This is the revised edition of Dr. Stevenson’s 1987 book, summarizing for general readers almost forty years of experience in the study of children who claim to remember previous lives. For many Westerners the idea of reincarnation seems remote and bizarre; it is the author’s intent to correct some common misconceptions. New material relating to birthmarks and birth defects, independent replication studies with a critique of criticisms, and recent developments in genetic study are included. The work gives an overview of the history of the belief in and evidence for reincarnation. Representative cases of children, research methods used, analyses of the cases and of variations due to different cultures, and the explanatory value of the idea of reincarnation for some unsolved problems in psychology and medicine are reviewed.

The late Ian Stevenson, M.D., was a research professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia. He lived in Charlottesville.

Ian Stevenson, M.D.

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 355
Bibliographic Info: appendix, notes, references, index
Copyright Date: 2001
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0913-6
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5087-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix

Preface to the Revised Edition 1

Preface to the First Edition 3

A Guide for Readers Wishing More Details 7

1. An Introduction to the Study of Reincarnation 9

2. The Belief in Reincarnation 29

3. Types of Evidence for Reincarnation 41

4. Fourteen Typical Cases of Children Who Remember Previous Lives 56

5. Characteristics of Typical Cases of the Reincarnation Type 94

6. Methods of Research 129

7. The Analysis and Interpretation of the Cases 146

8. Variations in the Cases of Different Cultures 169

9. The Explanatory Value of the Idea of Reincarnation 181

10. Some Further Questions and Topics Related to Children Who Remember Previous Lives 207

11. Speculations About Processes Possibly Related to Reincarnation 233

Appendix: Citations to Detailed Reports of Cited Cases 255

Chapter Notes 261

References 315

Index 335

• “Fascinating and compelling…significant”—Journal of Scientific Exploration
• “Excellent…offers us a fascinating and compelling book with the distinct potential for profoundly changing our way of understanding the nature of human existence and death. Standard reading for any person who wishes to be regarded as literate and educated”—Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research