Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives

Two months later, Catherine visits Weiss’s office to discuss her visit to a psychic astrologer “who specialized in past-life readings” (199) and confirmed much of what they experienced together during hypnotic regression. Based on nothing but an astrological wheel customized for Catherine, the astrologer brought up some specific moments of Catherine’s regression therapy, including her hand pain during a sea battle and her throat being slit during wartime. Weiss acknowledges that this experience might not count as “a valid scientific experiment” (202). At the end of the chapter, Weiss highlights the importance of separating psychic charlatans from genuine psychic experiences and suggests a “scientific methodology” (203) for evaluating psychic claims.

Four years later, Weiss’s life “has changed almost as drastically as Catherine’s” (207). His intuition has improved, he starts feeling more responsibility for his actions, and his “values and goals […] shifted to a more humanistic, less accumulative focus” (208). He now sees his main job in life is to meld the traditional scientific world he’s been a part of with “the greater world of the nonphysical planes” (208).

Weiss occasionally has vivid dreams about a lecturer named Philo who answers his questions and grants wisdom. He offers Weiss many lessons: Theory without practice is insufficient; “happiness is really rooted in simplicity” (209); for humanity to achieve a permanent “altered state” of love, charity, and simplicity requires “knowledge and understanding” (210-11).