A guide to books, articles, and other sources of information about Pre-Birth Communication, soul memory and related subjects. You can use the links below to jump directly to any of the main sections, or just scroll down the page.
True Stories: The Experience of Pre-Birth Contact
SOUL TREK: Meeting Our Children on the Way to Birth
Elisabeth Hallett, 1995
An in-depth exploration of contact and communication before birth, based on the experiences of more than 150 mothers and fathers. Excerpts are available for reading on this site. (Click on the title to find them.)
"Just as we may invite a child to come into our family, children waiting to be born may request permission to enter. There seems to be a two-way process of inviting one another and coming into agreement. Much of it perhaps happens `in the dark` outside our conscious mind. But sometimes we become aware of a knocking at the door..."Stories
of the Unborn Soul:
The
mystery and delight of Pre-Birth Communication
Elisabeth Hallett, 2002
This companion volume to SOUL TREK presents illuminating stories of soul contact. It explores such fascinating areas as the role of grandparents with new arrivals (including cases suggesting the return of grandparents into the family), spontaneous memories of pre-existence, and wondrous examples of the soul wisdom of young children.
Coming From the Light: Spiritual Accounts of Life Before Life
Sarah Hinze, 1997 (expanded from previous edition, 1994)
A pioneering book on pre-birth contact, it contains 33 first-person accounts, with Sarah's own experience being perhaps the most remarkable. An excerpt:
"With my fifth pregnancy I sorrowed greatly upon losing the baby to miscarriage. I had felt this gentle female presence with me before she was even conceived. During the three months her tiny earth body grew within me, her spirit self would occasionally enter my dreams and share with me her love. After the miscarriage I feared that I had lost her forever. "Then God comforted me. "Within two months I was shown in a dream that I had only lost this girl child temporarily... that she would have a second chance for birth through me."Cosmic Cradle: Souls Waiting in the Wings for Birth
Elizabeth Carman and Neil Carman, Ph.D., 2000
Here is a quasi-encyclopedic gathering of evidence for the most mysterious phase of human existence - the stage before conception. Cosmic Cradle brings together traditional lore, little-known historic and religious references, and interviews with contemporary Americans. This broad-based research shows that experiences suggesting pre-existence have been known and recorded throughout time and across cultures world-wide.
Cheyenne: Journey to Birth
Mary Grace McManus, 1999
Early in her second pregnancy, Mary Grace McManus became aware that her unborn child was communicating with her. This book is the record of the growing bond of mother and child, through a "conversation" that deeply involves them in such topics as how a soul chooses its parents and prepares for earth life.
Diary of an Unborn Child: An Unborn Baby Speaks to
its Mother
Manuel David Coudris, 1985; first English edition, 1992
"Channeled" writings sometimes seem a little dull, but here is a truly fresh and original voice. Mirabelle Coudris, a young Austrian medium, felt "a strong urge to listen in to the baby" during her fifth month of pregnancy. Over the following weeks she transcribed a series of 29 messages. These range from details of life in the womb, to wise and innocent observations of the outer world, which the baby seems to perceive both directly and telepathically. In one of the most thought-provoking passages, baby Manuel explains that he often sees images of his mother's thoughts, "but I do not always know what this picture is or means, unless you explain it to me."
Born to Live: A Holistic Approach to Childbirth
Gladys T. McGarey, M.D., 1980.
This book is an early classic of pre-birth connections. Dr. McGarey's approach to childbirth is inspired by her spiritual beliefs. She treats the coming child as a soul making a "transition from the spiritual realm to be born into a new physical body into this material life once again." Intriguing stories from Dr. Gladys's years of experience as a physician, backed up by a coherent philosophy. Describing the emotions of pregnancy, she writes:
"I have seen women who discover emotions foreign to their nature and experience, emotions they could not understand. As we watched their dreams, we began to understand that they were apparently picking up psychically the emotions and feelings of the incoming entity. The baby, of course, has feelings and emotions, residuals perhaps from an earlier incarnation."The Mother-to-Be's Dream Book: Understanding the Dreams of Pregnancy
Raina M. Paris, 2000 (Warner Books Inc)
As I opened this new book, I wondered whether I would be disappointed by yet another author who pushes aside the possibility of pre-birth communication. I have read books about the dreams of pregnancy that speak of symbols, wish fulfillment, and the mind's tendency to sift through possible outcomes. It takes courage to assert that some dreams may be genuine communications from the soul of the unborn child. Raina M. Paris has that courage. At the beginning of a chapter titled "Mystical Experiences," she writes:
In this chapter we leave the conventional realm of interpretation and embrace a more spiritual connection with the world of souls who have not yet achieved a physical form but are already communicating their thoughts and wishes to the living.
