at Cambridge University
many years ago. Great minds are those
that are willing to reach beyond the walls of only the “tried and true” and
formulate new questions, develop ever increasing hypotheses to test and try to
validate and see where these clues all around us lead us as a species. There is so much more to who we are and our
existence here on Earth than what simply meets the eye or the ear or even our
limited sense of physical touch.
I intend to embark on a series of
explorations from a laypersons perspective, from a spiritual perspective, from
a metaphysical perspective and a philosophical perspective. I intend also to begin to look at
consciousness in a way that perhaps deviates from what we know strictly from
the world of academics like biology, psychology and philosophy, for
example. I intend to delve into some of
the great body of knowledge each of the disciplines posses in order to attempt
to hold the doors open wide towards new thought and I do so because I
personally care how people live, what helps them prosper and grow and how we
each can contribute to this beautiful whole that only seems to begin with life
on Earth. So, I begin with a concept in
this work. It is one simple concept and
it deals with one of the many alternatives to mainstream Western thought and
turns instead to Eastern thought and non-traditional Western application with
reincarnation and how it can impact the health and well-being of individuals
living here now. Much more will come and not just from me but others like me
who are no longer satisfied with the status quo.
I have been interested in the topic of
the subject matter of this book for a very long time. I decided to conduct some research into the
topic as I noticed certain themes carried throughout my life and from the
stories I’ve read, heard first hand or otherwise learned about through my
voracious appetite for learning. Through
conducting some work on my master’s thesis, I came across the topic of
reincarnation. Always curious and ever
wanting to test my own beliefs, I chose this topic to explore it and better
understand it from the view of those in the outside world. In my research I began to see a theme
emerging I wanted to study a little more as I realized it had the potential for
impact on health and wellbeing. I
selected for my masters thesis, the topic of reincarnation and its impact on
human health and wellbeing. This book
began with my research and study for my thesis and I wanted to write and
publish my work more broadly in the event others, like me, may be curious.
Another reason that I chose the topic of
reincarnation was that it is one I feel somewhat familiar with. It is the very topic that led me to a
conscious spiritual journey into the world of new age thought more than twenty
years ago. In my observation, the
problem that I’m seeking to address through exploration is that reincarnation
is one of those beliefs held by many but yet perhaps little understood and so
there is an absence of awareness of the impacts and benefits of reincarnation
on health and wellbeing. Reincarnation
is not limited to the realms of new age topics alone that some might think it
is but rather it is an ancient topic as my explorations will uncover. The topic of reincarnation has only been
brought to the Western world fairly recently in our history through travelers
from the East reaching Western shores. Such travelers brought with them tales
of their learning of Eastern religious and mystical texts. My exploration into this topic will cover
some of those texts such as the Bhagavad
Gita, the Tibetan Book of the Dead
and more recent works by some pioneers in the field of past-life regression
therapy such as Drs. Brian Weiss, Jim Tucker and Philip Newton.
In my efforts to craft this work, I
wanted to express the importance of our human history and experience with the
topic. I do this through the explorations of the pioneering works of some very
brave and open minded souls. These educated writers outline the impacts their
research and explorations have had not only on their patients lives directly,
but also indirectly on others who are questioning their purpose in life. They impacted people just like me who happen
to be wondering, curious and eager to learn about ancient understanding, new
thought processes, history and the results of solid practical application in
terms of helping others to deal effectively with the challenges of the day to
day existence in a sense much broader than merely the physical or psychological
experience.
I feel very strongly that it’s important
to understand better the body of information that exists and is readily
available to us whether or not it is deemed readily or reasonably acceptable.
From this more open-minded perspective, we can then begin to understand the
information in practical terms and how it may help with practical application
by more who may be interested in this topic.
Through that broader understanding, assisting human beings achieve
greater health and a sense of well-being is truly paramount to making this
world a better place, in my own opinion.
Methodology
My plan for exploration into the topic of
reincarnation and its impact on health and wellbeing follows. In my explorations, I’m going to evaluate and
articulate four separate but related themes that emerge in the study and
contemplation of reincarnation and its impact on the health and well being of
human beings incarnate. The first theme
relates to past lives and their impact on the present life, and the second
theme is on an exploration of soul mates in the past-life to present experience
context. The third is the understanding of the concept of soul families and the
fourth is the expansion of awareness through understanding the concepts of
reincarnation that may have an unconscious and potentially negative or positive
impacts on human life.
This study will utilize two
methodologies, if you will. One will be
the study of the works in the new age genre and one will be a simple review of
case studies selected from the works I have chosen to review.
I will outline my personal explorations
of the literature of reincarnation over the past several decades. As my understanding of reincarnation
increased, so did my understanding of the topic and my expertise in this
area. This expertise has underpinned my
observations and experience in my work as a spiritual counselor, providing
guidance to those seeking greater health and happiness through an improved
sense of positive health and well-being.
Within this section, I will begin with
the review of more classical works, moving into the work of the pioneers in the
field of past-life regression exploration and therapy under hypnosis and move
into more contemporary works of authors who have written about their own
experiences with past-life memories and the impact on their lives. I will share
also, a few personal explorations. Although I’ve read hundreds of amazing works
over the past several decades, I selected only a few works to share here for
the sake of brevity and because I found them most relevant to the themes and
threads that seemed to be emerging for me.
I also wanted to show you where my thoughts emerged on the topic of
reincarnation.
To some, the concept of reincarnation is
pure hogwash and immediately relegated to the land of fantasy or as something
those who lack accountability cling too.
