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Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation
The concept of reincarnation has been around for thousands of years, and is a part of many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In addition to these religious beliefs, many people believe it offers an explanation for the mysteries of life. There are children that claim to remember previous lives as adults or even animals. These claimed memories might affect the development of the child and be incorporated into the child's personality. This book presents an in-depth look at Dr. Stevenson's forty years studying children who claim to remember previous lives. It is an informative, professional read that dispels common misconceptions about reincarnation and offers an open-minded perspective. It provides an overview of the history of the belief in and evidence for reincarnation, with new material relating to birthmarks and birth defects, independent replication studies, and recent developments in genetic study. It also covers research on children, the methods used, the cases studied, and the analyses of the data. The idea of reincarnation is explored as an explanation for some unsolved problems in psychology and medicine. • INTRODUCTION TO REINCARNATION--Provides an introduction to the study of reincarnation, including a discussion of the belief in reincarnation. • VARIATIONS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES--Looks at how reincarnation is viewed in different cultures around the world and how it has changed over time. • EXPLANATORY VALUE OF THE IDEA OF REINCARNATION--The idea of reincarnation has been around for thousands of years, and many people believe it offers an explanation for the mysteries of life. • TYPES OF EVIDENCE FOR REINCARNATION--There are many types of evidence for reincarnation, including anecdotal evidence, case studies, and research studies. • TYPICAL CASES OF CHILDREN--Looks at typical cases of children who remember previous lives, with a focus on their characteristics. • METHODS OF RESEARCH--Discusses the methods of research and the various ways in which previous-life memories can be investigated. • ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF CASES--Analyzes a number of cases from the author's 40-year career.
355 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
277 people are currently reading
1316 people want to read
About the author
Ian Stevenson
68 books95 followersIan Pretyman Stevenson (October 31, 1918 – February 8, 2007) was a Canadian-born U.S. psychiatrist. He worked for the University of Virginia School of Medicine for fifty years, as chair of the department of psychiatry from 1957 to 1967, Carlson Professor of Psychiatry from 1967 to 2001, and Research Professor of Psychiatry from 2002 until his death.
As founder and director of the university's Division of Perceptual Studies, which investigates the paranormal, Stevenson became known internationally for his research into reincarnation, the idea that emotions, memories, and even physical injuries in the form of birthmarks, can be transferred from one life to another. He traveled extensively over a period of forty years, investigating three thousand cases of children around the world who claimed to remember past lives. His position was that certain phobias, philias, unusual abilities and illnesses could not be fully explained by heredity or the environment. He believed that reincarnation provided a third type of explanation.
As founder and director of the university's Division of Perceptual Studies, which investigates the paranormal, Stevenson became known internationally for his research into reincarnation, the idea that emotions, memories, and even physical injuries in the form of birthmarks, can be transferred from one life to another. He traveled extensively over a period of forty years, investigating three thousand cases of children around the world who claimed to remember past lives. His position was that certain phobias, philias, unusual abilities and illnesses could not be fully explained by heredity or the environment. He believed that reincarnation provided a third type of explanation.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 26, 2022
Pearl Ruled at 13%
Two things you should know up front: I believe reincarnation, of some sort, is real; I have little faith in the direction of brain and neurological research as of 2022 answering the question, "what is your mind? what is the soul?" That does not require belief in some sort of supernatural bookkeeper whose Ledger tots up, infallibly and constantly, your personal record of naughty-vs-nice behaviors. It means there is nothing to explain why you're you in the structures of your brain and firings of your nerves. Science isn't looking into the subject because it's like the third rail in a drunken subway pissing contest: contact will be unpleasant and possibly fatal.
And neurological research is crucial, leads to amazing insights into a host of issues, but no one can yet tell us based on neurology or brain anatomy what your mind is. We need to develop the questions before science can apply its astonishingly powerful array of tools to discovering the answers. Not, at present, happening.
So I Pearl-Ruled this book not because it was trying to skip scientific steps and present unfounded answers but because it literally cannot, and does not claim to be able to, answer anything. That got old fast. I'm on board: My Jesus-freak mother was my source of early information about past-life memories. My oldest sister was apparently quite garrulously willing to talk about her bizarrely sophisticated memories of things she couldn't have known about (she remembered having sex as a man but had no idea what any of it was, for example) from age two until she was about four.
As those conversations were memorable to me, I wasn't in need of any persuasion to accept the possibility that these are actual memories of some strange sort. So just watching the evidence pile up was, frankly, tedious. I bailed because I was already on board not because I disagreed, in other words. I don't know if these case studies are the sort of material a skeptic would care about, and a fence-sitter would do well to take it in doses. It's not without value; it's just not designed to meet my need for deeper context.
