'I died in Jerusalem in 1276', says researcher who underwent hypnosis to reveal a former life. (Her, My, She, Life, May)-NEWSMONSTER

'I died in Jerusalem in 1276', says researcher who underwent hypnosis to reveal a former life

Written by Danny Penman

The last time I died was in Jerusalem in 1276. Pope Gregory X’s Crusade against Islam had collapsed and the Christians of the city would soon be abandoned to their fate.

My final hours were filled with death. I was besieged in a beautiful vaulted church along with 100 knights. Smokey candlelight glinted off their armour. Some knights were praying, others resting.

As dawn broke over the city they readied themselves for the final conflict with an implacable foe. Even the most devout were terrified. All knew that only a handful would survive the coming day.

I watched their preparations for battle. The sharpening of swords and lances. The reinforcing of shields and armour. But most of all, I prepared for my own death. As a monk in a city of Muslims, my chances of surviving the coming assault were slim.

Soon after the knights left the church, I retreated to a small side chapel to pray. I was desperate for forgiveness. I had travelled from a small monastery in Kent to the Holy Land so that I could kill Muslims. Although I still hated Islam, I found it hard to love my ‘own’ side. The decadence and corruption of the Crusaders had sickened me. Now I wanted to be left alone to live in peace. But it was too late.

I watched as the flames roared up the sides of the chapel. I hoped it was only purgatory but feared it was hell. Soon I, too, was on fire and burning like a Roman candle. I didn’t feel any pain – I knew I was going to die and that my Lord would make it swift.

Out of the blackness I could see a burning white light. A calm voice asked me what I had learned from my life and whether there was any knowledge I wished to carry with me to the next.

It was the voice of David Wells, a past-life regression therapist who had put me into a trance and guided me back to my ‘former incarnation’.

To many, the idea of reincarnation will seem like bunkum, but it is garnering a surprising degree of respectable scientific support. Today in London sees a major international conference on the subject in memory of the late Dr Ian Stevenson, an American scientist who spent decades studying the discipline.

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Dr Stevenson amassed an astonishing amount of evidence for reincarnation. He tracked down over 3,000 children who claimed to have lived before. Many were able to give their previous names and the manner and of their death. They could recall the names of friends and family members, many of whom Dr Stevenson was able to track down through birth records. Others even knew intimate details known only to family members.

“Reincarnation is the most likely explanation for the strongest cases,” says Dr Jim Tucker, Medical Director of the Child and Family Psychiatric Clinic at the University of Virginia and one of Dr Stevenson’s co-workers.

“My view is that the evidence points to a ‘carry over’ of memories and emotions from one life to another. That could be termed reincarnation.”

Obviously the idea of reincarnation is highly controversial not just amongst scientists but between different religions too. Broadly speaking Christians, Muslims and Jews do not believe in it while Hindus and Buddhists do.

I decided to investigate it for myself through what’s known as ‘past-life regression therapy’. Practitioners of this discipline claim that we have all lived before and that we can be taught to remember our former incarnations.

I was initially highly sceptical of the idea of reincarnation, let alone being able to remember a former life. I also remembered stories of people who traced their family trees only to discover that they were descended not from Royalty - but horse thieves. What if I was a murderer or a rapist in a former life? Or Heaven forbid, one of Hitler or Stalin’s henchmen? I was not very keen on the prospect to say the least.

After a little more research I learned that past-life regression is straightforward but it does require the skills of a trained therapist to guide you through the process. It is not without risks. The psychological shock can overwhelm some people. Others can be left with an all-pervading guilt for the misdeeds ‘they’ perpetrated in a former life.

David Wells, author of Past, Present and Future: What Your Past Lives Tell You About Yourself, agreed to guide me.

First off, I was led into a darkened room and coaxed into relaxing on a big, soft, comfy chair surrounded by burning incense and scented candles. David then asked me to imagine myself floating above my house. I mentally drifted off into space and turned back to face our beautiful planet. Slowly the earth stopped turning and began to reverse direction. This symbolised flying backwards through time. I returned to Earth at the time of my former life – just in time to re-live my death.

The regression experience was strange and perplexing to say the least. I felt as if I was living in two worlds at once. I was aware of my current life but the world of Jerusalem in 1276 was, if anything, equally real. I could feel the clothes I was wearing and the sandals on my feet. I saw my surroundings in vivid detail, right down to the moonlight streaming through church windows and the fear etched onto the knights’ faces.

It felt more powerful and spontaneous than a mere memory, more realistic than a dream, but not quite as solid as the waking world.

