Many Lives, Many Masters: The true story of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient and the past-life therapy that changed both their lives

by Brian L. Weiss

THE CLASSIC BESTSELLER ON A TRUE CASE OF PAST-LIFE TRAUMA AND PAST-LIFE THERAPY FROM AUTHOR AND PSYCHOTHERAPIST DR BRIAN WEISS, AS LOVED BY SANDRA BULLOCK, KYLIE JENNER AND KHLOE KARDASHIAN

Psychiatrist Dr Brian Weiss had been working with Catherine, a young patient, for eighteen months. Catherine was suffering from recurring nightmares and chronic anxiety attacks. When his traditional methods of therapy failed, Dr Weiss turned to hypnosis and was astonished and sceptical when Catherine began recalling past-life traumas which seemed to hold the key to her problems.

Dr Weiss's scepticism was eroded when Catherine began to channel messages from 'the space between lives', which contained remarkable revelations about his own life. Acting as a channel for information from highly evolved spirit entities called the Masters, Catherine revealed many secrets of life and death.

This fascinating case dramatically altered the lives of Catherine and Dr Weiss, and provides important information on the mysteries of the mind, the continuation of life after death and the influence of our past-life experiences on our present behaviour.

Audible Audio

Published March 6, 2025

About the author

As a traditional psychotherapist, Dr. Brian Weiss was astonished and skeptical when one of his patients began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks. His skepticism was eroded, however, when she began to channel messages from "the space between lives," which contained remarkable revelations about Dr. Weiss's family and his dead son. Using past-life therapy, he was able to cure the patient and embark on a new, more meaningful phase of his own career.

A graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School, Brian L. Weiss M.D. is Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

Dr. Weiss maintains a private practice in Miami. In addition, Dr. Weiss conducts national and international seminars and experiential workshops as well as training programs for professionals.

(from the author's webpage)

Reviews

[Pablo Olalla · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has changed my way of thinking. Glad I read it. Will explore more the topic. Life is great.

[Sanjay Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A college friend recommended me this book over a decade back. It left a lasting impression on me. In Many Lives, Many Masters, Dr. Brian Weiss recounts how he guided one of his patients into her past lives through hypnosis, helping her confront and heal present-day anxieties and fears.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book walked me into something more complex than just dying, floating over your body and then being brought back by doctors. The concept of reincarnation isn’t something that was discussed within the religion that I was raised but I knew about it having studied other religions. This book could have probably been shorter - focusing on the one patient, Catherine. Or it could have contained additional patient stories and their experiences of reincarnation. Given the author having fully vested in Catherine’s regressions and helping her overcome her fears/challenges by doing hypnosis I would imagine he has had other patients who have had similar experiences. I plan to look further into Mr Weiss’s writings. I also plan to find other studies/experiences that have been published. The author presents that people have lived past lives. During his regressions with Catherine the author heard what he thought was valuable insights from the group of “Master’s” explaining how death, afterlife and rebirth actually happen - for someone who has felt the presence of people who have past and sees signs of people watching over us I find this line of research very interesting. I hesitate to recommend this book based on what I said earlier but if you have interest in learning about reincarnation then this might be something to pick up.

[Melissa G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many Lives, Many Masters

By Dr. Brian Weiss

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Some books just find you at the right time.

A good friend recommended Many Lives, Many Masters to me after I lost my husband. I had no idea what to expect when I picked it up, and I certainly didn’t expect it to have the impact on me that it did.

I started reading it on a flight, and from the very beginning, I was hooked. I couldn’t put it down. The more I read, the more I found myself questioning things I had never really given much thought to before.

Dr. Brian Weiss shares his experience with a patient whose therapy sessions take an unexpected turn, leading him to explore past lives, reincarnation, and the possibility that there is so much more to our existence than what we know.

Now, I know this isn’t a subject everyone believes in, and that’s perfectly fine. But for me, especially at that point in my life, it opened my mind to possibilities I hadn’t really considered.