I could say that up until my
early twenties, I was one of those and had no belief in reincarnation at
all. But when I became pregnant with my
first child, a book crossed my path concerning the concept of babies
remembering their birth. I was
immediately fascinated and so began a long journey of study into this topic
through reading, personal experimentation and much thought. But enough on that for now. On to the
specifics of my review…
The Tibetan
Book of the Dead was written overall as a guidebook for the living
officiants to use to help guide the dead through the various bardos or levels
of the immediate after-life experience that each soul leaving Earth travels
through. In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the bardos or levels are many but the
author of the version I reviewed summarizes them as follows:
Chikhai Bardo – I:
the primary bardo, the clear level seen as death,
Chikhai Bardo –
II: The clear light recognition level,
Chonyid
Bardo: Karmic illusions come to shine
upon the soul of the departed,
Sidpa Bardo: Where one has shed all aspects of body and
blood and has begun to ready one’s self for the selection of a womb door, and
Bardo Thodol – Of
the Bardo Thodol, the author states it is that “…Which is the entire cycle of
sangsaric existence intervening between death and birth...” (Evans-Wentz, Y.W.,
2).
In the days following death, a soul is
met by karmic apparitions of its unconscious choosing as it moves from one
bardo level to the next. If one should
align to the dullness of the light rather than the true lightness of being as
the soul encounters each of his or her created characters representing common
life themes, one is then immediately reborn into that category of behavior
represented by the apparitions. These
dull lights can represent various themes from which learning can be obtained
such as greed, fear or any number of potentially negative scenarios that would
later, hopefully, serve the soul through its continued learning and growth.
The dawning of the peaceful and wrathful
deities during this time as the work points out, which are truly one and the
same, test the soul for its readiness to fully reap the understanding of what
one has learned in their most recent life incarnate. In fact, portions of the book are read to the
departed person in an effort to help guide them through the various bardos and
to facilitate the choosing of their best possible next life scenario.
The book concludes with instructions in
the Sulpa bardo on how to choose a womb, to enter the womb door and to close it
behind one in preparation for the next life.
As a whole, this particular book outlines
a strong Tibetan belief in reincarnation, focusing and orienting the soul on
choosing rightly for the best outcome in an incarnate experience and after that
experience is done, the cycle again repeats until the soul has finished its
learning cycle. Clearly, in Eastern
philosophy, this work is representative of a long held belief in reincarnation
and a plan for assisting it as a choice made wisely for the soul of the
recently departed.
Choosing an incarnation, from the
perspective of this work, is not something one should partake in blindly. One must be knowledgeable and ready to engage
in the otherworld of consciousness where the choice is offered so that the
individual may choose wisely. This
aspect of consciousness is an interesting one.
This book speaks of the states of consciousness where we begin to
organize our focus of energies and intent for the purpose of physical
incarnation and continued learning. This
work points out that there is a purpose to life and that purpose is learning
and soul growth, I gather.
This book is not limited to the Bhagavad
Gita itself but includes also narrative interpretation by Paramahansa Yogananda
as remembered and committed to writing by one of his disciples Swami Kriyananda
(J. Donald Walters). Within the
narrative of the Bhagavad Gita as originally written by Byasa, Krishna and
Arjuna engage in deep philosophical discussion surrounding the battle of
Kurukshetra, which is truly a metaphor for the battle of dark and light
within. Through these communications
with Krishna, Arjuna begins to understand the larger scheme of existence, the
purpose for interaction, reincarnation and growth for the soul. In a particular chapter, Krishna discusses
reincarnation by teaching Arjuna that the soul never dies and remains part of
God always and as a result of this truth, is truly indestructible. (Note to the reader, take this concept a
little broader and hold onto it in this way: No matter what, we are always and
ever connected to Source through the medium of our shared consciousness).
Within this amazing work it is explained
that the ego attached to the soul must incarnate in order to evolve toward
liberation from Maya (the world of illusion).
The soul is already perfect just as it is, this work points out from a
great number of perspectives as outlined in lengthy discourse between Krishna
and Arjuna. A direct quote from the
sacred text at 2:11 expresses this well:
“With words of love you have been grieving
over those who deserve no lamentation.
The wise mourn neither for those who live on Earth nor those who leave
it,” (Walters, J. Donald, 55)
The meaning is
further explained by the author as an understanding that the soul does not die
but its consciousness lives on. Those
who understand the purpose of reincarnation and life in general begin to
understand that all experience of life and death are part of the soul’s process
of learning, growth and further spiritual evolution.
Within this work Krishna explains in
detail to Arjuna that souls are drawn back to Earth, the master plane where
concerns reflect whatever consciousness has developed so far. Another direct quote from the author further
reinforces the holy text’s focus and belief in reincarnation as follows:
“…Krishna then,
however, goes on to explain a deeper side of death and rebirth. For the Bhagavad Gita, is, above all, an
allegory of soul evolution. (Actually, the soul doesn’t evolve, for it is ever
perfect. It is the jiva or ego—the soul
attached to the body – which evolves toward liberation.” (Yogananda,
Paramahansa, Page 54).
(Another point for the reader to note and
hold onto right here is the concept of stratifications of consciousness that go
beyond psychology alone.)
The original text that is the basis of
this work is an ancient one (estimated to have been written between 400 BCE and 200 CE) and part of a much larger body of holy
scriptures included in the Mahabharata, Vedic texts from the Hindu
traditions. Clearly, again, Eastern
philosophy is quite comfortable with the concept of reincarnation and accepts
it as more than just a belief but as a reality that reincarnation is part of
our existence in the grander scheme of existence.
A more recent work I include here for
bridging the gap between the Eastern and Western thought on reincarnation is a
work by J.B. Tucker. This particular
work outlines that, “A surprising number of Americans believe in
reincarnation—between 20-27 percent, depending on the poll—and a similar
percentage of Europeans do as well…” (Tucker, J.G., 4).
The author sets the stage of his study
into the topic of reincarnation by stating that those in the west that believe
in reincarnation cannot base their belief on evidence as many are unfamiliar
with the research done at the University of Virginia, for example. The author cites the Harris Poll in 2003 and
found that from that poll it is indicated that 21% of Christians believe in
reincarnation.
