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1. Introduction to Reincarnation Research
Reincarnation is considered by some to be the greatest “unknown” scientific discovery of modern times. In the last chapter of Dr. Ian Stevenson‘s book entitled Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation (1967), he provides exhaustive scientific reasoning which concludes that reincarnation is the only viable explanation that fits the facts of his study. He considers every possible alternative explanation for his twenty cases of young children who were spontaneously able to describe a previous lifetime as soon as they learned to talk. He was able to rule out alternative explanations using one or more of his cases. Later research also bolstered his findings in favor of the reality of reincarnation. His study is also reproducible for any skeptic who doubts the validity of his study to repeat it for themselves. I believe it is only a matter of time before these findings are realized by the scientific community to be one of the great scientific discoveries of all time.
Many people would be very surprised at the tremendous amount of references to reincarnation in the Bible. The most compelling references in the Bible comes from the teachings of Jesus concerning John the Baptist and his former life as Elijah the prophet [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]. More can be found on the Reincarnation in the Bible page. Jesus is also seen in near-death accounts giving people the choice to reincarnate [1].
There is a misconception many people have about reincarnation. Some Eastern religions assume that, after death, people immediately reincarnate without inhabiting various spirit realms in between Earth lives. NDEs affirm that we do not immediately reincarnate after death. The reason is because time does not exist in the spirit realms, and reincarnation is not a linear process.
Near-death experiencers often cannot describe the length of their journey in terms of earthly time. A single experience may seem like an eternity and, at the same time, it may also feel like it was only a moment. This is because the spirit realms are completely outside of time. It is for this reason that we can literally spend an eternity in the spirit realms before we decide whether we want to reincarnate to Earth or not.
2. Reincarnation is not Eternal
NDEs repeatedly suggest that reincarnation is remedial, not endless. In this view, Earth is a school where we develop love, wisdom, and will – until we no longer need another lifetime to learn the same lessons. NDErs and researchers alike describe a process toward “graduation”: merging more fully with the Light, where identity is clarified rather than erased, and where further growth can unfold without returning to the physical world.
This perspective reframes karma as education rather than punishment. Karmic debts are balanced through cause and effect, yet the higher law of forgiveness can transform what would otherwise require another incarnation. Many NDE testimonies also describe an intermediate realm – heavenly classrooms, councils, and training centers – where choices are reviewed, character is matured, and future paths are freely selected. In this space, time can stretch; some souls elect to serve and grow in spirit for long periods – or indefinitely – without reincarnating at all.
What hinders “graduation” are unresolved attachments and misaligned desires that restrict the soul’s free expression. What advances it is the alignment of human will with divine will – love enacted in thought and deed – until the soul recognizes itself as part of God’s Light. The following testimonies from NDErs and researchers outline this pattern: why reincarnation occurs, how it can be transcended, and how forgiveness, choice, and spiritual maturation open the way home.
“We are to live on Earth in such a way that we will not need to return to Earth after death.” (Cecil)
“In time, we who are trapped in the cycle of birth and rebirth can once again come to know our original state and purpose, and regain our celestial birthright as a companion to God. In time we can again come to realize that the conditions in our current life is the result of our free actions and choices from past lives.” (Edgar Cayce)
“If a person dies and merges completely into the light, another reincarnation is improbable. However, it is more usual for people to have earthly attachments and not merge completely with the light. Such souls may have characteristics of their personality, which they do not want merged with the light.” (Thomas Sawyer)
“The law of karma demands that we meet every bit of our karmic debts. However, an even greater law exists, the law of forgiveness. If we wrong someone and that person forgives us, when the day comes that we approach God, we realize our memories which are incompatible with God, but forgiveness removes the barrier of separation. The law is so precise (what one gives one receives; no exceptions) that if we begin forgiving others, we begin to receive forgiveness upon ourselves. Unless, of course, we refuse to forgive ourselves.” (Edgar Cayce)
“Most Westerners think that reincarnation is instantaneous, but this is not generally so. For the overwhelming majority of Hindus and Buddhists, there is an intermediate state between death and rebirth.” (Dr. Ken R. Vincent)
“A soul can choose to remain in heaven and operate on that level for eternity.” (David Oakford)
“A central aspect of our eternal existence is continued spiritual growth through love and service. We can spend what seems like an eternity before incarnating in the flesh. During that period in the spirit world, soul growth can be attained there as well.” (Nora Spurgin)
“There’s seems to be like classrooms and/or training centers where ‘souls’ are shown what alternatives choices they may have had, and why the ones they made had unfortunate consequences, such as a premature death. Choice in returning to a new life seems to be an option, not sure if for all of the souls or selected ones.” (Larry M.)
“Our attraction to worldly desires can hinder the free expression of our soul and only when they are no longer a hindrance can our Earth incarnations be finished. The free expression of our souls happens when our wills become compatible with the thoughts of God. At this time, our conscious spiritual identity with God will merge with our soul consciousness (subconscious mind). This is when the soul merges with the light of God. The return of the soul is the return of the thought that God imagined and is becoming aware of being a part of all God and everything.” (Edgar Cayce)
3. The Past Life Review
For many NDErs, the life review opens far beyond a single lifetime. As the boundary of time dissolves, people describe panoramic, telepathic showings in which past, present, and even probable futures unfold at once – sometimes on luminous screens, in bubbles of whole lifetimes, or through the gaze of a Higher Self. In these scenes, reincarnation is not a debatable doctrine but a self-evident reality: we have lived before (and elsewhere), and we may live again, all within a larger order oriented to learning, love, and growth.
