Reincarnation, Part One: The Research of Ian Stevenson, with Walter Semkiw

Walter Semkiw, MD, is founder and president of the Institute for the Integration of Science, Intuition, and Spirit. He is author of Born Again, Return of the Revolutionaries: The Case for Reincarnation and Soul Groups Reunited, and Origin of the Soul and the Purpose of Reincarnation.

Here he describes the pioneering research of Dr. Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia who established the discipline of reincarnation research by focusing on investigations of young children who remember past lives. He points out that Stevenson and his colleagues have investigated over 2,500 cases of the reincarnation type. About half of these are considered “solved” in that a prior lifetime was identified based upon information provided by the child. Most of these cases are from countries where reincarnation is an accepted concept. He argues that, from these cases, we can infer how reincarnation works. In many cases, the families associated with the prior personality accept such children as the reincarnations of their deceased loved ones.

New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He serves as dean of transformational psychology at the University of Philosophical Research. He teaches parapsychology for ministers in training with the Centers for Spiritual Living through the Holmes Institute. He has served as vice-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and is the recipient of its Pathfinder Award for outstanding contributions to the field of human consciousness. He is also past-president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people are encouraged to cultivate and apply their inner, intuitive abilities.

(Recorded on November 22, 2015)

[Jeffreyk]

Walter Semkiw passed away on June 9th 2022. He retold my story of reincarnation many times in his books and lectures. He is greatly missed by those who knew him. Rest well my friend and after a while who knows, maybe you will make a comeback. JK

[azraelus]

The research on reincarnation has fascinated me, and i've started asking my mum about things i've said as a kid. I do recall memories of my childhood where i would say the most outrageous things but i never pieced anything together. I suppose most people don't like the topic because it's generally beyond our everyday experience, but imagine a world where it's known and accepted to quest for the resolution of past life issues, it could explain and resolve a lot of things that go on in our psyches, traumas etc. Maybe it's better this way though, so we can live in the moment and focus on just this lifetime. I don't know, but personally i'm open to knowing my past life.

[mortalclown]

A few of Stevenson's most profound cases ended up being in US families who had Christian beliefs, but were so moved by their child's accounts that they pursued study of the phenomena.

[serendipity]

After having two children I truly believe in reincarnation which got me out of religion and moving to searching truth.
When my daughter was 2 she told my mum that she picked me from above. I have heard the logic that we as a spirit/soul could well be within the stars or above!
My son was very strange, if he was asleep as a baby and I would pick him up to put him in bed he would absolutely freeze, clench his fists onto my top and like freak out looking everywhere, this didn’t stop until he was about 3, so I assume something traumatic may have happened and he brought it with him. Plus he would talk to some invisible person and bow to them as a toddler.
So I kind of believe we may have to come back if our life was taken too soon, I also believe we reap what we sow - Karma - and we are all spiritual beings, so until we find truth we may come back many times.
My mum also saw an American Indian lady who told my mum her past life and it all fits into why things happened to her in this life.
It’s amazing when we search beyond this materialistic world

[Pickledsundae]

As a Hindjew, with my dad's father having been a fellow UVA colleague of Stevenson's, this is absolutely blowing my mind

[carlsoll]

This is so good. It’s crazy how much there is unknown to humanity

[scanlonpat]

fascinating .. thank you for the mental stimulation and the post.

[jus]

This may be a concept that ultimately can never be proven BUT if the world adopted this system, I believe the world would be more in harmony with the natural processes of nature. The result would be beneficial for all as many prejudices would be dropped and the motivation for growth would be increased in the minds of men.

[MichaelAyden]

I can attest to this even though it's not something I wholeheartedly feel is true. I had very vivid memories or things that seemed like memories of being other people in many different times and places spanning decades or centuries. I still recall some although no where as intense. I was also fascinated with the time before I was born as a child which I think quite odd now. I had pictures in my mind's eye along with emotions and atmospheres of these times and places all quite different and unique. 1- being in a field of barley as a child sitting with other dark haired tanned skinned people at the end of a days work as the sun sank. 2- walking through desert palms and then up onto a raised platform of stone that had colourfully painted symbols in the stone. 3- being a lonely old man with a white beard and walking cane in a more victorian era perhaps. 4- a neolithic or iron age period near stones in the ground with parents who were maybe native American or other. 5- a kid playing out with a friend in America near woods and train lines. 6- looking out from a dark room over a lit up city like L.A or Dallas during the 60's or 70's. 7- the girl comes to my apartment to try help me from being myserable/pained and I think I aim to kill myself. 8- in a car as a kid in Norway or Finland with my other family and I'm watching the snow wizz by. I had some more but I've forgotten them over the decades.

[kimcollie]

I watched the last in this series first where Walter talks about his past life in revolutionary America. He never says who he likely was, but I'm guessing he was Ben Franklin if there's more than just fluff to the reincarnated nature of one's appearance. I wish he'd taken off his glasses & done a three/fourths view of his face. That would really show off the resemblance. I tried to read Ian Stevenson's Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, but only made it through the first four. It is easy to understand how well he did his investigations, but the recording of every minute detail to a mind-numbing degree would stop the average person, like myself, from going very far. Yet I fully consider his work of an almost unparalleled value.

[mikesoussan]

the fact that appearance seems to be key in reincarnation cases, we could deduce that morphic resonance could be at play here. Basically, morphic resonance dictates that shapes that share the same geometric form (both physical and psychic) tend to resonate and operate within the same electromagnetic field ... Rupert Sheldrake wrote plentifully about the subject. Thus information (and memories) would tend to naturally and seamlessly move between entities, across time and space. ...

[geoffreynhill]

A knowledgeable eloquent and thoughtful guest with some extraordinary stories. 👍 (Green Fire UK)

[wesboundmusic]

I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing Prof. Dr. Jim Tucker of UVA recently (for Thanatos.TV EN), who continues the legacy of late Dr. Ian Stevenson. I came as a sceptic, but the evidence that Stevenson and now Prof. Tucker with the Department of Perceptual Studies have found and investigated is stunning. One thing I'm not all sure of just yet: Are the children reporting their past life/lives and their deceased/newly embodied personality one and the same? I don't think we were able to answer that in my interview with Prof. Tucker. Guess, it depends on how you define 'personality' and what it's comprised of. Nonetheless: Stunning evidence! (see the famous "James Leininger" case for example. No matter, how hard you try to attack the documented details, it's next to impossible to find holes in the story or data that doesn't all match up)

[chips]

Jeffrey, , get Tom Campbell on your show.... His MBT theory incorporates reincarnation... love you man....

[clattereffect]

great interview! Walter kinda looks like the actor paul sorvino! :)

[kalyanaram]

What is a common knowledge in India requires a Research in West. Thanks to the Hindu culture. Our questions atleast are not basic though our problems are.

[fumarate]

Dr Michael Newton books Journey of souls and Destiny of souls are Excellent highly recommend them.

[charcharles]

Umm...I am getting a little spooked now...As I progress through this video, you mention Indianapolis. I grew up in Indianapolis. The cases you mention here are about Lebanese, and I am of Lebanese origin...Then, you mention a case from Indianapolis. This is an odd coincidence for me.

[bobp]

In the simple act of unprejudiced observing of nature, I see that reincarnation is hinted at.

[mscir]

Please post the links to parts 2-4.
Great interview, thanks!