Reviewed by Janet Cunningham, Ph.D.
In JRT Issue 18, 2001

Marie Gates’ earliest memory in this life was of her death as an adult woman in a Catholic hospital. Her book describes her search to understand the memories and to verify, if possible, some of the details that she learned through past-life regressions. She describes several paranormal experiences she had such as synchronistic events, vivid dreams, and precognitive knowing.

There are elements that are confusing in the reading of Gates’ book. One example is when she becomes obsessed over a being called Mohari. The experience comes in a dream, which she later attempts to understand through past-life regression. In sharing the overlapping in her mind between her lifetime as Anna with Mohari and her early memories as Amanda, who died in the hospital, the reader may have difficulty. Another point of confusion for the reader is the same first name of three separate personalities. The names of Gates’ past-life personality is Amanda, and her daughter’s name was Amanda. As a result of Gates’ search, she meets Amanda Jones, who she believes could have been Amanda’s daughter in the past life. Since she indicates in the Introduction that names have been changed, it would have made easier reading to have changed two of these three names.

Gates reports her process to the reader as she wonders if Mohari was a part of her or a separate entity or an angel. She does make several stretches, an example of which is in suspecting Mohari is an angel because of the name resemblance to the angel Moroni. In doing so, however, she shows the confusion in a person’s mind who is going through such experiences in a society which does not accept past-life recall. As a psychologist, she recognizes that a “therapist might consider me mentally ill, but I was not, at least in the usual sense.”

Gates does a nice job of bringing research from various authors, such as Jung on synchronicity, Cockell’s in reincarnation, and metaphysical works, such as Jane Roberts. The supportive evidence gives her confidence to continue her research.

Shadows on My Mind is a book that suggests the value of past-life therapy over past-life regression sessions. For a beginning explorer into the realms of past-life material, it can be interesting reading.