Life
before Life is an
analytical rather than emotional work of research on the topic of
reincarnation. In fact, the first
edition was titled “Life After Life: A
Scientific Investigation of Children’s Memories of Previous Lives.” The author draws on the research conducted at
the University of Virginia in 1958 by Dr. Ian Stevenson. Dr. Stevenson was one of the original
pioneers in the field of past-life research.
When the American Society of Psychical Research advertised a contest in
1958, Dr. Stevenson responded by submitting the winning entry titled, “The
Evidence for Survival from Claimed Memories of Former Incarnations.” Life
Before Life cites that 44 cases were reviewed for Dr. Stevenson’s essay
that were gathered from previous cases reported from around the world.
Within this work, the author discusses a
topic outlining a compelling argument for reincarnation through the marks on
the body in one individual in the same locale as a reported past-life memory of
illness or even the cause of death in a prior life. In this concept, the author indicates that a
soul may carry physical evidence from a prior incarnation into a current
one. The author then goes into
discussion very key to my focus which is also bringing certain behaviors,
preferences and even irrational fears from a prior incarnation into a current
one. The author references the work of
Dr. Stevenson in working with children experiencing various fears and phobias
that were actually relieved by reliving the memories of their prior times
incarnate. In my case studies I will
share with you a personal testing of this.
Even if this personal experiment must be considered biased, I did
encounter a result I will share later that I found interesting to say the
least.
Journey
of Souls is one of the
classic works in reincarnation, in my opinion.
In this work by Dr. Michael Newton, he describes his volumes of
collected case studies from his clients over time utilizing hypnotherapy
techniques to regress them to the origins of current life ailments believed to
have originated with past lives. In this
particular work, Dr. Newton has categorized his cases into topical explorations
in an effort to understand soul development through reincarnation.
His studies and cases selected for
publication span death and departure, returning home, interactions in the
beyond, learning and development, in between levels, our guides and their
purpose to the various levels of soul existence. His case selection continues the exploration
of life selection, preparing for bodily choice, preparing to incarnate and then
rebirth. These concepts, I cannot help
but notice are not unlike those outlined in one of the works I previously
reviewed, The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Of significant note in this book is an
emerging common thread among the souls.
This common thread is a realization of the oneness of origin, the
individual striving for learning through incarnate experience and even
realization of aspects of one incarnation personality into another. The cases under regression seem to emphasize
the need for amnesia as a way to maintain focus in this incarnation in
real-time without interference of past life memories. As my partner recently mentioned to me in
conversation, “You can only drive one car at a time.” This same concept applies here in that one
couldn’t really focus on the life at hand with all of the memories and details
of other lives flooding one’s consciousness.
So there is a need for a veil of amnesia. The veil or the ego that holds it is
important.
Another of the common themes in this book
underscored the advancement of souls while at the same time holding a complete
lack of judgment or a sense of competition between the levels of development of
individual souls. That is very different from our experience here where
competition seems to run rampant and we humans seem to hold first this
“dog-eat-dog” approach to life (forgive the axiom, it isn’t one of my favorites
but aptly outlines the point). But I
digress…back to my review! Dr. Newton’s collection of cases in this book
represent an array of individuals from various cultures, types of work along
with various present day experiences or ailments encountered with origins in
sometimes not only one but several past-life incarnations. In one of the narrative sections of his book,
Dr. Newton made the following observation:
“Both positive and
negative emotions are mixed between soul and host for their mutual
benefit. IF a soul only knew love and
peace, it would gain no insight and never truly appreciate the value of these
positive feelings. The test of
reincarnation for a soul coming to Earth is the conquering of fear in the human
body. A soul grows by trying to overcome
all negative emotions connected to fear through perseverance in many lifetimes,
often returning to the spirit world bruised or hurt….Some of this negativity
can be retained, even in the spirit world, and may reappear in another life
with a new body…” (Newton, Michael, 69)
If you are curious about the subject
matter of reincarnation in general, I couldn’t recommend this work enough. For the curious, it provides much food for
thought as do the rest of the works I reviewed that underpin and align with my
own thoughts and experience on the topic of reincarnation. As I read these works reminding myself to
keep a very open mind, I begin to see how there is so much that we understand
just a little. If we could endeavor to
understand more, how might that change how we live our lives? I wonder…
In this book I’ve chosen to review and
share here, I deviate slightly from the general theme of reincarnation and dive
into one of it’s specialized focus areas, that of the concept of soul
mates. In his work, Dr. Brian Weiss
makes a compelling case for the concept of soul mates. Forming this opinion from countless case
histories, Dr. Weiss explains that there is a certain someone for
everyone. He also explains there may be
several Someones in a soul’s life
that qualify in the category of a soul mate or even as part of a larger soul
family. This is a bit different than the
common belief that there is only one true soul mate or our other half we so
often seemingly long for. Personally, I
tend to agree with this Dr. Weiss’ concept.
But, I’ll get to my thoughts on these concepts later on.
In Only
Love Is Real, Dr. Weiss tells a story of two particular soul mates who
happened to be two of his patients. The
tale begins with the case histories of Elizabeth and Pedro. Each had been separately suffering depression
from the loss of a loved one as well as challenging relationship issues with
family and/or partners. Through
past-life regression under hypnosis, Dr. Weiss takes both Elizabeth and Pedro,
respectively, back through various lives and times and each begins to improve
in terms of their present day physical and emotional concerns as well as
troubling symptoms.
As Dr. Weiss continues to work with these
two patients, he discovers that each is describing similar aspects of
potentially, the same life in Palestine.
Pondering this, Dr. Weiss continues his work with the two of them
understanding the lives they have held together and even goes so far as to make
an arrangement for them to meet by scheduling them sequentially for
appointments on the same day so that they may run into each other.
The first time they met in person,
neither pursued further interaction but Dr. Weiss holding the information of
each soul’s experience of the other made a second attempt to have them run into
each other. Pedro was leaving the
country to return to Mexico and Dr. Weiss felt that time was running short for
the opportunity for the two of them to connect and so felt compelled to arrange
their next appointments sequentially on the same day so that they may run into
each other yet again. Each noticed the
other but neither pursued any further information with or about each
other. Being bound by confidentiality,
Dr. Weiss understood clearly he had to maintain boundaries as required by the
ethics of confidentiality.
