Bial Foundation researchers studying adults with claims of past life memories (PLMs) have found correlations with several mental health conditions and a potentially protective role for religious beliefs and spirituality.
The study authors also found an overall similarity between children who report past life memories, which has been studied more extensively than PLMs reported by adults, except for a strong female bias among adult PLM experiencers.
The Bial Foundation’s website states that the organization, which was started by Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial, “is a renowned institution, particularly in the Neuroscience and Parapsychology research,” with a stated goal of “stimulating new research” efforts in related fields.
In their latest study, foundation scientists explored possible correlations between adults with past-life memories and their overall mental health. They also wanted to determine any possible role in religious beliefs or spirituality in those who claim PLMs and how adults who report PLMs may differ from children who report similar experiences.
A press release announcing the new research notes that many cultures possess religious beliefs that include some form of reincarnation. They also highlight a recent survey that found none of the 22 studied countries across all continents had a majority of the population that did not believe in some form of life after death.
Still, the researchers note that very few scientists have evaluated the role that past life memories may play in overall mental health and well-being. This also includes the possibility that past PLMs experienced in childhood could cause trauma that continues to adversely affect mental health as an adult.
“Although there have been studies of claims of past-life memories (PLM) in children, we know little about cases of adults and the impact of PLM on claimers,” they write.
Hoping to “fill these gaps” in research, the team investigated the psychological profiles of adults who make the same past life memory claims. The study parameters included exploring the “features” of PLM and any associations with “mental health, happiness, and religiosity/spirituality,” via an online Brazilian national survey. Notably, 66% of Brazilian’s say there is “probably, or definitely” some form of life after death, while another 33% believe in an Earthly reincarnation where people are “reborn in this world.”
According to the published results, the majority of the 402 adults who completed the survey, claiming to possess past life memories, were described as “middle-aged” with a mean age of 41.6 years. 79% of the respondents were female, and 68% had some form of higher education. When asked about religion and spirituality, 54% were categorized as “spiritists,” with 91% as either moderately or very spiritual.
Eighty-two percent of the 402 respondents reported that their past life memories began “spontaneously” at an average age of 19.9 years. 54% reported either a birthmark or a physical defect during childhood. 71% reported at least one phobia in childhood, with the same number reporting “persistent” phobias. Finally, 30% of the surveyed adult PLM experiencers reported an unusual “philia” or fetish as a child.
After collecting and characterizing the data, the research team searched for correlations with adverse mental health conditions. According to the study, “common mental health disorders were frequent,” with almost half (46%) reporting at least one condition associated with an unusual childhood phobia or phobia. In another 36%, post-traumatic stress disorder “was associated with phobia.”
The researchers said these associations between past life memories and either lower happiness or more mental disorder symptoms “may indicate a lasting psychological impact associated with PLM.” Specifically, they suggest that adults with PLMs may have experienced them as children and will show effects of the potentially traumatic memories into adulthood. The association may also indicate that people who experience childhood traumas somehow manifest false PLMs as adults.
One mitigating factor to adverse mental health conditions associated with PLMs seemed to be religious beliefs and/or spirituality. According to the study authors, “Religion/spirituality was associated with greater happiness and lower mental disorder outcomes, potentially acting as a protective factor.”
The study’s lead author, Sandra Maciel de Carvalho, stated that their findings revealed past life memories in adults “may be more prevalent than previously thought and may be associated with significant suffering and distress.” She also emphasized the findings suggest that PLMs, regardless of veracity, may represent a “relevant issue in mental health,” and said further research is needed to understand their “prevalence, impact, and proper clinical management.”
The article “Who Does Report Past-Life Memories? Claimers’ Profile, Religiosity/Spirituality and Impact on Happiness and Mental Health” was published in The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.