Most people seem to think reincarnation is just an Asian religious belief, and it is that. But it is also a scientifically objectively verified reality and I am glad to see the public perception about this is changing. I find it interesting that a story of this length would appear in one of the most important newspapers in the U.S. It is a report on the work of a good friend, professor and physician Jim Tucker, head of the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies. This reincarnation research is unique and the best body of work on this subject in the world. Begun by another friend, the late professor and physician Ian Stevenson, it has been going on now for two generations. If you want to know what science knows about reincarnation I recommend the books by Stevenson and Tucker. The idea that there is continuity of consciousness will change your perspective on life.
Jim Tucker leads the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies. Each year, about 120 families contact DOPS about their children’s past-life recollections. Credit: Justin Ide / The Washington Post
In the beginning, it seemed like Nina was just an imaginary friend.
Two-year-old Aija had invented plenty of fictional characters before, but her parents — Ross, a musician, and Marie, a psychologist — noticed right away that Nina was different. (The family spoke to The Washington Post on the condition that only their middle names be used because of the sensitivity of the subject and because Aija is a young child.) From the time Aija learned how to talk, she talked about Nina, and her descriptions were remarkably consistent. Aija told her parents that Nina played piano, and she loved dancing, and she favored the color pink (Aija emphatically did not). When Aija spoke asNina, in the first person, Aija’s demeanor changed: Her voice was sweeter and higher-pitched, […]
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