Rating: 
Summary: Spiritual inspiration, yes. Likely reality, no.
Review: I myself am a Wiccan and I am very much a believer in past lives and reincarnation. A friend who knew this recommended the book to me, claiming that I'd finally have backup for my beliefs.While my religious faith has remained unshaken, I find the book to be glaringly inconsistent, to make suppositions of all sorts, et cetera. The fact is, if this book is factual from the psychiatrist's point of view, the young lady being interviewed has a vibrantly imaginative mind. Charitably, I will say that she may very well not realize that it's purely imagination at work and in fact she's as likely to believe it as her physician apparently does. Regardless, the verifiable facts in this book (which there are few) simply don't match up with real life details. The ways that he speaks of verifying her realities are absurd, and they are both astonishingly gullible, or her physician at least is a skilled storyteller. It's spiritually inspiring, but it's a fable. I cannot fault it for that, but I cannot take it for truth, either.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: I recommend this book to all of those out there who give thought to possibilities. Dr.Weiss' book is written without any slant to a particular denomination. The book was rather easy to follow and quick to read. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, reading Dr. Weiss' book will challenge you to consider your own beliefs and to reflect on values and priorities placed in life. When I started reading the book, I was interested in what lives his subject had previously lived; however, by the time I finished, I was compelled more by the idea of what we do in this lifetime and what meaning it has for us now. I really did find this book personally inspiring and allowed for spiritual introspection outside of religious overtones. Dr. Weiss does not discount any particular religion either, which I found interesting as well. Read it and see what you think. I do not think that reading the book and enjoying its message makes one gullible.
Rating: 
Summary: Good thinking required
Review: There is something dead wrong with the narrative. The central figure, a beautiful young woman, is directed under hypnosis to many 'former lives'. And one of such lives is dated around 1863 BC! This gives me a headache. How can any subject under hypnosis speak in the present tense of an event that occurred almost two millenia BEFORE the birth of Christ? What kind of calendar was in use at that time?
The second error can be found in one session where the lady says she is in The Netherlands and ejoys a beautiful view of the mountains. Well, I am Dutch and I can assure you, there is not a single mountain in The Netherlands. The highest hill, in the outermost southern part of the country is appr. 30 metres high!
It will become obvious, this book is truly lethal to the gullible reader. Just as with Neal Donald Walsch, who has his terrible conversations with the 'Almighty', people under hypnosis are tapping unconsciously in the astral atmosphere which is infested with evil, so called, 'elementals'. This is the 'garbage can' of psychic life on Earth. It is a base spiritual atmosphere where nothing can be trusted, where the spirits of the dead seek apparently intelligent communication with the living. If one likes to know if one deals with a real intelligent spirit or with so called 'shells', the psychic 'clothes' of a died person, the spirit can be tested by asking a question like "why" did this or so happen. But just as in this book, shell's can not answer a why-question. They are merely disintegrating automata without a thinking faculty. They just fool around and continuously repeat as they did in their lifetime, until they lose all energy and dissipate, which varies from a few decennia to many hundreds of years. What else is wrong? Well, theosophy for instance, teaches that the average time an ordinary person, with the exception of young children, remains in 'heaven' before a new life is due, must be calculated about 100 years for each lived year. This is because we all accumulate spiritual aspirations that have to be assimilated in heavenly surroundings before a new incarnation can take place. And trust me, a person who once has tasted of devachan, or the 'heavenly' sphere, would not be so willing to return to this terrible Earth with its many pains, before his or her time is due. This must sound logical to any person who does not like to rise very early, far before sunrise, when there is no necessity for that at all? No certainly not, each likes to enjoy his undisturbed sleep. But in this nevertheless easy reading book, we come across one 'life' that ended in flames, when the central figure dies as a German officer during W.W. II. The subject was then a young pilot who had a moral aversion to warfare. Such a person can according to occult tenets never be born within a couple of the alleged years, but should rest some (25 x 100 =) 2500 years first! My conclusion: the author is not describing authentic cases of reincarnation but blurred visions in the astral, the picture gallery of the waste ground of Earth. In this picture gallery of nature all actions from all that lives is recorded, or perhaps better, imprinted as with deep steps in the mud. So look at the narrative as a good adventure and in that perspective it is good reading. The visions of the subject in this book, may give some clue about former lives, other lives, but not those of herself, not withstanding how much she likes to believe so.
