Many Lives, Many Masters

1 The true story of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient and the past-life therapy that changed both their lives million copies sold MANY LIVES, MANY Masters hachette This Book Brought to you by gnv64DR BRIAN WEISS MANY LIVES, MANY Masters THE TRUE STORY of a prominent psychiatrist, his young patient and the past-life therapy that changed both of their lives PIATKUS PIATKUS First published i n Great Britain i n 1994 b y Piatkus Books First published i n th e United States i n 1988 b y Simon an d Schuster Inc . Copyright Brian L . Weiss M D 1988 Designed by Kathy Kikkert Reprinted 1995, 199 6 (twice), 199 7 (twice), 199 8 (twice), 1999 (twice), 2000, 200 3 (twice), 2004, 200 5 (three times), 200 6 (three times), 2007 (twice), 2008 (twice)

2 The moral right o f th e author ha s bee n asserted All rights reserved No part o f thi s publication ma y b e reproduced, stored i n a retrieval system, or transmitted i n an y for m o r b y an y means, without th e prior permission i n writing o f th e publisher, no r b e otherwise circulated in an y for m o f binding o r cover other tha n tha t i n which i t is published an d without a similar condition including thi s condition being inposed o n th e subsequent purchaser A CI P catalogue record fo r thi s book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-0-7499-1378-6 Printed and bound i n th e U K b y CPI Mackays, Chatham ME5 8T D Papers used b y Piatkus Books ar e natural, renewable an d recyclable products, made from wood grown i n sustainable forests an d certified i n accordance with the rules o f th e Forest Stewardship Council Piatkus Books An imprint o f Little, Brown Book Group 100 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DY An Hachette Livre U K Company Product group from well-managed forests and other controlled sources Mixed Sources i Cert no.

3 SGS-COC-X* OL 1996 Forest Stewardship Council Cert no. SGS-COC-004081 www. piatkus . To Carole, my wife, Whose love has nourished and sustained me for longer than I can remember. We are together, to the end of time. My thanks an d lov e g o to my children, Jordan an d Amy, wh o forgave me fo r stealing s o much tim e fro m the m t o write this book. I als o thank Nicole Paskow fo r transcribing th e audiotapes o f the therapy sessions. Julie Rubin's editorial suggestions afte r reading th e first draft of thi s boo k wer e mos t valuable. My heartfelt thanks g o t o Barbara Gess, my editor a t Simon & Schuster, for he r expertise an d he r courage. My deep appreciation goe s t o al l o f th e others, her e an d there, who have mad e thi s boo k possible. PREFACE I know that ther e i s a reason fo r everything.

4 Perhaps a t th e moment that a n event occurs w e hav e neither th e insight no r the foresight t o comprehend th e reason, bu t wit h time an d patience it wil l com e t o light. So i t wa s wit h Catherine. I first met he r i n 1980 when sh e was twenty-seven years old . Sh e ha d come t o m y office seek-ing help fo r he r anxiety, panic attacks, an d phobias. Although these symptoms ha d been with he r since childhood, i n th e recent past the y ha d become much worse. Every da y sh e found herself more emotionally paralyzed an d les s abl e t o function. She was terrified an d understandably depressed. In contrast t o th e chaos tha t wa s going o n i n he r lif e a t that time, m y lif e wa s flowing smoothly. I had a good stable marriage, two young children, an d a flourishing career. From the beginning, m y lif e seemed always t o have been on a straight course.

5 I had grown u p i n a loving home. Aca -demic success ha d come easily, an d b y m y sophomore year in college I had made th e decision t o become a psychiatrist. I wa s graduated Ph i Bet a Kappa, magna cu m laude, fro m Columbia University i n Ne w York i n 1966. I the n went t o the Yale University School o f Medicine an d received m y degree i n 1970. Following a n internship a t th e Ne w York University-Bellevue Medical Center, I returned t o Yale 5 2 5 2 Brian L. Weiss, to complete m y residency i n psychiatry. Upon completion, I accepted a faculty position a t th e University o f Pittsburgh. Two years later, I joined th e faculty o f th e University o f Miami, heading th e psychopharmacology division. There I achieved national recognition i n th e fields o f biological psy -chiatry and substance abuse.