Two things you should know up front: I believe reincarnation, of some sort, is real; I have little faith in the direction of brain and neurological research as of 2022 answering the question, "what is your mind? what is the soul?" That does not require belief in some sort of supernatural bookkeeper whose Ledger tots up, infallibly and constantly, your personal record of naughty-vs-nice behaviors. It means there is nothing to explain why you're you in the structures of your brain and firings of your nerves. Science isn't looking into the subject because it's like the third rail in a drunken subway pissing contest: contact will be unpleasant and possibly fatal.
And neurological research is crucial, leads to amazing insights into a host of issues, but no one can yet tell us based on neurology or brain anatomy what your mind is. We need to develop the questions before science can apply its astonishingly powerful array of tools to discovering the answers. Not, at present, happening.
So I Pearl-Ruled this book not because it was trying to skip scientific steps and present unfounded answers but because it literally cannot, and does not claim to be able to, answer anything. That got old fast. I'm on board: My Jesus-freak mother was my source of early information about past-life memories. My oldest sister was apparently quite garrulously willing to talk about her bizarrely sophisticated memories of things she couldn't have known about (she remembered having sex as a man but had no idea what any of it was, for example) from age two until she was about four.
As those conversations were memorable to me, I wasn't in need of any persuasion to accept the possibility that these are actual memories of some strange sort. So just watching the evidence pile up was, frankly, tedious. I bailed because I was already on board not because I disagreed, in other words. I don't know if these case studies are the sort of material a skeptic would care about, and a fence-sitter would do well to take it in doses. It's not without value; it's just not designed to meet my need for deeper context.
March 23, 2016
One of the difficult aspects of a concept like reincarnation is that it's such a mystery - there's no tangible proof of anything. We each have our own beliefs about what happens after death, and no one really knows whether they're right. But what I loved about Ian Stevenson's book is how objective he is in his search for the answer to this question, and for that reason, so compelling. A reader simply can't ignore the many cases and facts presented so carefully. And yet, it still remains a mystery until we die and find out for ourselves :)
May 7, 2012
Dr. Ian Stevenson lived to be 99 and the body of work he left behind reflects that. In his long life he had to courage to do what only great scientists do: he went where the evidence took him regardless of potential consequences to his career. Stevenson required a great deal of personal and professional courage to follow where the data led. Despite the fact that even the 'father of American psychology', William James, shared Stevenson's desire to understand various psychic phenomena, the subject of re-incarnation was still taboo when Stevenson published 20 Cases Suggestive of Re-incarnation. Stevenson was a meticulous researcher who adhered to the strictures of science even when relating the data he had accumulated on a subject that most considered beyond the scientific purview. Beginning with five cases in India, Stevenson scrutinised every report of re-incarnation he encountered for fraud, delusion, religious and/or cultural bias,with a view eliminating false data. Only cases in which there were verifiable - historical - facts about the previous identities of children who claimed to be re-incarnated met his standard for credibility. This resulted in a research protocol that greatly exceeded the normal statistical requirements of science in establishing the validity of a phenomenon. Despite his scupulous adherence to the principle of objectivity, Stevenson was marginalised by his professional peers. I've always been thankful that he persisted in his work and insisted on publishing the results of his research. Unfortunately, researchers in psychic phenomena, OBEs, NDEs, and re-incarnation are still treated with disdain today. Worse yet, people who report such experiences are labeled mentally ill in the DSM put out by the American Psychiatric Association. Never mind that even the US military and CIA took psychic ability seriously enough to carry out research on it at Princeton and Stanford Universities, the scientific double-standard meant that the work was kept secret for over 20 years at least partly because of the materialist bias of the scientific community. Fear of ridicule still dictates which types of research are funded. Never deterred by the threat of ridicule, Stevenson quietly continued his research for well over 40 years. Always careful not to claim that his work verified the reality of re-incarnation, Stevenson amassed such an enormous amount of evidential material that had he been in any other field of research his findings would have been accepted as statistical confirmation of a legitimate phenomenon. "Children Who Remember Previous Lives" bring together the various threads of evidence he found in examining many hundreds of cases from countries around the world. I would recommend the book even to the most radical of skeptics who are forewarned that their unscientific biases will be challenged in a way that may require the ingestion of large slices of humble pie.
