Dr. Weiss on past-life regressions

Dr. Weiss (mentioned in an earlier post) on how past life memories can occur even without regression hypnosis....maybe there's hope for me yet....  Incidentally, by clicking on the video here, or linking to it on my Pinterest page, you can access Dr. Weiss' entire channel of videos about past-life regression. Enjoy!

Yesterday's past-life regression session

Hi All,

Sorry that it took me until today to write about it, but it really was a long afternoon and I needed to think about what I experienced before I wrote about it.

In a nutshell, I did not have any memories of past lives or future planning (for this life or any others).  I'm not even sure if I was hypnotized, but it was the one of the most relaxed states I've probably ever been in - especially for such a sustained amount of time.  I did speak quite freely when asked questions, and usually I am fairly private, particularly until I get to know someone well. 

The session was to last two hours - with the first 15 minutes or so to talk about the game plan - including what I wanted to focus on.  I think this might have been the larger issue as to whether I was actually hypnotized or not because I chose to tackle something that's been bothering me for quite some time.  Now this is my usual M.O. - classic over-achiever - have to go for the gold.  But what ended up happening in the session yesterday, was that any time she touched on that topic....I tensed up, started to come out of the extreme state of relaxtion (I really couldn't feel my body---that's how 'relaxed' I was), and couldn't "see" anything - in this life or any other, other than the visualization techniques she used for the hypnosis.  So basically, I should have crawled before I attempted to walk - let alone run.

If I ever try this again (and I'd like to in order to compare experiences...or maybe you just get better at it over time?), I will definitely start with baby-steps.....

The other problem for me during the hypnosis is that I felt like with the prompts to do so, I was working too hard to try to see something.  Even with nearly two hours...it felt rushed.  That's not a criticism of the hypnotist though.  I like to take my time to process things and analyze them.  She did ask permission if she could give me a general prompt while under hypnosis (if I was under) to see things while I was dreaming at night (because my dreams are pretty techni-color, and often recurring).  I did, and funnily enough last night I did have a recurring dream, somewhat mundane, but one I've had many times over the past handful of years.  Was it the power of suggestion?  Something else?  I don't know.  But I have been thinking about the dream all day.......
Any thoughts?

Past life regression session

Sorry to keep everyone in suspense.... but I was there for a couple of hours and I need time to process it.  I promise to share the experience tomorrow.  :)

An infographic I created about reincarnation beliefs by select religions

A Challenge from Beyond

I'm working on an infographic right now to try to simply explain (and understand) the differences in reincarnation beliefs across different religions.  I revisited the howstuffworks.com article about reincarnation, and realized I never read this sidebar referring to Dr. Ian Stevenson, whose video lecture you might have watched on my blog last week:

“Although Stevenson never publicly stated a personal belief in reincarnation, he did express his desire to communicate after death. Nearly 40 years ago, the psychiatrist purchased a combination lock and set the code himself with a mnemonic device. He sequestered the lock in a file cabinet and placed it in the Division of Perceptual Studies. He reportedly told colleagues that after death, he would attempt to pass on the mnemonic device. Since Stevenson's death in February 2007, the lock has not been opened.”

From howstuffworks.com;  http://people.howstuffworks.com/reincarnation4.htm

If you come across any 6 year olds mysteriously talking about locks and codes...by all means, contact the University of Virginia.  :)   Wouldn't that be extraordinary?!

For the non-neuro-scientist: How the brain works

Try this great interactive from National Geographic (click on link then mouse over the picture to get started)

Brain, Brain Information, Facts, News, Photos -- National Geographic

A "Deeper Shade of Soul"

If something akin to a “soul” or some essence of our being can transcend physical death and have a re-birth, it stood to reason that I needed to examine the concept of the soul.  Growing up Christian, of course our collective faith does not believe in reincarnation, but the existence of one’s soul (and the salvation of such) after your physical death is definitely part of our faith.  Something of you still exists.  I’ve been exploring other perspectives, and recently I’ve been reading through some philosophical accounts of what constitutes our soul.

Some philosophers like Rene Descartes have written about the dualistic nature of the mind and body – that they operate separately.  Now that stance should make neuro-scientists protest loudly, as their research shows that the brain and our nervous system are pivotal for us to have memory (information comes in, is coded and stored, then used perhaps).  Philosopher Gilbert Ryle also agreed with the concept of mind and body being one, in his famous critique of Descartes’ philosophy about the mind/body connection, which he called the idea of a mind separate from a body as the “ghost in the machine,” and essentially mental states are not separate from physical states.

Then there’s genetic memory….which is basically the notion that what is useful  is encoded genetically and passed along because it gives you the ability to respond to certain stimuli – and these are not learned traits – they exist at birth (please forgive me for oversimplifying this – I am not a scientist).

So I’m wondering if memory and soul are equivalent concepts?  If the collective experiences of a group of people are encoded in genetic memory…and contributed to the “collective consciousness” as Jung said, is that a way to live on?  Think about what that also means in terms of living on in the collective consciousness online……  hmmmmm….

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?” 

My first day

Hello & welcome to my new forum about reincarnation!

Reincarnation first became a topic of interest to me when I was in high school.  After high school, reincarnation waned as an area of interest in lieu of college papers, getting a job, getting a mortgage, and other similar stuff that takes up vast chunks of one’s adult existence.

However, what’s exciting in adult life is sometimes getting to choose your own path.  I did that recently when I started a doctoral program in education.  My focus of study (in its simplest form) is about how people learn collectively---how we benefit from the “great brain.”  That being said, I’m in a great class right now, studying knowledge – how it’s created, how it shapes cultures, and how it shapes individuals.

My current assignment is to create a “knowledge object” to investigate why people think the way they think about a topic.  So this is my topic....

I’m asking for your assistance over the next few weeks (and hey, if it’s successful – I’ll keep it going):  I invite you to share your thoughts, beliefs, skepticism, facts, anecdotes and personal experiences via this forum to help me develop a snapshot about how knowledge is created.  This is not a formal research study – just a fun project.  Each day the site will grow as I’ll have new information, media, your contributions, and a new discussion topic.  Please join us when you can!

For now…..let’s start with a simple poll (on the top right side of this page), and some background information about reincarnation found here:

http://people.howstuffworks.com/reincarnation.htm

Thanks!  I can't wait to chat with you!

Deb