There are rich chapters devoted to both the mother's and father's experiences, exercises to increase dream awareness, and an insightful glossary of common dream symbols as they pertain to pregnancy. One of the most delightful aspects of Paris's style is the way she accepts premonitory dreams as entirely natural events, "mysteriously ordinary, like life." This is the approach I prefer in dealing with all channels of pre-birth communication.
The Mother Link: Stories of Psychic Bonds Between Mother and Child
Cassandra Eason, 1999
This is the American edition of Cassandra's UK publication, Mother Love. This version is a 160-page softcover, so it does not contain all the material of the original British edition, but it is a wonderful compendium of stories that demonstrate the psychic bonds between mother and child. Many stories of pre-birth communication are included, and an especially rich section on adoptive bonds. Cassandra has also sent us an article with great samples of maternal instinct in action. Click on this link to go there.
Expecting Adam
Martha Beck, 1999
This is one gripping story. As I read, I felt that this book will be a classic of pre-birth communication - and except for one small problem, I still think so.
It's the true story of a pregnancy and all the magical, mystical events that occur to protect the unborn child and create a powerful prenatal bond with both parents. We know from the beginning that this child will be born with Down's Syndrome, so it's clear that there are forces at work to ensure his survival. Without the series of big and small miracles that accompanied the pregnancy, it seems likely that Martha and John Beck (both ambitious Harvard graduate students) might have chosen abortion.
There are many experiences of pre-birth communication in Expecting Adam. Both parents have dream visions of their child as a wise and ageless being who feels like an old friend. Both sense that his name is Adam. And in addition, amazing rescues, healings, and synchronicities just keep happening. It appears that the lives of Martha and Adam were saved at least three times during this incredibly beleaguered pregnancy.
This book is all about soul connections. It's a tremendous affirmation of the idea that a baby is so much more than what appears on the surface. This is why it is such a gift to the understanding of pre-birth communication - except for the one small problem I mentioned earlier. I wish that Martha had not chosen to include the story of the psychic who told her,
"'Adam isn't like your other children... You see, Adam is an angel. Angels are different from other metaphysical beings,' she went on. 'Occasionally they decide to incarnate - to become human for a while. Not that they have to, you understand. Sometimes that's just the best way to do what they want to do.'"
I wish she had not included that, even though for all I know it may be the exact, literal truth about Adam. It puts him in a special class by himself and moves those marvelous communication experiences far beyond what we anticipate in our own lives. But in fact, these are the typical kinds of soul-to-soul communications that are happening to parents all the time. Adam may well be an angel, but you don't need to have an angel baby to sense a wise and loving presence, or to hear a name whispered in your heart's ear, or to receive deep reassurance in moments of crisis. So I am concerned that by reading this wonderful book, some of us may conclude that these are extraordinary experiences that only happen with extraordinary pregnancies. Read Expecting Adam because it really is good - and then read some of the letters on this website, to remind yourself that this is just the way we are.
The Castaways: Safely in His Arms
This is an offering from Sarah and Brent Hinze (Royal Child Productions, 2000). Pioneer pre-birth researcher Sarah Hinze focuses here on experiences related to abortion. With a painting of Jesus on the cover, The Castaways is firmly anchored in a religious framework that will be welcome to fellow-believers, but could make the book less accessible to agnostics and non-Christians.
The experiences presented here support a view that each soul has an intended mission and a chosen family. Abortion is seen as a frustration of a divinely orchestrated plan. Some accounts are drawn from near-death experiencers who recall meeting souls whose fetal bodies had been aborted or miscarried. Interestingly, although "reincarnation" is not mentioned, the Hinzes include stories indicating that such souls may return later into new bodies.
