# Past Life Regression **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 11, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037 "2003-01-11T23:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/21 "2003-01-12T19:13:15Z")
Bifurcation, David. Tsk tsk. Bifurcation. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/22 "2003-01-12T19:15:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David B \* > \*\*Stentor said: > > You have just hit on the most difficult thing that skeptics face – personal testimony. This happens in pretty much all areas, from psychics to recovered memories to past lives, etc. > > “I had a Tarot reading once and it was dead-on! So I know it’s true!” > > “I used a Ouija board once and it answered right! So I know it’s true!” > > “I recovered memories of being on an alien spacecraft and I know that my own memories wouldn’t like. So I know it’s true!” > > “I recovered memories of a past life and I know that my own memories wouldn’t like. So I know it’s true!” > > “I recovered memories of being being abused by my father and I know that my own memories wouldn’t like. So I know it’s true!” > > Sadly, memory is not like a VCR, but people often think it is. They think with hypnosis you can hit the Rewind button and then Play. they don’t realize that what you’re actually doing is Recording a new set of implanted memories, whether it’s alien abduction, child abuse, or past lives. > > Ask your mother if she believes people have been abducted by aliens. If she does, well, give it up. If she doesn’t, ask her why not since those “memories” were “recovered” the same way hers were. Point out to her that the ONLY difference is that those people went to an alien adbuction specialist instead of a past life specialist. Oh, and those who went to a specialist who believes aliens are bad have memories about bad aliens. Those who go to one who believes aliens are good have memories about good aliens. Quite a coincidence, eh? \*\* I see nothing wrong with personal testimony, after all, it is admissible in a court of law. I can’t conceive of a world where personal experience is so distrusted that everyone is paranoid. When you really think about it, it is not possible to live without trusting your personal experience. The tube of toothpaste, may have poison in it, the mailman may be a serial killer. Come on, give me a break, everyone trusts their personal experience and the experience of others until the other proves them wrong. You are asking me to live in a fearful, frightening world. No thank you. I will just go on trusting others unless they prove to not be trustworthy. Trust in myself and my experiences. Confidence in one’s self determines the life they will lead. It is a good trait unless you are a dictator and want everyone to trust only in you. In which case, don’t count on me. Love Leroy ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/23 "2003-01-12T19:19:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lekatt \* > \*\*Not believing in yourself, I can’t believe you said that. Who do you believe in, not God, then what, surely not science, the thinking of others? That would be no different that blind faith in the Bible that religious people have. > > I believe in what I experience, and I believe in myself, having the intelligence to figure things out. I know God exists, but blind faith is not for me, logic has to be there also. > > As for attacking, remember it was you that hurled the first spear. > > Love > Leroy \*\* 1st, the “not believing in myself” was a joke. Since you “asked” “are you God” and I don’t believe in God, so if I were God, I wouldn’t believe in myself. Thusly creating a paradox. I’d like to see where my spear landed, 'cept for some red pen notes and a rib to DtC. If what you consider a spear to be asking you to cite your facts, hmm, that’s really not unusual in Great Debates. You wanna claim that Past Life Regression is the most documented (documented to be false or true, documented by whom, etc are important to know in this case) then fine, but for the sake of the debate let’s see some proof either way. ---
**Author:** ![Stentor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Stentor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stentor)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/24 "2003-01-12T19:20:20Z")
Unfortunately at this point I’m forced to let sleeping dogs lie, as the rest of my family is tired of our enlivened philosophical debate, which they mistake for argument. c’est la vie. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/25 "2003-01-12T19:22:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David B \* > \*\*lekatt said: > > What an utterly ridiculous reply. Did anybody ever claim these two guys did all of them? No. What you just did, lekatt, was set up a straw man. And why do people set up straw men? Because that’s the only way they can “win” a debate. At least they “think” that. Other people see it for what it is. > > But I am particularly amused by these tidbits. First you said: > > Then, just a couple messages later, you state: > > So I guess then that **you** are God. Or a hypocrite… \*\* I thought you said no insults. Guess that’s only for the spiritual people. Love Leroy ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/26 "2003-01-12T19:22:51Z")