When you lose someone you love, especially someone you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with, you can’t help but wonder about certain things. Where do they go? Is this really the end? Do the connections we have with people simply disappear when they’re gone?

This book made me look at those questions differently.

I think what stayed with me most was the idea that maybe there is more to life, love, and the connections we share than we fully understand. I wasn’t looking for a book to change my perspective. I was simply reading something a friend thought I might enjoy.

But by the time that plane landed, I genuinely felt like a different person.

It’s hard to explain exactly what that means unless you’ve experienced something similar. Nothing about my circumstances had changed, but something in the way I looked at them had.

And that alone made this book worth reading.

I wouldn’t say this is a book that will resonate with everyone, and I don’t think you have to believe everything in it to appreciate it. But if you’re someone who enjoys questioning things, exploring different perspectives, or simply wondering whether there’s more to our existence than what we see, I think it’s worth picking up.

My final thoughts:

I’ve read books I’ve loved, books I’ve learned from, and books I’ve forgotten almost as soon as I finished them.

This one was different.

I picked it up during one of the hardest times in my life, and somehow, somewhere between takeoff and landing, it changed the way I looked at things.

That’s not something I can say about many books.

And it’s a big part of why Many Lives, Many Masters will always have a special place on my bookshelf.

5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Between the Pages — A Reader’s Reflection

[Dawn McDonald · Rating 1 out of 5]

There’s a very simple explanation for what Catherine experienced- it’s called “Familiar Spirits”.

In Scripture, familiar spirits (sometimes translated “mediums” or “spiritists”) refer to spirits that a person — typically a medium, witch, or diviner — claimed to consult for hidden knowledge, communication with the dead, or supernatural guidance. The Hebrew term is ’ob.

What are familiar spirits?
• Demonic entities masquerading as deceased loved ones or spiritual guides
• Spirits “familiar” to a particular person or household, acting as a spiritual attachment
• Counterfeits of the Holy Spirit — offering false guidance, knowledge, or comfort
These spirits follow bloodlines- Alcoholism, addiction, etc. beware.
It’s a very dangerous encounter- rebuke it in Jesus’s name.

[Christine O’Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insights. I like this book along with "Mind Magic", "The Body Keeps the Score" and "It Didn't Start With You" as all really hit a bit on this "beyond you" subject and the "masters wisdom nuggets" contained herein even if you aren't open to the possibility of reincarnation. But Einstein and Oppenheimer both seemed open to the idea and they were very "high IQ" so I remain open to knowing there's more than I don't know and that "magic" has always been what we don't have the words or science to explain!

[Timothy Grubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly recommended for those interested in reincarnation, hypnosis, pseudoscience, and other quack medicine….

Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss is technically non-fiction…

I gotta give the writer credit…even if I’d prefer a scientific published thesis on the research rather than detailing a single patient.

I’ve read a similar book based on using hypnosis to “unlock” memories of alien abduction…

Anyway, I’d like to believe in things like this, so give it a try, but try not to take it too seriously…

[Malea Guidarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! If you have ever been curious about the concept of past lives, or are spiritually inclined and eager to learn more, give this book a read. It’s very quick and easy read. The book focuses on one person’s past life regression sessions and the wisdom obtained from those sessions. Here is one nugget of wisdom that I liked, “We must accept what comes to us at a given time, and not ask for more. But life is endless, so we never die; we were never really born. We just pass through different phases.”

[Patrice Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty captivated the first quarter of the book the concept and experiences were interesting. I’ll be honest halfway through, I grew pretty bored as it’s a lot of the same content. It’s almost like when you over tell a story and my daughter responds with “we don’t need the recipe to your grandmother‘s peach cobbler.” This could have been summed up in 100 pages .

[Kiyara Khanorkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's too good!! learn a lot from this book!!! and it have my heart!!! Favourite 💌✨

[Kelcee Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little repetitive but it went along with a lot of my beliefs and it was a good read. Glad I was recommended this 😊

[Christine Ackerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 starts simply because the story and experiences shared here are so compelling. Can’t wait to read more of his books.