Dr. Weiss expressed in his book that he
wondered about this particular connection and how destiny might work its way
into introducing these two. He was not
disappointed. As fate would have it,
both Pedro and Elizabeth, through a series of airline rescheduling mishaps
ended up on the same plane. Having seen
each other before in Dr. Weiss’ office, there was a sense of safety in
connecting and also a sudden and unexpected compelling “pull” described in
their connecting from observing each other from separate locations within the
gate waiting area. After conveniently
being seated next to each other on the flight, an encounter with turbulence
that caused Elizabeth distress, Pedro reached for Elizabeth’s hand. The electricity of meeting, lifetimes
unfolding unconsciously and perhaps at some level consciously, the deeper
connection had at last been made. After
that meeting the two decided to pursue spending time together, became
romantically involved, compared past-life history notes and reported back to
Dr. Weiss that they were both incredibly happy together and now married.
Dr. Weiss notes in this book that he has
frequently regressed couples who have experienced prior lives together and
believes that we have large soul families that we choose to incarnate with and
to learn from in various ways and from different roles. The life in Palestine for example, Pedro and
Elizabeth, the main focal cases for this book, were father and daughter. The roles we experience each other in change
in ways that will promote the greatest learning for the souls involved. Dr. Weiss makes a good case for soul mates as
well as healing in this book. Dr. Weiss
outlines his commitment to continuing understanding of reincarnation with this
quote from his book:
“I am reminded
that the concept of reincarnation is only a bridge. The therapeutic results of walking over this
bridge are beyond question. People get
better, even if they don’t believe in past lives. The belief of the therapist isn’t important
either. Memories are elicited and symptoms
resolve…Reincarnation is a bridge to greater knowledge, wisdom, and
understanding. It reminds us of what we
take with us and what we do not, of why we are here and of what we need to
accomplish in order to move on. It
reminds us of the incredible guidance and help along the way, and of our loved
ones returning with us to share our steps and to ease our burdens.” (Weiss,
Brian, 170)
I didn’t feel that my exploration into
this area of consciousness and reincarnation would be complete without
including the work of Dr. Raymond Moody.
In this book, the author explores the near death experience with
specific details concerning the accounts of patients who have reported near
death experiences. Dr. Moody researches,
investigates and explores the various phenomenon that occurs to those
experiencing death during traumatic experience, surgical procedures, etc. and
return to tell the tale. In this book,
Dr. Moody makes an objective and yet compelling argument for the existence of
life beyond the current incarnation via the fact that consciousness of a being
exists beyond the corporeal physical existence within a body. Dr. Moody writes about processes he has
developed to help individuals achieve a state in which they experience the
spirits of loved ones who have departed allowing them the opportunity to be
comforted in the concept that life does not end at death.
In the Preface of Life After Life written by Dr. Melvin Morse (another pioneer in
past-life research whose work is also very important to the field), he states
of Dr. Moody’s work:
“Prior to the
publication of Life After Life, the term near-death experience did not even
exist…Once Dr. Moody took the time to actually listen to people who had
survived heart attacks and so learned about their near-death experiences, our
society had a sort of collective “a-ha-moment” and began to realize that
something very spiritual happens to us when we die…Life After Life was hugely successful because it addressed two
major problems in twentieth-century Western Civilization: (1) the loss of collective societal myths
having to do with death and dying, and (2) the systematic devaluation of
anything to do with the spiritual side of humans.” (Morse, M., x)
Another important quote I wanted to
include from Dr. Moody’s book as it supports the explorations I’m outlining
comes from none other than another pioneer in the field, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler
Ross. In the Forward to Dr. Moody’s
book, Dr. Ross states:
“…We have to have
the courage to open new doors and admit that our present-day scientific tools
are inadequate for many of these new investigations…They will know that this
account of Dr. Moody’s findings is true, because it is written by a genuine and
honest investigator. It is also
corroborated by my own research and by the findings of other very
serious-minded scientists, scholars and members of the clergy who have had the
courage to investigate this new field of research in the hope of helping those
who need to know, rather than to believe…” (Kubler Ross, E, xxiii).
The concept of consciousness existing
beyond the body incarnate is important to my explorations into
reincarnation. There is a picture I am
attempting to paint and that is one that needs more painters (those willing to
open their minds, explore and understand the various levels of consciousness so
we can all better understand the bigger picture). While we are making great strides in better
understanding consciousness, we have a long way to go. Understanding the concept of consciousness is
in part what understanding reincarnation is all about. In one of my own related works soon to be
published, The Ego is the Veil, I
will explore this aspect more deeply.
In this book, also by Dr. Brian Weiss,
Dr. Raymond Moody wrote the Introduction.
Considering that Dr.’s Weiss and Moody are two of many pioneers in the
field of psychology exploring the effects of past-life and regression therapy,
I felt this summary wouldn’t be complete without mentioning his initial
commentary. Dr. Moody points out in the
Introduction that the Western society has undergone a revolution in
consciousness. He has noted that an
entire generation of young people has grown up hearing and reading about near
death experiences, past life regressions, out of the body journeys, apparitions
of the deceased and a host of other remarkable phenomena of the spiritual
life. Dr. Moody underscores that the
public interest in near death experiences really began in 1975 and while some
have dismissed the concept as a mere fad, it is now more commonplace in
understanding many years later and that through his own work he has discovered
it is more than just a fad, it is a reality.
In Through
Time Into Healing, Dr. Weiss writes about his humble beginnings in his
past-life regression work holding concerns of how academia would perceive him
and regardless, throwing caution to the wind, he came out and began writing
about it. But first, he realized
research was needed. He discovered other
pioneers, although very few in number at that time, came forward with similar
findings and results and they began a whole new body of work in past life
incarnation understanding. Dr. Weiss, in
many of his books has noted psychological improvement to a number of ailments
from simple and complex physical ailments to more mentally induced ailments
like anxiety, grief and depression.
