Discovering Soul Journeys: An Atheist Psychiatrist's Revelations Through Hypnosis

Dr. Brian Weiss is a Jewish American psychiatrist, emeritus chairman of psychiatry at the 'Mount Sinai' medical center in Miami, and a pioneer in hypnosis therapy. An avowed atheist, Weiss didn't believe in the spiritual realm or the existence of the soul until an unexpected chapter in his career opened the door to a new spiritual world.

One of his patients suffered from anxiety, nightmares, and depression. Conventional treatments failed to improve her mental state, so Weiss attempted hypnosis therapy. This approach suggests that repressed events from infancy, childhood, or later stages linger in the subconscious, causing mental and physical issues. Bringing these events to the surface can lead to healing. While hypnotized, the patient began recounting trauma from her childhood, but no improvement occurred. Weiss realized he needed to delve deeper into her past to find the root of her mental struggles. Then, the unexpected happened. The patient started describing herself as a young woman from an ancient culture, detailing a giant wave tearing her baby from her arms and drowning her. Weiss theorized it could be a past life experience.

Despite this, Weiss remained skeptical of past lives, the spiritual realm, and the existence of the soul. During another session, however, everything changed. The patient referenced a period between lives and revealed details about Weiss's infant son, who died of a heart complication, and about his deceased father—information unknown even to his closest friends and without any records.

This was a turning point for Weiss. He continued the therapy, finding connections between the patient's previous life descriptions and the illnesses and symptoms she suffered since childhood. The traumas from her past life were the key to her present struggles, and by the end of the treatment, she was free from her anxieties. Consequently, Weiss specialized in using hypnosis for past life regression.

In an interview with 'Haaretz,' when asked how his scientific training aligns with the belief in reincarnation, Weiss answered, "The scientist is just an observer. He doesn't claim there is or isn’t a soul. He observes phenomena without preconceived notions. Based on my observations, it exists. Increasingly, scientists, including physicists, find that the soul persists beyond death. It’s no longer unscientific to say so."

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