Reincarnate in a scientific perspective

Many scientists have sought to explain the phenomenon that many people can tell stories that seemed to happen only in previous lives.

Reincarnation transforms lives under the eyes of scientists

Occasionally people have a feeling of suspicion as if they were in a new place for the first time, or seem to "know" about something even though they just met. Reports of these strange experiences are thought to be a manifestation of the "déjà vu" phenomenon or merely a coincidence, according to Acient Origins.

However, there are also cases where the number of similar experiences has increased many times, to the point that a person asserts they remember exactly every detail of a person or place that has never visited in life, or can speak fluent language has never learned before.

The mystery of this phenomenon has attracted the attention of many scientists, with many studies conducted to understand the authenticity of those cases. However, there are still cases that become challenges to science, leaving the question that embarrassed experts: Does samsara really exist in the world?

Illustrations of reincarnation, a complex concept that is present in many religions.(Photo: Himalayan Academy).

Definition of reincarnation

Reincarnation is not synonymous with the recollection of past lives (PLR) or memories of past lives , although these are often seen as two typical proofs of reincarnation. Reincarnation is not necessarily a religious belief. Although this concept is related to many beliefs, it does not mean that a person who believes in reincarnation is a religious person or vice versa, a religious person certainly believes that reincarnation is real.

A simple definition of reincarnation among many of the concepts that have been given is the reincarnation or reincarnation of the soul into a new body after death. Those who believe in reincarnation see the body and soul as two separate entities, in which only the body dies, and the soul is immortal. After death, the soul will leave the body and continue the journey of the wheel of reincarnation to another life.

In some religions, reincarnation has a close relationship with karma, which is the belief that the soul will perform the journey where the past and present are connected based on the choices that people take. out in life.

Many people completely reject the existence of reincarnation. They believe that each person has only one life, so people need to live as best as they can. People who follow this school also conceive, when people die, they will eventually reach "resting place" , whether good, bad or neutral.

History has recorded many cases of children suddenly recalling memories of life that were supposed to be their past lives. This phenomenon attracts many scientists to clarify the incredible things with scientific explanations, including Dr. Stevenson.

Dr. Stevenson, who died in 2007, has devoted a lot of energy to learning the past memories of children. In his career, Stevenson studied more than 2,500 cases of children telling stories of previous lives. Of these, the doctor confirmed that 1,200 cases were fully objective.

The studies of Dr. Stevenson are mainly concentrated in areas where people maintain great faith in reincarnation (such as Asia, India .). After 40 years of research, Stevenson identified seven common characteristics of pre-life memories in children , which he himself claimed were not enough evidence to prove anything.

Those are the characteristics: The child begins to describe memories in his previous life as soon as he can communicate; the child remembers the details of his death in his previous life; there are enough descriptions given to identify families in past lives; there is a continuation in personality characteristics, interests and habits after reincarnation. 90% of sex cases in two lives are unchanged; appearance, especially facial features, tend to be the same between the body of the previous life and this life; reincarnation refreshes family and social relationships.

Hanan Monsour / Suzanne Ghanem's past story

One of the cases of children recounting the most famous past lives is the story of Hanan Monsour / Suzanne Ghanem. In the mid-30s of the last century, Hanan was born in Lebanon. At the age of 20, she married the man named Farouk Monsour, thus bringing the husband's Monsour family name. The couple had two daughters named Leila and Galareh. After giving birth to Galareh, Hanah suffered from heart disease and was advised not to have another child. However, ignoring the doctor's warning, Hanan continued to give birth to a son in 1962.

Portrait of Hanan Monsour and Suzanne Ghanem.Those who believe in the characteristics of past memories in children see the facial similarities between two women.(Photo: IISIS).

A year later, her illness worsened, at the age of 36, she went to Virginia, USA, for heart surgery. Before the important surgery, Hanan tried to contact Leila's daughter but failed. Hanan's will to divide the two jewels for two daughters once she does not pass away of Hanan will never be reminded to Leila's daughter because Hanan died after surgery because of complications.

10 days after Hanan's death, the girl Suzanne Ghanem was born. At the age of 16 months, the girl kept picking up the phone receiver and repeating the words: "Hello, is Leila?" The action of her young daughter made her parents feel strange because the family did not know anyone named Leila.

A little bit bigger, Suzanne's girl told Leila's parents that her daughter and not Suzanne, but Hanan. When she was 2 years old, Suzanne surprised her parents because she could read the names of 13 members of her previous life.

Strange sequences of her daughter made the Ghanem couple begin searching for Monsour's home. When meeting for the first time, the Monsour family expressed doubt about the unbelievable story. However, distrust gradually disappears when Suzanne names many Hanan family members correctly in the picture.

At 5 years old, Suzanne called her husband in Farouk past life at least three times a day. When Suzanne visited the "previous life" husband, Suzanne liked to sit on her lap and lean her head into Farouk's chest. The husband finally accepted the fact that Suzanne was a new life after the reincarnation of his late wife, after he heard Suzanne tell stories only Hanan knew.

Past Life Regression-PLR (Past Life Regression-PLR)

To recollect a previous life, a person will be brought into a trance state to recall and correct past, present or trying to find purpose for his reincarnation. Participants in this therapy are expected to see, experience and feel their past lives, with timeless journeys led by therapists.

Picture depicts a hypnosis exercise to find Richard Bergh's previous life in 1887. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

With features in mind, it is not surprising that hypnosis to find previous lives is more common in adults. The skeptic group (including Dr. Stevenson), believes that previous lives are often more difficult to attest in adults than young children. Therefore, hypnosis to find a previous life in an adult may be "misleading" because memories are unconsciously or intentionally created in life, or "fake" memories are planted by the therapist. The head of the person is ill for good purposes.

However, according to the assertions of many people who have participated in this special treatment, the recollection of looking back on the past proved very useful for their current life in both psychology and personal life. Because this therapy includes records of promises, failures and successes, psychological and intellectual shocks and characteristics of both positive and negative, therapists help participants find not only to sign memories that both past habits, as well as how to break habits, bad personalities and arousing strength deep within each person. This therapy is thought to be effective in cases of severe phobia.

The level of usefulness of hypnosis to find PLR previous lives compared to other psychological therapies is still questionable. The scientific community must continue its journey to prove the authenticity of the experiences that each person recounts in a trance state.

Shocking memories can leave marks on genes

In another study involving memories and different lifecycle, scientists also studied the possibility of memory being "genetically" directly through genes.

In a study published in the Journal of Natural Neuroscience in 2013, scientists trained mice to fear a certain scent by shocking the mouse when a scent appeared.

The results showed that the next generation of mice showed an aversion to the scent without any stimulus. Researchers also found changes in their brain structure. In addition, they found a correlation between injury in memory with DNA in the sperm of mice.

The phenomenon of recalling past memories is one of the fascinating topics, arousing the curiosity of so many people whose scientific light has yet to clarify. However, just as many phenomena cross the border between spirituality and science, the phenomenon of reincarnation does not necessarily have to be proved or completely rejected. Reincarnation and memories of many lifetimes is an area where many open spaces need to be decoded by science.