When David asked me questions about my past life, things became even stranger. It felt as if someone else was replying. I was merely a back-seat driver. The answers I gave were so spontaneous and specific that it certainly didn’t feel like I was dreaming them up on the spot, or trawling through memories of Hollywood films set during the crusades.

It is well known to psychologists that the human mind is adept at fooling itself. Memory is all too fallible too. So was my mind playing tricks on me?

Professor Chris French, a psychologist at Goldsmiths, University of London, thinks it probably was. He says: “All too often people who undergo hypnotic regression conjure up false memories. It’s not a magical key for unlocking hidden memories.”

“There’s mountains of experimental data which shows that people produce a story for themselves based on their own beliefs and expectations, and their imagination and fantasy. Often people will come out with a Hollywood version of historical events such as life in Roman Britain or Medieval Europe.”

Still, the evidence for reincarnation remains tantalising.

Dr Stevenson’s team at the University of Virginia documented several thousand possible cases of reincarnation involving children over a 40-year-period. They focused on children because they thought their stories were less likely to have been contaminated with false memories.

Most of the team’s evidence was gathered in the Middle East and Asia where a belief in reincarnation is accepted. One case was of a Lebanese girl who could accurately recall the names of 25 people from a previous life. But not only that, she also knew the relationship between the individuals.

Even more intriguingly, researchers have discovered that children can have birthmarks or deformities at the site of the injury that killed them in a former life. A mole on the chest over the heart may correspond to a bullet’s entry point, for instance. Researchers have recorded hundreds of such cases.

The case of Semih Tutusmus from Turkey, unearthed by Dr Stevenson, is typical. Semih was born with a serious deformity in his right ear which, from the age of two onwards, he claimed resulted from the time he was shot by a man called Isa Dirbekil. Semih gave the name he possessed in a former life as Selim Fesli. He also gave the names of his wife and six children.

At the age of four, Selim made his way to a neighbouring village and found the house he had lived in during his former life and then introduced himself to ‘his’ family. When he saw Isa – the man who he claimed had shot him – he threw stones at him. A short while later, Isa confessed to the shooting (he claimed it was an accident) and was jailed for two years.

Even more interesting is the case of Jenny Cockell, who now lives near Northampton. Jenny first began recalling a past life when she was a toddler. Visions of a small village in Victorian Ireland repeatedly flashed into her mind. She became convinced that she’d lived in the village between 1898 and the early 1930s, that she had seven children, and had died giving birth to an eighth.

During past-life regression, images of her past life became so vivid that she was able to draw maps of her home village. She was able to mark shops, main roads, a station and the beautiful cottage in which she lived. After studying a map of Ireland, she felt drawn to the village of Malahide, north of Dublin.

Jenny visited Malahide and followed a trail of clues that ultimately led her to discovering her ‘former identity’ – Mary Sutton, a farm labourer’s wife. She learned that upon Mary’s death, her eight children had been given up to orphanages across Ireland. Jenny then embarked on an odyssey to track down her lost children and reunite her family.

Sonny Sutton, her eldest ‘son’, was the first of the children traced by Jenny. When they made contact, her son was 34 years her senior.

“I didn’t know what to think,” said Sonny. “We were all Catholics and Catholics don’t believe in reincarnation. But when she got out of the car I could see my mother in her. There was a bond between us from the beginning.”

To dispel the inevitable doubts about her story, Jenny took the sensible step of contacting Dr Stevenson and the BBC before she approached Sonny. Gitti Coats, a BBC researcher, exhaustively interviewed both Jenny and Sonny before they actually met each other so that any evidence wouldn’t be contaminated.

“The two sets of memories tied together very well,” Gitti says. “Nearly everything tallied.”

There were even occasions when Jenny prompted Sonny’s memory, such as the time Mary scolded him for snaring a hare, with its coarse and unpalatable meat, rather than a rabbit.

Jenny then focused her efforts on tracking down her ‘daughter’, Elizabeth, whom she died giving birth to in her former life. After months of strenuous effort she was traced to the Dublin mountains. She had been reared by an aunt and uncle, and Elizabeth was totally unaware of being adopted – until informed by Jenny.

Elizabeth has more doubts about reincarnation than her brother, but has accepted a local priest’s explanation that her mother is working through Jenny to reunite the family. Elizabeth now sees Jenny as a close friend and part of the family.

“I can’t see her as our mother like Sonny,” she says. “Although I do think my dead mother is causing her to have these dreams. Some people might say she’s making these things up, but she’s proved they’re real. Sonny told me she knows things nobody else knows.”

Step by step Jenny managed to track down six of her eight children but sadly two of them had died. She’s still searching for the remaining two.

