The History of Rebirth

Heraclitus (c. 500 BC) – Panta Rhei – Everything Flows

Questions

As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place. -Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), English poet

Is there a mind consciousness or a separate soul? Are individual souls eternal? Could a soul reincarnate in another body? Why do we typically forget our previous incarnations? What circumstances allow us to recall them? Are religious texts and intellectual theories about the continuation of life after death false or true? Further questions include whether thoughts and emotions are real, how they are produced, and why we are unable to see them with a naked eye. Those are fascinating questions. Let’s examine current science and its history. We know from the rules of physics that energy can only be transformed and not lost. Does an individual’s life energy transform when they pass away?

History of Reincarnation and Regression Therapy

Reincarnation is not an exclusively Hindu or Buddhist concept, but it is part of the history of human origin. It is proof of the mindstream’s capacity to retain knowledge of physical and mental activities. It is related to the theory of interdependent origination and to the law of cause and effect. – H.H. The Dalai Lama

In his books Reincarnation, the Cycle of Necessity and Past Lives and Present Problems, How to Prepare for a Fortunate Rebirth, Manly Palmer Hall honors notable historical thinkers who clarified the concept of rebirth, including Pythagoras and his contemporaries Siddharta Gautama, also known as the Shakyamuni Buddha and Lao Tzu. Karma & Reincarnation: The Wisdom of Yogananda, Volume 2: Understanding Your Past to Improve Your Future by Paramahansa Yogananda is one of the best-selling books on the subject of reincarnation.

“Sigmund Freud introduced the idea of bringing the unconscious mind to conscious awareness for healing, and has been regarded as the grandfather of modern Regression Therapy. Carl Jung’s use of active imagination has also influenced the development of guided imagery techniques used in Regression Therapy.” Andrew Tomlinson and Peter Mack wrote in their article Regression Therapy.

“It is Pythagoras who introduced metempsychosis to the Greek world and it spread from Pythagorean centers. In the Pythagorean view, metempsychosis is an ethical development and memories of past lifetimes are possible.”  Hans TenDam wrote in his article Honoring Pythagoras: Reincarnation Ideas in Classical Greece. Metempsychosis is the transmigration of the soul or reincarnation.

Pythagoras taught about reincarnation, claimed to remember his eight former lives, and knew how other people may recall their past lives as well, according to Dr. Raymond Moody’s research. Dr. Moody found no evidence of Pythagoras using hypnosis to remember his past lives or conduct a past life regression therapy. The grandfather of the past life memory retrieval idea is therefore the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BC), not Freud, who was born in 1856, more than 2,300 years later. In addition, Plato (c. 428–348 BC) addresses reincarnation in the Republic, the Meno, the Cratylus, the Phaedo, the Phaedrus, and the Timaeus. We sometimes hear that the philosophers learned from the sages. What if the Eastern sages learned from Pythagoras, the wisdom-lover?  This may be clarified by the most recent experimental technique for remote viewing.

Pythagoras said that medicine is the most godlike of arts. But if the most godlike, it should tend to the soul as well as the body, or else a living thing must be unhealthy, being diseased in its higher part. – Apollonius of Tyana

The Continuance of Consciousness

The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence. – Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), Croatian-born Serbian scientist

In his 1975 book Life After Life, Dr. Raymond Moody first used the term “near-death experience.” He has spent the last fifty years studying some of the biggest riddles in life as a doctor and a doctorate holder in philosophy.

Dr. Bruce Greyson discusses near-death experiences and the continuity of consciousness in his book After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond. In addition to speaking at consciousness symposia at the United Nations and the Dalai Lama’s compound in India, Dr. Greyson has advised the National Institutes of Health. He has earned awards for his medical research and was elected a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the highest honor bestowed by that organization.

All of nature is governed by the natural principle of cause and effect. The results of our previous intentions, thoughts, feelings, and words have shaped who we are now. The continuation of consciousness is made possible by the karmic impacts and our desire for survival. There is a great opportunity to research the fields of consciousness with the same zest and openness as technological innovations. More research in the area of near-death experiences, the continuance of consciousness, past life memories, could bring us closer to a better understanding of ourselves and our universe.

Natural Awareness of Past Life Memories

The most promising evidence bearing on reincarnation seems to come from the spontaneous cases, especially among children. – Ian Stevenson (1918–2007), Canadian-born psychiatrist

Dr. Jim Tucker in his book Before: Children’s Memories of Previous Lives talks about examples of children naturally recollecting previous life memories, without any therapy. Jim Tucker, M.D. is Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. For the last sixty years, doctors at the University of Virginia have investigated cases of young children who report memories of previous lives. Dr. Ian Stevenson, the founder of this work, published numerous scholarly articles and books about cases from all over the world. Dr. Jim Tucker continued the project when Dr. Stevenson retired.

