10 Best Books about Past Lives and Reincarnation

This is a brief list of some of the best books giving examples, case studies, and thorough explanations of past lives and reincarnation.  After the list, I'll provide a brief description of each book.

1. Children's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child, by Carol Bowman

2. Many Lives Many Masters, Brian Weiss

3. You Have Been Here Before: A Psychologist Looks at Past Lives, Dr. Edith Fiore

4. Children Who Remember, Dr. Ian Stevenson

5. Past Lives, Future Lives, Dick Sutphen

6. Reliving Past Lives, Helen Wambach

7. Edgar Cayce's Story of Karma, Mary Ann Woodward

8. Mass Dreams of the Future, Chet Snow

9. Reincarnation, Sylvia Cranston and Carey Williams

10. Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives, by Michael Duff Newton

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1. Children's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child, by Carol Bowman

This book gives many detailed and specific examples that explain everyday children's behaviors, often answering questions that child psychologists cannot.

From Publisher's Weekly

When her young son's hysterical fear of loud noises is cured by past life regressionist Norman Inge, and her daughter's fear of house fires is likewise laid to rest, Bowman, who had already been regressed by Inge, began to explore past-life regression techniques and theories, particularly as they relate to young children. Part memoir, part guidebook for parents, part summation of the works and philosophies of such respected authorities as Jungian therapist Roger Woolger, psychologist Helen Wambach and psychiatrist Ian Stephenson, among others, this book argues passionately for the existence of past lives and for the special abilities of young children to recall their pre-birth memories. Topics covered include death accounts by children, the way phobias may be connected with death in a past life, particularly a traumatic death, and the signs that indicate that a child is struggling with an unresolved past-life burden.

2. Many Lives Many Masters, Brian Weiss

Many people consider Brian Weiss the foremost thinker and researcher when it comes to past lives and reincarnation.  I only listed one of his books. All are worth reading.

3. You Have Been Here Before: A Psychologist Looks at Past Lives, Dr. Edith Fiore

This book is different that many others on past lives. The focus is on how events in our past lives influence our behaviors in THIS lifetime.  It was the first book that compared the psychology of reincarnation therapy to all other forms of therapy -- with the conclusion that reincarnation therapy is the only form of therapy that can offer an explanation for EVERY case.

4. Children Who Remember, Dr. Ian Stevenson

For those who'd like a little more proof, Dr. Ian Stevenson's work with children is fascinating.  Here's a good place to start:

http://www.childpastlives.org/

5. Past Lives, Future Lives, Dick Sutphen

This book takes you through the teachings of Dick Stuphen as he regresses a number of people into their past lives. Even if you just think past lives are intriguing, you will find this book will open your eyes to possibilities you've never even thought of. This book will enable you to have a better understanding of why some relationships are suburb and others are awful.

6. Reliving Past Lives, Helen Wambach

Initially motivated by a desire to debunk reincarnation, beginning in the mid-1960s, Helen Wambach conducted a 10-year survey of past-life recalls under hypnosis among 1,088 subjects. She asked very specific questions about the time periods in which people lived and the clothing, footwear, utensils, money, housing, etc. which they used or came in contact with. Wambach concluded found peoples' recollections to be amazingly accurate and wrote that ''fantasy and genetic memory could not account for the patterns that emerged in the results. With the exception of 11 subjects, all descriptions of clothing, footwear, and utensils were consistent with historical records.''  By doing a scientific analysis on the past lives reported by 10,000 plus sessions, she came up with some startling evidence in favor of reincarnation.

7. Edgar Cayce's Story of Karma, Mary Ann Woodward

A good introduction to Edgar Cayce.  But this is only one book.  The absolute best place for examples of past lives and the impact these lives have on the current are books of and about the Edgar Cayce readings.  There are many to choose from.

For those who are not familiar with Edgar Cayce; he was a psychic who died in 1945 or 1946.  He would place himself into a self-hypnotic trance state in order to give what he called "Life Readings."  He started out tuning into people for the sole purpose of giving health advice, but one time his trance-self detailed the reason for a person's certain condition was due to past life influence.  From there, with much hesitation as he was a devout Christian, he started conducting Life Readings.

Over the many years, he conducted over 14,000 of such readings, every one of them transcribed by a secretary who sat right next to him taking shorthand. 

(I know about Edgar Cayce because I once lectured at The Association of Research and Enlightenment, A.R.E., in Virginia Beach, VA.  They have a vast library there including every reading he's ever done in addition to what may very well be the largest metaphysical library in the world.)

Great site:  http://www.edgarcayce.org/

Check out the bookstore, then enter a topic in the "I'm interested in..." section.

8. Many Mansions: The Edgar Cayce Story on Reincarnation, by Dr. Gina Cerminara

It's rare that I call a book a must-read.  This is a must-read. If you're not sure, read or skim the first chapter or two.  If you're not intrigued enough to read on, I'd be surprised.

9. Mass Dreams of the Future, Chet Snow

Mass Dreams of the Future is an important book because it characterizes several possible types of futures we might have, based on the individual choices we make today.

Chet Snow collected and categorized the descriptions of "future life journeys" of hundreds of people he worked with under hypnosis. Using valid analysis methodologies, he has drawn some fascinating hypotheses about the kind of societies we might be evolving into

10. Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives, by Michael Duff Newton

Amazon.com Review

Journey of Souls is a controversial yet inspiring investigation of the big question we all face at one point or another: "What happens after we die?" To find the answer, Newton opens cases from his private practice in which he hypnotically regressed his clients to a point between lives--after death, but before birth. Not only does Newton grapple with reincarnation, the spirit world, and the nature of the human soul, he also tackles equally sticky questions such as "Is there a Heaven and Hell?" and "What are ghosts?" Readers with a penchant for skepticism will balk at the lack of physical evidence to back up the claims in Journey of Souls, but the book remains a reassuring voice, affirming that our existence is not limited to the boundaries of our mortal flesh. --Brian Patterson

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One last word...

Reincarnation may not exist.  It is something that is difficult to prove, mainly because when someone recalls a past life to discover the purpose and meaning of this life, it doesn't really matter what their name was and what street they lived on. 

People have been regressed to past lives and have uncovered verifiable facts or described things that existed that there was no way they could have previously known.  On the other hand, people have also detailed past lives that are historically untrue.  Names and places proved false.  Things, apparently, were simply made up much like someone just telling a story.

So, as I stated, reincarnation may not exist.

But something fascinating, something wonderful and very powerful happens when people are regressed: their symptoms, their conflicts, and their issues in almost every case are resolved or are now accepted and not anguished over.  People who discover the reason for migraines, for example, often eliminate the migraines.  Others with chemical imbalances towards depression and suicide soon are no longer depressed.

So, SOMETHING happens psychologically when people are regressed.  Even if the past life that is detailed did not, in fact, exist, their story, their situation, their life that was described most every time helps psychologically.  In other words, a person's subconscious mind is able to create - or remember - things that impact them deeply in positive ways.

So, does reincarnation exist?  I believe it does, however, I can't prove it scientifically.  What is important to understand is that recalling past lives - real or fiction - benefits people in profound and dramatic ways.

Best wishes on your journey!