Rating:
Summary: Bunk
Review: This book is of the worst kind. It's author's credentials would lead one to believe that this is a scientific study. It is the most subjective, self absorbed accumulation of drivel that I've ever seen. I would have no objection to this, had it not been promoted as science. There are NO substantial or verifiable facts in the entire book. Please don't waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: Simply amazing...
Review: I have been spiritually awakened. Never had I dreamed that there really is a higher existence beyond our physical being. It has inspired me to learn more about past lives and incarnations.
Rating: 
Summary: Any Answers?
Review: I would like to think that all of this is possible. Who the heck knows? I found the book interesting, thought provoking, and it made me think about reincarnation and my life's journey. I would like to know where I have been, where I'm going. Am I making a difference? Could this be the answer to deja vu? What the heck happens when you experience that "I've never been here before, but I sure feel like I know about this place" feeling that we all have had at one time or another? Who's to say that it's not what Dr. Weiss attributes it to? Who are we anyway? What are our purposes in this life? These are the ultimate questions - does this book have the ultimate answers? Read it for yourself and see what you think when you finish. I enjoyed the book and the possible explanations to questions I have in my own life. You may find it thought provoking too.
Rating:
Summary: A breakthrough for relationships
Review: After reading this book, I finally got a good grasp on the why and how of relating to others. Brian Weiss's account of reincarnation is extremely inspiring, revealing and honest. The good thing is, he doesn't care whether you believe the events he describes or not. There's nothing to verify anyway, but I just knew deep inside that it was all true. My life is changed forever, for the better!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Book
Review: This book reacquainted me with concepts and beliefs that I hadn't really thought about in years. The best aspect of the book is that it comes from a reputable source and significant time is spent validating the data acquired and its significance. Additionally, the author, at the time he received the information was a most unlikely source, a man of science, proof and substance. There are all sorts of books about reincarnation and the existence of past lives. To start the journey, however, many analytical and skeptical people should begin here. You want to have some measure of assurance that what you're reading and "buying into" is credible and reasonable, I would hope. This is the best place to start. I strongly recommend that you follow with "Messages from the Masters" and then begin looking at the website of Brian Weiss for his recommended reading list and look for topics of interest to you and take it from there. I've gone from all of the Weiss books, to many he's recommended to many books analyzing the work of Edgar Cayce and others. I also found this book helpful because the prior book that led me on a spiritual journey was "Embraced by the Light" by Betty Eadie which, for me confirmed my belief in the afterlife. It was a truly extraordinary book, but it didn't complete the full circle. Some people needed to know of the afterlife and what exists there. When I read of it, I desired to escape all of the struggles of daily life and be there. I was looking forward to getting there when my time came. This book brought it all full circle and helped understand the purpose of life, the existence of multiple incarnations and what we should hope to achieve in each. A great book.
Rating:
Summary: Life changing
Review: I cannot get 'into' a book very easily - and it can even take me months to finish one that interests me. I picked up this book, by suggestion of a friend, about 3 years ago. I sat down on a Sunday morning around 10AM and with the exception of making a quick sandwich and some 'natures call' breaks, I did not put this book down. Next thing I knew it was 5:00 in the afternoon and I had read the entire book. Right from the first few pages, it'll grab you. I've purchased this book for several friends and family members and I get the same response, "WOW!" I'm generally a pretty intense, high-strung person. After reading this book, I really mellowed out and learned not to take things SO hard when they go wrong, to take things in stride. We're all here to "LEARN" - to be better people. Better spirits. This book somehow taught me to live a healthier lifestyle, to be happier and really enjoy my life, my friends, my family. I'm now reading it for the 2nd time and I'm enjoying it just as much as the first time. OBVIOUSLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: The kind of hoax that motivates suicide bombers
Review: I'm rewriting my review since some readers expressed the comfort they found in the ideas described in this book, in the face of the recent terror attacks. I thought I should remind these readers that it is exactly these false ideas about afterlife and reincarnation that motivate suicide bombers who think their soul will not die with their body. In general, not only for terrorists, these ideas undermine the value of our current and only incarnation. I would not talk about the influence or value of these ideas had I believed they were true but, as I hope to be able to convince you, I know they are false. All the reported reincarnation events are about persons claiming to recall events in past lives.