Within this expanded review, two themes recur. First, free will: some NDErs are invited to decide whether to return to the body, continue healing in spirit, or move toward a fuller union with the Light – an embrace many describe as final with respect to earthly return. Second, the curriculum: lives are shown as linked lessons, where strengths ripen, harms are understood, and intentions refine. This past life review is not condemnation but clarification – often accompanied by guidance, mercy, and a sense that some of our paths were predestined in broad strokes, yet remain responsive to free will.
The testimonies that follow illustrate this wider frame. They report a multi-life review, simultaneous overlays of identities, councils of one’s own former selves, and glimpses of planning realms where the next incarnation may be chosen. Read together, they suggest that the life review is better named a “soul review”: a compassionate audit across lifetimes, inviting wiser participation in the soul’s ongoing journey.
“One of the purposes of the life review is to make an informed choice between remaining in spirit or returning to flesh. Should we choose to merge completely with the light of God, we will never again be able to choose, on our own decision, to return to physical life. The decision to merge in the light is the best decision.” (Thomas Sawyer)
“I saw four translucent screens appear (and form a kind of gigantic box around me). It was through this method that I was shown my life review. (Or rather I should say my LIVES IN REVIEW!) Without ever having to turn my head, I saw my past, my present, my future and there was even a screen that displayed a tremendous amount of scientific data, numbers and universal codes. I saw the beginning of my known existence as a Soul and saw that I had existed Spiritually long before this incarnation — where I am now a male human known as Christian Andreason! In Heaven, I undeniably saw that I had lived an innumerable amount of lives. Yet, what I saw went way beyond our comprehension of what we think reincarnation is. So, I am not exactly speaking of being born again and again on this planet alone. I saw that it is a big Universe out there and God has it all organized perfectly. Each of us is sent where we can obtain the best growth according to our Divine purpose.” (Christian Andreason)
“The fear started pulling me into reincarnation and away from all the inclusion and expansive awareness… Then other lives lived started to appear in a visual format. Each life appeared in a bubble; the entire life from beginning to end, in an instant, with awareness of every moment of that life as if it was just lived from birth to death.” (Doug F.)
“I was shown various clips from past lives. I had never before related to reincarnation. I had grown up in a family of non-believers, but I always felt Jesus in my heart. I saw that I had a life as an Indian. I was so strong and powerful. I experienced the whole Indian life and I sensed that I was a man. I lived in harmony with nature and it felt like a wonderful life.” (Anni S.)
“Reincarnation was self-evident, so much so that when it was ‘time’ for the life review I actually had a jolt when trying to remember which life it was I had just discarded that needed to be reviewed. We go on forever, and there is no time.” (Cami R.)
“All communication was telepathic. I asked where my dead stepson was. I was told he had gone back. I asked why they had not? I was told that time and space do not exist here. One second, one year, one thousand years, all the same. I was told we all go back many times, until we have learned what is needed to ascend to a higher state of being.” (Rob D.)
“I asked in my head if there is reincarnation, and he answered to the positive by showing me some of my former lives. I could see different aspects of these lives and they were not familiar, but they were strangely comforting. Like looking at a younger brother or something – too odd to describe.” (Chris D.)
“I did not have a ‘life review,’ I had a ‘past lives in other realms of existence’ review. These were states of existence beyond anything I ever could have imagined.” (Wayne H.)
“I began having visions of my life, not just this one but every life I had ever lived. This life was the last vision I was shown. The visions were almost like those pictographs I had as a kid. I was shown key points in my lives.” (Telesa H.)
“A woman of breathtaking beauty (Jan’s Higher Self) appeared as I watched in awe, and even after the full materialization from pure light to visible, substantial form was complete, nothing was static … ‘Look into my eyes,’ she said with a gentle but commanding smile. As I did, I felt myself being absorbed … The eyes I stared into were mine, the eyes of my soul … As though looking into a kaleidoscope, I saw myriad lifetimes and experiences. Oh, the wonder of me.” (Jan Price)
“I understood it (the life review) to be a recounting of this and past lives, kind of like and introduction to someone else. There was a life review where it was like a re-living of certain moments in my life up to this point.” (Jeff H.)
“I was shown pieces of past lives. They were not full reviews but I believe they were shown as an example that we continue on.” (Jonathan S.)
“My past flashed before me, out of my control I was shown all the past lives I’ve lived. Goes back to beginning of time, each time I came back into different culture and race but still doing the same thing helping people.” (Frank A.)
“My past flashed before me, out of my control. I saw events like the death of a daughter that my spirit identified as being from a past life. I don’t have much information about reincarnation but I was able to verify its existence.” (Emanuele)
“As I watched over my doctors and my body, I was shown several past lives in which I was a different and better person. I apparently did not have the same fate. I was a healer.” (Francis Z.)
“I was given a life review while inside the Void… The life review did not last long because I asked the being something that surprised it. ‘Can I plan my next reincarnation?’ I asked. The being said, ‘Usually people wait until their actual death to choose their reincarnation.'” (Niels W.)
“I was taken to a room where the energies that had a really hard time with the life review were put to sleep to recover and heal. They were surrounded by a loving white light. I was shown a place where everyone has a pre-set life on record, chosen by us. I was shown my life path. Reincarnation is real, but it is our choice to incarnate.” (Ashley M.)