In a chapter titled "Ten 'Truths' about Humans, God and the Plan of Life," the Hinzes state: We have a designated time, place, and purpose for coming to earth. Preborn souls often indicate they must come to earth at a specified time and to a particular family, or their missions will be disrupted. The trauma of souls whose births are blocked suggests that being born the first time they are sent down may be critical for each soul's progress.
Such statements can bring up philosophical questions. For example, if each incarnation is indeed carefully planned, and abortion is a serious setback to the soul's agenda, what are we to make of the miscarriages that cancel one of six pregnancies? Whether or not one shares the Hinzes' convictions, The Castaways is an eloquent plea for their point of view and presents many compelling personal stories. More information about The Castaways can be found at the Hinzes' website.
by Theresa Danna
Excellent article presenting moving stories of pre-birth communication from one of the pioneers of the field. Available online - click on title.
Palden Jenkins and Sheila Martin
A long and detailed online article describing the pre-birth contacts and communications experienced by a father and mother.
Experiencing the Soul: Before Birth, During Life, After Death
Eliot Jay Rosen (editor), 1998
Hospice social worker Eliot Jay Rosen was inspired to create a film presenting interviews with "people who have had profound spiritual experiences, including a broad spectrum of experts from various scientific and spiritual fields." This anthology, a companion to the video, includes interviews with some of the pioneer researchers of Pre-Birth Experiences. They are Sarah Hinze (author of Coming From the Light), her husband Brent Hinze, Ph.D., and Harold Widdison, Ph.D.
In two chapters devoted to "the emerging field of Pre-Birth Experiences," these pioneers express their sense of the spiritual significance of these events. Dr. Widdison analyzes the various ways in which the experiences occur, and states that from the data they provide we can answer some of life's perplexing questions. Sarah Hinze retells the moving story of her own encounters with some of her children-to-be. The shared religious convictions of these pioneers dovetail dramatically with the evidence of their research. As Brent Hinze observes:
"Both Sarah and I feel that each human being is a royal child who comes from God's court on high and will return thereto. I would add a bit more on the dimension of marriage. Sarah, when I look at you, I see you not only as my wife and the mother of our children, but as a daughter of God. If all of us could see each other as royal children of God, there would be peace on Earth. I truly believe this is what God wants of us."
Models of Love: The Parent-Child Journey
Joyce Vissell, R.N., M.S. and Barry Vissell, M.D., 1986
An inspiring and practical book about family life, written from the point of view that children are pre-existing beings. The chapter "Beginning Life" contains examples of pre-birth connection.
"From our 6000 foot perch in the mountains, sitting together with Barry watching Rami pick wild flowers, life seemed absolutely perfect. Having come through some difficult stages in parenting, we both had the secret wish that nothing would change, and that life would stay as simple and sweet as it seemed in that moment. "I closed my eyes and immediately felt the presence of another being. I quickly opened my eyes wondering who had come, only to discover Rami and Barry in the same scene as before. Closing my eyes once again, I felt another presence in an even stronger way. I felt this being to be a very dear and special friend, and heard deep within my heart, 'You are ready now. I am coming to you and Barry. My presence will bring more depth to your relationship, as well as bringing more balance and harmony into the family. I would like to be conceived soon.' "I then felt myself being surrounded by a peaceful warmth. I rested and nourished myself in the joy of that experience."
Risk to be Healed: The Heart of Personal and
Relationship Growth
Barry Vissell, M.D. and Joyce Vissell, R.N., M.S., 1989
If a child-to-be communicates with us, are we guaranteed a safe birth and a healthy baby? This book dispels that illusion, inviting us to look deeper. The first chapter (nearly one third of the book) is the story of Anjel, the Vissells' third child, who brought spiritual gifts and a new perspective of birth and the parent-and-child bond.
"Each day I rose early to meditate and asked to feel our baby's presence. Each day this presence was there stronger and stronger, not only assuring me that it was very much alive within me but also gently guiding and instructing me. These mornings with our sweet babe became so precious to me. I was receiving a deep spiritual training. "Several days before Christmas I was filled with the realization that our baby was female and that her name was Anjel..."Tuning In: Resources and Guides
Spirit Babies:
How to Communicate with the Child You're Meant to Have
In Spirit Babies:
How to Communicate with the Child You're Meant to Have (Delta
2005), clairvoyant and healer Walter Makichen gives us detailed descriptions of
how he perceives the presence of unborn souls as they approach their future
parents, interact with them, and eventually join the physical dimension. I am
often asked how we can connect with our potential children, and now I am happy
to have a resource that I can recommend. Spirit Babies is clear,
unpretentious, and full of practical exercises and meditations to help make the
connection.