In considering his many cases and
experiences of patients undergoing past-life regression, he notes two
particular types: 1) “Classic” (Weiss, 31) and 2) “Key moment flow” (Weiss,
34). Each of these provides two specific
ways in which a patient may experience a past life. Dr. Weiss notes that both types have proven
beneficial to his patients in terms of providing an impact to their healing and
overall sense of well-being.
Dr. Weiss writes about the challenges of
his early days of work with this therapy in that not many papers or works
existed from which he might glean greater understanding. In his research he came across the body of work
from Dr. Ian Stevenson. Dr. Stevenson’s
work consisted of documentation of children who remember birth and their lives
just prior to this one. Dr. Weiss turned
to a number of religious doctrines in order to conduct research and found documentation
in Eastern Religions such as those described in Buddhism and Hinduism. He had also learned that the Sufi tradition
of Islam has a very beautiful tradition of reincarnation, rendered in poetry,
dance and song. Dr. Weiss also found
that in Judaism there was a fundamental belief in reincarnation. He also learned that in the Orthodox and
Chasidic communities, belief in reincarnation continues unabated today. The Kabbalah, mystic Jewish literature
dating back thousands of years is filled with references to reincarnation. When Dr. Weiss researched the history of
Christianity, he discovered many of the early references to reincarnation in
the New Testament had been edited out in the fourth century by emperor
Constantine when The Bible as we know it today had been canonized. Apparently, the emperor had felt the concept
of reincarnation was threatening to the stability of the empire--possibly,
citizens that believed they may have another opportunity to be obedient and law
abiding in another life, may not do so well in the current one along the lines
of the Church’s tenets.
This paper contains multiple case studies
representing various types of individuals suffering multiple types of maladies
in the present that Dr. Weiss regressed to the points of origin in past-life
incarnations. Dr. Weiss reports the success of each of these regressions in
terms of the alleviation of the intensity or removal all-together of life long
pain, fears, phobias and other concerns patients held before entering
therapy. Perhaps unexpectedly, Dr. Weiss
stumbled upon a way to thin the veil of the ego of each of his patients through
the relaxed state induced by hypnosis, have them reach into the memories of
past experience and bring them forth to current consciousness for greater
understanding and ultimately, healing.
Dr. Weiss indicates in this work that he
quickly learned that he was going to have to be one of the pioneers to begin
writing papers on this topic and that he has with this book of many documented
case studies of reincarnation from his own case load of patients through time
and its impact as a strong healing modality for many. Dr. Weiss closes this book leaving the
readers with details and instructions for moving through past-lives or getting
to those past lives through multiple modalities such as meditation,
word-association and listening to recorded scripts to help produce the
atmosphere necessary to call forward past-life information that will be
beneficial to the person undergoing the work on his or her own.
Dr. Weiss states earlier in his book that
the consciousness of the individual will not allow them to recall things too
traumatic for a soul to experience and even if a patient stumbles onto
something traumatic, he or she can outreach to a clinical therapist for
assistance with integrating any troubling feelings of guilt or shame at any
past life experiences recalled during self-work. In this book Dr. Weiss documents the nuts and
bolts of his beginnings in exploration into the topic, how it has been used by
himself and other pioneers in the field to promote healing in their patients
through past-life memory recall and the techniques used to get there.
In order to further support my
exploration outlined within this paper, I’ve selected some case studies from
within the works referenced herein. For
the specific cases selected, each comes from the authors of the works I
reviewed and includes patients in which the doctors documented, with patient
permission, the basic elements of current symptoms of a physiological or psychological
nature, the effect on their present lives, the origins of the issues causing
the symptoms and the alleviation of symptoms through discovery of the origins
within past lives. The doctors each used
a similar methodology to explore the origins, hypnotherapy. I have selected only 3 of the cases from my
reviewed works to provide an example of those representing physiological
complaints alone, combination physiological and psychological complaints and
finally, purely psychological complaints.
In the final case study, I have included my first experiment in
past-life regression therapy and will share the outcome of that particular
session.
I found it more than coincidental that
the same exploration of prior incarnations seemed to be at the core of some of
the ailments presented in each of these case studies, including my own. I’ll talk more about my thoughts on why this
might be so later in this book.
Subject:
Patrick
Description/Symptoms:
At birth Patrick was found to have a slanting birthmark with the
appearance of a small cut on the right side of his neck, a nodule on his scalp
above his right ear and an opacity in his left eye, diagnosed as corneal
leukoma that caused him to have very little vision in that eye. When he began walking he limped, favoring his
left leg. When Patrick was 4 and a half
years old he began talking about his old house and wanting to return to it. However, this was not a house that he had
lived in but one his mother and his older deceased brother Kevin lived in. Kevin died at 2 years of age. Kevin had a central line place on the right
side of his neck while he went through treatment – the same location of Kevin’s
central line. Patrick had a mark that
appeared to be a cut right in the same place where is older brother Kevin had a
biopsy and then, tumor removed. When
Kevin was one year old he had a fall and broke his leg. The same leg much younger brother Patrick
began to favor as soon as he could walk.
Observations:
The younger bother Patrick displayed without knowledge due to his very
young age, similar physiological symptoms of his older but deceased brother
Kevin who died at a very young age.
Case Study 2
(Healing the Body by Healing the Mind, Weiss, 56)
Subject: Elaine
Description/Symptoms:
Elaine presented with intermittent excruciating pains in the neck,
shoulders and upper back. Elaine also
presented with a fear of heights.
Under hypnosis and seeking the origins,
Dr. Weiss and Elaine discovered a life in which Elaine had been a soldier who
had lost a battle and found a scene under hypnosis where she had her hands tied
behind her back. She was lanced and then
pushed over the edge of something as she recalled falling into the water of a
mote. Elaine reported always having both
a fear of heights and drowning.
