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Mar 23, 2007

INFP rated it:

AMAZING is the world. Well this book is about Dr. Brian Weiss of Yale who's a very logical person untill he met catherine, the patient who was depressed, tried to hypnotised her into her childhood so as to know the cause of trauma , how she goes beyond that....into many of her pervious lifetimes, how the events in our present life are predefined according to our past lives , how we have to understand/conqiure negative feelings in our life for our spiritual growth, the immense peace nd love soul More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2009

Amy rated it:

Wow! This book was INCREDIBLE!!! It's now one of my favorites; I read it in only two days! I would totally recommend it to anybody, adults and older kids. It's about a woman who goes to a therapist to get help with her anxiety and phobia problems. The therapist (whose point of view the book is told from) then hypnotizes her to find the source of her phobias, and the woman starts telling him accurate details about her past lives! There is even more to the book, but I won't give it away. Thi More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Christy rated it:

This was an interesting one and a fast read. It kept me up late two nights in a row! You know, you have to read these things with an open mind, but also with a critical one. You can't just completely accept or reject what he has to say. His and Catherine's experiences about past lives are truly fascinating, and no matter how you feel about reincarnation, the lessons from the Masters about how to live are quite universal. In the end, it all comes down to love, patience, and forgiveness.
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0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Sharon rated it:

One of the most thought provoking books I have read. It gives credence to the ideologies of Reincarnation and makes one feel more peaceful about our purpose on earth and our life after death.
It is a must read for those who enjoy thinking about and talking about the ephemeral.
It will not appeal to those who are not open-minded or who are not ready to receive and soak up this book.

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2009

Jay rated it:

Pretty fascinating read. Is it true? I'd like to think so, but who knows...

I recommend it as a feel-good page turner for the spiritually inclined.

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 08, 2011

Alison rated it:

favorite book!!! It opened my eyes to a different way of looking at life!

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 11, 2008

Molly rated it:

Read half on a car trip w. someone else's copy; now need to find my own to finish.

Update: continued between the stacks at Borders, finished in a chair at Barnes & Noble. Found self unwilling to buy it, as if owning it would seem to throw in my lot/belief when I don't feel it, or just didn't see self rereading it. Now that I've finished, I find I do want to own the epilogue, the notated dreams of Philo(?)'s lectures, which taken with the rest of the book or independently are quite poi More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2009

Elizabeth added it

I thought that this book was interesting, particularly because it was written by a someone with a scientific background. Weiss records what his patient says about her previous past lives when he puts her in a state of hypnosis. It's one of those books that I would guess has a kaleidoscope of different effects on different readers. I liked it. I'd be interested to read more about past lives and psychic phenomena.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 14, 2009

Julia rated it:

I have to agree with what all of my friends have said about this book - it is amazing and you cannot put it down - a read it in a few hours - but the information in it will stay with me for a lifetime (and maybe longer!). Everyone should read this book! All those times you have felt a connection with people and not known why - or have realized that you have impacted someone's life in an amazing, yet unintentional way - it will all start to be clear to you. This is a wonderful book that will m More...

7 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Karyn rated it:

A small but powerful book that gives hope even though the human race seems doomed. A student gave this book to my husband who brought it home and left lying around. Momentarily bored I picked it up one afternoon and couldn't believe the luck of finding this unassuming little gem packed full with so much wisdom. So much of it seems to resonate simple truths about our world and our purpose in this life.This is one book I've lent out so many times that I've now lost track of it and will be picking More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 08, 2007

Diana rated it:

anyone wanting to meditate about life, ponder the timeline of mortality or just in for a ride with an open mind

Life is delicate. This time here on earth is limited and should be enjoyed without regret or self-doubt. There are possibly many lives before this one. I believe that what we know in this life is built on from the last. The life experiences we gain and meant to occur for us to proceed in the next life and the lessons not learned will carry over. Basically I learned a lot abo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2011

Amey added it

The only two self help books i have managed to complete and enjoy are "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrnes and another one that i read 15 years back when i was in my tenth standard. The reason for this being that the theories to get over your mental blocks are more or less the same. It is largely in the manner that they are presented makes for an interesting read. Of course, some self help books no matter how mundane can simply hit a chord in you on account of your mind-set at the time you le More...