6 After fou r year s a t th e university, I wa s promoted t o th e ran k o f Associate Professor o f Psychia-try a t th e medical school, an d I wa s appointed Chief o f Psychiatry at a larg e university-affiliated hospital i n Miami. By that time, I ha d already published thirty-seven scientific papers and boo k chapters i n m y field. Years of disciplined study ha d trained m y mind t o think a s a scientist an d physician, molding m e along th e narrow paths of conservatism i n m y profession. I distrusted anything that could not b e proved b y traditional scientific methods. I wa s aware of some o f th e studies i n parapsychology that were being conducted a t major universities across th e country, bu t they did no t hol d m y attention. I t al l seemed to o farfetched tome. Then I met Catherine. Fo r eighteen months I used conven-tional methods o f therapy t o hel p he r overcome he r symptoms.

7 When nothing seemed t o work, I tried hypnosis . I n a series o f trance states, Catherine recalled "past-life" memories that proved to b e th e causative factors o f he r symptoms. Sh e als o was able t o ac t a s a conduit fo r information from highly evolved "spirit entities," an d through the m sh e revealed many of th e secrets o f lif e an d o f death. I n jus t a few short months, her symptoms disappeared, an d sh e resumed he r life , happier and more a t peace tha n eve r before. Nothing in m y background ha d prepared m e fo r this. I was absolutely amazed when these events unfolded. I d o no t hav e a scientific explanation fo r what happened. There is fa r to o much about th e human mind tha t i s beyond Many Lives, Many Masters 11 our comprehension. Perhaps, under hypnosis , Catherine wa s able to focus i n o n th e part o f he r subconscious mind that stored actual past-life memories, o r perhaps sh e ha d tapped into what th e psychoanalyst Carl Jung termed th e collective unconscious, the energy source tha t surrounds u s an d contains the memories o f th e entire human race.

8 Scientists are beginning to seek these answers. We,' as a society, have much t o gai n fro m research int o th e mysteries o f the mind, the soul, the continuation o f lif e after death, and the influence o f ou r past-life experiences o n ou r present be -havior. Obviously, th e ramifications ar e limitless, particularly in th e fields of medicine, psychiatry, theology, an d philosophy. However, scientifically rigorous research i n thi s are a i s i n it s infancy. Strides ar e being made t o uncover thi s information, but the process i s slo w an d i s me t wit h much resistance b y scientists and la y people alike. Throughout history, humankind has been resistant t o change and t o th e acceptance o f ne w ideas. Historical lor e i s replete with examples. When Galileo discovered th e moons o f Jupiter, the astronomers o f tha t tim e refused t o accept o r eve n to look a t thes e satellites because th e existence o f these moons conflicted with their accepted beliefs.

9 S o i t i s no w with psychiatrists and other therapists, wh o refuse t o examine an d evaluate the considerable evidence being gathered about sur -vival after bodily death an d about past-life memories. Their eyes stay tightly shut. This book i s m y small contribution t o th e ongoing research in th e field o f parapsychology, especially th e branch dealing with our experiences before birt h an d after death. Every word that you wil l b e reading i s true. I hav e added nothing, an d I have deleted only those parts that were repetitious. I hav e slightly changed Catherine's identity t o ensure confidentiality. It took m e fou r years t o write about what happened, fou r 5 2 5 2 Brian L. Weiss, years to garner th e courage t o tak e th e professional ris k o f revealing this unorthodox information. Suddenly one night while I wa s taking a shower, I fel t compelled to pu t thi s experience down o n paper.

10 I ha d a strong feeling tha t th e tim e wa s right, tha t I should no t with-hold the information an y longer. Th e lessons I ha d learned were meant t o b e shared wit h others, no t t o b e kept private. The knowledge ha d come through Catherine an d no w ha d to come through me . I kne w that n o possible consequence I might face could prove t o b e a s devastating a s no t sharing the knowledge I ha d gained about immortality an d th e tru e meaning of life . I rushed ou t o f th e shower an d sa t down a t m y des k wit h the stack o f audio tapes I had made during m y sessions wit h Catherine. In th e we e hours o f th e morning, I thought o f m y old Hungarian grandfather wh o ha d die d while I wa s stil l a teenager. Whenever I would tel l hi m that I was afraid t o tak e a risk, h e would lovingly encourage m e b y repeating hi s favorite English expression: "Vat th e hell," h e would say, "vat the hell," ONE The first tim e I sa w Catherine sh e wa s wearing a vivi d crimson dress an d wa s nervously leafing through a magazine in m y waiting room.