Observations:
Following the session with Dr. Weiss and exploring this particular
memory, Elaine reported complete alleviation of her symptoms.
Subject:
Hope
Description/Symptoms: A female presenting with depression and
relationship problems with her son.
Under hypnosis Hope discovered a past life in which she worked for a man
that was taking advantage of her. She
left the employment of that man but harbored great anger in that life towards
this man. On further scrutiny under
hypnosis, it turned out the man in that life was her present day son whom she
had so much trouble with. Through
continued therapy and follow-up, Hope begins to make greater strides toward
understanding and integrating the former life experience of disappointment and
anger and her current feelings towards her son.
Dr. Weiss states that she began to understand which issues are hers to
deal with and which are her son’s. It
was important to her recovery to discover the feelings at the core of this
relationship that seemed to be causing so much distress seeming to cause her
depression had origins in another life when the relationship was different.
Observations:
In this case, a past life interaction that resulted in anger on the part
of the patient for being taken advantage of manifested in the present life
having the person who was the source of her anger being the very same person
she was angry with in a past life. Through this understanding the patient
begins to make strides towards understanding and recovery.
Subject:
Myself (age 24)
Symptoms:
An undiagnosed condition called vasovagal syncope. The Mayo Clinic
defines it as:
Vasovagal syncope (vay-zoh-VAY-gul
SING-kuh-pee) is one of the most common causes of fainting. Vasovagal syncope
occurs when your body overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of
blood or extreme emotional distress.
The vasovagal syncope trigger causes a
sudden drop in your heart rate and blood pressure. That leads to reduced blood
flow to your brain, which results in a brief loss of consciousness.
Vasovagal syncope is usually harmless and
requires no treatment. But it's possible you may injure yourself during a
vasovagal syncope episode. Also, your doctor may recommend tests to rule out
more-serious causes of fainting, such as heart disorders. (Mayoclinic.com)
For me, this wasn’t a very serious matter
and the symptoms were quite mild. I
never actually passed out from it but if I stood up too fast, well, it was a
challenge. Now, with that understanding,
I’ll go into the experience.
The intent for the experience was just to
experience a past-life, any past-life that may have some relevance to me in
this one. I underwent hypnosis and the
doctor took me back through various points in my life and then beyond the point
at which I entered this one. In a deep
and relaxed state of consciousness, she indicated I would explore a lifetime in
my past that was relevant to my current incarnation. I had no expectations other than exploring
past-life regression to see what it was and what it was like and so went into
the matter with an open mind. Not long
into deeper levels of consciousness did I find myself staring out into a very
busy unpaved street with horse drawn carriages in a bustling city. It was not unlike some of the videos you
might find on the internet showing the earliest years of San Francisco,
California just not quite as busy. The
doctor asked me to look down at my feet and as I did, I saw I was wearing men’s
black leather shoes. As the doctor asked
me to describe what I was wearing, I saw very clearly that I was wearing a
man’s suit. It was black and made of
wool that was a bit scratchy and uncomfortable.
The city street I was on, while bustling and busy was not quite a busy
as other cities.
During the moment of this lifetime I
explored, I managed a print shop that printed anything from news papers to
pamphlets and flyers sometime around 1860.
I had a family and dear friends.
I was young, somewhere in my early thirties. I recalled a scene in which I was taking a
carriage ride with a dear friend, a female.
The doctor asked me if I recognized the friend as someone in this life
and I did. The soul was that of one of
my dear best male friends in this life.
During the scene I recalled with my friend she (he) was making me laugh
not unlike he does in this life as I drove the carriage down a bumpy road
country road outside of the city. With
the doctor’s help, I explored trivial things about this life that were actually
quite pleasant. The doctor asked me to
tell her about how that life connected to this one. In that life, I had a very weak heart and as
a result, I died very young for what was an untreatable heart condition. The doctor directed me to the moments shortly
before my death. The scene went gray and
then all of a sudden I recalled lying in a bed in a small room in my home
surrounded by family and friends. I took
my last breath peacefully as if going to sleep.
The doctor took me beyond the stage of death and asked me to tell her
what the connection was between that life and this one. Under hypnosis, I explained as if I were a
third person that “the woman in this life has a condition called vasovagal
syncope, it stems from the former life and is nothing but a residual memory
that will dissipate in time. The other
message for this woman is that she is always surrounded by loved ones just as
she was in her former lifetime.”
Observations:
I did not know at the time of this
exploration that I had vasovagal syncope as it had not been diagnosed. I was aware of its symptoms even without a
name. I had, since a child, nearly
blacked out a number of times when rising from a sitting position or after
kneeling. Neither my parents nor I ever
gave it a second thought as something to worry about. It wasn’t until a few months after my
past-life regression session that I had suffered a fall and a concussion that
the doctor told me I had the mild malady and that I just needed to rise slowly
whenever I was sitting. I was then,
24. The problem, as was stated under
hypnosis did actually dissipate. I’m now
47 and I haven’t suffered this since my twenties. The problem literally disappeared. Did it disappear because of the past-life
regression? Who knows for sure.
Finding
Understanding
My findings as a result of the review of
literature, my own first hand experiences as well as other reading on this
topic affirms my own thoughts that reincarnation and the episodes experienced
in former lives impacts our experience in the present. The evidence of past lives in the present may
seem at times to be disturbing but ultimately through exploration and understanding
we are lead to greater health and well-being often as a result of the simple
act of remembering.
Stepping back from the specifics of the
topics addressed in the literature as well as the case studies and my own
experience, I found a theme emerging that is not limited to proving or disproving
reincarnation or justifying or refuting past-life regression therapy as a true
healing modality but rather that there is just simply a theme to our
experiences of reincarnation. That theme
has to do with the lessons in life that we ourselves determined we most wished
to learn. The reasons we wished to learn
seem to be for the greater enrichment and understanding of our overall
consciousness and understanding of existence.
