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1. I learned that there are so many cases of children that are able to recall memories of "past-lives". So many that there has been research and books written about the many different cases. This was most surprising to me as I never knew that there were so many people that truly believed they had been reincarnated. Very interesting.
2. This topic, especially now, is relevant to me in a very special way. My aunt passed away earlier this month, and she was exploring her Buddhist beliefs. As you now know, reincarnation is a Buddhist belief. I find this especially interesting and a topic I will look into further even after this assignment.
3. I found the research done by Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Tucker to be the most interesting. A study that I never even knew existed. The fact that they were even able to find multiple cases where children that had "past-life" memories and birth marks/defects, and were able to match them with wounds from the deceased bodies that the children remembered to be, is just amazing (whether it is a coinsidence or not).
4. From this research, I'll most likely remember that there are phenomenon's that happen on earth that sometimes are out of our comprehension as human beings.
5. The most harmful pseudoscience that I have come accross is "all natural" products. I say this to be the most harmful because people will change their whole lifestyle to adhere to an "all natural" life, when in reality they're spending extra money on products that may not even necessarily be "natural". The least harmful pseudoscience, I would say is anything that helps people cope with losing a loved one. I find it to be the least harmful, and in fact, helpful to an extent. People have the right to believe whatever they want, and if it helps them continue to live their life happily, then so be it.
6. If I could pass on my knowledge to a friend or family member, it would be to be skeptical. Practice being a skeptic, because things aren't always what they seem.

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Description: This article is an elaboration of Dr. Ian Stevenson's research that has been further looked into by his successor, Dr. Jim Tucker.

Connection:  After reading this article about the continued research done by Dr. Stevenson, the red flag that is apparent in this website would definitely be Proof by Verbosity. Just by the title alone it talks about the "proof" because the Scientist examined 2,500 cases of reincarnation. The reason for belief would have to be  Emotional Connection and Patternicity. The emotional connection of the people who are being studied, and the results being seen as a pattern. The flaw I see here is that there is no actual data being presented, it seems more like a story of the research rather than the research itself.

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Whether you believe in reincarnation or think that it's a far-fetched fantasy of underdeveloped communities, there are simply too many of these stories to ignore them as nonsense.

They don't only occur in nations where people have a history of accepting reincarnation like India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Lebanon, Thailand, and Myanmar. Research have found cases on all continents except Antarctica.

In fact, the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia has investigated more than 2,500 cases of people worldwide who remember their previous lives. The founder and director was Dr. Ian Stevenson. When he retired in 1996, Dr. Jim Tucker took over as the leader of the division's past-life research.

In 2008 Tucker published a review of an investigation by his predecessor into cases that seemed to point to reincarnation.

Stevenson, when he was chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, worked on a review of 44 cases of individuals who had reported memories of previous lives which was published before 1960.

While he was working on his review he heard about other cases and took a trip to India and Sri Lanka where he investigated a number of cases.

Stevenson came to the conclusion that the phenomenon of people who remember their past lives was much more common than anyone had realized.

Researchers have found several common threads running through these cases.

Usually, it's young children that remember they have been someone else. This happens typically around age two or three. The memory is spontaneous and doesn't seem to be triggered by anything in the current family.

Interestingly, the research has found that there is an average of only 16 months between birth in the current life and the death of the previous personality. In the majority of cases (70%) the death involved unnatural circumstances like violence or drowning.

If these children who usually stop making past-life statements by age six or seven can remember details about their previous life circumstances like an address or names of family members, people have often gone and followed it up. Regularly they find that the details can indeed be confirmed.

For many people, this is proof that the person had a previous life and has been reincarnated. For others, it proves nothing.

But there is more.

"In addition to the purported memories, a number of the children have had birthmarks or birth defects that appeared to match wounds, usually fatal ones, suffered by the previous personalities," writes Tucker.

He references a 2,200-page report by Stevenson that documented over 200 such cases.

