| In an article entitled Disbelief Despite the Evidence in | | | | that they are promoting. |
| the December-February issue of Shift magazine, from | | | | Established religion came as little surprise, although they |
| the Institute of Noetic Sciences, author David Fontana | | | | all seem to hold forth that there is a heaven, hell, |
| discusses why people in the West continue to dispute | | | | nirvana, bardos, or other place that the spirit goes to |
| that there is survival after physical death. His research | | | | after death, which indicates a type of survival of the |
| showed that the acceptance of this concept "has to | | | | experience. However, they do have a stake in keeping |
| struggle against four influential groups that, for different | | | | a tight hold on the accessibility to information about that |
| reasons, find it challenges their own interests and | | | | "everlasting life", and therefore would not benefit from |
| beliefs and represents a threat to their status and | | | | acknowledging that we may hold such information in |
| authority." | | | | our memories. |
| These groups are established science, | | | | The fourth group, the general public, do not so much |
| parapsychology, established religions, and the general | | | | oppose the concept as resist it. They would prefer to |
| public. | | | | put the responsibility of proving such phenomenon in |
| While this may seem to be a surprising list, each group | | | | the hands of the first three groups, and typically would |
| has its personal concerns. For instance, scientists are | | | | just rather not have to think about their own mortality |
| not generally aware that evidence of reincarnation | | | | anyway. |
| exists. They typically are busy enough with their own | | | | While a typical response that I get, when people learn |
| focus of study, that they don't have the time to branch | | | | that I facilitate past life regression, is that they have so |
| out and seriously look at reincarnation as a topic of | | | | much to worry about in this life, and enough baggage |
| research. | | | | to handle from the present experiences, that they don't |
| The inclusion of parapsychologists came as a surprise | | | | need to add to it by thinking of other lifetimes. In my |
| to me, until Fontana explained that "The great majority | | | | clinical and personal experiences, I find that by exploring |
| of parapsychologists are still influenced by the fear | | | | other lifetimes, we each may discover that some of |
| that fieldwork research into mediumship, apparitions, | | | | the experiences from the past are at the root of the |
| and other spontaneous survival-related phenomena | | | | issues that we deal with today. At the same time, we |
| risks hindering the scientific acceptance that | | | | can draw strength, courage, and perspective from our |
| parapsychology has so painstakingly sought to | | | | past experiences that will lend a treasure of wisdom |
| achieve." Ah, yes, I get it now. They too have to walk | | | | and knowledge that can be instantly useful in the |
| the line to maintain their own credibility in the matters | | | | present moment. |