Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation
Encyclopedia
Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation is a book
written by psychiatrist
Ian Stevenson
on the phenomena of what he calls spontaneous recall of information about previous lives by young children. The book focuses on twenty cases investigated by the author. It has been translated into seven foreign languages.
conventional pattern":
Stevenson set up a network of volunteers to find these spontaneous past life recall cases as soon as the children began to speak of them. He then would carefully question both the family of the living child and the family of the deceased to ensure that they had no contact and that no information would be passed between them. He would obtain detailed information about the deceased, including information not fully known to anyone involved such as details of the will, that he would use to verify that the child actually did know the information required.
The publication of the book was delayed when it was discovered that one of Stevenson's interpreters had been accused of dishonesty. Stevenson claimed that the translator was dishonest in some matters, but "did not think the man had deceived him". Nevertheless, he returned to India, where the interpreter had been used, and examined the cases in question again, with different interpreters. He found them to be even stronger evidence for reincarnation than he had previously thought.
devoted most of one issue to Stevenson's work in which psychiatrist Harold Lief
described Stevenson as "a methodical, careful, even cautious, investigator, whose personality is on the obsessive side...Either he is making a colossal mistake, or he will be known . . . as 'the Galileo of the 20th century." Yet mainstream scientists tended to ignore or dismiss Stevenson's decades in the field and his many publications. Some questioned his objectivity, claimed he was credulous and suggested his investigations were flawed. When philosopher Leonard Angel criticized one of the cases in Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation personally handled by Stevenson, Stevenson published a rebuttal which argued the critique itself was flawed.
, British Journal of Psychiatry
, British Journal of Medical Psychology, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
and some other journals.
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
written by psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Ian Stevenson
Ian Stevenson
Ian Pretyman Stevenson, MD, was a Canadian biochemist and professor of psychiatry. Until his retirement in 2002, he was head of the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia, which investigates the paranormal.Stevenson considered that the concept of reincarnation might...
on the phenomena of what he calls spontaneous recall of information about previous lives by young children. The book focuses on twenty cases investigated by the author. It has been translated into seven foreign languages.
General approach
Stevenson describes his general approach as following an "almostconventional pattern":
Stevenson set up a network of volunteers to find these spontaneous past life recall cases as soon as the children began to speak of them. He then would carefully question both the family of the living child and the family of the deceased to ensure that they had no contact and that no information would be passed between them. He would obtain detailed information about the deceased, including information not fully known to anyone involved such as details of the will, that he would use to verify that the child actually did know the information required.
The publication of the book was delayed when it was discovered that one of Stevenson's interpreters had been accused of dishonesty. Stevenson claimed that the translator was dishonest in some matters, but "did not think the man had deceived him". Nevertheless, he returned to India, where the interpreter had been used, and examined the cases in question again, with different interpreters. He found them to be even stronger evidence for reincarnation than he had previously thought.
Published results
Stevenson concluded that reincarnation was the "best possible explanation" for the following reasons:- The large number of witnesses and the lack of apparent motivation and opportunity, due to the vetting process, make the hypothesis of fraud extremely unlikely.
- The large amount of information possessed by the child is not generally consistent with the hypothesis that the child obtained that information through investigated contact between the families.
- Demonstration of similar personality characteristics and skills not learned in the current life and the lack of motivation for the long length of identification with a past life make the hypothesis of the child gaining his recollections and behavior through extra-sensory perception improbable.
- When there is correlation between congenital deformities or birthmarkBirthmarkA birthmark is a benign irregularity on the skin which is present at birth or appears shortly after birth, usually in the first month. They can occur anywhere on the skin. Birthmarks are caused by overgrowth of blood vessels, melanocytes, smooth muscle, fat, fibroblasts, or...
s possessed by the child and the history of the previous individual, the hypothesis of random occurrence is improbable.
Praise and criticism
In 1977, the Journal of Nervous and Mental DiseaseJournal of Nervous and Mental Disease
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease is a scholarly journal on psychopathology.Founded in 1874, it is the world's oldest independent scientific monthly in the field of human behavior. Articles cover theory, etiology, therapy, social impact of illness, and research methods.Editors:*1874-1881:...
devoted most of one issue to Stevenson's work in which psychiatrist Harold Lief
Harold Lief
Harold I. Lief was an American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. He was famous as and advocate of sex education. Lief is credited with the introduction in the DSM of the "inhibited sexual desire".-References:...
described Stevenson as "a methodical, careful, even cautious, investigator, whose personality is on the obsessive side...Either he is making a colossal mistake, or he will be known . . . as 'the Galileo of the 20th century." Yet mainstream scientists tended to ignore or dismiss Stevenson's decades in the field and his many publications. Some questioned his objectivity, claimed he was credulous and suggested his investigations were flawed. When philosopher Leonard Angel criticized one of the cases in Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation personally handled by Stevenson, Stevenson published a rebuttal which argued the critique itself was flawed.
Reviews
Reviews of Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation have been published in the American Journal of PsychiatryAmerican Journal of Psychiatry
The American Journal of Psychiatry is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of psychiatry and the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association. The first volume was issued in 1844, at which time it was known as the American Journal of Insanity...
, British Journal of Psychiatry
British Journal of Psychiatry
The British Journal of Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed medical journal published monthly by the Royal College of Psychiatrists containing original research, systematic reviews, commentaries on contentious articles, short reports, a comprehensive book review section, and a correspondence column...
, British Journal of Medical Psychology, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease is a scholarly journal on psychopathology.Founded in 1874, it is the world's oldest independent scientific monthly in the field of human behavior. Articles cover theory, etiology, therapy, social impact of illness, and research methods.Editors:*1874-1881:...
and some other journals.
See also
- Reincarnation researchReincarnation researchReincarnation research is a branch of parapsychology. Psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, from the University of Virginia, investigated many reports of young children who claimed to remember a past life...
- European Cases of the Reincarnation TypeEuropean Cases of the Reincarnation TypeEuropean Cases of the Reincarnation Type is a 2003 book by psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, who conducted research into claims of reincarnation. The work focuses on different reincarnation research case studies in a Western setting...
- Where Reincarnation and Biology IntersectWhere Reincarnation and Biology IntersectWhere Reincarnation and Biology Intersect is a 1997 book by psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, published by Praeger. The book is about birthmarks and birth defects ostensibly associated with reincarnation...
- Old Souls: The Scientific Evidence For Past LivesOld SoulsOld Souls: The Scientific Evidence For Past Lives is a non-fiction book by journalist Tom Shroder. An editor at the Washington Post, Shroder traveled extensively with psychiatrist Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia, who conducted past life and reincarnation research in Lebanon, India and...
- Children's Past LivesChildren's Past LivesChildren's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child is a 1997 book by Carol Bowman. It is the first non-academic book to explore the putative phenomenon of children’s spontaneous past life memories....
- Reincarnation in popular western cultureReincarnation in popular western cultureReincarnation seems to have captured the imagination of many and the idea receives regular mentions in feature films, popular books, and popular music. Transmigration, although not directly referred to as such, has been used frequently to the point of cliché in the sense of people "switching...