February 15, 2017
بحث غريب جداً في حقيقة التقمص، حيث قدم المؤلف دراسة تفصيلية ل١٢ حالة ودراسة سريعة لمئات الحالات الأخرى، والعجيب أن المؤلف لاحظ وجود صفات خلقية وتشوهات عند المُتقمص الجديد كانت موجودة في الشخص الذي قبله، وذكر وجود محاولات للتحذث بألفاظ غير مفهومة من هذا الطفل وكأنه يستحضر شيئاً من حياته السابقة... ويرى المؤلف أن التقمص في حال حدوثه يقدم تفسيراً لتصرفات غير طبيعية عجز علم النفس عن تفسيرها، وقد يساعد التقمص على إيجاد تفسير لظواهر طبية وبيولوجية محيرة... كالأطفال الذين يرعبون من حيوان أو شيء معين أو يصرحون بنيتهم اختراع شيء ما أو فك شيفرة معينة، وظواهر كالإدمان والمزاجية والنضوج الجنسي المبكر واضطراب الهوية الجنسية واستخدام اليد اليسرى وسهولة تعلم اللغات الخ الخ.
أظهر المؤلف منهجية عالية في طرائق البحث والتقصي والتوثيق، ولقد لفت انتباهي أن كثيراً من تلك الحالات التي وثقها الكتاب حصلت في محيط ناس يعتقدون بالتمقص كالهندوس والدروز والعلويين وقبائل المكسيك وغيرها، ولاشك أن الأفكار المسبقة تشكل بيئة خصبة لتقبل الحالة التقمصية حتى لو لم تكن علاماتها واضحة، وكان هناك حالات قليلة عند مسيحيين لا يؤمنون بالتقمص... فالبيئات غير المؤمنة بالتقمص ستقمع أي أمر يؤدي إليها والعكس صحيح...
المؤلف نفسه لا يبدو موقناً بالتقمص يقيناً كاملاً، إلا أنه عرض نتائج دراسته وهو يبحث عن تفسير...
August 1, 2013
A topic I am interested in. The book was quite dry and repetitive. I skimmed most of it and did find some of it interesting.
October 25, 2020
Fascinating and meticulously researched. It deals with more than 2500 cases across cultures to look - not at reincarnation in particular but - at children’s claims of remembrance of past lives. This is a collection and analysis of data and it’s fascinating without being presumptive. I love this kind of approach to concepts we do not understand. It’s neither dismissive nor mindlessly accepting. Loved it!
July 31, 2011
Interesting statistic: most who remember are male, middle class who died violently in countries where belief in reincarnation is prevalent. Also, those with unfinished business or continuing business.
May 23, 2023
Went into this one with an open mind but very skeptical. Jason Reza Jorjani appeals to Stevenson's studies to support his assertions that he is the reincarnation of Nikola Tesla and such..
Stevenson is clearly accustomed to being confronted with immense opposition to his research, at least in the anglosphere, as his highly rigorous explication of methods and data betray, but this is of course helpful, as it is necessary; approaching the topic of reincarnation without such rigor wouldn't be interesting at all.
Most of the book is comprised of the relation of select cases, with the latter couple chapters getting more theoretical, though without getting into the aggressive conclusions that someone like Jorjani does with this data.
Not much of the mechanics of metempsychosis emerges from the study, but a few salient correlations do seem to emerge from the data, namely in the frequency of young and traumatic past lives being the most frequently reported.
It remains difficult for us to fathom what could really be going on here, and we suspect that some of the evidence gathered is perhaps amidst the realm of "old wives tales" and such; many children do love to spin yarns. But there also seems to be some unavoidable confrontation here with a reality inconceivable to contemporary materialist science. We look forward to looking into more studies of this kind..
Stevenson is clearly accustomed to being confronted with immense opposition to his research, at least in the anglosphere, as his highly rigorous explication of methods and data betray, but this is of course helpful, as it is necessary; approaching the topic of reincarnation without such rigor wouldn't be interesting at all.
Most of the book is comprised of the relation of select cases, with the latter couple chapters getting more theoretical, though without getting into the aggressive conclusions that someone like Jorjani does with this data.
Not much of the mechanics of metempsychosis emerges from the study, but a few salient correlations do seem to emerge from the data, namely in the frequency of young and traumatic past lives being the most frequently reported.
It remains difficult for us to fathom what could really be going on here, and we suspect that some of the evidence gathered is perhaps amidst the realm of "old wives tales" and such; many children do love to spin yarns. But there also seems to be some unavoidable confrontation here with a reality inconceivable to contemporary materialist science. We look forward to looking into more studies of this kind..
