Past life regression update

Well, I have booked my hypnosis for next Wednesday (4/24) rather than this week.  However, I did stop by the hypnotist's office yesterday and we had a spontaneous, hour-long chat about her background, credentials, and what I should expect and not expect in the session. (She also does hypnosis for other things like weight loss and smoking cessation).  I have to say I genuinely liked her and felt very comfortable with her.  This is important because I have been worried that I wouldn't be susceptible to hypnosis as I am a very controlled person.  Letting someone else take over the reigns of subconsciousness....is very, very hard for me to do. Just an update...I have to go do some more research on hypnosis now, and will share what I find and how it compares to the information I received.  If anyone has had experience with hypnotherapy and can offer any tips or anecdotes....that would be appreciated!

A lecture by Dr. Stevenson of UVA

The decades of University of Virginia research into reincarnation was led by Dr. Ian Stevenson.  He and his team have studied the topic at UVA for over 30 years.  This is a video of a lecture he gave at UVA.  Since it is available on Youtube, there are many comments by viewers.  There are some very interesting stories that have been candidly shared

Who Says there's nothing good on T.V.?

This Discovery Channel special about reincarnation gave me chills in a good way (see the video in five parts - about 45 min. total in m yYoutube channel on the right toolbar).  They follow the work of researchers from the University of Finland and the University of Virginia who examine the past-life claims of children.  In fact, the University of Virginia has been studying reincarnation for decades, interviewing children for remembrances, comparing stories to documentation and sometimes physical similarities. http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2001/03/stevenson.html

Vaguely familiar....

I almost named this blog "That Looks Familiar," as I thought that for a blog on reincarnation the name was not exactly clever, but appropos perhaps.  It really just popped right into my head.  The more I thought about it...the more I liked it.  Really like it.  It was decided.  About an hour later...I was letting my mind drift while washing dishes and with an equally loud "POP!" I realized why I came up with that name.  It was the name of my HS yearbook.  So I saved myself from a possible copyright violation - or at least retroactively flunking something, or ticking off one of my dear friends who was the Editor-in-Chief of said publication.

Then as I moved on to scrubbing pots a certain stream-of-consciousness developed:  if I thought that was my own idea for a publication name, how can I trust my memory? What does that mean for all the times I *thought* I had deja-vu?  Was it really something I had just forgotten about?  Same with those odd dreams.

So I wonder what your deja-vu experiences have been?  Do you think they are related to a past-life?  Could it be simply something stored in some random, and long-sleeping neuron?  I was just reading a post on http://horizonoracle.wordpress.com, and thought this was a lovely question that the author posed (and I hope he doesn't mind me re-posting it and giving him credit), "Remember the times when you did soemthing for the first time, that somehow felt as if it came from some experience in your past?"

A handy snapshot of world religion demographics

http://pinterest.com/pin/545920786050616081/

Digression, Regression and The NYT article

So I was re-reading my last post and the phrase "I was surprised to see" an article in the NYT about reincarnation jumped out at me.  Well, it had to.  I led with it.  But it made me think, why was I surprised to see the NYT covering this topic?  Is it because even though I think (and hope) that reincarnation is a possibility, I understand that it is viewed as a 'fringe' belief?  Clearly I must if I'm surprised that it was reported about in an 'establishment' news venue.   But then again, I just read a research report by the Pew Institute (a non-partisan think-tank) that 67% of Asian-American Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and 24% of Americans do (this not counting the Buddhists elsewhere, Hindus, and everyone else).  That's not exactly fringe.  It's difficult when a topic that is embedded in two major religions has also been subject to (admittedly) the crack-pots of society giving it a bad name, and pseudo-scientists trying to prove its existence.

But I digress.  What I wanted to talk about today was that apparently there are some actual scholars not necessarily working to prove its existence, but to explore the possibility.  Dr. Weiss (mentioned in the Times article) is one.  He also runs past life regression hypnosis sessions and a retreat each August in Rhinebeck.  Just an FYI....not a plug.  I mention that for all of the New Yorkers reading this.

 That being said, I am exploring the possibility too (even though I'm not a scholar in this area) about to go through regression session this week - in the name of research (locally - Rhinebeck is a little out of the way).  Has anyone ever tried this?  What should I expect?  What should I ask?  Are you a somewhat aware of present surroundings?

I was admittedly surprised to find this article in the New York Times on the “rise” of reincarnation belief (NYT, 2010).  

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/fashion/29PastLives.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I think the one of the primary reasons that I am so fascinated by the subject of reincarnation (besides the fact that I want to live forever) is that it the concept can be found distributed among different cultures dating back to ancient times.  According to yesterday’s article, Buddhism borrowed the concept from Hinduism, but it also was part of some ancient Greek philosophy and in some African and Native American tribal beliefs.   

What do you think?  Could the idea have possibly spread across different cultures by some means (prior to more modern communications and travel?  Or is it more of a universal, basic bit of human nature to want another chance, to learn more,  to do better, or as we said as kids, to have a “do-over?”