“Directly in front of me, but slightly below, stood a group of spirits… Each spirit had an identity of sorts, but they were part of each other – a single entity, a single awareness, all part of a single force. In the center of the front row were three oriental women. I realized that all of the spirits comprising the entity were my past lives, and that the oriental women were my most recent lives.” (Ron K.)
On March 29, 1977, P.M.H. Atwater had an NDE when she encountered a brilliant light where she saw herself superimposed with all her past and future lives. This wasn’t a sequential life review, but a simultaneous overlay of identities. She described it as a panoramic awareness where her soul’s incarnations – past, present, and future – coexisted. (P.M.H. Atwater)
“My whole life went before me of things I have done and haven’t done, but not just of this one lifetime, but of all the lifetimes. I know for a fact there is reincarnation. This is an absolute. I was shown all those lives and how I had overcome some of the things I had done in other lives. There was still some things to be corrected.” (Amber Wells’ NDE research)
4. Factors Influencing Reincarnation
NDErs often describe reincarnation not as a mechanical fate, but as a purposeful return shaped by love, learning, and choice. Amber Wells’ NDE research distills this into three recurring themes: individual free will, karmic patterns or ties to other souls, and the soul’s drive for learning or enlightenment. In this view, Earth functions as an accelerated school where truth and forgiveness are core lessons, and where progress is tested in lived relationships. Many testimonies depict pre-birth preparation – spirit guides, heavenly libraries, and spirit councils – alongside the freedom to pause, study in spirit, or return by consent when soul growth calls.
These testimonies also widen the frame. Some emphasize service – returning to help or to “clean up” the mess that we’ve set in motion. Others describe evolution unfolding on two streams at once: the biological and the spiritual, with earthly lives as intersections between them. While some NDErs arrive skeptical, they leave convinced, most agree on a few essentials: our identities endure across lifetimes; memory is veiled for the sake of learning; guidance is available; and reincarnation is not endless – graduation or voluntary teaching remains possible. What follows gathers NDE-based insights on the factors that influence if, when, and why souls choose reincarnation on Earth.
According to Amber Wells’ NDE reincarnation research the factors influencing reincarnation are:
- Individual choice (free will)
- Karmic patterns or ties to other souls
- Learning or enlightenment
“Life itself is a series of learnings. The lessons are universal, the two most important being truth and forgiveness. The chief purpose of reincarnation is education. To this end we are born again and again on Earth, not because of any external pressure, but because we, as souls, desire to grow. It (reincarnation) is a universal process, and prevails not only in the human kingdom but also throughout the whole of nature. Whenever we find a living form, the consciousness of that form is also evolving, using temporarily for that purpose the physical form in order that it may gain physical experience. In each incarnation we have a different physical body, a different name, and may have different souls acting as parents, but these changes do not in the slightest imperil our individuality … Reincarnation is not an endless process, and when we have learned the lessons taught in the World-School we return no more to physical incarnation unless we come back of our own accord to act as Teachers of humanity or as Helpers in the glorious plan of evolution.” (Amber Wells’ NDE research)
“If we do not wish to reincarnate to the physical state to learn our lessons, there are schools in the spirit were we can learn them. However, learning our lessons in the physical state is the fastest way to learn them.” (David Oakford)
“If you loved someone who is on a lower vibration than you are, you are allowed to visit anytime you choose by simply lowering your rate of vibration. This may help the entity greatly by encouraging self-love and growth. However, the entity will need to incarnate again on the Earth plane to test out these new lessons, because it is the Earth experience that determines your stage of evolution.” (Betty Bethards)
“I saw spirits going to and from the Earth and the city… The being told me that some of the spirits passing were the ones that were doing the work with humans on Earth. I could make out the type of spirits that were doing the work and the spirits that were coming to the great city to become replenished to eventually go back to Earth to experience and further evolve.” (David Oakford)
“The coming into the Earth has been and is, for the evolution or evolving of the soul unto its awareness.” (Edgar Cayce)
“Reincarnation, at least as I conceive it, does not nullify what we know about evolution and genetics. It suggests, however, that there may be two streams of evolution – the biological one and a personal one – and that during terrestrial lives these streams may interact.” (Dr. Ian Stevenson)
“After this near-death experience, I realize that there are different levels after death. That you need to fulfill as much as possible all tasks to help others while on Earth. That if you live a wasted life you will keep evolving to Earth to re-learn the reason you are here in the first place.” (Kim G.)
“I was part of everything, and everything was part of me. Everything was living, dying, and being reborn.” (Larry Hagman)
According to Edgar Cayce, we are preparing for future lifetimes during the life we live now. (Edgar Cayce)
“Souls often have misgivings about even temporarily leaving the spirit realms of self-understanding, comradeship, and compassion to go to the Earth where there exists uncertainty and fear brought about by aggressive, competing humans. Our experience in the spirit realms rejuvenates us and helps motivate us toward another Earth experience.” (Dr. Michael Newton)
“In order for us to appreciate, benefit, and learn all we can from life, we must re-discover what we knew before we were born – now in physical ways.” (David Goines)
“If we chose to clean up the mess we create on Earth, we will not contribute to the mess of others and this will contribute to the healing of the Earth. Reincarnation is the process which allows us to return to Earth to clean up our mess.” (David Oakford)
“Our desire to grow and learn leads us to be born in the physical realm.” (Dr. Kenneth Ring)
“The point to incarnating in a physical body is so that once we are done, we can then explore the many worlds and places of wonder within [heaven]. However, each of us is allowed a sacred space there, where we can make a home for our Soul, if we desire to.” (Christian Andreason)
“So I saw these souls and they were waiting for their chance to come to Earth to learn. I felt their desire to come to Earth. It was overwhelming – very powerful – almost like a hunger to the soul.” (Darlene Holman)
“I continued on to a library of sorts… There were small groups of people or spirits in individual rooms called ‘pods’. In these rooms the spirits or people were planning their next life or reincarnation.” (Jill F.)