June 1, 2024
Children Who Remember Previous Lives is a great primer on the work done in the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia, which Dr. Stevenson headed for many years. I wish I would have started with this one, as it focuses less on the cases themselves than on framework, methodology, and theory. I believe that is why some readers may find it a bit dry. I actually really liked it, even though I don't entirely buy into all of the argumentation.
Dr. Stevenson begins by refuting a perceived conflict between science and belief in reincarnation, emphasizing that a theory of reincarnation would not necessary other established scientific theories, such as the theory of evolution. He then also discusses several paranormal concepts like telepathy and ESP that may also partially explain some of the effects he sees in his research - his line of thinking is that if we are going to stretch the bounds of established science to consider reincarnation, there may be some adjacent concepts that should not be ruled out. Overall, I found this consideration responsible, but did think that the amount of time he spent overall in this book discussing ESP and telepathy was over-indulgent. I personally would have found arguments pertaining to established science such as quantum physical effects a much stronger argument, but my understanding is that these considerations were out of Dr. Stevenson's area of expertise. Regardless, I appreciated the framing.
In chapter two, Dr. Stevenson dives into the differences in beliefs in reincarnation seen across the world, showing them to be quite heterogeneous. He will revisit a lot of these points when discussing several cases, showing how the behaviors and knowledge these children display align with one belief system or another. I suspect it is not a spoiler to say that there is no one belief system with which all cases clearly align, but rather these varying elements show up in different ways in different cases.
Once Dr. Stevenson gets into his theoretical framework for examining cases suggestive of reincarnation and some of the cases themselves, I did feel that those things were better discussed in other books his center has produced. What I felt those works were lacking that I did find here though, was an explicit and dedicated discussion of trends in the cases he evaluated and analysis and interpretation of those trends. In discussing the trends, he also highlighted trends in variation across cases.
Overall, I have found this whole concept fascinating and do appreciate his efforts to examine these cases objectively and systematically. There was definitely some very dated language and concepts (e.g., he uses an f slur to refer to sticks at times - I know the word means that but there are so many other words available... he also readily ascribes LGBTQIA+ identities of all kinds to reincarnation and opposing cis straight identities in past lives). He also has extremely traditional views on gender norms in households, play, etc. It is inconceivable to him that girls could like sports just because girls can like sports - obviously this suggests she was likely a boy in a previous life. I tried to keep in mind that this was published in 1987, but even in 1987, some of these things were considered very old fashioned. It's a bit of a challenging read in some respects for those reasons.
Dr. Stevenson begins by refuting a perceived conflict between science and belief in reincarnation, emphasizing that a theory of reincarnation would not necessary other established scientific theories, such as the theory of evolution. He then also discusses several paranormal concepts like telepathy and ESP that may also partially explain some of the effects he sees in his research - his line of thinking is that if we are going to stretch the bounds of established science to consider reincarnation, there may be some adjacent concepts that should not be ruled out. Overall, I found this consideration responsible, but did think that the amount of time he spent overall in this book discussing ESP and telepathy was over-indulgent. I personally would have found arguments pertaining to established science such as quantum physical effects a much stronger argument, but my understanding is that these considerations were out of Dr. Stevenson's area of expertise. Regardless, I appreciated the framing.
In chapter two, Dr. Stevenson dives into the differences in beliefs in reincarnation seen across the world, showing them to be quite heterogeneous. He will revisit a lot of these points when discussing several cases, showing how the behaviors and knowledge these children display align with one belief system or another. I suspect it is not a spoiler to say that there is no one belief system with which all cases clearly align, but rather these varying elements show up in different ways in different cases.
Once Dr. Stevenson gets into his theoretical framework for examining cases suggestive of reincarnation and some of the cases themselves, I did feel that those things were better discussed in other books his center has produced. What I felt those works were lacking that I did find here though, was an explicit and dedicated discussion of trends in the cases he evaluated and analysis and interpretation of those trends. In discussing the trends, he also highlighted trends in variation across cases.
Overall, I have found this whole concept fascinating and do appreciate his efforts to examine these cases objectively and systematically. There was definitely some very dated language and concepts (e.g., he uses an f slur to refer to sticks at times - I know the word means that but there are so many other words available... he also readily ascribes LGBTQIA+ identities of all kinds to reincarnation and opposing cis straight identities in past lives). He also has extremely traditional views on gender norms in households, play, etc. It is inconceivable to him that girls could like sports just because girls can like sports - obviously this suggests she was likely a boy in a previous life. I tried to keep in mind that this was published in 1987, but even in 1987, some of these things were considered very old fashioned. It's a bit of a challenging read in some respects for those reasons.
