Scientists have uncovered a striking pattern in reports of reincarnation that they say can't be explained by 'existing psychosocial frameworks'.
Researchers from the University of Virginia examined 1,678 reports from people claiming to have memories of a past life.
They discovered that the apparent time between death and 'rebirth' appeared to be strongly influenced by how that person had died.
Violent or unexpected deaths were associated with a speedier 'turnaround time', with the most shocking deaths leading to 40 per cent faster 'reincarnation'.
Most surprisingly of all, this pattern held strongest in families that claimed not to believe in reincarnation at all.
The scientists don't believe this proves reincarnation is real.
However, they do say that this striking pattern doesn't easily fit with our current understanding of where these apparent past life memories emerge from.
Co-author Dr Marieta Pehlivanova, of the University of Virginia, says: 'The mechanisms underlying these findings are currently unclear, but that gives us even more reason to keep looking, not to look away.'
Scientists claim to have found a surprising pattern in recollections of past lives, but they don't think this proves reincarnation is real (stock image)
Researchers from the University of Virginia examined 1,678 reports of reincarnation. Pictured: Eric, age seven, who claims to remember being crushed by a tractor in a past life
Although scientists don't currently understand why, people will sometimes report extremely vivid memories that appear to have come from previous lives.
Researchers have found that these are most common in children, with the memories generally fading by the age of seven.
In some cases, children will also express behaviours, phobias, or preferences that would be unusual in their own family context and can't be explained by any current life events.
Some scientists even claim that these memories will accurately correspond to the real lives of historical individuals.
However, systematic research into these reports is relatively limited, and the accuracy of these claims is, naturally, extremely controversial.
In their paper, published in the journal APA PsycNet, the researchers examined a database containing some of the strongest and most well-documented reports of past life memories.
Lead author Dr Saeedeh Sadeghi, of the University of Virginia, says: 'There had been an earlier published report suggesting a relationship between violent death and a shorter time between death and birth.
'We wanted to test that relationship more systematically and see whether it could be explained by cultural or psychological influences.'
The researchers looked at cases where the child's memories had been matched to a specific deceased individual, and examined the circumstances surrounding their death.
They distinguished between natural deaths, such as from illness or old age, and unnatural deaths, such as those caused by accidents, violence, or suicide.
Scientists managed to link the apparent memories of 1,600 children to real deceased individuals. Pictured: Cameron, star of the 2006 documentary Extraordinary People — The Boy Who Lived Before, who claimed to have previously been a soldier who died in World War I
Scientists found that people who died unexpectedly had a shorter turnaround between death and supposed 'reincarnation'. Pictured: The moment a mother filmed her daughter, Ella, repeatedly points at her own great-grandmother in the photo, telling her, 'That's me!'
What to do if your child has memories from a past life
1. Remain calm
- Children who spontaneously report memories of a previous life are typically developing normally.
- Research has not found that these reports, by themselves, indicate a mental health disorder.
2. Listen with an open mind
- Whether you believe these statements represent imagination, memory, or something else.
- Listen respectfully, just as you would with any important experience they share.
3. Avoid leading questions
- Rather than asking specific questions, try open-ended prompts such as: "Do you remember anything else?”. This helps preserve the child's own account.
4. Write down / record what your child says
- Record your child’s statements as soon as possible.
- Keeping written notes and/or audio or video recordings can be valuable, particularly if your child provides specific details.
5. Acknowledge their feelings
- If a child describes a frightening experience, respond with empathy.
- For example: "That must have been scary.”
- Supporting the child's emotions is more important than trying to explain the experience.
6. Focus on the present
- While taking the child's reports seriously, help them stay connected to their current life.
- If they express missing another family, gently remind them that their current family is the one they have for this life.
7. Be aware that most children stop talking about these memories
- In many cases, reports gradually fade between 5 and 7 years of age.
- Most children go on to have typical childhoods and may later not even remember talking about these experiences.
Source: Dr Jim Tucker, University of Virgina
Additionally, they also looked at how unexpected the death had been and what age the person was when they passed away.
While you might expect the arrangement to be somewhat random if all the past life stories were fabricated, the researchers actually found a striking level of consistency.
There was a strong association between unexpected deaths and speedier 'intermissions'.
At the lowest level of unexpectedness, there was an average of 21 months between someone's death and the birth of a child who seemed to recall details of their lives.
At the highest levels of unexpectedness, the turnaround was almost 50 per cent quicker, with the child being born just 12 months later.
More strikingly, this pattern seemed to persist even when the researchers attempted to control for social factors such as religious beliefs or the recent death of a loved one.
Dr Sadeghi says: 'To our surprise, the relationship was still there when we tested it in a much larger number of cases, and the social and psychological factors we examined did not explain it away.'
According to the researchers, this suggests that past life beliefs aren't due to 'memory contamination', where children repeat stories they have heard elsewhere, or families using a belief in reincarnation as a coping method after a death in the family.
The researchers don't currently know why this strange pattern might emerge, however, Dr Sadeghi suggests one possible theory.
She says: 'Something related that comes up in the field of past-life memory research is the idea of “unfinished business.” The idea is that each person's life may have a mission or certain things they are supposed to experience
'If a life is cut short and that mission is not fulfilled, it might somehow be related to children spontaneously reporting past-life memories corresponding to that life.
'Our results could be seen as consistent with an extension of this idea, suggesting that the child might also be born sooner on average.'
While the researchers don't necessarily believe that this proves reincarnation is a real phenomenon, they insist that the data shows that past life memories are worthy of serious investigation.
Dr Sadeghi says: 'All we can say is that there is documented evidence of these reported memories corresponding to the lives of deceased individuals, along with some seemingly anomalous patterns associated with these cases.
'Some people prefer to interpret the phenomenon in terms of reincarnation, while others consider phrases like spirit possession or some form of psychic identification with a deceased person.
'I’m not as concerned with these speculations as I am with the empirical evidence and whether this phenomenon can be explained through ordinary processes or points to something beyond the physicalist view of human consciousness.'