Who's Memories Do We Have?

I'm still a rookie so it's OK to ask questions...
I have plenty of vivid memories of one past life and there has been some valid physical evidence the person existed but... are the memories mine (mine as in I was the person who actually had these experiences) or that of someone else and I am merely getting a psychic impression of them somehow?
Strange in that I don't have the slightest bit of trouble believing others when they share their stories but I have all kinds of trouble when it comes to mine.
These visions don't come to me in a dream state (while sleeping) like others have mentioned. Mine hit me when I least expect it while wide awake. Some minor detail in this life will trigger a memory of the past life. I can't control when it happens and I've tried to initiate it. It doesn't work when I want it to no matter how hard I try.
Each memory is like watching a short movie but I'd be holding the camera. In that scenario it would be a first person account but was I the person?
I briefly studied a program the military and CIA experimented with years ago called "remote viewing" and the results were nothing less than astonishing. Those doing the "viewing" were seeing these things but through someone else's eyes. In real time. I never tried it myself but I'm wondering if this could be another possible explanation for what we assume is remembering our past memories.

Yes, it's always OK to ask questions, rookie or not


As one who can sometimes see memories of others and have my own from time to time, the best way that I can describe it is it is more like a "knowing" whether the memory is mine or that of someone else's. When I get an impression of one that it isn't mine, it is like watching a very short movie clip that loops and plays over and over, then it goes away. These don't have that sense of familiarity like my own do (unless I was also in that lifetime or knew that person then) and they aren't triggered by minor everyday events.


Memories of your own can be triggered at any time, day or night, and is very common. The way they come through also vary. I've had some where i'm viewing it from a first person perspective, and some from a third person. If it is a tragic or violent memory, the memory may come through from a third person perspective as a protection mechanism to prevent you from feeling and experiencing it again.


If the memory that you're having is related to that lifetime that you're aware of, then it is likely memory of your own because you actually experienced it.

This is the $64 question. You are not alone. This is why many people think they are "just" imagining these things. I think the way you can tell the difference is the feelings or emotions you get with them. Someone else's memories will not have the same emotion as your own. "Remote viewing" is a different name for ESP or clairvoyance. The military and CIA did these experiments because the Russians had started doing psychic experiments back in the 1950's. The Russians were way ahead of us. Many skeptics were shocked and in disbelief at how successful they were. The name was changed because Reagan was in the White House and certain religious fundamentalists were freaking out that they were messing with the "devil", etc., etc.

is a documentary on what the Russians were doing back then. Have you ever heard of Dr. Rupert Sheldrake? He is very controversial. He is a "heretic" British scientist who uses scientific methods to prove the skeptics are wrong. You will find many of his videos on YouTube. Especially look at the "Schole Experiments". Also he has proven beyond doubt that dogs have ESP. Here is a short video on Sheldrake.

Your question is a very good one, and Argonne and Azgirl have given remarkable answers. I still find it difficult to know if the memory I'm having is mine, or belongs to someone else. If I have a brief glimpse into a life, even one where I get a name, I question whether it is mine, if I get no further memories. I only "see" past lives when asleep, or in an altered state from meditation. Emotion attached to the event probably is the best criteria to use in deciding if the memory is yours, or a psychic glimpse into another person's PL.

Argonne1918 I think you might have just answered this for me! The emotion involved in the first memory (the one in the mansion looking in the mirror) was so intense that if I tried to speak, I'd lose my tough guy image and cry like a little girl. I was extremely upset over the loss of my friend. I can't imagine being that upset over someone else's problems. I'm selfish that way LOL.


As for the ESP stuff. I need to check that out again. Videos of it will be neat!

Various people have suggested that past life memories are just us picking up some kind of 'radio waves' or psychic vibrations or what have you, from the past. I always prefer a simple explanation. The simplest is that our memories are our memories, just that they're not always from the present life. Certainly strong emotional content is an easy way to distinguish a memory from a flight of fancy or simple imagination. Can you make yourself weep uncontrollably just by using your imagination? Or be filled with longing, or nostalgia or love or furious anger just by making something up? Not really.

...These visions don't come to me in a dream state (while sleeping) like others have mentioned. Mine hit me when I least expect it while wide awake. Some minor detail in this life will trigger a memory of the past life. I can't control when it happens and I've tried to initiate it. It doesn't work when I want it to no matter how hard I try.

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Yes, this is how it is for me too. Some people remember things in vivid dreams. Others while wide awake, just going about their business when something will trigger a memory. Everyone seems to be able to uncover more detail via meditation techniques of various kinds, including regression, self-hypnosis, or guided meditation with the aid of CDs and so on.


Usually I will work with something that I've got spontaneously earlier - a little moment or incident - and by meditating on it I will uncover more information. Others find writing about it useful in jogging more memories.

I always sense powerful emotion and judgment in viewing the being I was, while in viewing others I have no judgment and alot of appreciation. I sense this is because in reviewing my own past life I am fully aware of all the turmoil and missed opportunities and errors I made...conversely, in seeing others I primarily sense appreciation for how well they played their role, not being privy to their internal criticism and judgment, if any.

JPariz said:

I'm still a rookie so it's OK to ask questions...
I have plenty of vivid memories of one past life and there has been some valid physical evidence the person existed but... are the memories mine (mine as in I was the person who actually had these experiences) or that of someone else and I am merely getting a psychic impression of them somehow?

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Here is a quote that sums up the question from Cayce.

The reason we don't remember the lives we lived before is both simple and complex. The simple answer is, "Because we have not lived before." This is because our current conscious mind, personality, and body are new; they have not been alive before. Nor have they reincarnated in the true sense of the word. However, our souls have been alive before - this is the distinction - and they have reincarnated. The memories are those of our souls' - not our own conscious memories. (Edgar Cayce)

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DKing

That makes sense.

It's ok to question your own memories, I don't think there's anything bad about questioning yourself a lot... that's good, in fact.


I have a friend who has a similar thing going on. He says he would have "memories" that were randomly triggered. After doing some research (and checking with a doctor to make sure there wasn't a health-related reason) he figured they were past lives memories. That is, until he realized he'd get two entirely different, seemingly contradictory memories about the same time period. I think he ended up searching himself and figuring that he was experiencing a phenomenon whose name I can't remember, where people apparently pick up on other people's memories.