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child
Thomas Verny, M.D., with John Kelly, 1981
Dr. Verny, the founder of APPPAH (Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health) says that this book is "based on the discovery that the unborn child is a feeling, remembering, aware being." Includes a chapter on "Intrauterine Bonding." Describing what he calls "sympathetic communication," Dr. Verny cites this example:
"The night before one of my patients had a spontaneous abortion, she shouted herself awake several times, yelling, 'I want out, let me out.' She was convinced that was her child speaking through her."Nurturing the Unborn Child
Thomas Verny, M.D., and Pamela Weintraub, 1991
"A nine-month program for soothing, stimulating, and communicating with your baby." Imaginative exercises for every stage of pregnancy. The authors see the unborn child as a sensitive being who can form a relationship with his or her parents while in the womb. Among many other ideas, they describe ways to communicate physically -- and also through dreams.
"Before you go to sleep, sit quietly in your bedroom and focus on the baby growing within. Caress your abdomen, and say to yourself, Tonight I will meet my unborn child in my dreams. Look at and handle the objects that remind you of your unborn child, and focus on the meeting you intend to have in your dream... Then take your journal and write the sentence down... Upon waking, before you move or open your eyes, concentrate on recalling your most recent dream. If it does not involve your baby, follow the images in your mind backward in time until you recover a dream involving your unborn child."Conscious Conception: Elemental Journey through the Labyrinth of Sexuality
Jeannine Parvati Baker and Frederick Baker, 1986
This book is truly like a labyrinth to explore. An unusual blend of earthy spirituality, with a profusion of interesting material. It includes many examples of pre-conception communication, felt by men as well as by women. For example, a father describes a reverie he experienced, some months before the conception of his child. He found himself in a rose garden:
"Just about the time I started thinking about leaving, I felt something move. It was more like a shift in energy than anything else. I looked over towards the fountain. Seated on a marble bench was a robed figure. It was smiling at me. "I'm not one to go around seeing things, visions or otherwise. However, I was now very curious. So I asked the figure who it was. I started to repeat my question when I suddenly knew the answer... This being was waiting to come through us. The 'us' was my partner, my lover and I. This being would be our baby, our child. It was now making contact with us. It had decided to start with me."Pamela Sue Hickein and Bridget Luise Esswein, 1998
This beautiful 25-page booklet is out of print, but the authors have
generously donated it to this website as a free downloadable file. To read more
about the material it presents, you will find my short review on the
Currents page. Here is a
link to view or download the 3.26 Mega Byte Acrobat file (some patience may be
required):
Soul Bonding During Pregnancy
Double click to View, or Right click and "save target as" to download
Bonding Before Birth: A Guide to Becoming a Family
Leni Schwartz, 1991
Bonding Before Birth is a helpful, reassuring resource for couples expecting their first child, based on the experiences of a real pregnancy support group. It provides guidance for connecting with our unborn children (without risking the suggestion that they may actually communicate with us!), and for exploring our transition from a couple to a family.
This is a profound book with many unusual treasures. You'll find some beautiful guided meditations and exercises. One of these directs both parents to "imagine your baby's environment inside its water-filled chamber. What is your baby experiencing? Listen! What is your baby communicating to you now? What does your baby need? Listen with all your being..." There are honest dialogues with men who reveal their seldom-heard feelings about the pregnancy and birth and their imminent fatherhood. (I wish I had read this during my self-absorbed first pregnancy -- I might have had more empathy for what my husband was going through!) Most fascinating of all is a detailed account of the author's re-experiencing of her own birth.