Some experiencers, such as RaNelle Wallace and Plato’s account of the NDE of Er, see souls in heaven who are yet to be born. These souls are seen preparing to leave heaven. (RaNelle Wallace)
“Immediately I was in the most beautiful serene place I had ever been. My grandfather, another person whom I had known in a previous life, and a guardian were ready to help me with the transition.” (Karen Schaeffer)
“I also knew that if I didn’t come back at this time, in this body, I would return to the Earth school in another body, to finish what I was here to do. Before the experience, I didn’t believe or disbelieve in reincarnation. Now I am sure that I have had many reincarnations.” (Cara)
“I have always believed in reincarnation and that we are something more than the physical body. I believe that the purpose of our lives is to learn, teach, and to evolve to get to the place of love. This [near-death] experience confirmed my beliefs.” (Maria C.)
“I did not believe in reincarnation at the time and the experience made it very clear to me that we do indeed take many earthly forms, each time to learn particular lessons.” (Jeff H.)
“I had not believed in reincarnation but the [near-death] experience gave me the knowledge that I have lived before and this life is only one of many my soul has experienced and will experience.” (Lael)
“Everything made sense, even though it might not have been what I believed in formerly. For instance, we attended, although sporadically, a Christian church. This [NDE] taught me about reincarnation. I had never heard of the idea or belief in reincarnation, but since I came back I can accept no other belief system.” (Sandra C.)
“After my NDE experience, my ideas about reincarnation changed. I knew it was true. It felt so normal.” (Anne M.)
“But then something compelled me to ask, is there reincarnation, and if so, was I reincarnated and who was I? Jesus responded to me that there is, and I was reincarnated but that’s not what’s important… He responded, yes, but it wasn’t important, because, reincarnation isn’t as we perceive it.” (John C.)
“I also saw some of my past lives, with Jesus telling me about them as I viewed them… I became extremely aware that the body is completely a recording system for memories and events from not only this life, but past lives where there is unfinished business.” (Carmel B.)
“I was told that we live again and again and the word for it as we know is reincarnation, but that is too limiting and not really the whole truth, so I don’t go into that too much because it confuses Christians.” (Jennifer W.)
“When they informed me that I had ‘other lives’ they didn’t tell me if they were PAST LIVES or PARALLEL LIVES or ALTERNATE LIVES. They merely called them my other lives. I learned that what we do in one life impacts our experience in this one, etc.” (Galadriel K.)
“I felt myself floating in the air and looked towards the gurney where I saw my body, but I was above it, a moment of indescribable emotion. I marveled at what the physical body is and how small, compared with the dimensions of the spirit. I understood that reincarnation exists.” (Marta Y.)
“I understood that I had lived before and would live again (reincarnation) and felt that my responsibility to Earth, relationships, debt, we left behind me in that moment. I understood that I was connected to the Earth and the universe all at once, but had free will to choose how much I involved myself in either.” (Stephen K.)
“I was completely aware that I had gone through a number of past lives (which I was made aware I had wasted a lot of) and that after this one there would be others.” (Kathy M.)
“I was not aware at first, that I had left my body… There were Beings around me. I thought, ‘What about the baby?’ The Beings answered in my mind, ‘It is his time to be born again. If not to you, then to someone else.’ I instantly knew that reincarnation was real.” (Judy G.)
“At the time of the [near-death] experience, I felt like I knew everything about the universe; from reincarnation to how humans came to be on this planet, and soul contracts.” (Rachael C.)
“Everything we’ve been taught regarding religion and their views of the afterlife and how to get into paradise, with respect to punishment, etc., is basically wrong. We have already been saved. The only remaining issue is to save ourselves from our own hells and demons. Reincarnation is real. Everything has a purpose, cause and effect.” (Daniel A.)
“I believe in reincarnation now, because of all the people I met over there and didn’t know in this life. I knew them from somewhere, I remembered them as a person I loved dearly, family. We are all part of God, Body and Soul for all eternity.” (Carol W.)
“I met other beings and I knew who they were. I knew them in my other past lives (most recent were behind) and they were happy to see me. We used telepathy.” (Eleonora)
“I believed in death, purgatory, and heaven/hell as a ‘place’ you go ‘up there’ to ‘live’ out eternity, but I learned that isn’t the way it is. We choose life to start with, and we can choose reincarnation into this world or another world, this universe or dimension or another, and this form or a different one.” (Jennifer J.)
“I suddenly realized the rightness of reincarnation and was informed I don’t have to come back, unless I want to do so. I continued in the formerly described state by choice listening and I suddenly became aware of a sense of being drawn back to ‘now.'” (Terry M.)
“I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life. I could not move on. I was coming back to life either into my own current body or through reincarnation but I was not allowed to move on as my soul is not ready and still needs to grow.” (Ramona C.)