August 31, 2007
This book will challenge what you've been told.
March 11, 2008
Fascinating material. A little dry in the presentation, and repetitive.
July 12, 2024
This book read like a textbook; indeed i got from a university. It was the only one of four by this author available. I was expecting more stories of purported reincarnation; there were only twelve (out of thousands he investigated). This volume was more on analyzing cases and going over possibilities. The author forewarns that it is not the intent to persuade the reader that reincarnation exists.
Stevenson mentions hypnotism, telepathy, clairvoyance and other phenomena that might influence perceptions of reincarnation. He notes that cases tend to be culturally sensitive as well as geographically pertinent. Groups who believe in reincarnation tend to have more cases, thus suggesting non-believing cultures don't have as many because they supress them.
Violent deaths are more likely remembered than natural deaths. More boys than girls report past lives, which he explains away that males are paid more attention to. Violent deaths are more likely to lead to reincarnation and such deaths are more likely to happen to males.
Most episodes come from three year olds once they master speech. However by the time Stevenson investigated they were much older and didn't remember much. There are Facebook groups that parents reveal their children (ages two to four) tell stories of past lives consistent with Stevenson's findings. Few have more than one reincarnation to tell about it.
On page 97 the author notes five recurring themes in cases (but few have all five):
· an elder predicting they will be reborn
· someone dreams about his returning to a particular family
· a baby is born with birthmarks corresponding to wounds of the deceased
· as soon as the baby masters speech s/he makes statements about the deceased person's life
· the child behaves in ways that the deceased person did (not only memory transfers but also personality)
The author explores kharma, which is only a Hindu-Buddhist construct and finds it wanting (doesn't seem to have a role). He mentions that in India they have just as many nasty people as the West. However when i was there in 1998 i felt safe surrounded by so much poverty and it was emplained to me account belief in kharma and not succumbing to crime. This has changed in recent decades attributable (to me) to exposure to western culture (news and movies) and they can see others not concerned with having bad kharma.
There were pretty much no incidents of being reincarnated from animals which might be explainable as not culturally nor psychologically possible. Stevenson did explore meaning of consciousness and memory.
Unsolved case differ from solved cases (verified to some extent) in that solved have names to follow up on; unsolved cases stop talking about incidents sooner; and unsolved cases tended to remember violent deaths more than solved.
Stevenson did research in Argentina, Lebanon, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Nigeria and NW coast indigenous groups (mostly Tlingit). I was familiar with beliefs among the Gitksan (and their matrolineal descent lineages) and their acceptance of reincarnation along those lines.
The book was a challenge to read with continual use of complex sentences that I often had to reread. It didn't really provide satisfactory answers but i appreciated the author's exploring possiblities.
It is still interesting to read incidents mentioned on FaceBook and how similar they are to the cases mentioned in the research. I take it most of those tellings are by western observers, having overcome their cultural bias to not give creedence to childen's tellings of past lives. Stevenson would have been pleased at this talking openly on the subject.
Stevenson mentions hypnotism, telepathy, clairvoyance and other phenomena that might influence perceptions of reincarnation. He notes that cases tend to be culturally sensitive as well as geographically pertinent. Groups who believe in reincarnation tend to have more cases, thus suggesting non-believing cultures don't have as many because they supress them.
Violent deaths are more likely remembered than natural deaths. More boys than girls report past lives, which he explains away that males are paid more attention to. Violent deaths are more likely to lead to reincarnation and such deaths are more likely to happen to males.
Most episodes come from three year olds once they master speech. However by the time Stevenson investigated they were much older and didn't remember much. There are Facebook groups that parents reveal their children (ages two to four) tell stories of past lives consistent with Stevenson's findings. Few have more than one reincarnation to tell about it.
On page 97 the author notes five recurring themes in cases (but few have all five):
· an elder predicting they will be reborn
· someone dreams about his returning to a particular family
· a baby is born with birthmarks corresponding to wounds of the deceased
· as soon as the baby masters speech s/he makes statements about the deceased person's life
· the child behaves in ways that the deceased person did (not only memory transfers but also personality)
The author explores kharma, which is only a Hindu-Buddhist construct and finds it wanting (doesn't seem to have a role). He mentions that in India they have just as many nasty people as the West. However when i was there in 1998 i felt safe surrounded by so much poverty and it was emplained to me account belief in kharma and not succumbing to crime. This has changed in recent decades attributable (to me) to exposure to western culture (news and movies) and they can see others not concerned with having bad kharma.
There were pretty much no incidents of being reincarnated from animals which might be explainable as not culturally nor psychologically possible. Stevenson did explore meaning of consciousness and memory.
