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REYKJAVIK, ICELAND. Before he sets off on an investigation of recently-reported cases of reincarnation, Prof Erlendur Haraldsson knows in advance that there is only a one in three chance that it can be “solved” – meaning, resulting in identification of a past-life personality.

But as a scientist he also knows that despite such odds, 10 per cent of the cases he encounters will be “impressive”.

At the Society for Psychical Research’s May meeting in London, Prof Haraldsson, Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Social Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, he recounted some of his experiences.

He has researched 64 cases in Sri Lanka, from 1988 to 2000, and 30 cases in Lebanon between 1998 and 2001, as well as one Icelandic and various Indian cases, in association with other researchers.

As well as collecting evidence from statements made by the subjects – the average number being 20 – and witnesses to these events, he has also conducted two psychological studies of children who claim to remember past lives.

The most remarkable finding of the 94 cases he has personally investigated is that in 78 per cent of them, the child claims to have died a violent death in the previous life.

Comparing such children with those who do not claim to remember a former life, Prof Haraldsson fund they had more fears and phobias – 30 per cent compared with only seven per cent in others. They also display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, even though they had not been exposed to life-threatening experiences in this life.

One interpretation of this discovery could be that these symptoms are caused by images or memories of violent deaths in a previous life – just as they had claimed.

But with the caution of a scientist still very actively involved in field research – he returns to Lebanon later this year to follow up new cases – Prof Haraldsson gave us no clue as to whether the evidence so far gathered, by him and others, has convinced him that reincarnation is a fact.

Posted on Monday, September 04, 2006
Category: Reincarnation

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