To everyone,
I had a brief email exchange with WrenMother and clarified a point for her: reincarnation in the same family can occur in less than nine months after a death, even within hours. She had read in one of Michael Newton's books, or elsewhere, that there is a long or set intermission between lives. That does not appear to be true from the cases I've seen, and from Dr. Stevenson's research. And, since time really doesn't exist, a soul may have an interlife or afterlife experience which may appear to be only minutes in our constructs of time. (Think of the documented near-death experiences that unfold in only minutes; they seem like lifetimes to those who have experienced them.)
I suggested that WrenMother read Return From Heaven so she will have some context for any behaviors, statements, similarities between her son and father--if they show up. I don't suggest imposing an identity on a child if you suspect a reincarnation case. Hold back and see what shows up. I agree with Wicker: don't show him any pictures yet. He's too young. Wait, WrenMother, and see what unfolds naturally. Don't feed him any suggestions.
I do not agree with Dr. Stevenson's assessment of hypnotic regression. Yes, in some cases the mind can fill in with fantasy material, but not in all cases. I have had my own profound experiences with it that have been very healing and insightful, bringing into focus deep feelings and vivid images that I had had since childhood. If I had these memories as a child, why wouldn't they be valid as an adult? The only difference was that as a child they came up spontaneously and I had no idea what they were; as an adult they came up again while I was in a light trance state, and by that time I had a context for them. (I speak for thousand of others who have had similar experiences through hypnotic regression.)
I actually had the opportunity to discuss this with Dr. Stevenson during dinner on a couple of occasions when we were investigating some cases together. Nothing Dr. Stevenson said convinced me that hypnotic regression is not a legitimate means to access past life memories. I know what I've experienced and witnessed. He has never tried it, to my knowledge.
A scientific approach to validate these memories is valuable, and I applaud Drs. Stevenson and Tucker for their work. However, I think that there is a subjective quality to these memories that can't be validated by their methods. To paraphrase Deborah, these are matters of the heart. These feelings can help us identify a family member who has reincarnated, or instill in us a knowing that goes beyond rational explanation.
PixieFaerie:
Elisabeth Hallett has written a couple of great books about pre-birth communication: the one that comes to mind is Soul Trek. I learned something from interesting from her research: sometimes a deceased member of the family--usually a grandparent, but not necessarily--has contact with an incoming soul to the family, and acts as a spiritual escort for the incoming soul. Very young children recognize these relatives in pictures or they talk about them to their astonished parents. It is possible that your daughter had contact with your grandmother before she was born--or she could have been connected to her in a previous life. Hard to determine from what your daughter said.
Carol
I had a brief email exchange with WrenMother and clarified a point for her: reincarnation in the same family can occur in less than nine months after a death, even within hours. She had read in one of Michael Newton's books, or elsewhere, that there is a long or set intermission between lives. That does not appear to be true from the cases I've seen, and from Dr. Stevenson's research. And, since time really doesn't exist, a soul may have an interlife or afterlife experience which may appear to be only minutes in our constructs of time. (Think of the documented near-death experiences that unfold in only minutes; they seem like lifetimes to those who have experienced them.)
I suggested that WrenMother read Return From Heaven so she will have some context for any behaviors, statements, similarities between her son and father--if they show up. I don't suggest imposing an identity on a child if you suspect a reincarnation case. Hold back and see what shows up. I agree with Wicker: don't show him any pictures yet. He's too young. Wait, WrenMother, and see what unfolds naturally. Don't feed him any suggestions.
I do not agree with Dr. Stevenson's assessment of hypnotic regression. Yes, in some cases the mind can fill in with fantasy material, but not in all cases. I have had my own profound experiences with it that have been very healing and insightful, bringing into focus deep feelings and vivid images that I had had since childhood. If I had these memories as a child, why wouldn't they be valid as an adult? The only difference was that as a child they came up spontaneously and I had no idea what they were; as an adult they came up again while I was in a light trance state, and by that time I had a context for them. (I speak for thousand of others who have had similar experiences through hypnotic regression.)
I actually had the opportunity to discuss this with Dr. Stevenson during dinner on a couple of occasions when we were investigating some cases together. Nothing Dr. Stevenson said convinced me that hypnotic regression is not a legitimate means to access past life memories. I know what I've experienced and witnessed. He has never tried it, to my knowledge.
A scientific approach to validate these memories is valuable, and I applaud Drs. Stevenson and Tucker for their work. However, I think that there is a subjective quality to these memories that can't be validated by their methods. To paraphrase Deborah, these are matters of the heart. These feelings can help us identify a family member who has reincarnated, or instill in us a knowing that goes beyond rational explanation.
PixieFaerie:
Elisabeth Hallett has written a couple of great books about pre-birth communication: the one that comes to mind is Soul Trek. I learned something from interesting from her research: sometimes a deceased member of the family--usually a grandparent, but not necessarily--has contact with an incoming soul to the family, and acts as a spiritual escort for the incoming soul. Very young children recognize these relatives in pictures or they talk about them to their astonished parents. It is possible that your daughter had contact with your grandmother before she was born--or she could have been connected to her in a previous life. Hard to determine from what your daughter said.
Carol