Unsolved case differ from solved cases (verified to some extent) in that solved have names to follow up on; unsolved cases stop talking about incidents sooner; and unsolved cases tended to remember violent deaths more than solved.
Stevenson did research in Argentina, Lebanon, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Nigeria and NW coast indigenous groups (mostly Tlingit). I was familiar with beliefs among the Gitksan (and their matrolineal descent lineages) and their acceptance of reincarnation along those lines.
The book was a challenge to read with continual use of complex sentences that I often had to reread. It didn't really provide satisfactory answers but i appreciated the author's exploring possiblities.
It is still interesting to read incidents mentioned on FaceBook and how similar they are to the cases mentioned in the research. I take it most of those tellings are by western observers, having overcome their cultural bias to not give creedence to childen's tellings of past lives. Stevenson would have been pleased at this talking openly on the subject.
October 18, 2024
quite disappointed after reading half of it. i went to it with an open mind and ended up leaning towards being a sceptic.
the book starts with two excruciatingly boriung chapters trying to position it as academic work. and the author rambles on and on about the methodology and the process and the data collection, etc.
next chapter shows fourteen cases, chosen from over 2500 to be discussed. one of the first can be summarized as: there was a kid who was lefthanded and had a lisp and liked to learn about mechanics although his father didn't. Someone else died elsewhere sometimes in the past and was left handed and had a lisp and did mechanical work. "this case is still a mistery" concludes the author.
next couple of cases are about parents who lose their children at early age and then have other children. they claim they are their own previous children reincarnated. hardly any facts, just that the new kids showed enthusiasm for a playground. the author concludes that the mother was quite marked by the death of the first child and kept asking the second one leading questions till she got some vague answers that looked like there was a correlation.
i stopped here. if these are the most representative cases 14 cases out of thousands, this is simply sad. noticing that the book has another three chapters dedicated to the scientific method used, i gave up. hopefully there is somewhere another book driven by less wishfull thinking.
at last, i noticed the full title that gives a suggestion without making a statement. typical academic trickery.
the book starts with two excruciatingly boriung chapters trying to position it as academic work. and the author rambles on and on about the methodology and the process and the data collection, etc.
next chapter shows fourteen cases, chosen from over 2500 to be discussed. one of the first can be summarized as: there was a kid who was lefthanded and had a lisp and liked to learn about mechanics although his father didn't. Someone else died elsewhere sometimes in the past and was left handed and had a lisp and did mechanical work. "this case is still a mistery" concludes the author.
next couple of cases are about parents who lose their children at early age and then have other children. they claim they are their own previous children reincarnated. hardly any facts, just that the new kids showed enthusiasm for a playground. the author concludes that the mother was quite marked by the death of the first child and kept asking the second one leading questions till she got some vague answers that looked like there was a correlation.
i stopped here. if these are the most representative cases 14 cases out of thousands, this is simply sad. noticing that the book has another three chapters dedicated to the scientific method used, i gave up. hopefully there is somewhere another book driven by less wishfull thinking.
at last, i noticed the full title that gives a suggestion without making a statement. typical academic trickery.
June 20, 2025
Color me intrigued!
I was expecting this to be fun yet "woo woo" spiritual nonsense.
Instead, I met with scientific discourse that reminded me much of my time as a Research Methods teaching assistant. Dr. Stevenson touches upon scoring protocol, qualitative coding, and how the researchers account for the factors such as geography and temporality. I most respected his decimation of false cases and his description of procedures used to identify them.
Gracious, there are jus too many case studies of children who remember shockingly detailed accounts of people from a variety of backgrounds that have held up to scrutiny for there not to be SOMETHING going on here. It's similar to how I feel about the global ubiquity of sleep paralysis and the uniformity of hallucinations across cultures. Very mysterious.
I don't fully understand what's going on in this world, but it deserves attention and is just genuinely fun to think about :) Also inspires me to invest in charitable actions and trust that the good habits I am cultivating have meaningful ripple effects.
If you want to read dozens upon dozens of fascinating accounts of children remembering things they have NO reasonable way of recalling, facts that have been rigorously confirmed and documented, in addition to some speculation on the matter of souls, twins, and different perspectives on the nature of karma.... you might find this interesting! I certainly did.
I was expecting this to be fun yet "woo woo" spiritual nonsense.
Instead, I met with scientific discourse that reminded me much of my time as a Research Methods teaching assistant. Dr. Stevenson touches upon scoring protocol, qualitative coding, and how the researchers account for the factors such as geography and temporality. I most respected his decimation of false cases and his description of procedures used to identify them.