“We have lived and died many times. The reason we don’t remember our former lives is because our vast soul memories are not transferred to our baby brains at birth. All we know in this life is what we have learned, most of which is a partial memory of things we learned in past lifetimes. At the beginning of each lifetime, we are cleared of all past prejudices, learning blocks and wrong teachings, and are ready for a fresh start – just like a new term in school – and, like school, when we have learned enough of life’s lessons, we graduate and don’t have to come back to this Earth anymore, except as volunteers to teach stragglers.” (Edgar Cayce)
“After death, when we are ready, we can choose to view our past lives for the purpose of instruction. (Betty Bethards)
Life is a cycle of improvements and humans are not perfect yet. Most people have this secret revealed to them when they die. (Dr. Frank Oski)
“At some point, our desire to advance will lead us to reincarnate. Our guides help us decide an incarnation that will help to achieve our goals. After a period of farewell with family and friends, we can meet with a great spiritual teacher (such as Jesus, Buddha, etc.) to give us strength. After this, we descend into the womb to be born again. We leave paradise not just for our own advancement, but to bring paradise to Earth and God will light our path throughout our time on Earth and bring us safely home afterward.” (Sylvia Browne)
5. Reincarnation is Karma
Across many NDE testimonies and wisdom traditions, reincarnation and karma appear not as punishment, but as the universe’s tutoring system – how divine justice unfolds through time. In this view, nothing we think or do is lost; every intention leaves an imprint in a Universal Consciousness and returns to us as circumstance, lessons, and opportunities. The personality changes from life to life, yet the soul remembers, carrying forward tendencies, unfinished learning, and bonds of love. NDErs often describe life reviews that reveal a web of cause and effect stretching beyond a single lifetime – where soul growth, not condemnation, is the point. Compassion and unconditional love can transmute karmic debt, just as understanding can place a student beyond a course already mastered. Between lives, souls choose conditions suited to their next lessons, not to suffer for suffering’s sake, but for enlightenment. The testimonies below converge on one theme: karma is the curriculum; reincarnation is the classroom; love is the graduating test.
Reincarnation and karma together explains divine justice and why some people are born into favorable conditions or are born into unfavorable conditions. Personality traits are also carried over from past lives.
a. Whatever we think, that thought makes an impression on the Universal Consciousness. Nothing is lost or done in secret. Everything is done within the Universal Consciousness, and the Whole is affected by it (as well as all others within the Whole). Reactions to past thoughts and actions become our destiny and karma. Our destiny is simply the rebounding effects of previous choices remembered by the soul. (Edgar Cayce)
b. “A man acts according to the desires to which he clings. After death he goes to the next world bearing in his mind the subtle impressions of his deeds; and, after reaping there the harvest of those deeds, he returns again to this world of action. Thus he who has desire continues subject to rebirth. He who lacks discrimination, whose mind is unsteady and whose heart is impure, never reaches the goal, but is born again and again. But he who has discrimination, whose mind is steady and whose heart is pure, reaches the goal and, having reached it, is born no more.” (Upanishads)
“During my NDE of reliving my life, it was completely clear to me that everything happened for a reason, and that those reasons extended well beyond my 27-year-old life. in other words, we’re part of a web of interactions with others that could be interpreted as ‘past lives’ or as ‘karmically influenced.'” (Gary S.)
“The only way to bypass bad karma is to develop so much unselfish love that paying for bad karma will serve no purpose – much like a college student challenging a course he already knows… If we do enough good works we will eventually run out of bad karma and only good things will happen to us, and vice versa. The goal of karma is to force us to learn life’s lessons whether we want to or not.” (Arthur Yensen)
“After we die, we may realize that we haven’t learned everything we should. So we return and are born again. As we transform into another personality, our soul is maintained throughout. Our soul does not get bigger or smaller. We carry with us the characteristics of our former personalities. The phrase ‘burning off bad karma’ means that we have characteristics that we have to deal with.” (Thomas Sawyer)
“All of our karma has to be met. And yet, no one is given more than it can bear to carry. We are given the time we need to turn away from selfish ways and return home like the prodigal son. Reincarnation is not a way to avoid responsibility. It is a way to allow us enough time to correct our mistakes.” (Edgar Cayce)
“Between lives, with the great knowledge of our Higher Selves, we choose the next life we are going to live and how much karma we are going to meet and settle. For example, if we abused animals or people in one life, our Higher Selves would probably urge us to reincarnate into a situation where we would get abused to make us realize the misery we caused others.” (Arthur Yensen)
6. Reincarnation From Hell Realms
NDE testimonies reveal that hell is not an eternal sentence but a remedial state – an intense, self-aware condition where the consequences of one’s actions and intentions are faced without the limitations of a physical body. NDErs describe these lower realms as temporary way-stations for moral and spiritual correction, where remorse, insight, and the desire to choose differently can awaken.
In this view, hell is less a “place” than a condition of consciousness: fear, hatred, and deception are magnified so that their true nature can be recognized and released. The aim isn’t punishment; it’s purification. When understanding dawns – often accompanied by help from compassionate beings or, for some, the saving grace of Christ – souls are permitted to reincarnate for further spiritual growth.
Reincarnation, then, becomes a doorway out of hell: a return to embodiment where new choices can be made, karmic debts transformed through love and service, and the soul’s character reshaped. Some NDErs report flashes of past-life memories emerging from darkness, suggesting that insight itself is the first step upward. The following testimonies explore this “hell-to-Earth-to-healing” process – how its merciful guidance prepares the soul for another chance at growth.