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Aug 06, 2010

Louise rated it:

This is the true story of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient, Catherine, and the past-life therapy that changed both their lives.

Catherine came to see Dr. Weiss for help with her life. She was suffering from various fears, recurring nightmares, anxiety attacks, relationship difficulties and depression. Dr. Weiss asked her permission to hypnotize her and was utterly shocked when Catherine began recalling past-life traumas. He was a little suspicious at first but soon his s More...

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May 26, 2010

Barbara added it

This was chosen for our Spirituality Group, and has generated a lot of discussion. Truly an easy, light read, goes very quickly, and is full of challenging ideas. If you believe it all, it both explains a lot of the world's religions and the questions about living, and turns over the apple cart. If you don't believe it, well, it gets to be a bit of an odd boast session. The topic? Reincarnation, prior lives, and the lessons we are to learn as we traverse through those lives. It certainl More...

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Jan 22, 2010

Audrey rated it:

I really liked this book. For this book, the story synopsis on goodreads doesn't do it justice at all. The title does a better job of telling the story. A spell-binding case history told by the psychiatrist, of a patient's hypnosis and past life regression - in this case intended as (and effective as) therapy. The doc starts off innocently enough, thinking he would regress this patient to a blocked early childhood memory which could explain her current fears. Once discovered he felt the More...

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Dec 26, 2009

Kenny rated it:

This book is a good primer on Past Life Regression (PLR). The author is a psychiatrist whose world was radically altered when Catherine entered his office. Over the course of several months, she displayed remarkable psychic abilities and opened up to Weiss the notion of past lives, which were accessed by Weiss through hypnotherapy. For many sessions, he remained skeptical, but when she communicated to him facts about his own life that were impossible for her to know, he became convinced.

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Jun 26, 2009

Chris rated it:

I gave this book four stars because it inspired such interesting discussion at the book club last month. I have never read a book on reincarnation before so I was super fascinated with the subject. The book is about a patient of Dr. Weiss who he puts under hypnosis over a series of visits and, during this regression, uncovers very distinct past lives. He feels this experience is a convincing argument for the concept of reincarnation.

The book club fell into 3 separate category re More...

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Dec 08, 2008

Frederick rated it:

[WARNING - THIS REVIEW IS FULL OF SPOILERS] Granted, I believe in a God who was the product of a virgin birth and rose from the dead, but this book was just too much for me to swallow or stomach. First, the author must be one of the most gullible people on the planet because, without conducting his own investigation of the facts, he believes absolutely everything that his patient (a/k/a conduit to the netherworld) tells him about herself and the alleged messages from the spirits which she chan More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2009

Ursula rated it:

This book was okay. Having read the Conversation with God series many times over, I found this book contained only a few new bits of information about the soul. It did bring up the idea of karmic debt which I found fascinating. Another idea it mentioned was that groups of souls choose to be reincarnated together over many lifetimes. The concept of karmic debt, though interesting, did not resonate with me as much as the latter concept. Can't we all attest to the fact that there are certain peopl More...

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Oct 11, 2011

Ivy rated it:

The idea that you can find healing in your present life by exploring hardships in a past life is something I never would have imagined possible. I would have been very skeptical if it hadn't started to make sense to me as I matured. I wondered where some phobias came from or why I am so fixated in one particular time in history. I even wondered why I couldn't shake the feeling of knowing certain people even though they were perfect strangers. Even weirder--that they felt the same way about m More...

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Dec 09, 2008

Ajay rated it:

i have a hard time believing that anyone can be sure about anything past death. dont get me wrong - ive thought about reincarnation a lot, mostly because its such a turn on of an idea - more lives, more chances, purpose to this life, purpose to all lives, karma, the ability to live as future generations. it, like most happy ideas about post mortem, seems more like sugar we've produced to make this life taste sweet than any kind of truth. so when this book came along with a psychiatrist ready to More...

