In Another Life: Reincarnation in America

In Another Life: Reincarnation in America is a 2003 documentary about how people in America encounter reincarnation. It explores scientific research, children who seem to remember a previous life, adult flashback memories, past-life regression and therapy, and Eastern teachings on rebirth. If you have ever wondered whether we live more than once, the questions this film raises are a wonderful place to begin.

About the film

The documentary runs about 57 minutes. It was written and directed by Stephen Sakellarios and hosted by Chris Shaw. It was broadcast on the Denver PBS affiliate KBDI in 2003.

What I appreciate about the film is its range. It looks at reincarnation from several directions at once and lets each one add to the picture. Here are the threads it follows, and what each one stirs in me.

Children who remember

The film gives a central place to the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson, who spent more than 40 years studying young children who appear to remember details of a previous life. His book Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation describes these cases in careful detail.

The children in this research are often just learning to speak. Some name a previous family or a village, or describe a home or a way of life that differs from their own. In some cases, a child makes 20, 30 or 40 statements about a person who had lived in the place they named, and many of those statements are later found to be fairly accurate.

What moves me here is the innocence of it. Young children have had so little time to absorb stories from books or films. When a small child speaks with such certainty about another family, it invites us to wonder where that knowing comes from.

A journalist goes to see for himself

Journalist Tom Shroder also appears in the film. His book Old Souls recounts the trips he took with Dr. Stevenson. He describes setting out to see whether the cases held up, and finding that the witnesses said what Stevenson had recorded them saying.

I love that part of the story. A curious person goes looking with open eyes and finds more than they expected. That is often how our own spiritual journeys begin.

What rebirth means for who we are

The documentary also brings in a philosopher’s perspective on what rebirth could mean for personal identity. If we live more than once, who are we, really? Which part of us continues?

These are questions I sit with often. In my own understanding, the soul is the part of us that continues and keeps growing, gathering wisdom from every life it lives.

Flashbacks and déjà vu

Many adults have had a moment that seemed to come from somewhere else. A place feels like home the first time you see it. A stranger feels like someone you have known before. A sound or a sight brings a wave of feeling you can’t explain. The film explores these spontaneous memories and the familiar feeling of déjà vu, which I write about in What is Deja Vu? How to use it?

If you have experienced something like this, take it seriously. Write it down. Notice the emotions that come with it. These moments can be invitations from your inner self.

Regression, therapy and workshops

The film looks at past-life regression and past-life therapy, along with experiences people have had in workshops. This is the area closest to my own work. In a regression, you relax into a focused state where memories and impressions from other lives can come forward. For many people, seeing where a pattern began helps it loosen its hold.

The Eastern view of rebirth

The documentary also presents the Eastern understanding of rebirth as an unbroken cycle: birth, growth, old age, death, a time of reflection, and birth again. In this view, the body is like clothing for the inner person. Life becomes a school, with each lifetime offering new experiences and lessons.

I find great comfort in this image. If the body is clothing, then each life is a new outfit for the same eternal self, and that self keeps learning.

The filmmaker’s own story

Stephen Sakellarios has also written about his own past-life research. He identifies one of his past lives as the 19th-century author Mathew Franklin Whittier, and he has published books and papers presenting that case. I share this because it shows how personal this subject became for him.

How I see past lives

In my work, I have found that exploring other lives can bring real healing to this one. When you understand where a fear or a relationship pattern began, it often starts to make sense, and it becomes easier to release.

I also see our lives as deeply connected, almost as if they happen at once from the soul’s point of view. I write about this in Past Lives are Simultaneous Lives and Simultaneous Time and Parallel Lives. You can find more of my writing on the subject on my Past Lives page.

Questions to reflect on

• Have you ever felt you knew a place or a person before you met them?
• Has a child in your life ever spoken about a time “before”?
• What would you most want to understand if you explored a past life?

Write your answers down. Your soul may be using them to invite you deeper.

Your own exploration

Curiosity is enough to begin, and you can take all the time you need to decide what you believe. If these stories stir something in you, you can explore your own other lives and see what they have to teach you now. My Quiz: Who Were You in Your Past Life? is a playful first step, and my book Beyond Past Lives shares many real sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What is In Another Life: Reincarnation in America?

A 2003 documentary, about 57 minutes long, written and directed by Stephen Sakellarios and hosted by Chris Shaw. It explores how people in America encounter reincarnation.

Who was Dr. Ian Stevenson?

A researcher who spent more than 40 years studying young children who appear to remember previous lives. His book is Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation.

What is the book Old Souls about?

Journalist Tom Shroder’s Old Souls recounts his trips with Dr. Stevenson to see the cases for himself.

What is the Eastern view of reincarnation?

It sees rebirth as an unbroken cycle of birth, growth, death, reflection and rebirth, with the body as clothing for the inner person.

How can I explore my own past lives?

Past life regression is one of the most direct ways. A 1:1 session with a trained facilitator gives you support as your memories unfold.

Curious about your own other lives? Book a 1:1 past life regression session with me.