Rating: 
Summary: A ground-breaking book offering proof that life never ends.
Review: I felt "flashbacks," if you will, as I read this book, especially the discussion about soul groups and the schooling-type activities that go on in the spirit world. It's good that this account includes multiple case studies of those who have been regressed beyond their past lives into this other realm -- and that their answers were strikingly similar. The concept of soul development levels helps to explain a great deal about human behavior throughout the ages. The spirit world's strong sense of kinship, love, and understanding stuck with me long after reading Journey of Souls. How wonderful if these concepts could be shared universally; perhaps human beings might cease to cause each other so much physical harm? Alas, part of the order of the Universe seems to point out that this will never be possible on Earth. That gives those of us who want to contribute positively to the world something to strive for. It also offers a sense of hope, that life, "Here" and "There," is an ongoing series of lessons, and that there is always a higher level of being to reach.
Rating:
Summary: Convincing
Review: Prior to reading this book I had read dozens of books that discussed theories and case studies regarding reincarnation, including those presenting the experiences of Ian Stevenson, Edgar Cayce, Bruce Goldberg, Brian Weiss, Nick Bunick, Carol Bowman and others. (I had been a skeptic for over 25 years since I read a small reincarnation book published by the Theosophical Society while in my late teens.) However, other than the book by Dr. Goldberg, none really gave much of a glimpse on the "in between life" of the spirit.This book did more to convince me than any other. The author's careful, consistent and scientific approach was the key for me. Reading this book was like reading the notes from a scientist's journal, for Dr. Newton admits he was a skeptical non-believer in the beginning as well. The author's follow-on book (Destiny of Souls) is also quite good in this respect, but it does not break much new ground. I did a regression with one of the author's students (several years after I read JOS for the first time) and was deeply moved by the experience. The regression helped confirm strong intuitions I was having regarding an individual I had known in my youth and helped explain dozens of baffling and often bizarre dreams I had been having about this individual over a nearly 20 year period. These were dreams that went back to many earlier periods in American history, the 1920s/30s and late 1800s, specifically, and confirmed a close family connection in those past lives (I have had other dreams since that suggest at least one additional shared lifetime in 1700s England). I would have never fully grasped or appreciated the origin of these dreams without the information presented in this book. But more than that, JOS allowed me to better trust my intuitions and convictions, especially the notion that all of us are here of our free will and, therefore, that every action we take (including coming to earth again) is a personal choice that inherently demands personal accountability for its outcome.
Rating:
Summary: terrific, informative, engrossing and life-changing
Review: I was amazed by this book which I highly recommend as very well worth getting. It's that rare combination of an informative and helpful book that is as spell-binding to read as a terrific novel. Best of all, despite my extensive reading and experiences in this area and my knowing of higher spiritual dimensions yet, this still greatly helped in how to better work with and understand the various aspects of Earth school to get the maximum benefits possible while here. Although "Many Lives, Many Masters" by Dr. Weiss also was helpful and interesting and addresses similar topics, this book provides so much more information and at much greater depth that it was much more wonderful to read, so much so that I didn't want to put it down. As an added bonus, it is nice and thick so your reading pleasure lasts that much longer. Thus, this book ends up well worth the cost in every way, unlike the majority these days.
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Summary: This is the first of two MEMORABLE Books.
Review: LIke his second book, this book has changed my life. I recommend it whole heartedly. This is not your typical spiritual book. It is more than that. It is a work of art. It is a labor of life and shows a passion for detail that is exceptional. I found this book easy to read and wonderful in content. I read it cover to cover. I was not bored, nor did I find any dry passages. His work and research is outstanding. If you are at all, interested in lives between our life then you need to read this book. Wonderful does not do it justice. Outstanding is more like it!
Rating: 
Summary: Not convinced
Review: Interesting ... but credible? The described after death experience sounds like a wonderful college or university run according to modern ideas of teaching, well staffed with wise teachers and counsellors, students encouraged to learn at their own pace, loads of experiential learning etc. All very seductive, but his books beg many questions.
For example, has Dr Newton published his work in any scientific journal subjected to peer review, where his methods of hypnosis and questioning etc can be scrutinised? If so, it would be good to have the references cited in his books so we can if we wish obtain copies of his papers and judge for ourselves if his methods are acceptable and not leading or biased. If he has not published his findings, why not, as he claims to be an academic, and publishing in peer reviewed journals is what academics do. And if what he is writing were to be accepted as credible(at least in part) by other reseachers his discoveries probably would have great impact and recognition.