"The spiraling form with which I identified moved into a dim, enveloping, cavernous space. I felt its boundaries. How long I remained there I do not know. Neither time or space had any meaning, everything was happening in unlimited dimension. My consciousness swelled and completely filled the space I was occupying. I began to move slowly into a long dark tunnel. The walls moved in and out rhythmically, soft moist tissue contracting and expanding in a pulsating motion. At the end of the tunnel was a translucent, cerulean blue light, layered with lavender and sea green, like the clear blue of the most beautiful spring day. I was suffused with feelings of excitement and pleasure..."Love Letters Before Birth and Beyond
Mary Knight, 1997
A delightful book, designed to be used as a journal throughout pregnancy -- a journal that is unique because it's in the form of letters to the unborn child. Includes Mary Knight's own letters to her son, from the earliest days of pregnancy through newborn time. There is insightful guidance for connecting with the baby and for journaling, with suggestions for each entry and lots of inviting blank lined pages.
"Where do you think your baby comes from? Did he or she exist in some way before conception? Journal about your thoughts on this... or simply explore the possibilities. "If your baby had a choice of parents, why were you chosen? "Write to your baby about how you feel about being the 'chosen Mom.`"Lovestart: Pre-Birth Bonding
Eve Marnie, R.N., 1989
This book reminds me that "communion" really means "sharing." Eve Marnie's theme is that you can "share your whole life" with your unborn child, creating a link of communication that "permeates the entire experience of child and parent." She outlines a simple program that involves both parents, and deals realistically with the stress and ambivalent feelings that are normal in pregnancy. "When you are feeling stressed," she says, "keep talking to your baby and keep sharing your life." This seems wiser to me than trying to commune only from a place of sweetness and light -- an ideal that may lead us to withdraw when times are tough.
Contacting the baby consists of thinking to your baby. It is the spirit, the divine intelligence, the universal life force, the very essence of your child, with whom you are making contact. What else could it be when we speak of a being four to six weeks after conception?...
Be honest with your baby. There is no point in not being honest. Children can tell every time when you are not being straight with them. They certainly can tell just as well while they are inside the womb as when they are out. You cannot fool your own mind and you cannot fool another part of the universal one-mind.Creating a Joyful Birth Experience
Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D. and Sandra Bardsley, R.N., 1994
The subtitle says it all -- "Developing a partnership with your unborn child for healthy pregnancy, labor, and early parenting." This book is the result of a collaboration between nationally certified childbirth educator Sandra Bardsley, and Lucia Capacchione, who is well known for her work with Creative Journaling. In the Introduction, Dr. Capacchione writes:
The first time my doctor told me I was pregnant, an urge came over me somehow to communicate with the baby in utero. An artist and closet poet, the first thing I did was address my unborn child by writing a poem [to her]... Next I created a mural on a large sheet of white paper. I integrated the poem into a collage, a wreath of flowers cut out of magazines. The mural hung in the hallway that opened onto our kitchen. Those images caught my eye every day. They fed my soul. Intuitively I knew what pregnant women have probably always known: We can indeed communicate with the unborn child.
Dr. Capacchione goes on to make the bold statement: "What I did not know then was that the unborn child can communicate with us -- in words." Though this exciting theme is touched upon only lightly, "Creating a Joyful Birth" is an excellent workbook primarily for the mother-to-be. It guides us through many creative exercises for exploring feelings during pregnancy, and fosters strong awareness of the baby within. A central focus is on nurturing our own "Inner Child" in preparation for wholehearted bonding with the baby.
Nurturing Your Baby's Soul: A Spiritual Guide for Expectant Parents
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, 1998
This book looks at parenthood from an unusual angle, based upon the teachings of Elizabeth Clare Prophet. It assumes reincarnation, and views babies as returning spirits who are affected by past-life karma and entrusted with a special mission for their new venture. Prophet offers guidance for parents who wish to help their child "reach his highest potential and fulfill his life's mission." For example, she suggests ways of counteracting the troubling memories of past lives, which she states are normally present in the child's mind until about age three.
Readers who are comfortable with Prophet's spiritual beliefs will be the most appreciative audience for this book. For others, her frequent references to the "violet flame" and instructions to use it as a spiritual panacea could be distracting. Throughout the book, there are personal stories of pre-birth communication gathered from many parents, and these are some of the best to be found anywhere. Here is an example:
One day I was really concerned about choosing the right name for my baby, and I thought to myself, "Well, I'll have to go through baby books." I was sitting on the edge of my bed and all of a sudden I was transported in my mind to a little room, and I was sitting on this stool at a big table like a ledger table. There was this huge book, about two feet by two feet, and it had a jeweled front cover. I was turning these huge pages and it had every name that was ever given to anybody - the name and the definition of the name and all the people who had the name.
