Archives: Book Reviews

Lifecycles: Reincarnation and the Web of Life by Christopher M. Bache, Ph.D.

Reviewed by Daniel Kealey, Ph.D.
In JRT Issue 10, Fall 1992

 

Dr. Bache, a member of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Youngstown State University, has written a much needed book full of stimulating insights into the contemporary philosophical implications of reincarnation. He correctly states that the belief in the theory of reincarnation is no longer just a religious question, for the impressive accumulation of evidence that has become part of the contemporary intellectual environment makes it essentially an empirical question. Bache backs up this claim with an overview of the research, focusing primarily on the work of Stevenson and the findings of past-life regression. But this is not his main purpose. He notes that as a … Read the rest

5 January 1992

Past Lives, Present Decisions: A Pathway to Transformation by Helene Rothschild

Reviewed by Marilyn J. Wulff, M.S.W.
In JRT Issue 10, Fall 1992

 

Helene Rothschild’s book, Past Lives, Present Decisions, would be an excellent resource for beginning past-life therapists and I believe is designed to serve as a self-help guide to individuals who are ready to learn more about and experience their past lives, as a “pathway to transformation.”

Rothschild, who has a Master’s Degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling, and is in private practice in California, describes her approach as being based upon what she calls “Creative Therapy,” saying “…we all make decisions based on our experiences. These decisions or thoughts control our lives,” and adds that another principle of her therapy is “we are all totally responsible … Read the rest

5 January 1992

Coming Back: A Psychiatrist Explores Past-Life Journeys by Raymond A. Moody, Jr., M.D., with Paul Perry

Reviewed by Rabia Clark, M.A.
In JRT Issue 10, Fall 1992

 

Past-life therapists often recommend books on PLT to their clients. I have been looking for a book which explains how past-life therapy is done in a simple and non-technical way. Dr. Raymond Moody’s book, Coming Back: A Psychiatrist Explores Past-Life Journeys is my current favorite.

Dr. Moody uses interesting and brief case histories as illustrations throughout the book which makes it very easy to read. Some of the case histories come from the APRT Journal of Regression Therapy, some come from his own past-life recollections, and others from his clients or other books. APRT members Dree Miller Dunlap, George Schwimmer, and Paul Hansen’s past-life recollections are mentioned, … Read the rest

5 January 1992

Elvis After Life by Raymond Moody, Ph.D., M.D.

Reviewed by Fleur Greene, M.A.
In JRT Issue 6, Fall 1988

Elvis Presley was a phenomenon in his life. He may single-handedly have aroused the sleeping eroticism of the entire Western world. (He was known, you may recall, as Elvis the Pelvis). For good or ill, it is obvious that rock-and-roll has liberated us from our Victorian moorings forever!

A legend never dies. It only becomes more magnified with time. We humans love the very idea of one of us unbounded by conventions. And given to magnificence, the legend of Elvis will, without doubt, become more fantastic with time.

As that happens, accurate descriptions of events that took place at the time of his death will become more and … Read the rest

4 January 1988

Unconditional Love and Forgiveness by Edith Stauffer

Reviewed by Errol Schubot, Ph.D.
In JRT Issue 6, Fall 1988

“Unconditional love and forgiveness” is the central theme of Edith Stauffer’s approach to healing. She bases her principles and practices on Psychosynthesis and on the concepts of the Essenes, an ancient sect whose beliefs are recorded in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Their practices integrated spiritual principles into everyday living, creating an atmosphere of peace, cooperation, and harmony within the group. Psychosynthesis, developed by Dr. Roberto Assagioli, carries a similar goal of bringing transpersonal concepts and awareness into practical application.

Stauffer understands the original purpose of spirituality, which is to create experiences and guidelines to bring the highest qualities into every aspect of daily life. She teaches the Essene … Read the rest

4 January 1988

The Journey Within: Past-Life Regression and Channeling by Henry Leo Bolduc

Reviewed by Jon Klimo, Ph.D.
In JRT Issue 6, Fall 1988

In The Journey Within, Henry Leo Bolduc provides some easy-to-read glimpses into his personal search for answers and, in particular, his exploration of the possibilities of hypnosis. Readers of The Journal of Regression Therapy should be able to identify with many of the experiences he presents in this informal, anecdotal odyssey. As Bolduc puts it, the first five chapters are “mainly about my years of research into past-life regression,” and chapters six and seven are about “what I have learned about hypnosis and past-life regression.” In the second half of the book, chapters eight through seventeen, Bolduc turns to focus on how some individuals, who have … Read the rest

4 January 1988

The Children That Time Forgot By Peter and Mary Harrison

Reviewed by Carol Bowman, B.A.
In JRT Issue 9, Fall 1991

 

The Children That Time Forgot is one of the few collections of documented incidents of spontaneous past-life recall in children. Peter and Mary Harrison, of England, collected 29 cases of spontaneous past-life recall derived from interviews with the parents of British children. This book can be compared to the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson, who has done extensive research and writes about past-life memories in children. The Harrisons’ book is significant because the cases are exclusively from a Judeo-Christian culture where reincarnation is a less well accepted idea; Dr. Stevenson finds most of his cases in Eastern cultures where the concept of reincarnation is more prevalent.

At … Read the rest

4 January 1991

Children Who Remember Previous Lives: A Question of Reincarnation by Ian Stevenson, M.D.

Review by Jon Klimo, Ph.D.
In JRT Issue 9, Fall 1991

 

Readers of The Journal of Regression Therapy should consider Dr. Ian Stevenson’s book, Children Who Remember Previous Lives, from two perspectives. First, the book is a thoroughly professional, even-handed treatment of its subject, and the information it contains will be helpful to anyone seeking personal and professional support in the way of careful research evidence on behalf of reincarnation in general and on behalf of the reality of the previous lives of certain currently living people in particular. Second, and problematic for Journal readers, the book takes a decidedly negative tone with regard to the use of hypnosis in order to bring to light authentic past-life memories. … Read the rest

4 January 1991

Exploring Reincarnation by Hans Ten Dam

Reviewed by Rabia L. Clark, M.A.
In JRT Issue 9, Fall 1991

 

Hans Ten Dam has written an exhaustive study about reincarnation, its history in various religions, Theosophical and Anthroposophical views, and karmic laws. There is quite a bit about both spontaneous and therapeutic recall of past lives, pre-birth memories and after death experiences. The last part of the book describes counseling techniques for past-life regressions, and effects and techniques of past-life therapy.

The author is honest about his biases, and he has a lot of them. He has read widely in the reincarnation literature, and attempts to present a broad scope of that material. There is a glossary of terms, an excellent and lengthy bibliography of books … Read the rest

4 January 1991

Who Were You Before You Were You? The Casebook of a Past-Life Therapist by Garrett Oppenheim, Ph.D.

Reviewed by Evelyn Fuqua, Ph.D.  M.F.C.C. and Hypnotherapist
In JRT Issue 8, Fall 1990

 

Dr. Oppenheim’s book is short (162 pages), is written in an informal style and is easy reading—all of which, hopefully, will make it appeal to the general public. Its humorous title, Who Were You Before You Were You?, should attract not only those who are seriously curious about past-life therapy, but perhaps even the total skeptics, who may pick it up initially simply because it promises to be entertaining. It will give them much food for thought.

The book covers all of the important basic concepts of PLT. It also gives many of the author’s personal insights as a result of his own … Read the rest

3 January 1990