Have his findings been replicated, if so by whom, and have these replication studies been published in a peer reviewed journal of repute?
How do we know the interviews have not been invented? They all sound suspiciously similar in the use of words and level of vocabulary etc.
Why the first book and then a sequel? Why could not all the information be included in the first book? How were decisions made as to what would be included or excluded in the first book? Was the second book just embroidery and further invention stimulated by the ideas and success of the first book?
These are just some of the questions I would like answers to before placing much belief in what he is writing. This is not to suggest Dr Newton does not have the answers - only that I have not heard them yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Silly but entertaining (kind of)
Review: I have read a lot of books on life after death and they vary greatly. Journey of Souls is down at the bottom of the crediblity meter but it does have a few chapters that are entertaining.
The book is made up of interviews the author, a trained hypnotist, compiled from his patients while under hypnosis.
A brief summary of the book goes something like this:
After we depart this world we find ourselves being rapidly transported to our heavenly home via some people mover, kind of like the ones found in many airports except these move much quicker, like the speed of light quicker. There is even a grand central station where our paths cross as we hurry along to pick up our "ride", everyone seems to be in a big hurry to get to their "home". Once you get to your "home" it is simply a clump of other souls, sort of like a bunch of grapes, and you are just one of the grapes. And these dozen or so soul friends are your eternal buddies. There is very little contact with the billions of other souls, forget spending eternity with grandparents or other loved ones but if you miss them you can communicate telepathically. Each bunch of grapes has their own guidance counselor. We spend all our time learning, by life review and study preparing for our next incarnation.
After a while all the interviews start sounding the same. The questions by the author are extremely leading. He directs his clients to pretty much say what he wants to hear or expects to hear. And what he expects or wants really lacks imagination, if the afterlife is that dull I hope I live for a long, long time.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Read... Amazingly Intresting....
Review: I highly reccommend this book to anyone who has any intrest at all in the afterlife and the supernatural. When the book arrived at my home i picked it up, started to read it and didnt stop till i finisished it. Only took me about 2 and a half hours but it was a great read. Somehow when reading the book you cant help but feel like what the author is writing is familiar. This is def one of those books that everyone should read.
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Summary: Thank you, Dr. Newton! The world needs more of your books!
Review: Dr. Newton has practically stumbled onto the door to the other side, but then serendipity is the reason for a lot of great discoveries, isn't it? I believe his research will help humans evolve to a higher level. A friend gave me "Journey of Souls" to read after my dad passed away and it put my mind at ease. My mom, who is 82, reads his books over and over as much as she reads her bible. Funny combination but then again, maybe not. It all depends on how you interpret it.
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Summary: Find Out What Happens When You Die...and Between Lives
Review: "Are you afraid of death? Do you wonder what is going to happen to you after your die? Is it possible you have a spirit which came from somewhere else and will return there after your body dies, or is this just wishful thinking because you are afraid?" --Dr. Michael Newton in Journey of Souls - Case Studies of Life Between Lives
At one time or another, everyone wonders what happens to them when they die, and what lies beyond the grave. In his book Journey of Souls - Case Studies of Life Between Lives, Hypnotherapist Dr. Michael Newton chronicles the experiences of 29 people that were under deep hypnosis and their experiences between lives. Many books have been written about past lives, but this book addresses what happens between lives.
Dr. Newton did not set out to regress people beyond their current earthly lives. In fact, as a skeptic by nature and one oriented towards traditional therapy, he resisted requests to do past-life regression--feeling that this was unorthodox and unethical. However, one of his clients complained of a lifetime of chronic pain on his right side, and during one of their regular sessions, the client made stabbing motions to describe the kind of pain he felt. When searching for an explanation for this client's choice of images, he uncovered that his client had a past life as a WWI solider that was killed by a bayonet in France. Through this discovery, they were able to eliminate this pain altogether.
He then began to do past life regressions, but then stumbled on a discovery of enormous proportions: he found that it was possible to see into the spirit world through the mind's eye of a hypnotized subject who could report back to him about life between lives.