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Aug 12, 2011

J. Joan rated it:

This book came to me randomly in a sense, but by the time I'd finished reading it and had a chance to get to know the person who gave the book to me a bit better, it all seemed to seem a bit predestined -- which is funny considering the book is about reincarnation, death, life, and a higher power and mission for us all. Interesting read knowing it is written by a reputable psychiatrist, and you will start to wonder more and more as you read on.

The book has changed my perspective of things, an More...

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Nov 08, 2011

Somnath rated it:

I liked the book and however i was always fascinated about the concept of reincarnation and karma.. But this book didn't answer couple of my questions..
1)I believe every living being has a SOUL..
2)If reincarnation is true, we might be a tree or any other living being in one of our births!!
But no where in this book, Catherine (Patient on whom Dr.Brian does an hypnotic therapy to heal her anxieties and fears) mentions that she had been something other than human being.
3)We ta More...

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Feb 11, 2009

Jane rated it:

This book about hypnotherapy and regression to past lives reminded me of the demonstrations my former division head did in my philosophy class. The subjects would cooperate and go back to past lives, but the things they had to say about those lives were either very general (like horoscopes are) or they were typically "American"...e.g. a farm girl living in Virginia. Catherine, the woman in this book who told of her past lives, was unconvincing. The shrink, although well credentialed More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Jude rated it:

Dr. Weiss, a psychiatrist, says sharing his experience with a patient named Catherine "was like opening a window to a fresh breeze. The ones who were ready were revived. They gained insights even more rapidly." He believes "strongly that therapists must have open minds."
He used his new knowledge to help his mother-in-law during her death. He says her "reaction to Catherine's message was encouraging. Her spirit had strengthened, and she had felt hope in the face More...

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Aug 30, 2010

Conan rated it:

Wow, what a read. I have always been skeptical of the things I found in this book, but not so much anymore. It's not that I've been close-minded, but just have never seen or read about any material proof. I am glad my wife was turned onto it and then turned me onto it. I honestly couldn't put it down. And as mystical as it may seem, it really makes a lot of sense to me. I didn't have to step outside myself too much to embrace what this book professes.

Even if you don't believe More...

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May 04, 2009

David rated it:

The case-study of a patient who claims 78 "past lifetimes". Recommended to me by a friend, I found it somewhat interesting, but not very believable. When it comes to reincarnation, I remain a skeptic, based on the lack of even a hint of empirical proof.

The author wants us to believe that "every word is true". Ummm, okay. We're talking about "invisible" stuff here. Other "planes and dimensions of existence", none of which can be scientifica More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Diana rated it:

An intriguing book by Dr. Brian Weiss, a psychotherapist from Miami, FL The book is about Catherine, a patient, who came to him due to problems with anxiety & panic attacks. Although she had had these difficulties since birth, they were beginning to interfere with her employment. Dr. Weiss used several different traditional therapies to no avail. When he at last tried hypnosis, the patient regressed into several past lives. Dr. Weiss had doubts until during one of these sessions, she began More...

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May 21, 2009

Savitri rated it:

I really like this book. This was the first book I read, by accident, on this topic and it got me interested in learning more about it. I am Catholic but being Asian I have been exposed to the idea of reincarnation but never really got into reading it until this book.

True/not? Who knows but that's what our world is full of questions and mysteries. I like to believe that it's true just because of the relationships that I have with people around me. Somehow I just felt like I've known More...

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Dec 10, 2011

Kristal rated it:

While treating a young woman for phobias, this author/psychaiatrist used hypnosis and quickly learned that his patient has lived 86 lives on earth. As he continued to treat her, he heard enough to make him truly believe that we have immortal spirits that return to earth again and again to work through karmic deficiencies.

I found the whole thing fascinating and uplifting. The truths we're all working to embody are beautiful and worthy of centuries of hardship. In the end, suppos More...

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