lekatt said: > [@](#): > > I see nothing wrong with personal testimony, after all, it is admissible in a court of law. Oh, well in _that_ case… Sorry, but personal testimony is one of the most unreliable pieces of evidence that exists. And thankfully, science runs by a better system than the courts. > [@](#): > > I can’t conceive of a world where personal experience is so distrusted that everyone is paranoid. Nobody said anything about being paranoid. But if you have reality and somebody’s “personal experience” contradicts that reality AND we have evidence that said supposed experience could be caused by perfectly rational and explainable causes, it is irrational to believe the “experience.” > [@](#): > > When you really think about it, it is not possible to live without trusting your personal experience. The tube of toothpaste, may have poison in it, the mailman may be a serial killer. Come on, give me a break, everyone trusts their personal experience and the experience of others until the other proves them wrong. Sure, in everyday things. But, of course, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. Claiming my toothpaste is not poisoned is not extraordinary (unless I know there are assassins hunting me). Claiming that I lived a past life and can be regressed back to it or that I was abducted by little gray men **is** a rather extraordinary claim. > [@](#): > > You are asking me to live in a fearful, frightening world. No thank you. No, I am asking you to live in the **real** world. I’m sorry you turned down the offer. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/27 "2003-01-12T19:24:46Z")
[Moderator Hat: ON] lekatt said: > [@](#): > > I thought you said no insults. Guess that’s only for the spiritual people. It applies to everybody. However, nothing you included violates the rules of Great Debates. If you still don’t understand the rules, feel free to e-mail and ask about them. * * * David B, SDMB Great Debates Moderator [Moderator Hat: OFF] ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/28 "2003-01-12T19:24:48Z")
He’s right, David. Your calling him a hypocrite seems out of line since the error of bifurcation was yours. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/29 "2003-01-12T19:26:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stpauler \* > \*\*1st, the “not believing in myself” was a joke. Since you “asked” “are you God” and I don’t believe in God, so if I were God, I wouldn’t believe in myself. Thusly creating a paradox. > > I’d like to see where my spear landed, 'cept for some red pen notes and a rib to DtC. > > If what you consider a spear to be asking you to cite your facts, hmm, that’s really not unusual in Great Debates. You wanna claim that Past Life Regression is the most documented (documented to be false or true, documented by whom, etc are important to know in this case) then fine, but for the sake of the debate let’s see some proof either way. \*\* Calling psychics phony, comparing psychics to the eight ball game, belittleing my posts. That’s all. Love Leroy ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/30 "2003-01-12T19:26:46Z")
Libertarian, I almost hesitate to ask, but what the hell are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/31 "2003-01-12T19:28:07Z")
Bifurcation = false dilemma. You presented two phenominal entities: that he is a god or a hypocrite, when in fact there are other possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/32 "2003-01-12T19:28:09Z")
lekatt said: > [@](#): > > Calling psychics phony, comparing psychics to the eight ball game Yeah, and…? This is **The Straight Dope**. We _fight_ ignorance here, not propagate it. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/33 "2003-01-12T19:30:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lekatt \* > \*\*Calling psychics phony, comparing psychics to the eight ball game, belittleing my posts. That’s all. > > Love > Leroy \*\* Please show where I called psychics phony. Can’t the magic eight ball be also a psychic tool or is that not accepted in the realm of this quackery? and by the way, it’s belittling, not belittleing. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/34 "2003-01-12T19:30:49Z")
Libertarian said: > [@](#): > > Bifurcation = false dilemma. You presented two phenominal entities: that he is a god or a hypocrite, when in fact there are other possibilities. Oh, you have **got** to be kidding. Don’t you have something better to do than nitpick at silly things? Seriously, I never said he was EITHER God OR a hypocrite with no other possibility. Though at this point I must admit I’m leaning towards the latter – especially since he hasn’t explained himself further on that point… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/35 "2003-01-12T19:31:35Z")