Do cases such as that of Jenny Cockell and the children identified by Dr Stevenson really provide proof of reincarnation? As far as some scientists are concerned they just might – but there are several other equally odd explanations.

Jenny and those like her may possess the psychic ability known as super-psi which allows them to reach back in time and access other people’s memories. There is an even more disturbing possibility, that she was possessed or influenced by the spirit of Mary.

Dr Peter Fenwick, a neuropsychiatrist at Kings College, University of London, says: “The phenomena seems real but its origins are open to interpretation. We simply do not understand this phenomena yet.”

Buy Jenny Cockell's book from Amazon about the search for her children
Buy Dr Jim Tucker's book on his reincarnation research from Amazon
Thought Exorcism was Dead? Think Again
Sally Morgan really does talk to the dead

Comments (16) >>

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written by Sam, May 19, 2008

Hindus believe in reincarnation without a doubt. Soul has neither birth nor death, it takes on different forms/bodies on different planets. The goal is not to reincranate, but to achieve Nirvana. Read Bhagavad Gita some time. Buddhists beliefs are same, Buddha was Hindu. Long after Buddha, people gave a different name to Buddha's teachings, but they are Vedic teachings (Sanatana Dharma, now we call it Hindu).

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written by Clayton Jones, May 06, 2008

The science of reincarnation is like many other disciplines of science they, like religion, require a certain quantity of faith. The Big Bang Theory is one of those theories that requires a lot of faith and little evidence. Another theory is Evolution which requires as much or more faith than some religious disciplines.

I appreciate the study of 3000 children and the results may indicate some form of reincarnation. However, faith is required as in any other discipline.

May I suggest that reincarnation is simply "Genetic Memory." Two years ago I visited my father's mountain village in Italy. The visit was my first,I felt very much as home. My 10 year old daughter looked at me and said, "Daddy I feel at home." I hadn't said a word about my sense of familiarity.

On the other hand, my wife, who has a dominate Spanish background did not express any connection to my father's village.

Is our memories reincarnation or genetic records? I suspect the latter. I read somewhere years ago that child born to older parents tend to be more intelligent. If that theory has any basis for validity I would suggest "Genetic Memory."

As I have pondered the idea of genetic memory I have wondered if the genetic ID of matured bones of an adult would be the same as the genetic ID of the present adult's blood? I am sure if there is some inherent genetic memory accumulated with life's experiences the profile would be hardly noticeable. I challenge that an genetic investigation of an individuals child development to adult will lead to nothing less than interesting results.

Reincarnation vs. Genetic Memory is the question or is it? Why not both? I, without evidence, lean toward genetic memory.

Clayton Jones

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written by Mr Anderson, May 05, 2008

“Reincarnation is the most likely explanation for the strongest cases,” says Dr Jim Tucker, Medical Director...

Not really. There are other more scientific explanations. You know that we can see many many years into the past because the light from distant objects takes time to reach us. There may also be some kind of mechanism that embeds or records our data (actions thoughts emotions) into the 'matrix' of space. You may be accessing this stored information when you are in a certain state and your brain makes you become the actor of events that really happened some time ago.

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written by Unholyjake, May 05, 2008

I never believed in reincarnation...thought it was BS until one day I opened my eyes in another life! Lasted less then a minute but I learned more in those few seconds than most folks learn in a lifetime. I don't know what year it was but I believe it was the late 1800's. I know for sure I lived before and that I will live again.

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written by passerby, May 05, 2008

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Young_girl_claims_she_is_Kalpana_Chawla/rssarticleshow/2184284.cms
http://www.nowpublic.com/village_boy_suddenly_acquires_american_accent

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written by Kaspu, May 05, 2008

Presumably, I can now ask you questions in late medieval Latin venacular, as well as Syriac, as these were the two spoken languages in Jerusalem at the time.

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written by violet, May 05, 2008

I have never doubted re incarnation. Though I did not know what it was called I have seen many past lives and have since I was a small child. Not only have I known of past lives I have seen those with whom I spent past lives with. They are not on the earth plane at this time but I see their image. sometimes they even play tricks on me. Like the lady in red that kept taking all my red clothing. The last time I saw her she was wearing a gold
dress, perhaps to show that she had evolved. And yes she returned
most of my stuff when asked. She also slipped money in my purse which I knew I did not have. People can call me crazy if they like, but I know the truth.

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written by GNWD-(DOWNAG), May 05, 2008

This is HOCUM. You live once! This person is controled by a spirit that wants him to believe he lived before to perpetuate a deception upon humankind.