“After death, people who accrued severe negative karma will enter a hellish realm for a short period. After they have reflected upon their actions, they will be allowed to reincarnate.” (Sylvia Browne)
“Hell is a spiritual condition that some people are allowed to experience whose goal is to purge aspects of their personality so that they can participate once again in the cycle of reincarnation.” (Hindu NDEr)
“Without physical bodies, feelings of hate and fear are intensified as souls [in hell] vainly try to hide from their enemies. Their only hope is to reincarnate. Then unfortunately when they do, they may forget all about their torment in hell and again lead lives of greed and tyranny. This miserable cycle can continue forever unless they find salvation in one of their lifetimes. Such people really need a savior, since they are not able to help themselves. I’m sure Christ incarnated to help them because he said, ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'” (Arthur Yensen)
“I saw what I suppose was hell; where I think people go when they get tied up there by their own will. It might sound crazy but I think it is related to Buddhist reincarnation theories in some way. I also saw the light and when I leave (die) again, I truly want to go there and not to the other place.” (Rachelle G.)
“When I was in the darkness, that’s when all this wisdom and memories of my past lives came.” (Ciara B.)
7. The Nature of Reincarnation
Across NDE testimonies and research, reincarnation emerges as a dynamic, purpose-driven process of soul growth. These testimonies suggest that consciousness moves through interwoven lifetimes – reviewing, reconciling, and re-choosing – within a reality where time can appear non-linear and karmic ties invite healing. NDEr insights depict reincarnation as both opportunity and responsibility: we prepare in this life for the next, we sometimes return to repair damage or to learn advanced lessons, and we progress at our own pace toward the Light.
Taken together, these testimonies outline a multifaceted reality:
(a) The continuity of life: Existence persists beyond death, with cycles of return guided by learning and love.
(b) Karmic reciprocity: Past actions shape present consequences, offering chances to balance debts and mend relationships.
(c) Non-linear time: From the vantage of the afterlife, “before” and “after” can blur, reframing choice and destiny.
(d) Free will and stewardship: Souls may elect to re-enter Earth life to clean up what was left undone and uplift the Whole.
(e) A higher aim: While many return to grow, some traditions hold that the ultimate ascent transcends the cycle of birth and rebirth itself.
What follows gathers insights that illuminate how NDErs and researchers understand this living tapestry of return – why we come back, how we prepare, and where the journey ultimately points.
A woman came to Edgar Cayce requesting information about a dangerous surgical procedure she was soon to have; and wanted to know whether or not to have it. While in an out-of-body trance, Cayce came up with the answer: The woman and the doctors who were to perform the surgery had met once before in a past life. In that past life, she was a heretic who was tortured and killed during the Inquisition. The inquisitors who tortured and killed her were now the doctors performing the surgery. Cayce told her to go ahead with the surgery because the doctors were paying a “karmic debt” owed to her for their transgression against her. Cayce said that the surgery would be successful. And it was. (Edgar Cayce)
“Death to me was a celebration, the most significant event any human can experience, with no fear but with excitement that it will go on forever, life after life, a never ending cycle.” (Peter Teekamp)
“Spiritual evolution (reincarnation) is not restricted to linear progression. It only appears that way.” (P.M.H. Atwater)
“Each soul or entity will and does return, or cycle, as does nature in its manifestations about man; thus leaving, making or presenting – as it were those infallible, indelible truths that it – Life – is continuous.” (Edgar Cayce)
“We progress at our own rate to reach the light. If we do things that take us away from the light, then we are perpetuating our time here.” (Amber Wells’ NDE research)
“Because of our free will, we are able to inflict pain and suffering on others. When we die, we realize the mess we left behind from our previous life and we may decide to return to clean it up. By doing this, we don’t contribute to the combined mess that exists on Earth by others.” (David Oakford)
“As I watched over my doctors and my body, I was shown several past lives in which I was a different and better person. I apparently did not have the same fate. I was a healer.” (Frances Z.)
“Because the afterlife realms are completely outside of time, it is for this reason that we can literally spend an eternity in the afterlife realms before we decide whether or not we want to reincarnate to Earth again.” (Kevin Williams)
“We prepare for future lifetimes during the life we live now.” (Edgar Cayce)
“For the soul who wishes to ascend to the highest heaven, reincarnation is to be avoided.” (Apostle Paul, Apocalypse of Paul)
8. Reincarnation is a Process
NDErs often describe reincarnation as an ongoing, adaptive process. In their testimonies, time isn’t strictly linear and identity isn’t a fixed personality; rather, souls participate in a larger continuum where learning, healing, and free will unfold across many expressions of life. NDErs may speak of “coming back” unexpectedly to the same body, and of lives perceived as existing simultaneously, and of a guidance process that defines difficult events as lessons aimed at spiritual growth. Within this framework, what evolves is the personality, while the underlying soul remains part of a greater Light that can merge, differentiate, and re-enter embodiment as needed.
Several testimonies describe how memory – personal, transpersonal, even ancestral – is a key thread that weaves incarnations together, carried like rungs on a ladder of growth. Others depict a selection phase before birth, where multiple potential destinies are considered, astrological influences are weighed, and free will ultimately governs the path chosen. These testimonies also explore how individuality softens in the afterlife – where “everyone is us and we are everyone” – yet persists enough to return to earthly life with particular traits, challenges, and affinities.
The following gathers diverse perspectives – mystical, philosophical, and esoteric – on how souls reconnect with bodies, why certain life patterns recur, and how memories incompatible with divine companionship seek resolution. Together, they describe reincarnation as a living process: non-linear, educative, influenced but not compelled, and always oriented toward remembering and embodying the Light.