And I was going through this big book and I thought, "Boy, this is going to take me forever!" In walked a young girl about twelve years old, with brown hair that was kind of wavy. She stood very stately and said, "My name is Cara June." And so I said "OK" and I closed the book, because that was all I needed to hear. And then I was back in my room at the edge of my bed. I felt very elated and tingly for about three hours after that. When my daughter was born, I knew that it was the same child whom I had seen come into the room. So I named her Cara June.
Communing With the Spirit of Your Unborn
Child
Dawson Church, 1988
This book presents a series of meditative exercises for expectant parents. It begins with guidance for sensing the spirit of the fetus, and continues with detailed practices for channeling "divine radiance" to the child. What I like about this approach is that father and mother are equally involved, and the exercises may be done by either parent, or by both together.
"The advent of a new baby is a great opportunity to begin to develop our faculties of spiritual perception. And this sensitivity will allow our baby to communicate its needs to us. "One mother was a vegetarian, and her outer mind was convinced that this was the best possible form of nutrition. Imagine her horror when, channeling the spirit of her fetus, the child demanded that during gestation she eat meat! Lots of it! And RED meat! Had she remained unaware of what the spirit required for the development of the physical form of the baby, she would have been unable to co-operate."Clues from Hypnosis and Other Sources
The Mind of your Newborn Baby
David Chamberlain, 1998
The arrival of this book is great news! This is the long-awaited tenth-anniversary edition of Dr. Chamberlain's 1988 classic, Babies Remember Birth. In paperback format and enriched with a new last chapter, this book has the potential to revolutionize the way we look at babies, both before and after birth. Part I is filled with "user-friendly" information about the mind and abilities of newborns, as well as a thorough look at their development before birth. Parts II and III present evidence that babies do remember birth and are very much aware of the people around them at that time. There are many amazing stories of labor and birth, from the baby's point of view. As Dr. Chamberlain writes --
"Birth memories indicate that babies have an identity of their own; their parents don't give it to them. They act mindfully and build experience around a central core of self."The new last chapter is worth the price of the book all by itself. Dr. Chamberlain writes compellingly about the newborn's sensitivity, awareness, and vulnerability. He emphasizes the importance and power of the infant-and-parent connection during pregnancy and after birth. An experiment reveals one remarkable aspect of this connection:
"Using a hypnotic technique known as ideomotor signaling (described in Chapter Six), 25 out of 26 women correctly identified the gender of their baby before ultrasound examination or before birth. In the one case that was deemed incorrect according to ultrasound, the finger signal was correct, while the ultrasound reading was false."
Children's Past Lives: How Past Life Memories Affect Your Child
Carol Bowman, 1997
This is a rich work full of stories and insights. Beginning with her own past-life recall and the memories revealed by her small children, Carol Bowman went on to research the phenomenon of past-life memory in the very young. She provides reassuring guidelines for parents who wonder how to help children deal with their apparent memories of other lives -- and deaths. Visit her website for excerpts and more information.
"We can no longer see children as inferior to us simply because they are little and can't reach the faucets or tie a shoe. For now we know that children are more than just biological beings shaped by heredity and environment. They are spiritual beings, too, who bring with them wisdom and experience gathered from other lives on earth. If we accept this view -- that children are experienced souls in little bodies -- we realize that they have more available to them, and more to offer us, than we ever thought possible before."Return From Heaven: Beloved Relatives Reincarnated Within Your Family
Carol Bowman, 2001
In her first book, Children's Past Lives, Carol Bowman explored the phenomenon of young children recalling previous lifetimes. Since its publication, she has continued her research and also maintained a website, whose message boards prove that countless parents are hearing past-life memories from their kids. Carol does a tremendous service by showing us how to recognize and listen to these memories.
Her new book, Return From Heaven, focuses on a fascinating pattern in reincarnation. From well-documented cases, it appears that same-family returns are common. In other words, a child may reveal memories and show behaviors that point to a previous incarnation in the same family - perhaps as a grandparent or even a recently deceased brother or sister. Detailed case histories explore this possibility. These are tremendously moving human interest stories. They reveal the emotional impact on families caught up in such a drama, as well as the signs that link a new child to a previous identity.
