Today we welcome Dr. Jim Tucker who is a child psychiatrist and the Bonner-Lowry Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia. He is Director of the UVA Division of Perceptual Studies, where he is continuing the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson on reincarnation. He has been invited to speak about his research on Good Morning America, Larry King Live, and CBS Sunday Morning. He recently published BEFORE: Children’s Memories of Previous Lives, a 2-in-1 edition of his previous books.
In this episode, I talk to Dr. Jim Tucker about the science of reincarnation. We delve into his research findings and methodology on children who claim to remember their previous lives. Dr. Tucker notes that these children don’t just recall biographical details of their past, but they also retain feelings and emotions. His findings have important implications for how we understand consciousness. We also touch on the topics of mortality, trauma, quantum physics, and panpsychism.
Website: www.uvadops.org
Facebook: /jimbtuckermd
Topics
- Dr. Ian Stevenson’s research
- Psychophore
- Dr. Jim Tucker’s interest in reincarnation
- Past life statements and unusual play
- Announcing dreams, predictions, birthmarks
- Fraud, self-deception, fantasy
- Genetic memory
- Transfer of consciousness
- Why are past memories so fleeting?
- Are we all reincarnated?
- Death, trauma, and growth across lifetimes
- Panpsychism and multiverses
On a different note than my last comment, it would be interesting to study whether past lives appear to have any influence on current lives in a meaningful way. For example, among those who were “bad” in past lives, do they continue on with “bad” patterns, or do some appear to learn from past lives and make amends? If there is a purpose to reincarnation, is it to learn and grow?
I appreciate conversations that place a scientific approach to the magical. It creates just a bit of space for me to let go of trying control everything and have a little faith in the process instead.