“So I went through the reincarnation process expecting to be a baby somewhere… So I reincarnated back into this body. I was so surprised when I opened my eyes. I do not know why, because I understood it, but it was still such a surprise to be back in this body.” (Mellen-Thomas Benedict)
“Time and space feel very different in that dimension. It doesn’t feel linear, like it does here. It felt like everything was happening simultaneously. I saw what could be interpreted as past lives.” (Anita Moorjani)
“What was shown to me by my guide was that things that happen are all lessons to push us to evolve to our spiritual maturity. I also understood that reincarnation happens all at once in the timelessness of the eternal.” (John S.)
“Before my NDE I had never given reincarnation any real thought. But upon returning I ‘felt’ there was truth in it some way. Not certain what? Universal consciousness – cellular memory from my ancestors? Past lives? Parallel lives as time is non-existing.” (Laura M.)
“I experienced in our Light, the DNA Helix which is memory. We are a completion of memories of past lives, our genetics.” (Scott W.)
“I know I will live again when this body dies. I never believed in reincarnation before this experience. It taught me that I lived before and everything I learn in this life, I take into the next, like rungs on a ladder.” (Darlene K.)
“The process that determines the number of destinies a soul can chose from before reincarnating to Earth is an astrological process based on the nine planets of our solar system that are physical representations of afterlife realms. This is the fundamental concept behind astrology: the position of the planets influence the destiny of the soul reincarnating to Earth. However, free will is much greater than these influences. The planets only influence – they do not compel.” (Edgar Cayce)
There is a heavenly process which connects souls with bodies to be reincarnated. (Plato)
“The center of the Earth is this great transmuter of energy, just as you see in pictures of our Earth’s magnetic field. That’s our cycle, pulling reincarnated souls back in and through it again. A sign that you are reaching human level is that you are beginning to evolve an individual consciousness. The animals have a group soul, and they reincarnate in group souls. A deer is pretty much going to be a deer forever. But just being born a human, whether deformed or genius, shows that you are on the path to developing an individual consciousness.” (Mellen-Thomas Benedict)
“Reincarnation is not a linear thing. One of the problems in defining it is that there is no analogy to it. It is outside of time, yet we can’t help but think of it in terms of the past and the future, and this incarnation. The whole story is so big and so involved.” (Thomas Sawyer)
“As our souls draw closer to God, our souls become aware that some of our memories are not compatible with God, and since its ultimate purpose for being is companionship with God, our souls seek out opportunities to resolve these incompatible memories.” (Edgar Cayce)
“Once we enter into the light and blend with God, we become God. Light can be divided into parts with each part remaining to be the Whole. Each part is wholly God. We are all a part of the light of God. When merging with the light, we cease to exist as a personality but every bit of our personality is available for reincarnation.” (Thomas Sawyer)
“The inner quality is there, the inner self remains, but the external aspect that may have seemed very strong is dissolved. Individuality isn’t the same there. We are the same as everybody and everybody is us. Our spirit is always ours. We are not the personality that we were on Earth. In the other realm we are everything, light is everything.” (Amber Wells’ NDE research)
“Reincarnation involves returning to Earth with aspects of our previous personalities and even aspects of other soul’s personalities as a new personality. The soul doesn’t evolve, the personality does.” (Thomas Sawyer)
“Between Earth lives, we dwell in afterlife realms before deciding whether or not to reincarnate to Earth. If a soul reincarnates to Earth from an afterlife realm, the soul will manifest the influence of that realm through its physical representation of one of the planets in our solar system. All the planets in our solar system are physical representations of afterlife realms. Because of this, the planets exert an astrological influence on us. It is through these planetary astrological influences that we learn our lessons and are tested on Earth.” (Edgar Cayce)
“Homosexuality is a natural human trait that is the result of a person of a particular gender reincarnating as a person of the opposite gender. Such people must adjust to their new gender and sexuality at an early age. Former girls who are reborn as boys may wish to dress as girls or prefer to play with girls rather than boys. Former boys who are reborn as girls may wish to dress as boys or prefer to play with boys rather than girls. Former men who are reborn as women will be attracted to women and will therefore be lesbian. Former women who are reborn as men will be attracted to men and will therefore be gay.” (Dr. Ian Stevenson)
9. Reincarnation Insights From NDEs
Across a wide range of NDEs, people report an ordered, educative process of our reincarnation to Earth. In these testimonies, reincarnation is a lived discovery: some describe spirit guides or the Light presenting them with a choice to stay or return; others glimpse loved ones’ prior embodiments or meet groups of souls waiting for their next life. The pattern that emerges is purposeful – Earth is a boot camp and school – where lessons, relationships, and service unfold across lifetimes, and where free will can accelerate or postpone what we came here to learn.
These testimonies include startled conversations about “going back,” sober insights about suicide and the possibility of healing either now or later, and panoramic scenes of souls preparing to incarnate. They also touch the edges of scripture and tradition – Plato’s tunnels, biblical hints like “palingenesia” and the Elijah/John the Baptist teaching – alongside modern sources such as Edgar Cayce and contemporary researchers. Together, they suggest that reincarnation functions as one of several liberating forces (love, light, faith, help from light beings) guiding souls out of confusion toward growth, responsibility, and remembrance. These testimonies explore how NDEs show why we return, how we choose, and how each lifetime fits into a larger theme of learning and love.