The thought alone that we do not die but return may be enough for some
to better understand there is no reason to fear death if your consciousness
does not die, so move on and enjoy the experience of this particular journey
incarnate.
Dr. Newton, in his work, Destiny of Souls, indicates a similar
sense when he states:
“Life is a matter
of constant change toward fulfillment.
Our place in the world today may be different tomorrow. We must learn to adapt to these different
perspectives in life because that, too, is part of the plan for our
development. In so doing, there is a transcendence
of Self from the masking process of a temporary outer shell to that which lies
deep within our permanent soul mind” (Newton, M., 401).
Each of the authors of the books I
reviewed outlined case study after case study of their own patients presenting
with physiological or psychological symptoms or even curiosity that lead them
to the exploration as well as the finding of past-life interactions with others
that seem to have an impact on the current life. But, there is more. One author in particular writes about a
concept that underpins the theme of my own understanding and experience of
past-life memories and the impact they’ve had on my own life with the process
of querying his patients not only about the occurrence of past lives but the
purpose. In understanding the purpose of
lessons learned from past lives, we see how they impact our present and
continue to foster our learning and remind us of many things we seemed to have
conveniently or purposely forgotten to make the journey that much more exciting
for us this time around.
In my own experience I have come to
understand that the threads of many a past-life memory still weave their
essence through my own current life today.
The purpose is not to confound, cause pain, distress, ailments or
fatigue but to give us an opportunity to experience people, situations and
interactions that might trigger the theme we intended for ourselves for
learning in this incarnation. Through
the various case studies simple phobias and fears turned out to be remnants of
fears from past lives and they seemed to exist for a very good reason. Certain ailments, random pains and diseases
seem to reveal origins in past lives as well for similar purpose. Even more interesting was that in some cases,
the memory of the origin of the fear or even a string of the same fear in life
after life recalled seemed to materialize in the present and for the same
reason. That reason seems simply to be
one of learning, self-enrichment, greater understanding, reducing fear and
reaching for the brighter side of life through greater understanding of the
purpose of the events that we face.
Clearly the material presents similar
findings to my own thoughts on this topic.
We learn best through direct experience and reinforcement over time and
that the “time” part of this sentence is not limited to the time spent in a
single incarnation. We have established
themes and patterns to foster our growth.
As Dr. Newton points out in his querying of patients in the
in-between-state, there are levels of development not unlike our simple
schooling arrangement here on planet Earth today. There are beginners, intermediate and
advanced lesson themes that emerge in past lives and a simple look at the
beautiful and wonderful characters and actors we interact with on a daily basis
seems to ring an echo of truth of this concept.
At least in my opinion it does.
I come away from my review of the
literature both ancient and contemporary, my metaphysical course literature on
the topic as well as my own life experience and exploration into the topic of
reincarnation and it’s impact on the health and well-being of human beings
incarnate today with greater confirmation of what I already knew. Our past lives affect the present one in
remarkable ways. Past life trauma
suffered that manifests in a present life interaction adds a depth and
importance to the experience and a need or opportunity for the experiencer to
transcend old patterns of thought, to expand consciousness and understanding
thereby creating the very necessary space within which to enrich our own health
and well being in this incarnation.
Considerations
One of the challenging aspects of the
concept of reincarnation is that there is no empirical scientific way in which
to prove it exists at all as yet.
However, it remains a part of a higher consciousness that is hinted at
through new age philosophy and the existence of the concept in ancient
literature from around the world.
Further, although it cannot be empirically or scientifically proven,
past-life regression therapy has been used by the psychiatric profession with
some success in the alleviation of physical symptoms, disease states and
psychological impairments.
Another challenge in the concept of
reincarnation itself comes to us through either the spontaneous occurrence of
memory, dreams or through the sometimes controversial practice of hypnotherapy
which cannot be proven scientifically as an achievable state other than through
self-report (Hanary, K., 1992). The
reason these three things are considered controversial is that all three are
subjective and highly dependent upon self-report. In particular, memory may not be
precise. False Memory Syndrome can
obscure the truth of a memory through various brain functions and psychological
states (Flannery, K., 2003). With
dreams, we have another issue in that dreams are also not empirical evidence of
memory and can be indicative of the mind’s processing of daily events,
psychological interpretations or pure fantasy in some cases (Simons, I., 2009).
Aside from the reports that lead us
towards reincarnation of an actuality standing on shaking ground concerning
scientific proof, we have evidence that even if conjured by the mind alone,
still has an impact on the health and well-being of an individual. Why this can vary so broadly from belief and
faith in religious teachings, to experience conveyed through numerous
mechanisms to more controlled attempts at investigation through various means
of inquiry such as self-report of near death experience, spontaneous or
past-life memories induced through hypnosis or other unexplainable or
intangible sense or feeling of an individual and documented case studies of
impact of reincarnation on the health and well-being of human beings incarnate.
Belief alone, to me, is merely an
untested hypothesis. I’ve written about
one of my own incidents of spontaneous past-life recall explored further under
hypnosis in my book, Expanding Horizons:
Growth and Beyond, (1). I can assure
you the themes of that particular experience were impacting me in my present
life at that time and were relived with the memory and further exploration with
the assistance of a trained hypnotherapist in past-life regression therapy. I
also noted a similar occurrence within the Case Study section herein when
documenting my first personal experiment of the experience of a past-life
regression session. Whether we are consciously aware or not, believe in
reincarnation or not, subscribe to the new age or ancient religious thoughts or
not, our health and well-being are still impacted by the themes encountered in
past lives.
As a number of authors I have reviewed
specifically herein and many others I have not noted in this book have pointed
out in their observations of their own patients and expressing their own
thoughts on the matter objectively or subjectively, there seems to be an impact
of past incarnations on a present one and that may be either positive or
negative but if negative, going back to the original source through exploring
reincarnation can have a positive affect in our health and well-being.