This is natural, since how else could one prove that one has the soul of somebody else? Now, these stories assume something that we know for a fact not to be true: they assume that the memories are in the soul and not in the body (how else would the reincarnation of the soul enable the new person to know about the old one?). How do we know this is wrong? Simple! We know that we can lose our memory or parts of it through an injury or malfunction of our brain. This is a common phenomenon we encounter in car accidents. This is also the basis for some diseases like Alzheimer. Now, in all these cases, it is only our brain that is damaged. We don't lose our soul. If the memories were part of the soul, we would not have lost them! Hence, the memories are not in the soul and all the stories of recollection of events in past lives cannot be true. To me, the reincarnation of a soul with no memory is as meaningless as the reincarnation of some of the atoms composing my body in the body of the worms that eat it. After all, what are we but our memories? What is it that makes us "us"? I knew all that before I started reading the book but a friend urged me to read the book in spite of my understanding. He kept saying this book talks about facts, which I should not keep ignoring. So I started reading this book. I almost stopped when, on page eleven I found the sentence "I have slightly changed Catherine's identity to ensure confidentiality" since through this sentence the book declared itself unscientific, providing me with no means to check whether or not the facts my friend was talking about were, indeed, facts. Still, I decided to continue and see if I can find something I could relate to. On page 27, the author describes his first encounter with a previous life cycle Catherine was able to recall under hypnosis. I'll cite only a few sentences from her testimony:
"We live in the Valley... There is no water. The year is 1863 B.C. The area is barren, hot, and sandy" Now, we all know that people in this time could not use the term B.C. to designate dates! How could she know then that in exactly 1863 years, Jesus will be born? Even if she really wanted to translate some other date representation to the terms we use today, how could she do it? No way! Some readers, reacting to my previous review and to other reviews that pointed to this flaw, suggested that it could be explained away as something the author introduced using his current knowledge (oddly enough, nobody tried to counter the stronger claim I raised, that reincarnation itself is impossible). Besides the fact that this suggestion contradicts the author's own claim that he only changed the details that could have been used for identification, it cannot be the case for logical reasons. Imagine you had a time machine that could not be told to go to a specific date but only to go back, go forward and go to 1 minute after the moment of initial departure (so you won't get lost) and you could prepare to your journey to the past and learn everything that is known to mankind. Had you activated this time machine and landed in 1863 B.C. you would not, with all your knowledge, and even if you stayed there for several years and collected all the data you could, be able to tell the year in these terms. OK, only almost so. There are means I can think of that none of the readers suggested. I can find a tree from that period that still lives today and count its rings (assuming I can do it without changing the way the tree looks today, if I don't want to stumble into the time travel contradictions) but I don't believe any of the defenders of this book thinks this is what Catherine did (The author could not have done it since only Catherine is claimed to remember these days). Note that if you maintain Catherine did it, you must claim she counted the rings of the tree (sometimes growing in an area that is barren) in all the reincarnations she is reporting about, and she must have done it without knowing that she'll need this knowledge in the current incarnation. In short, not only is reincarnation impossible (which is the main thing I'd like you to remember), this book unmasks itself as a hoax through additional inconsistencies. It was, hence, my friend who was ignoring the facts. Have I deprived you of your hopes for reincarnation?
Look at the bright side. At least I gave you a good advice for free and not a bunch of lies for money.
I hope I have also encouraged you to make the most of your current (and only) incarnation and (inter alia) not waste it on pseudo science nonsense. One last suggestion. If you intended to buy this book, please buy a book about science instead. I'd recommend you start with "Unweaving the Rainbow" by Richard Dawkins.
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