One case is of a boy from Thailand: Chanai Choomalaiwond. When he was three years old he remembered being a teacher named Bua Kai. He remembered that he had been shot and killed one day as he rode his bike to school. He begged to be taken to his parents (Bua Kai's parents). He knew the name of the village.

His grandmother took him to the village, he then found the address and appeared to recognize the people living there as his "previous" parents. Upon investigation, Stevenson found out from the teacher's widow that her husband had been shot from the back because the small, round wound on the back of this head was consistent with an entry wound whereas the larger wound on his forehead was typical of an exit wound.

Here's the kicker: Chanai was born with two birthmarks, a small, round birthmark on the back of his head, and a larger, more irregularly shaped one on the front.

Today 24% of Americans, or more than 75 million people, across all religions believe in reincarnation, according to a Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life poll.

You can find out more about famous recent cases in America here.

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Proof of reincarnation: Scientist examines 2,500 cases

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Whether you believe in reincarnation or think that it's a far-fetched fantasy of underdeveloped communities, there are simply too many of these stories to ignore them as nonsense. They don't only occur in nations where people have a history of accepting reincarnation like India, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Lebanon, Thailand, and Myanmar.

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Description: This website states 9 different signs that someone you love has been reincarnated back into the circle in which they felt most loved.

Connection: Emotional Connection is heavily present here as it is an article about finding out if someone you love has been reincarnated. They speak out the reincarnated soul being brought back into the circle of people that the soul felt most loved by. The red flag first came to mind was Idealogical Support, as this website is directed to those who have a belief in reincarnation and are looking for "answers".

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Often we find ourselves willing to give anything for one more meeting with a dear departed one: we long to hug our late parents again or kiss the partner who left our side too soon. Often our wish comes true.

Energy never dies. It's transferred back and forth endlessly, taking many shapes and occupying different dwellings. Once energy escapes an expired body it's only a matter of time until it reenters a new body. The soul that adores you can't wait to come back into your life, many times with a similar purpose. He or she might look different, but the same, unmistakable spirit will radiate forth.

Do you wonder if your loved one has come back under a new disguise? Souls that have been embodied before emit these telltale signs:

1. They left before their time. If your loved one died suddenly or tragically, if they left unfinished business, or if you believe they passed before their proper time, their spirit will reincarnate as soon as possible. They will be reborn into the circle where they felt most loved, but also into situations that allow them to resolve what was left open.

2. Language. My cousin's grandmother was named Anna. A photo of her stood on a mantle in the living room. When my cousin's baby girl was starting to say her first words, she pointed to the photo, mumbled the name "Anna," then pointed to herself. The baby seemed to know who was in that photo without ever having been told. I've heard of many cases in which parents are astonished when their child suddenly says words or sings in a foreign language, without any indication of where the child might've learned such a skill. The reincarnated soul may have the same way of speaking, vocabulary, or figures of speech as the person who's passed on.

3. Mannerisms. An easy way to detect a reincarnated soul is similar gestures such as body language, laugh, physical expressions, etc. Personality traits may carry over as well, like stubbornness, boldness, curiosity, or other distinct qualities of the late person. They appear to behavelike the person who's passed on, even if they're a different age or gender.

4. Physical characteristics. It's a given that children will look like their parents and grandparents, but a giveaway of a reincarnated soul is being born with a unique physical feature that only the person who passed on possessed, such as a birthmark or mole. My good friend Debby was deeply affected when her stepfather died. She remarked that he had a birthmark on his leg. When Debbie had a child years later, her boy was born with a birthmark identical to her stepdad's! This defied logic, as her stepfather was not biologically related to her or her son. Through the appearance of this birthmark, Debbie believed her stepfather's spirit was making it known that he had chosen to return.

5. Their eyes. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and for good reason! When someone can't speak or speaks a different language, we can absorb their emotions and understand want to say just by looking into their eyes. If you look at someone and swell up with a familiar feeling, the eyes of a reincarnated soul may be looking back at you.

