Reincarnation

Another area that he has investigated is the relation between phobias and incarnation memories. In a series of 387 children, who maintained to be able to remember a past life, phobias appeared in as many as 141 cases. That is 36%. The phobias nearly always corresponded to the manner of death in the past life. Some times the phobias appeared even before the child began to speak and in none of the cases it was a matter of imitating a living member of the family. It could for instance be a previous death by drowning, which resulted in hydrophobia in this life. Or if a child had been shot, it would show an unusual fear of rifles or loud bangs. Previous accidents in cars or other means of transport could appear as phobias in connection with traffic. Sometimes children, who remember past lives, want to eat other food or wear other clothes than what is custom in the concerned country. Such and many other examples appear from Stevenson's comprehensive research.

In her book "Children's Past Lives - how past lives memories affects your child", Carol Bowman writes about the four characteristic signs, which accompany the trustworthy child, when it describes real reincarnation memories. First of all the child will tell about the memories in a factual way, which clearly differs from children's normal imaginative way of inventing and fantasizing. When children fantasize they mix up things because the fantasy is a game, and the stories change on the way. In reincarnation memories there will be coherent details, and the child will not speak of it as when it is a matter of a fairy-tale or a game. Secondly the memories will appear to be persistent and almost always unchanged over long periods. In other words there are coherence and consistency in the described details. Thirdly the child will express a knowledge that cannot derive from its present life, and which therefore cannot be based on experience, if you only believe in one life. Finally the child will behave and have characteristics, which clearly conform to the described.

You may discuss how many testimonies it takes, and how comprehensive research is necessary in order to state with traditional, scientific evidence, that reincarnation is a proved fact. However, there is no doubt that the research performed by Stevenson and other pioneers, thoroughly clears the way for new perspectives and surrounds reincarnation with greater respect as such. In every possible way we must encourage further research to be commenced, so that the subject not only concerns the area of faith, but also the areas of perception and facts.