“It is a matter of personal knowledge from what the being with whom I spoke during my near-death experience told me about my older son, that he had had 14 incarnations in female physical bodies previous to the life he has just had.” (Amber Wells NDE research)
The following is a conversation between Jesus and Jeanie Dicus during her NDE: “He kind of grinned, I guess I was amusing him, and he answered, ‘You want to be reincarnated?’ ‘Hey, give me a break,’ I yelled (only I made no sound). ‘I just died. Don’t I get a chance to rest?’ ‘Take it easy, hold on, it’s alright. You can change your mind at any time.’ I gasped, ‘I don’t even believe in you and now you want me to reincarnate. Help!'” (Jeanie Dicus)
“He said, ‘Do you want to stay or go back?’ I was very aware that this decision would be if I would stay in the heavenly realms or return to my life as Karen on planet Earth. All of my being wanted to stay there in bliss, but ever since I was six, I knew that reincarnation is the natural fact of life, and now, I had the knowingness that if I chose to stay, I would have to reincarnate to Earth again later. At the time, that was unacceptable to me. I didn’t understand then that Earth is a boot camp and school for soul’s spiritual education, and as such, it’s tough. Nevertheless, I knew that I had to return and finish whatever mission I had to do here.” (Karen Brannon)
“From the other tunnels came souls preparing for reincarnation on Earth. From above came souls happily reporting delights and visions of a beauty beyond words. From below came souls lamenting and wailing over a thousand years of dreadful sufferings, where people were repaid manifold for any earthly suffering they had caused.” (Plato)
“I had a lot of questions, and I wanted to know what they (the light beings) were doing why are you just kind of milling around here? And someone stepped forward … it wasn’t just one … I got information from a number of them … that they were all waiting for reincarnation.” (Amber Wells’ NDE research)
“They said that I originally came to Gaia to learn and share with others using the gifts that I have accumulated over several lifetimes.” (David Oakford)
Sandra committed suicide and had a near-death experience. The light gave her access to unlimited knowledge. She was told that she could remain in the light, provided she later reincarnate to re-experience and overcome all that brought her to the point of suicide. Or, she could be revived to live out the rest of her life and overcome her problems here and now. She choose to be revived. (Sandra Rogers)
“Escaping from the Void is very easy for some souls and difficult for others. Various near-death accounts provide a wealth of information on how to escape from the Void. Here is a list of them: (1) love, (2) light, (3) faith, (4) Beings of Light, (5) reincarnation, all sets you free from the Void.” (Kevin Williams)
“The Greek word ‘palingenesia’ means ‘reincarnation’ and is found twice in the Bible, however it is mistranslated as ‘regeneration’ or ‘rebirth.”” (Kevin Williams)
“Reincarnation has been a belief for thousands of years for orthodox Jews. The Zohar is a book of great authority among Kabbalistic Jews.” (Kevin Williams)
“Reincarnation is the true meaning of the so-called ‘resurrection’. It’s not about dead bodies coming out of tombs. It’s about live babies coming out of wombs.” (Kevin Williams)
“For a thousand years he (Jesus) will walk and talk with men of every clime. Then in groups, in masses, and then they shall reign of the first resurrection for a thousand years; for this will be when the changes materially come.” (Edgar Cayce)
“There exists compelling circumstantial evidence concerning the possible reincarnation of some individuals such as Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy.” (Kevin Williams)
“The angels told me that all who enter the third heaven remain there until brought back to this physical world by Christ himself.” (Rev. Howard Pittman)
Jesus had many incarnations on Earth and we can experience full knowledge of all of them after death. (Edgar Cayce)
The following is only one of the Bible passages showing Jesus teaching reincarnation to his disciples: “And the disciples asked him, saying, ‘Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ But he answered them and said, ‘Elijah indeed is to come and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also shall the Son of Man suffer at their hand.’ Then the disciples understood that he had spoken of John the Baptist.” (Matthew 17:10-13)
10. Conclusion
Across NDE testimonies and reincarnation studies, a coherent picture emerges: reincarnation is a learning process. Earth functions as an accelerated school where love, wisdom, and free will are refined; karma is the curriculum that returns our intentions to us for understanding; and the life review is a compassionate audit that clarifies – not condemns – our alignment with the Light.
This framework reframes divine justice and destiny. Rather than a mechanistic cycle, reincarnation appears purposeful and flexible, guided by free will, forgiveness, and service. Souls can grow in realms outside of time, to heal, to learn, and to choose – sometimes returning to repair, sometimes remaining to grow in spirit, and sometimes advancing beyond the need to return at all. “Graduation” is an illumination: a fuller integration with the Light in which individuality is clarified, not erased.
NDE testimonies also broaden the scope of personhood. Memory, guidance, and identity extend across multiple lifetimes; relationships and duties reappear as opportunities to heal; and time’s apparent linearity loosens in panoramic scenes where past, present, and possible futures coexist. Within this larger process, learning is accelerated by love – ours for others and the Love that meets us in review. Forgiveness, especially self-forgiveness, shortens the syllabus; hatred lengthens it.
For seekers weighing scripture, tradition, and modern research, these convergences matter. They do not demand uniform belief; they invite responsible living. If the afterlife confirms that nothing is lost and everything is learned, then the practical consequence is immediate: live now as the light being you hope to become – truthful, loving, and willing to repair any harm we have caused. Choose acts that you would gladly relive in another’s eyes. Cultivate the qualities you would wish to carry forward.
In that light, reincarnation is less about how many times we return and more about how deeply we remember who we are while we are here. Whether one ultimately “graduates” or volunteers to serve, the direction is the same: toward greater love, wiser choices, and a steadier companionship with God. The way home is walked in this life – one generous thought, one honest action, one forgiven debt at a time.