6. Coincidences of time. Pay attention to divine timing, as it's never a coincidence. The day, month, and year of every birth are picked carefully and hold tremendous meaning. For example, a baby may be born in your family on the same day of the year as a loved one passed on, signaling that the old soul chose the day of its passing to become new again.

7. Others sense it too. A big clue that your loved one has come back is that other people around you also feel the warmth, comfort, and recollection of a soul they've known before. They may point out uncanny resemblances to the person who's passed.

8. Prone to the same situations. I had a client who was devastated when her mother suddenly passed away in a car accident. "Not to worry," I told her, "she'll come back as your daughter." Several years later, my client was overjoyed when she gave birth to a girl. The child was definitely the new embodiment of her mom's spirit-she was even involved in a car accident early in her life. The girl survived unharmed, overcoming the karma that her soul had brought over from its past life. A reincarnated soul may be born under similar circumstances or have to live through events parallel with its previous life, except with different results. This serves as an opportunity to conquer and close out old karma.

9. They finally fill the void. You may suffer a certain, pressing emptiness since your loved one left. Nothing has been able to fill it, not even the endless love of others. That's because that void can only be replenished by the unique presence of the one who's gone. Perhaps the greatest indication that you've reunited with your loved one is that the painful gap has finally closed. Instead of lingering emptiness, you feel a profound sense of fulfillment that mends all wounds. This satisfying sentiment means the soul has rejoined your life.

The people who love us don't want to leave us but when they have to, their spirits make it a point to return. Pay attention to the signs above to recognize and welcome home a reincarnated soul.

To visit Dr. Harra's website, click here.

To ask Dr. Harra a question, feel free to email her.

For more by Dr. Harra, click here.

Dr. Harra is a best-selling author, psychologist, and relationship expert. Check out her new book: The Karma Queens' Guide to Relationships.

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Often we find ourselves willing to give anything for one more meeting with a dear departed one: we long to hug our late parents again or kiss the partner who left our side too soon. Often our wish comes true. Energy never dies. It's transferred back and forth endlessly, taking many shapes and occupying different dwellings.

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Description: This website shows alleged proof that reincarnation is real. It talks about a scientist named Dr. Ian Stevenson who did research on the correlation between birth marks/defects on a child and wounds on a person who's life the child remembers.

Connection: First off, I think that the red flag confusion of correlation with causation really jumps out to me. I think that although Dr. Stevenson did the research and studied many cases in which the birth marks/defects were related to the wounds on the person in which the child remembers, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are the reincarnated bodies. A reason for belief would be the emotional connection these families have with the departed. In the article it states that most of the deceased had a traumatic passing. So it would be a lightening experience to believe that the body had been reincarnated to a new life. Simplicity would also relate to that statement. The flaw I see in this article is that it isn't necessarily "proof" of reincarnation, rather proof of DNA memory.

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Reincarnation is generally a religious concept that implies that upon a select few's deaths, their soul, mind or conscious is transferred to a new born. It sounds like the stuff of fantasy, but some scientists do believe that it is a feasible concept.

Dr Ian Stevenson, former Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and former chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, dedicated the majority of his career to finding evidence of reincarnation, until his death in 2007.

Dr Stevenson claims to have found over 3,000 examples of reincarnation during his time which he shared with the scientific community.

In a study titled 'Birthmarks and Birth Defects Corresponding to Wounds on Deceased Persons', Dr Stevenson used facial recognition to analyse similarities between the claimant and their alleged prior incarnation, while also studying birth marks.

He wrote in his study: "About 35 per cent of children who claim to remember previous lives have birthmarks and/or birth defects that they (or adult informants) attribute to wounds on a person whose life the child remembers. The cases of 210 such children have been investigated.

"The birthmarks were usually areas of hairless, puckered skin; some were areas of little or no pigmentation (hypopigmented macules); others were areas of increased pigmentation (hyperpigmented nevi).

"The birth defects were nearly always of rare types. In cases in which a deceased person was identified the details of whose life unmistakably matched the child's statements, a close correspondence was nearly always found between the birthmarks and/or birth defects on the child and the wounds on the deceased person.