Gracious, there are jus too many case studies of children who remember shockingly detailed accounts of people from a variety of backgrounds that have held up to scrutiny for there not to be SOMETHING going on here. It's similar to how I feel about the global ubiquity of sleep paralysis and the uniformity of hallucinations across cultures. Very mysterious.
I don't fully understand what's going on in this world, but it deserves attention and is just genuinely fun to think about :) Also inspires me to invest in charitable actions and trust that the good habits I am cultivating have meaningful ripple effects.
If you want to read dozens upon dozens of fascinating accounts of children remembering things they have NO reasonable way of recalling, facts that have been rigorously confirmed and documented, in addition to some speculation on the matter of souls, twins, and different perspectives on the nature of karma.... you might find this interesting! I certainly did.
March 4, 2025
It is a good book for those who want to have a scientific evidence about reincarnation. The author, Ian Stevenson spent over 30 years on his research with due diligence, open and sharp insight and analysis.
What I learn from this book:
+ As a human being, we have memories, which can be transferred from life to life. It is like a gift, but can be also a burden to us, depending on how we use it. If we use memories as lessons for us to live better, with more love towards ourselves and others, it is good.
+ Present is the only moment that we can actually live and make changes.
+ Limited belief and judgement can prevent us from learning new things. We need to develop a growing and open mindset during self development process - everything is possible in this world - which is enormous and magical.
What I learn from this book:
+ As a human being, we have memories, which can be transferred from life to life. It is like a gift, but can be also a burden to us, depending on how we use it. If we use memories as lessons for us to live better, with more love towards ourselves and others, it is good.
+ Present is the only moment that we can actually live and make changes.
+ Limited belief and judgement can prevent us from learning new things. We need to develop a growing and open mindset during self development process - everything is possible in this world - which is enormous and magical.
January 20, 2018
Really interesting
Really interesting and thought provoking book framed under the scientific investigations of Mr. Stevenson.
I'd certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the reincarnation subject.
Really interesting and thought provoking book framed under the scientific investigations of Mr. Stevenson.
I'd certainly recommend it to anyone interested in the reincarnation subject.
November 2, 2022
intriguing
A well written description of children who have somehow remembered their past lives and can not only describe them correctly but they can list facts, circumstances and the date of their birth their death and other life altering situations.
A well written description of children who have somehow remembered their past lives and can not only describe them correctly but they can list facts, circumstances and the date of their birth their death and other life altering situations.
February 9, 2025
Really goes in depth on evidence for reincarnation that he’s collected over the decades. Describes research methods, inclusion criteria, cultural norms and trends, and presents many case studies. He makes a compelling case
May 19, 2017
The case study presented is very compelling for a Buddhist reader. I like it.
March 3, 2021
He’s the go-to guy for this
Read
May 31, 2023One of the good ones.
December 19, 2024
Interessante ao início, mas rapidamente se torna muito repetitivo e maçador
June 20, 2025
The first chapters of book are boring. It just goes on and on and on without getting into the real subject for ages. It takes 4 chapters to start talking about kids who remember their past lives. Then it finally goes into a series of cases across the world. I didn’t like the book and I doubt I’ll ever finish it. I feel he looks down on the people he interviews.
August 17, 2025
Read only if you want to know more about reincarnation. A few points were interesting, but as a topic I wanted to learn more about - this was low on my list if even on it.
September 22, 2013
"الشخص المتمتع بقدرة إدراك ماهو خارج عن نطاق الحواس العادية ، على أنه الإنسان المميز او الفطن، أما الإنسان الذي نجمع المعلومات عنه فتسميه الإنسان الهدف."
النقطة الأساسية التي ينطلق منها البحث هي أن"من الأفضل التعامل مع هذا الطفل الفطن، على أنه إنسان ميت، يفترض -هو- أنه مازال على قيد الحياة. بدلاً من التعامل على أنه إنسان حي ، مات وعاد يدعي أنه سبق له أن عاش حياة غيره."
يأتي البحث على عدة نظريات يدعمها ويدحضها بحياد وموضوعية، وتظل الظاهرة عجيبة وغيرقابلة للتصديق ولا للمنطق.
يُنكر الباحث على كل من يدّعي التقمص من البالغين الذين يتحدثون في الأغلب عن شخصيات معروفة ،بأنهم لاستطاعوا الحصول على هذه المعلومات والادعاء بمايحلو لهم.
