Regression therapy

[Brunks]

I was having a conversation with a close friend and the subject of reà¯ncarnation came up, he thought belief in it was justified due to the results of regression therapy.
Regression therapy is when you go under hypnosis to relive past lives. Apearantly a bbc ducumentary he saw where someone "remembered" details of a 500 year old farm in germany count as convincing evidence.

I mentioned to him that it was very likely there would've been a match if the patient had given a diffrent age/country.

I mentioned to him the patient might've read somewhere abouut a farm like this at some point during his lifetime.

I mentioned to him the therapist might have made suggestions to the patient.

Clearly none of these arguments are valid, and we have no reason to assume it is not true (some extraordinairy proof this was)
Shockingly he is not a man without reason, just very gullible. So I think I can easely pursuade him with a proper scientific study.

Do any of you know of any research/debunk of regression therapy?

Also feel free to add your thoughts about reincarnation mumbo jumbo.

 

[borrofburi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfhIuaD183I

There have been a lot of studies on memory and how bad it is. While not the same thing, I do recall hypnotic "therapy" to "help" "remember" ones childhood, especially childhood trauma that had been "repressed"; there was a lot of research on the subject and it was found that these memories weren't real.

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Google "Dr. Elizabeth F. Loftus" for lots and lots on false memories.

 

[Netheralian]

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/090915-repressed-memories.html

OK, its not repressed memories from former lives, but I think it still applies.

 

[Homunclus]

Wasn't that whole satanist panic a few years back caused by this type of "treatments"?

And I hear that the so called multiple-personality syndrome isn't real either, and it's caused by psychological treatments (not sure about that one).

 

[ExeFBM]

I saw one program trying to prove past lives were real, by taking a believer back under hypnosis. He gave his name, which small southern english village he lived in, when he signed up to fight in world war one, what regiment he was a part of, and his service number. It all seemed pretty detailed, until they tried to trace the details he gave. No one with that name lived in the village he mentioned, his service number belonged to a scot who joined the army during the 60's, and he referred to "World war one" and not 'The great war". Unless the details given actually check out, all reports are delusional.

 

[monitoradiation]

I recalled reading something about this researcher named Stevenson (I think?) that compiled all the cases of claimed reincarnation through past life regression therapy... Could make for an interesting read. I'd just also read the criticisms of the book first.

 

[Salv]

Two of my house mates are really big into regression therapy. One of the guys was rattling on about it and said it's been scientifically proven. I had to point out that it would be nearly impossible to verify, so even if they are doing some "scientific" studies or whatever, they would find it really difficult to prove any of it. Some of the guys reckon that the brain has zero activity when the person "enters into a new dimension" and that the physical body can be dead for some time. I even mentioned that if I went through the same treatment and saw all this bullshit for myself I still wouldn't believe it. The mind is quite powerful. If someone sees a halucination, that doesn't make it real...etc.

He sent me a couple of names, Brian Weiss and Raymond Moody. He wants me to read one of their books. I find it odd that their stories become quite wild after a while. One of Brian Weiss's patients relived a past life as an alien, ffs! They have their own home kit CDs that you can delve into your past lives if you want to. I listened to one of the radio interviews and a caller reckons her husband's past life was Peter, one of the 12 apostles... He even remembers walking on water with jesus. It's just so nuts. Talking with these guys can be quite difficult because of all the BS involved with regression therapy.

The False Memory and Eyewitness Testimony vids look really interesting. I'm going to have to watch those quick.