Reports of naturally occurring phenomena of past life memories recollection are also explained in Academic studies on claimed past-life memories: A scoping review by Moraes and others, discussing 61 science articles published on past life memories that involved the work of various psychiatrists and psychologists from North America, Europe, and Asia.

In her article Past-Life Therapy: The Experiences of Twenty-Six Therapists, Helen Wambach, PhD wrote: “As reported by the 26 respondents, a total of 94 percent of their subjects or 17,350 patients “went under” and reported a past life during therapy session, regardless of the type of hypnotic or non-hypnotic induction technique used. I find this most significant. It is supportive of my own conclusion that it is not necessary to have a particular style of hypnotic induction or regression in order to gather past-life material, as it seems to lie close to the borders of consciousness… I have been gratified to see how the results of my own research have held up when compared with over 18,000 regressions by some two-dozen of my respected friends and colleagues. I am impressed with the evidence that the psychological benefits obtained from reliving past-life experiences with souls who are again closely connected with subjects outweighs even possible physical symptom relief. I am pleased by the finding that many sincere professionals–psychiatrists, psychologists, ministers with degrees in counseling–have begun to use this tool known as past-life regression to help those who come to them for answers to problems they can’t seem to solve in this life. I believe we are moving from a point where past-life therapy is simply another “new therapy” to the time when we can use it to gain greater understanding.”

Even in adults, not just children, records of past lives or early childhood memories can emerge spontaneously without any therapy.

Alleged Past Life Memories Arising in Hypnosis

Knowing others is intelligence, knowing yourself is true wisdom. – Lao Tzu (c. 500 BC), Chinese philosopher

Hypnosis is normally preceded by a hypnotic induction technique, which puts the subject into a hypnotic trance. For thousands of years, Native American Medicine Women or Men, shamanic ceremonies and oracles have employed trace-induced states, occasionally with the help of various plants. In the eighteenth century, Franz Mesmer, an Austrian physician, employed hypnosis to treat patients in Paris and Vienna, marking the beginning of its scientific history. In the nineteenth century, Scottish surgeon James Braid came up with the name “hypnosis,” which was based on the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos. Hypnosis was abandoned by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud because he believed it was challenging and occasionally not possible to put a person into a trance-like state.

Asclepieia healing temples, served as the main hubs for holistic and spiritual wellness as well as medical advice in ancient Greece. It is said that doctors and priests at these healing centers interpreted the dreams that patients experienced as guidance. Even today, the most common emblem for medicine and healthcare is the rod of Asclepius. According to legend, Asclepius is the son of Apollo, the Greek deity of healing, prophecy, and art.

Dr. Brian Weiss in his book Many Lives Many Masters talks about his practice of past life regression therapy via hypnosis.  Dr. Weiss graduated from the Yale University School of Medicine and residency in psychiatry. He went on to become Head of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Medical Center, in Miami.

In Hypnotic Regression Therapy (HRT) A Mixed Method Phenomenological Study Exploring the Correlates between HRT, Altered States of Consciousness, and Transpersonal Psychology, David Furlong PhD found the therapeutic benefits of HRT such as improvement in well-being, spiritual growth, and increased self-awareness, but he also pointed negative side effects, such as inserting by omission- a false memory under the hypnotic state.

The state of hypnosis can be described as a state of trance or altered consciousness, induced by physiatrists, phycologist, hypnotherapists, shamans, different plants, or psychedelic drugs, resembling sleep, characterized by an increase in suggestibility and a loss of vigilant awareness and logical reasoning, that could potentially produce hallucinations.

“Hypnosis, in other words, does not always lead to truth”, wrote Paul F. Cunningham, PhD in a 147-page research proposal An Experimental Investigation of Past-Life Experiences.

“There are also concerns about the potential negative effects of hypnosis and induced trances in general. People can suffer dizziness, nausea, headaches, difficulties returning to awareness, anxiety, panic, and negative reactions to inadvertently given suggestions by hypnotists.” wrote Victoria Hoover in her article Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been, Cleopatra? – A Study of Past Life Regression, Practitioners, and the Impact of Reincarnation Beliefs Under Hypnotism.

According to some perspectives, any kind of hypnosis carries risks, such as creating false memories or false facts through omission or process, or worse, the potential to incite violent thoughts in the subject without their knowledge, or the subject fabricating memories to appease the therapists, or because of their delusions or agenda. The DivineYu Academy has never practiced hypnosis or any other form of trance-induced condition because of these factors. We do honor people’s free will in selecting or practicing a therapy of their choice.

Past Life Regression Therapy

It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in Nature is resurrection. – Francois Marie Voltaire (1694 – 1778), French philosopher

The 8th World Congress for Regression Therapy was held in the Netherlands in October 2024. There have been voluminous scholarly publications on this topic during the past century, including some in the Regression Journal.

In her article Measuring the Therapeutic impacts of Past-Life Regression, Heather Rivera, PhD, detailed the good impacts that many people have experienced originating directly from past-life therapy. Eighty percent of responders said they were less fearful about death after receiving past-life regression therapy.