Dr. Newton explains:
"The research was painfully slow, but as the body of my cases grew I finally had a working model of the eternal world where our souls live. I found thoughts about the spirit world involve universal truths among the souls of people living on Earth. It was these perceptions by so many different types of people which convinced me that their statements were believable. I am not a religious person, but I found the place where we go after death to be one of order and direction, and I have come to appreciate that there is a grand design to life and afterlife."
Dr. Newton shares actual dialogue culled from audio recordings of regression sessions between he and his clients about what happens at the gate of death, who meets us on the other side, what we do once we're there, the purpose of our life, the role of guides, the nature of karma, cluster "study groups", inter-soul communication, what happens to "disturbed" souls, aura colors, the different levels of souls, and much more.
I found Journey of Souls utterly fascinating, as well as Dr. Newton's sequel Destiny of Souls. However, my experience with these books was much more than mere intellectual fascination: both my husband and I experienced an utter paradigm shift about the afterlife, the Creator, and the purpose of life. Up until reading these books, I was still on the fence about reincarnation, and my husband's perspective was "no way!" The compelling regression sessions chronicled in this book convinced us otherwise, largely because of the consensus among regressed clients and how their reports confirmed some spiritual notions we were discovering on our own through direct experience.
No other model made sense to either one of us; we long concluded that there was no literal hell, but what of suffering on Earth? Are our bodies, and our lives, completely random and arbitrary? Is it really possible we live more than one life? Why are we born into the family we are, especially if it results in abuse or pain?
In these books we discovered that individuals carefully choose his or her own body and life circumstances to bring about certain experiences and to draw the soul closer to the perfection of the Creator. The whole point of incarnating is for self development. Yet, no one is rushed back into incarnating, and every soul has a chance to enter a dimension of time/space to "try out" a life and decide if this is the best choice for their own path.
On the other side, there is playfulness, exploration, role playing, lessons, growth, past life examination, and so on. It is a place of rest, healing, rejuvenation, and self-examination. There are "schools" and our learning is a part of a specialized soul group. We have guides who teach us how to work with energy, and others who open up "books of life" so we can scrutinize our past life performance--and decide where we messed up, and how we can best grow in future lives.
A helpful aspect of this book is the explanation of why some individuals go through difficult relationships, especially as children:
"When clients tell me how much they suffered from the actions of family members, my first question to their conscious mind is, 'If you had not been exposed to this person as a child, what would you now lack in understanding?' It may take awhile, but the answer is in our minds. There are spiritual reasons for our being raised as children around certain kinds of people, just as other people are designated to be near us as adults...
...whatever happens to us in life, it is important we understand that our happiness or pain does not reflect either blessings or betrayal on the part of a God-oversoul, our guides, or life selection coordinators. We are the master of our own destiny."
Most encouraging though, especially to those who fear a vengeful God awaiting them after death, is that we are not condemned or punished in the afterlife. Newton writes:
"All soul evaluation conferences, be they with our guides, peers, or a panel of masters have one thing common. The feedback and past life analysis we receive in terms of judgment is based upon the original intent of our choices as much as the actions of our lifetime. Our motivations are questioned and criticized, but not condemned in such a way as to make us suffer."
I highly recommend Journey of Souls, especially if you're searching for answers about the meaning of your life, why things happen, and what happens after death. Truly, we are never alone and are always surrounded by a supportive "great cloud of witnesses".
Review Originally Posted At http://NewAge.BellaOnline.com
Rating:
Summary: From the auhor of Tales of Ancient Xenar
Review: I have read many books about the afterlife, including Embraced by the light, Life on the Other Side, the Ripple Effect. But I would have to rate this book to be the best of them. Because this book doesn't give the views of the afterlife of just 1 person, but the views of 29. Dr. Newton put these people under hypnosis to talk to their superconsciousness to get details about the spirit world and their past lives.
The way I see it, when a person has a near-death experience, their memories of the experience are often filtered by their consciouness. This often causes the person to have incomplete memories of the experience and can sometimes change certain details. But in this book, no one is recalling a near-death experience. They are put under hypnosis and their superconsciousness is awakened. This provides a very detailed and virtually unfiltered view of the spirit world. I would suggest to anyone out there, please buy this book or check it out at your local library. It is very much worth reading.
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