If you’ve ever met someone and thought, “I know you from somewhere… but I can’t figure out where,” you’re not alone. Across cultures, religions, and centuries, people have shared that same quiet knowing — a feeling that life might not be a one-time thing.
Reincarnation, or the idea that we live multiple lives, isn’t just a concept tucked away in spiritual books. It shows up in sacred traditions, in children’s remarkable memories, and in those mysterious moments when life just clicks in ways you can’t explain. As a past life regressionist, I’ve seen firsthand how exploring this idea can lead to deep healing, even if someone isn’t sure they believe in it yet.
Here are some of the most common reasons people believe in reincarnation — from ancient teachings to modern-day research.
Cultural and Religious Teachings
For billions of people, reincarnation isn’t a question — it’s part of their spiritual foundation. In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, the soul moves through many lives to learn and grow. Indigenous teachings worldwide — from Native American oral traditions about returning ancestors to Aboriginal Australian beliefs about the soul’s journey — also carry reincarnation themes.
As noted by BBC Religions and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, reincarnation has been part of human thought for thousands of years, shaping the way people see life, death, and the afterlife.
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)
Some people don’t start believing in reincarnation until they’ve brushed up against death — or heard someone else’s story about it. Near-death experiences often include moments where people feel they’ve “been here before” or sense a continuation beyond this life.
Dr. Raymond Moody, who coined the term “near-death experience” in his book Life After Life, and the International Association for Near-Death Studies have documented countless cases where people return from the brink with vivid, sometimes past life–connected memories.
Past Life Memories in Children
One of the most fascinating areas of reincarnation research comes from children — especially those who start talking about past lives before they even know what that means.
Dr. Ian Stevenson at the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies documented over 2,500 cases of children who claimed to remember previous lives, often with names, locations, and details later confirmed in historical records. His successor, Dr. Jim Tucker, shares these findings in Return to Life, showing how these accounts sometimes reveal information the child couldn’t have possibly learned in their current life.
Déjà Vu and Unexplained Familiarity
Most of us have experienced déjà vu — that eerie “I’ve been here before” feeling. Psychologists often explain it as a memory processing glitch, but spiritually, it’s often seen as a soul memory resurfacing.
This feeling can be about places or people — meeting someone and instantly sensing you’ve known them before. Carl Jung spoke of the collective unconscious, which offers one framework for why these experiences might feel so deeply familiar.
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Unexplained Talents or Fears
Some people are born with abilities they’ve never practiced — like instantly playing music, painting, or speaking a language fluently. Others carry strong phobias without any current-life trauma to explain them.
Stevenson and Tucker documented cases where these talents or fears were tied to past life experiences — such as a fear of water linked to drowning in another lifetime. Spiritually, these are thought to be imprints from the soul’s previous journeys.
Spiritual and Metaphysical Perspectives
For many, reincarnation is less about evidence and more about meaning. It’s a way to understand the soul’s journey, where each lifetime offers lessons that move us toward spiritual growth and awakening.
The American psychic Edgar Cayce described reincarnation as a path of soul evolution — where every challenge, relationship, and choice is a step toward balance and unity with the divine.
Regression Experiences
Past life regression hypnosis lets people explore what may be vivid memories of other lifetimes. In my own past life regression sessions, clients often access scenes, names, and emotions that feel profoundly real.
Even for those who approach it as symbolic, the imagery often leads to emotional release, clarity, and healing. Whether literal or metaphorical, these sessions reveal what the soul is ready to bring into awareness.
Philosophical Logic and Justice
For some, belief in reincarnation comes from seeking fairness in the universe. The concept of karma — that actions in one life influence circumstances in another — offers a lens for understanding suffering, inequality, and unfinished stories.
This worldview suggests that life is part of a much larger, interconnected story, where every experience has meaning and purpose.
Signs and Synchronicities
People often notice patterns that feel too intentional to be coincidence — recurring dreams, repeated encounters with certain cultures or eras, or meaningful coincidences that guide them toward specific people or places.
Jung’s idea of synchronicity aligns with the belief that these signs are the soul’s way of nudging us toward remembering.
Scientific Curiosity and Parapsychology
While mainstream science is cautious about reincarnation, research into consciousness continues. The Division of Perceptual Studies at UVA has spent decades exploring past life memories, near-death experiences, and related phenomena.
Parapsychology, though often on the fringe, continues to investigate reincarnation through case studies, statistical analysis, and controlled experiments — keeping the dialogue between science and spirituality alive.
One Last Thing…
Whether rooted in religion, personal experience, philosophy, or scientific exploration, the belief in reincarnation speaks to a deep human desire to understand our place in the universe. It offers hope that our story is far bigger than one lifetime — and that every step we take is part of the soul’s timeless journey.
If you’ve ever wondered about your own past lives, you might explore a self-hypnosis audio or schedule a private session to discover what your soul is ready to share.