In their article Perceived Results of Past Life Regression through Expanded Awareness Analysis, Dr Sonia Andrés Espallardo & Dr Isabel M. Martínez Higueras concluded: “Cross-sectional descriptive study of patients/clients participating in a past life regression session through the analysis of their expanded awareness. Most of them experienced favourable changes in the variables studied related to their subjective experience during the regression, including improvement of the symptom, understanding its effect on current life, perceived subjective efficacy, changes in fear of death, and changes in current life.”

Some cultures consider death to be a taboo subject that should not be discussed. Understanding that life continues in some form and that rebirth is a possibility could help alleviate the immense pain and dread it brings. Our quality of life and inner serenity increase when we have less dread of dying and society as a whole, benefits from this.

“Practitioners of PLT [Past-Life Therapy] use such words to describe it as: “Powerful, dramatic, spiritual, sacred, profound, transforming and exceptionally effective.” Eric J. Christopher wrote in his article Exploring the Effectiveness of Past-Life Therapy.

According to Paula Fenn, psychotherapist, who was chair of the Earth Association for Regression Therapy Research Committee and Chief Editor of the International Journal of Regression Therapy until 2023, there are techniques reported as being used and integrated with Regression Therapy: Energy Healing, Spirit Releasement, NLP, Dream Analysis, Drawing/Art, Clairaudience/Clairsentience/Clairvoyance, Classical Psychotherapy, Family Constellations, Gestalt and Shamanism, Acupuncture, Herbalism, Mindfulness, Music, Osteopathy, Prayer, Sculpturing and Soul Surgery. Her Research Report on the EARTh Special Interest Survey had a global reach and responses were received from 105 therapists in 28 countries.

Thus, one needs knowledge and discernment to determine what is and what is not the Regression Therapy. One could look at the following categories:

• Different kinds of hypnosis or hypnotherapy;
• Hypnotic regression therapy (HRT), for this life memories, mostly from early childhood;
• Hypnotic regression therapy, for womb and just before an incarnation memories;
• Hypnotic past-life regression therapy, for memories of past lives;
• Hypnotic regression therapy or past-life regression therapy in combination with other therapies;
• Therapies above without any hypnosis, where the client is fully conscious, and awaken and remembers naturally some of their life, womb, pre-incarnation or past-life memories;
• Children and adults’ spontaneous recollections of this or previous lives, without therapy;
• Children’s and adults’ spontaneous recollections of this or previous lives after the therapy;
• Children’s and adults’ dreams that spontaneously bring up this or past-life memories, either before or after therapy.

The most remarkable well-being benefits on inner serenity and happiness, according to some, are recollections of being a baby in the womb, protected and cared for by their mother, and immediately before an incarnation, without any hypnosis.

Fundamental Freedoms

Just as an age was ready to receive the Copernican theory of the universe, so is our own age ready for the ideas of reincarnation and karma to be brought into the general consciousness of humanity. And what is destined to happen in the course of evolution will happen no matter what powers rise up against it. – Rudolf Steiner, Croatian-born philosopher

Either on their own or through various therapies, memories of a past life or early childhood may surface. They bring up moral and ethical concerns, property rights, and the right to recompense for potential sexual abuse. However, to facilitate an open debate on a subject, the fundamental human rights of freedom of thinking, belief, opinion, speech, religion, and conscience have been established. On the other hand, China has banned Tibet’s Buddhist monks and Lamas, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama from reincarnating without a permit from the Chinese government.

We all have quite varied perspectives on our diverse planet. Most individuals would agree that our culture shifted from being taught dogmas and stifling opposing viewpoints to believing “the Earth is flat”. People who claim to be experts on past-life remedies but reject any scientific research on the subject, ignoring over 2,500 years of history and science, are not well-versed in the subject. There are also a variety of questionable treatments that are failing to pass even the common-sense test.

Awakening Inner Wisdom

I am confident that there truly is such a thing as living again, that the living spring from the dead, and that the souls of the dead are in existence. – Socrates (c. 470 – 399 BC), Greek philosopher

To get through the foolishness, one could awaken their inner wisdom. The primary influence on Western philosophy was the Greek philosopher Socrates (c. 470–399 BC). Because of Socrates, we continue to extol the virtues of reason in human affairs, a virtue we value more than we employ. Socrates describes a group of people who have spent their entire lives chained to a cave wall, facing a blank wall, in Plato’s work The Republic. “Imagine”, Socrates says, “that everyone inside the cave had been born there and had been forced to watch the puppet show since birth without being allowed to take their eyes off the screen.” “If they were able to talk to one another”, Socrates asks his listeners, “would they not assume that the shadows they saw were the real things and the whole truth?” “Then think what would happen to them if they were released of their bonds and cured of their delusions,” he says. “If they were told that what they used to see was so much empty nonsense and that they can now see more clearly, would they immediately affirm the truth or would they return with relief to the shadows as their familiar reality?”