_You_ come up with a real psychic, and I’ll show you how to make a quick million and almost universal varification. Just check out [this little website.](http://www.randi.org) ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/36 "2003-01-12T19:32:33Z")
Well, obviously Randi should just accept personal testimony. I mean, that’s the way it would be in lekatt’s world… ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/37 "2003-01-12T19:34:18Z")
David wrote: > [@](#): > > Seriously, I never said he was EITHER God OR a hypocrite with no other possibility. David previously wrote: > [@](#): > > So I guess then that you are God. Or a hypocrite… I’m not sure that I’m the one who’s nitpicking here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/38 "2003-01-12T19:35:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David B \* > \*\*Well, obviously Randi should just accept personal testimony. I mean, that’s the way it would be in lekatt’s world… \*\* Only if it already agreed with his beliefs. You’ve gotta have _some_ standards, y’know.😃 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/39 "2003-01-12T19:38:43Z")
[According to Quackwatch.org (ooh, the quackiness)](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mentserv.html#pastlife) Past-Life Therapy “Past-life therapy” is based on the notion that psychologic disorders arise from the influence of traumas and personality traits from previous lives intruding on the subconscious. Proponents of this approach use hypnosis, meditation, or guided imagery to “regress” the patient to alleged earlier incarnations (“past lives”) that, when recalled, lead to resolution of the patient’s problems. There is, however, no scientific evidence that this theory is valid. Experiments have shown that “past-life” reports during hypnotic trances are related to the subject’s suggestibility and proneness to fantasize. In one experiment, 35 out of 110 subjects who were asked to regress to times before their birth enacted “past lives.” In most of these cases, their past-life personalities were the same age and race as themselves. In another experiment, half of the subjects were informed by researchers that previous incarnations were often a different sex or race and had lived in exotic cultures. Those who received this advice were significantly more likely to incorporate one or more of the suggested characteristics into their past-life descriptions. In another experiment, researchers found that subjects who gave information specific enough to be checked were much more often incorrect than correct. Past-life reports obtained from hypnotically regressed subjects are fantasy constructions of imaginative persons absorbed in make-believe situations and responding to regression suggestions – and that those who believe in reincarnation are the most likely to believe that such fantasies are related to an actual past life. ---
**Author:** ![lekatt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lekatt/32/7269_2.png) [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037/40 "2003-01-12T19:42:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David B \* > \*\*lekatt said: > > Oh, well in _that_ case… > > Sorry, but personal testimony is one of the most unreliable pieces of evidence that exists. And thankfully, science runs by a better system than the courts. > Nobody said anything about being paranoid. But if you have reality and somebody’s “personal experience” contradicts that reality AND we have evidence that said supposed experience could be caused by perfectly rational and explainable causes, it is irrational to believe the “experience.” > Sure, in everyday things. But, of course, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. Claiming my toothpaste is not poisoned is not extraordinary (unless I know there are assassins hunting me). Claiming that I lived a past life and can be regressed back to it or that I was abducted by little gray men **is** a rather extraordinary claim. > No, I am asking you to live in the **real** world. I’m sorry you turned down the offer. \*\* If science is better than the judicial system, would you like science to “take over” the courts and mete out their own judgments. As for personal testimony being unreliable, have you tested ALL personal testimony and found it unreliable or are you just making an assumption here. In the real world I have found some to be very reliable and others not. That is usually the way the real world works, and the courts try to sort out which is which. If you say past lives contradict reality, then that statement implies that you know all of reality, it this true? Do you know all of our reality? To me past lives are just ordinary things. Many children say they have lived before, but then that is personal testimony. I really can’t argue with one who doesn’t take personal experience seriously or believe anything I say. So goodby. Love Leroy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/past-life-regression/148037.md?page=3)