Reincarnation has long remained on the fringes of scientific research, despite numerous works by a number of scientists urging the community to investigate it further - and for good reason.
This topic belongs to the ever-growing study of the non-material sciences. In the late nineteenth century, physicists discovered something that could not be explained by classical physics. This led to the development of quantum mechanics, which proved that the material foundations of our world are not exactly the foundations in which they were previously sure. All results coming from quantum mechanics suggest that the physical world is no longer the primary or only component of reality.
Speaking specifically about reincarnation, then it is directly related to the study of consciousness - what Max Planck considered “fundamental” in relation to quantum mechanics. In fact, Eugene Wigner, another Nobel laureate and mathematician, once told the world that "it is impossible to formulate the laws of quantum mechanics without reference to consciousness."
Scientific research on reincarnation
University of Virginia psychiatrist Jim Tucker is arguably the world's leading researcher on this topic, and in 2008 he published a review of cases that suggested reincarnation in the journal Explore.
Interestingly, 100% of the subjects who report past life memories are children. The average age at which they begin to recall their past life is 35 months, and their descriptions of events and experiences from their past life are often extensive and surprisingly detailed. Tucker noted that these children show very strong emotional involvement when they talk about their experiences; some actually cry and beg their parents to accept what they say.
According to Tucker, “Subjects typically stop making their past life statements between the ages of six and seven, and most of them seem to lose their alleged memories. This is the age when children start going to school and begin to gain more experience in their current life, and also when they tend to lose their early childhood memories."
Promotional video:
Reincarnation case of a 3-year-old boy
A well-known Israeli physician, Eli Lash, served as a senior consultant for the coordination of medical services in the Gaza Strip. He passed away in 2009, but prior to that, he was investigating an alleged reincarnation case in which a three-year-old boy claimed to remember a past life. In this life, he remembered how he was hit on the head with an ax, and from this he had a long red birthmark allegedly at the site of the wound.
The boy's father and other relatives in the village decided to visit neighboring communities to see if he could be identified in a past life. Dr. Lasch was also invited. On this journey, they visited several villages until the boy remembered the correct one. He remembered his first and last name, as well as the first and last name of his killer.
According to the Institute for the Integration of Science, Intuition and Spirit:
One member of this community who heard the boy's story said that he knew the person who the toddler was in a past life. This person disappeared 4 years ago and has never been found. It was believed that he was in trouble, since at that time many people were killed or taken prisoner in the border areas between Israel and Syria on suspicion of espionage.
The group walked through the village, and at some point, the boy pointed to a house from a past life. Curious passers-by gathered around, and suddenly the boy approached the man and called him by name. The man admitted that the boy named him correctly, and the boy said:
“I used to be your neighbor. We had a fight and you killed me with an ax."
Dr. Lush noticed that the man's face turned white as a sheet, and the boy continued:
"I even know where he buried my body."
Then the boy led the group, which included the accused killer, to the fields nearby. The boy stopped in front of a pile of stones and said:
"He buried my body under rocks and an ax over there."
Excavations at the site under the rocks revealed the skeleton of an adult in a farmer's clothing, and the skull had a linear split corresponding to an ax wound.
Is it really real?
As with other reincarnation cases studied in the mainstream scientific environment, this case requires additional evidence. These are mostly rumors as the actual study has not been published.
Personally, I think there are several paths we take after "death." Someone can reincarnate on this planet or on another planet, and someone can move to a completely different plane of existence. There is ample evidence to support both, from ancient history and religion to consciousness research (such as reincarnation and the experience of near death) and more. All evidence points to the fact that this human experience and our physical body represent neither the end nor the beginning of our journey.