As for me, I do not consider myself a
believer in reincarnation. I rather
consider myself a “knower” as I have taken my belief to a level of testing
sufficient to give me cause to understand that reincarnation is real and its
impacts on our lives are not without purpose that is ultimately for our greater
well-being whether or not we fully understand how or why. In this way, I am a bit biased as I engage in
this exploration of reincarnation and its impact on the health and well-being
of humans. I think it is important to
keep an open mind and consider the body of evidence being collected by well
educated researchers and investigators on the topic.
Again, while one can still argue, and
validly so, that reincarnation is nothing but a production of the mind, they
still cannot fully refute the body of case histories and studies of improvement
to health and well-being of patients who sought treatment undergoing past-life
regression therapy or the remembering of the origins which seem to result in
alleviating the former uncomfortable or painful symptoms one experienced prior
to seeking treatment. Some do not seek
treatment and continue to suffer without reaching beyond the limits of pure
disbelief and free will dictates this must be so.
If we, as a society were to find a way to
remain more open-minded to possibilities and potentialities in alternate
beliefs or the facts the case studies of the authors I have chosen to review in
my explorations herein, they might greatly benefit from greater understanding
of the origins of challenges they face in life.
Expanding awareness along the lines of reincarnation in particular could
benefit individuals by helping them to realize there is much more to life and
their experience than mere drudgery or acquisition of the most wealth or the
best material possessions. If the
concept could be embraced by more even as a possibility that they determine to
go out and test for themselves, they may find their life experiences here
greatly enhanced or at least potentially better understood.
I disagree with the term YOLO (You only
live once) bantered about so simply by some of the populace. We don’t have just one life but even if you
believed that, your life could be improved in the present by contemplating the
possibility that some of your challenges have long-running themes through
various life-times and particularly with grief and loss through death, it is
not the end. Our loved ones are not gone
forever when they die but are just, elsewhere for a time.
One thing I am certain of after my
research not only for this work but the two that follow is that consciousness
is not well-enough understood to draw any concrete conclusions. We can understand certain striations of
consciousness through the various fields of academia such as Freud’s division
of consciousness into awake consciousness and the two levels of unconsciousness
(latent consciousness and complete unconsciousness). In my research and continued study, I see
ever more striations of consciousness and so I’m finding bits and pieces of my
former beliefs changing into knowledge as I experience different levels of
consciousness. This experience, to me,
begs for greater understanding, more study and the knowledge transfer to those
interesting in living better lives while here incarnate in this one.
Conclusions
There is a growing body
of research into reincarnation, life between lives, life after life and
reaching beyond the corporeal living world into the ether via deeper levels of
conscious awareness or unconscious awareness.
This growing body of work supports the possibility that reincarnation is
not only real but that even the exploration or realization of it as a
potentiality that may have an impact on one’s current reality can be
beneficial.
From ancient writings we
see there are preparations for life after physical death so that there is
facilitated an opportune existence in the next life, a new opportunity to live
incarnate and continue learning and growth.
From more contemporary texts we see hundreds of case studies accounted
for by the pioneers in the field, Drs. Stevenson, Moody, Morse, Newton, Weiss,
Kubler Ross and many more. New
practitioners join their body of work every day which adds to the collection of
cases from which we can review and understand more clearly who and what we are
and how our existence goes on beyond the physical or even aware aspects of our
present understanding of consciousness.
There is a great need to
continue to study this area so that we might learn as much as we can from the
growing body of work and how we may learn to utilize this knowledge to improve
lives through healing, awareness and understanding. In practice following this awareness and understanding
we may live our lives with greater hope, vigour and success thus achieving our
lessons for growth much more readily. As
I consider the works of the authors I reviewed, I realized that there seems to
be a bit of a linear aspect to the approaches they have taken with their
explorations into reincarnation. The one
thing I walk away with is that I’m not convinced that “reincarnation” is
limited to a linear progression alone.
There are other works that begin to look at alternate planes of existence
and experience that may also impact our health and well-being we have only just
begun to take an interest in studying.
Physics begins to define alternate dimensions and yet our knowledge
remains limited. If alternate dimensions
can be proven to exist by scientific means, perhaps so too does life as we know
it, exist in those alternative dimensions having the same source identified in
the being that is you or me.
Perhaps we are
multi-incarnate beings at the same time but the dimensions skew how we tap into
or recall what may be there for us to learn from. It might explain some challenges encountered
with timelines expressed in past-life regression therapy alone. I myself have encountered such seeming
paradoxes. How can I be here and yet
elsewhere at the same time? We need more
brave pioneers to go out there and research these questions. And I’m every
delighted to find that more are doing just that. My hope is that I can join them if not with
direct evidence but in the act of querying and making compelling arguments for
keeping the doors to the mind wide open.
Sources
The Tibetan Book of The Dead, Third Edition, Evans-Wentz, W.,
1960, Oxford University Press, London. Print.
Expanding Horizons: Growth and
Beyond, Hart,
J., 2011, Mysticfire Books, Los Angeles, CA. Print.
“Impact
of Reincarnation on Health and Well-being,” [unpublished MA Thesis] 2014,
Harter, J.L., University of Metaphysics, Sedona, AZ.
Life After Life, Moody, R., 2000 Harper, San
Francisco, C. Print.
Destiny of Souls, Newton, M., 2004 Llewellyn
Publications, St. Paul, MN. Print.
Journey of Souls, Newton, M, 2004 Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN. Print.
A Seth Reader, Roberts, J, 1993 Vernal Equinox Press,
San Anselmo, CA. Print.
“The
Evidence for Survival from Claimed Memories of Former Incarnations,” Stevenson,
I, 1958, American Society of Psychical Research. Print.
Life Before Life, Tucker, J., 2005, St. Martins
Press, New York, NY. Print.
Only Love Is Real, Weiss, B, 2000, Grand Central
Publishing, New York, NY. Print.
Through Time Into Healing, Weiss, B., 1993, Simon &
Schuster, New York, NY. Print.
Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, and Spiritual Counselor, Editor of the JMCC. See Bio section for more information.
(photo above created at weavesilk.com)