بينما يبين أن التقمص بحالته النموذجية يحصل فقط مع الأطفال حتى سن الثامنة ، ويذكر 12 حالة وقصصها التي استقصى عنها وفريق البحث حتى عجز عن إنكار إمكانية حدوث حالة تقمص كتفسير وحيد لايجد غيره.
الموضوع بشكل عام مثير للاهتمام ، و أحب هذه المواضيع والتصنيفات شخصياً رغم كثرة النظريات وتضاربها وتعارضها مع قناعات شخصية وامور دينية.. لكن يبقى في الأخير باب العلم والخيال فاتحاً مصراعيه للمزيد والمزيد من الحديث والاكتشاف.
في موضوع التقمص بالذات، نعلم أن الروح بأمر الله وأن ليس للإنسان إلا ماسعى وان ماجاء في الروح والنفس والجسد قد اشغل العلماء فيما سبق لتبيان حالها وهل هي كلٌ أم جزء وأن لو أخذنا ببعض ماقيل من نظريات نجد التقمص يأتي كشكل إحداها.. وقد ذكر الباحث العلويين والدروز في لبنان وتركيا واعتقادهم بالتقمص وفصّل فيه أنه لايفصل موت إنسان وتقمصه فاصل زمني في اعتقادهم حيث يموت هذا ويولد ذاك.
وعلى كل مالا يدرك كله لا يترك جله، هذه الأمور علمها وتفسيرها عند الله وليس لنا إلا أن نتفكر.
على المطلق إن لم تكن هكذا مواضيع ونظريات تستهويك فقد تثير اهتمامك القصص المذكورة للحالات النموذجية.
النقطة الأساسية التي ينطلق منها البحث هي أن"من الأفضل التعامل مع هذا الطفل الفطن، على أنه إنسان ميت، يفترض -هو- أنه مازال على قيد الحياة. بدلاً من التعامل على أنه إنسان حي ، مات وعاد يدعي أنه سبق له أن عاش حياة غيره."
يأتي البحث على عدة نظريات يدعمها ويدحضها بحياد وموضوعية، وتظل الظاهرة عجيبة وغيرقابلة للتصديق ولا للمنطق.
يُنكر الباحث على كل من يدّعي التقمص من البالغين الذين يتحدثون في الأغلب عن شخصيات معروفة ،بأنهم لاستطاعوا الحصول على هذه المعلومات والادعاء بمايحلو لهم.
بينما يبين أن التقمص بحالته النموذجية يحصل فقط مع الأطفال حتى سن الثامنة ، ويذكر 12 حالة وقصصها التي استقصى عنها وفريق البحث حتى عجز عن إنكار إمكانية حدوث حالة تقمص كتفسير وحيد لايجد غيره.
الموضوع بشكل عام مثير للاهتمام ، و أحب هذه المواضيع والتصنيفات شخصياً رغم كثرة النظريات وتضاربها وتعارضها مع قناعات شخصية وامور دينية.. لكن يبقى في الأخير باب العلم والخيال فاتحاً مصراعيه للمزيد والمزيد من الحديث والاكتشاف.
في موضوع التقمص بالذات، نعلم أن الروح بأمر الله وأن ليس للإنسان إلا ماسعى وان ماجاء في الروح والنفس والجسد قد اشغل العلماء فيما سبق لتبيان حالها وهل هي كلٌ أم جزء وأن لو أخذنا ببعض ماقيل من نظريات نجد التقمص يأتي كشكل إحداها.. وقد ذكر الباحث العلويين والدروز في لبنان وتركيا واعتقادهم بالتقمص وفصّل فيه أنه لايفصل موت إنسان وتقمصه فاصل زمني في اعتقادهم حيث يموت هذا ويولد ذاك.
وعلى كل مالا يدرك كله لا يترك جله، هذه الأمور علمها وتفسيرها عند الله وليس لنا إلا أن نتفكر.
على المطلق إن لم تكن هكذا مواضيع ونظريات تستهويك فقد تثير اهتمامك القصص المذكورة للحالات النموذجية.
January 1, 2026
I started this book really appreciative of Stevenson's commitment to scientific methodology, encouragement of skepticism, and commitment to consistency. This is one of those cases where devil is in the details, however. While his broad synopses had me just convinced that these were verifiable cases of reincarnation, the detailing of the case studies themselves is where he lost me. Too many fudges, too many shrugs, too many "well, it COULD HAVE"s for me to really engage with this in good faith. Went in super open, came out super skeptical.
July 24, 2011
Extremely modern, extremely cautious - & thus quite subtle in effect.
October 22, 2014
Used this book as a reference resource while doing research on past lives.
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