What Carol Bowman has discovered in her research dovetails with the evidence from pre-birth communication, and she includes an excellent overview of parents' experiences in this area. One chapter is devoted to announcing dreams; another deals with miscarriage and abortion, while the chapter "Choosing a Life" explores varying degrees of freedom in planning an incarnation.
Excerpt: Because relationships are so important, and because family relationships are so intense, it makes sense that a soul would have many, many reasons to return to the family it just left. This is why, I believe, same-family reincarnation is so common.
Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation
Ian Stevenson, M.D., 1987
Can you imagine being a two-year-old who remembers dying as an adult at the hands of murderers... and who wants revenge?
For those of us, like me, who tend to think that death will dip us in purifying light and make us wiser -- and who like to see each newborn as the embodiment of innocence -- this book offers evidence that "it aint necessarily so." In fact, no matter what our ideas of birth and death may be, these carefully studied cases will probably stretch them. Here is evidence that we may be able to choose our next mother before dying... that seemingly trivial habits such as food preferences can carry over from one life to another... that in many cases simple geography may influence the location of rebirth more than any deep connection with the new parents. These cases are sobering, surprising, and quite diverse. They suggest that pre-birth connections are formed in various ways, sometimes through the link of previous love, and sometimes seemingly at random. An excerpt:
Announcing dreams have been reported in all of the countries where we find these cases... The dreams vary in their form. Among the Tlingit the discarnate personality appearing in an announcing dream often conveys symbolically his intention to reincarnate. For example, in the dream he may walk into the house with his suitcase and deposit it in one of the bedrooms; or he may enter the parents' bedroom and lie down between them. In contrast, announcing dreams among the Burmese often represent the discarnate personality as petitioning to reincarnate in the family chosen. This suggests that the dreamer has the option to refuse such a request.
Life Before Life
Helen Wambach, 1979
Psychologist Helen Wambach explored pre-birth existence through hypnosis. She ran hundreds of group sessions, and her subjects' reports are remarkable in their consistency. For example: "When all the 750 cases were analyzed, 89 percent of all the subjects responding said that they did not become a part of the fetus or involved with the fetus until after six months of gestation." An excerpt:
Many subjects reported that the onrush of physical sensations on emerging from the birth canal was disturbing and very unpleasant. Apparently the soul exists in a quite different environment in the between-life state. The physical senses bring so much vivid input that the soul feels almost 'drowned' in light, cold air, sounds. Surprising to me was the frequent report that the new-born infant feels cut off, diminished, alone compared to the between-life state. To be alive in a body is to be alone and unconnected. Perhaps we are alive to learn to break through the screen of the senses, to experience while in a body the transcendent self we truly are.
Remembering Your Life Before Birth
Michael Gabriel and Marie Gabriel, 1992
This is a new edition of the book previously titled VOICES FROM THE WOMB. A therapist presents cases from his practice, using hypnosis to explore pre-birth experiences. Many are painful, for these are the stories of people seeking relief from the pain in their lives. The Gabriels trace many lifelong problems to the emotional environment of the first few months of life in the womb.
The authors write, "The prenatal infant's whole world, and her way of perceiving, is one of powerful receptivity and an inability to discriminate between self and other. It will be years before the self-identity and separate will have developed..." Yet most of these cases give evidence of prenatal personalities with a definite sense of self, awash in the mother's emotions but able to make some decisions and take some action in response to them.
Some of the memories related in this intriguing book reach back before conception:
Stephen began by describing his experience of coming into the earth dimension: "I am being pulled down to earth by a soft and gentle gravity. I am not sure I want to do this. I don't know where it is taking me. I don't know what to expect." During the first months of the gestation, Stephen said, "I am 'in and out' several times." By that he meant that he alternated between inhabiting the physical body of the fetus and leaving it temporarily. . . Stephen continued, describing his initial experiences with his mother: "She is happy I am here. I am feeling my connection with her. I am flowing around the center of her being. I am expanding. I see a bright light in my mother's abdomen. It's the flow of energy associated with the pregnancy."
Your suggestions are welcome.