Reincarnation Research

in Scientific Parapsychology

Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD

www.theazire.orgThe AZIRE Learning Center in Second Life

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/153/89/60

Today’s Class Topics

• Hypnotic Regression Work

• Field Investigations of Reincarnation Cases

Research in Reincarnation:

• Hypnotic Regression with Adults

• Hypnotic State releases dormant memories

• Individuals under hypnosis susceptible to suggestion from hypnotist

• Information that seems to be a “real” past life memory may be a combination of memory and with details drawn from previous contact with accurate historical information or historical fiction

As a therapeutic approach:

• Hypnotic Regression with Adults

• Past life stories are elicited by asking for the past life that is most influential on the person’s well-being in this life

• Past life descriptions may be very detailed or very general

• Working through the past life story has been found to cure phobias, improve mood and self-understanding in this life

Elements that can provide evidence of reinncarnation:

• Verifiable but obscure details about the previous personality, their lives, their surroundings

• Bridey Murphy (Bernstein, 1956)

• Ability to speak previous personality’s language in a responsive way

• Gretchan (Stevenson, 1984)

Problems with adult experiencers:

• If the detail is verifiable where did they get it?

• Cryptomnesia

• “Jane Evans” (Iverson, 1976)

• Six distinct lives, three with great specific detail

But …

Ian Stevenson1918-2007

One solution: work with children ….

Why experimentation alone is not enough:

“… paranormal phenomena are nearly always spontaneous and nearly always … associated with death and with love. And because these occur meagerly in laboratories, we can never dispense with spontaneous cases. Those who have thought they could do so sawed off the branch of the tree on which they were sitting; … they should now pick themselves up and climb the tree again.”

If evidentiality is the goal:

Cases require thorough investigation

Researchers should seek authenticity first,

then evidentiality

Danger of analysis of uninvestigated cases

for evidentiality

• Set up a network of informants• Obtained funds for field investigations• Interviewed anyone with knowledge

of the reincarnation claim• Attempted to “solve” the case

Dr. Jim Tucker’s case of recognition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir9Xs1Q9T5g

Dr. Erlendur Haraldson

reincarnation case in Sri Lanka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge0-WCom0Ls

Typical Cases include:• Testimony of small child and family

members

• Specific details with potential for verification collected

• Translators/Collaborators worked with Stevenson

• Trip scheduled to verify details

• Behavior and attitude as evidence

• Physical evidence: birthmarks and birth defects

Stevenson collected 2,500 cases over 40 years of fieldwork, approximately 1,900 of these considered “good” evidence for reincarnation.

Countries of Collection:• India• Myanmar• Sri Lanka• Lebanon• Thailand• Alaska• Brazil, etc.

Focus on:• Statements about the past life• Statements about the “intermission”

between lives• More important:

• Recognition of individuals from previous lives

• Behavior:• Attitudes• Phobias• Habits• Needs for the previous family and

friends

Kamal Andawar, born 1966, Lebanonese who remembered:

• Being the father of Naef Eldary

• Being the brother of Arif Eldary

• Living in Hammana, wife’s and other family names

• Described places, habits, relationships of family members

• Said he and his wife died in a car accident in 1965

• Many other specific details about the previous life

Evidence that Andawar had been Faqual Eldary:

• Of 28 specific statements made, 17 verified

• Proper names and places all correct

• Detail family tried to hide, verified by neighbors

• Treated his current family with disdain

• Unusual concern with cleanliness

• Phobic about cars, insisted on seeing his previous son

Compilation of cases:

• Able to compare across cultures

• Able to identify trends and commonalities

• Ground on which present researchers can build by

• Investigating new cultures

• Following up with past life experiencers as adults

• Following up with children who are a bit older

Thanks for your Attention!

email: nancy@theazire.org

www.theazire.orgThe AZIRE Learning Center in Second Life

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/153/89/60