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written by sugamari, May 05, 2008

I never started to wake up until 2002 but in 2000 I stopped myself from suicide because it occurred to me that reincarnation just might be real. This place does suck and I am not interested in coming back into this piece of s**te. Heres why: the Christian, Muslim and Judaic religions have monopolized reincarnation, time and language to preempt any natural spiritual growth. This triumvirate is the enemy of mankind and fear is their greatest tool. To beat them live in the Now, reduce your dependence on them for your needs, distance yourself from negative people, live in peace with peace and by peace and above all when you do die don't be steered by fear.

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written by JACK D , May 05, 2008

People tend to "believe" anything which appeals to them and
"not believe" that which they have any, usually emotional, misgivings about. With that in mind.....
I personally choose to "believe" in reincarnation.I also practice,
as opposed to believe,Astrology. The latter , thru it's symbols,
shows me on a piece of paper a map or chart of a given situation:
a birth, a question, an event.It provides an actual understanding,
here again, using astronomical points as symbols, of the situation
to be examined.Many people(especially astronomers!)say they do not
believe in it, revealing their profound ignorance of the subject:
It's a body of knowledge,kids,not a religion!
Reincarnation is different.Unless you are a gifted clairvoyant,
clairaudient,etc.,who deals with this on a daily basis as a working
reality, lets face it, they KNOW, and you DON"T, if you can still tell the difference between what is your precious belief and what is KNOWLEDGE.Past lives for most of us must remain something of a
philosophical conjecture.It makes sense to me, or appeals to me,
because, since I choose to "believe" in God and Christ, I needed to understand why a Just and Loving Father would allow such seeming injustice and suffering to occur to so many innocents
throughout history.The twin concept to rebirth, of course,is Karma.What you sow,you WILL reap,even if it takes a thousand years for you harvest it.And it will be in equal measure,don't worry.
You might think of it spiritual gravity: God doesn't have to follow you around down thru the ages with a big stick, waiting to
give you the big swat you(unconciously) know you have coming. Like
with gravity, what goes up or around in this world must come down or around again in this world.Or if you prefer, you can run,but...
well,you know.On a happier note, Karma also assures us a talent we
so long and hard on in the past to develop,perhaps over several
life-times, is never lost, even though it may be latent or dormant
in the present life.So many lives, so many issues requiring
resolution and atonement(at-one-ment).My main point in this tirade?
A selfish one.When I consider all the trouble I can,and have,gotten
into in this world over the ages,all of it requiring at times some
very painful atonement(but only equal to the pain I caused others),
it should not be hard to understand why any sane person would give alot to NEVER have to come back here AGAIN.Who in their right mind would leave Paradise to return to this place? Unless,of course, their Karma requires them to do so.I've been told that often the
person on the other side can be even more effective in providing
genuine assistance to those still bound in the chains and suffering
of the material, physical realm.As I said, this all must remain
a philosophy to be pondered or rejected, as the individual chooses.
I adopted it because it makes sense to me, it "appeals" to my way of thinking.Now, I wish I had more time to tell you about my life
as a Priest in Egypt, but it's getting late...

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written by Rabbit, May 05, 2008

I sometimes wonder how empty and almost blind, like a mole in some ways the life of someone who doesn't understand re-incarnation and its implications; must be.

Those who know, know and can find plenty of evidence for it with a bit of a search. Those who do not, deny out of hand something which they mistakenly think is a debate.

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written by building7?, May 05, 2008

We have traits and features inherited thru our ancesters. eye color, hair color, big nose, maybe a certain talant is passed...writing, good at construction, etc.
Why is it not possible to pass memories?!
How else do you explain the fealing of being at a certain place before, when you know its your first time there. or how about when you atomatically like somebody or feel a kinship with them even thou youve never met them. or deja vu?.....

ANCESTRAL MEMORIES are REAL!!!

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written by Joana d'Arc, May 05, 2008

isn't amazing, that before 2000, once upon a time i was against vegetarians.

And now i am 1 more conscious, just because i found the true of my existence, not just here "Like a Human" but other "Life Forms", on this Planet and Beyond (other Places out there).

We are what we eat, and what we do. Yes, Jesus was Vegetarian, and now that i have found the truth, no one can tell/show me the opposite (because tha's just another Lie/Ilusion).

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written by qad, May 04, 2008

interesting...

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written by Semore Butuchs, May 02, 2008

Hes a liar. i end my case

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written by A, April 30, 2008

Aye and not just human past lives... I have talked to people who Remember being an animal, this seems to fit in with Buddhists view on
reincarnation Judaism's views are exactly the same, even ancient egypt held the same views on reincarnation... intresting

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