"In 43 of 49 cases in which a medical document (usually a postmortem report) was obtained, it confirmed the correspondence between wounds and birthmarks (or birth defects)."

In a separate study, Dr Stevenson interviewed three children who claimed to remember aspects of their previous lives.

The children made 30-40 statements each regarding memories that they themselves had not experienced, and through verification, he found that up to 92 per cent of the statements were correct.

The article, published on Scientific Exploration, Dr Stevenson wrote: "It was possible in each case to find a family that had lost a member whose life corresponded to the subject's statements.

"The statements of the subject, taken as a group, were sufficiently specific so that they could not have corresponded to the life of any other person.

"We believe we have excluded normal transmission of the correct information to the subjects and that they obtained the correct information they showed about the concerned deceased person by some paranormal process."

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REVEALED: The scientific PROOF that shows reincarnation is REAL

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WHILE many scientists will dispel the notion of reincarnation as a myth, there are some credible experts out there who believe that it is a genuine phenomenon.

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Description: This photo is a more detailed version of the Samsara circle.

Connection: Similar to the previous photo, the Idealogy is the reason for belief based on the Buddhist/Hindu faiths. The red flag present is the Idealogical Support provided by the religions.

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Description: A photo of "Samsara" which is a buddhist/hindu belief of the "cycle of life/death".

Connection: Idealogical Support is the connection here as the Samsara is of the Buddhist/Hindu religious beliefs. I see many people's reason for belief in the Samsara circle is based on the emotional connection they would have had with the previous soul's body.

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Description: This photo is of a baby emerging from the head of an adult.

Connection: Idealogy is the reason for belief here, as many religions believe that reincarnation is a real thing, that actually happens to the soul when the body passes. It is definitely an emotional connection that the believer has.

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Description: In this video a young girl on Oprah has vivid memories of her death in her past life. She tells Oprah about her death in a fire.

Connection: Another Oprah story of children recalling past lives. This young girl recalls being in a fire and dying in her past life. The reason for belief that I see here is an emotional connection. She was clearly upset about the experience, whether it was a dream or she actually recalled the moment she died in a past life. The reason why she believes it to be true is because of how strongly she felt about the experience. The red flag that I see here is Idealogical Support. A child doesn't have an understanding about reincarnation from birth. This young girl must have told the story to her parents/guardians and they must have reassured her belief that it was real and not a dream, by informing her about reincarnation. The flaw I see here is that she is having a hard time recalling the memory as if it was something that she was uncertain about.

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The Girl Who Vividly Remembers Dying in a Fire in a Past Life | The Oprah Winfrey Show | OWN

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Description: This video shows 7 different incidents where children remembered stories from their "past lives".

Connection: This video plays on the ideological support reason for belief. It talks about 7 stories of kids remembering their past lives. The video is intended for the people who believe in reincarnation so it tells stories that seem unbelievable to instill its "realness". With that being said, because of the stories being unbelievable it also has the unexplained factor for reason for belief. The red flag that is present in this video is mystical energy. The flaw I see here is that there is no way to confirm any of these stories, which is also the limitation of this video.

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By Sean Gazmin

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Description: In this video a young boy recalls his former life as a Civil War Soldier. He speaks of recalling stories, locations, as well as "friends" from his past life from as young as 8 years old.

Connection: This video is hard to comprehend, as to why this  boy is able to recall his past life with such detail and at such a young age. The first thing that pops up to me for a reason of belief would be that it is just so unexplainable. How is this boy able to recall a life that he obviously has never lived before? The red flag that is apparent is the Mystical Energy. I say this because the belief of the energy traveling from one body to another, and then for the new body to recall memories from the previous life is an energy that cannot be explained. One flaw that I noticed is that the young boy seems as though he is repeating a story that he has heard before as opposed to a memory that he is recalling.

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The Boy Who Says He Was a Civil War Soldier in a Past Life | The Oprah Winfrey Show | OWN