ALUMNI PROFILE
Days of Our Past Lives
By Laura Butchy

Brian Weiss '66

After graduating with honors from the College, Dr. Brian Weiss '66 earned his Ph.D. from Yale Medical School. He went on to become chief of psychiatry at a prestigious Florida hospital. Now he travels the world helping patients relieve their fears by hypnotizing them so that they can deal with what they believe to be their past lives.

Weiss describes the turning point in his psychiatric career in his first book, Many Lives, Many Masters (1988), a worldwide bestseller. As a traditional psychotherapist, Weiss was skeptical when a patient began recalling past-life traumas that seemed to hold the key to her recurring nightmares and anxiety attacks. He was even more astonished when she began to channel messages from "the masters" that contained revelations about Weiss's family and dead son.

Since that time, Weiss has used regression, or "past-life" therapy, to treat hundreds of patients. He has toured the world conducting workshops and promoting Many Lives, Many Masters and his two other books about regression therapy: Through Time Into Healing (1993) and Only Love Is Real: A Story of Soulmates Reunited (1996).

During his tours, which will bring him to New York on June 15, Weiss offers professional training workshops to anyone interested in exploring the field of regression therapy and spiritual psychotherapy. Weiss says more therapists need to be trained in these techniques so they may expand the scope of their practices and assist more clients.

"I feel it is important to train others in this fascinating, meaningful work, nationally and internationally," Weiss said, "so that we can create an ongoing network of referral sources while endorsing the significance of this approach."

Weiss, who maintains a private practice in Miami, where he also serves as founding chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center, has appeared on The Discovery Channel and CNN as well as many network television talk shows. His work has been featured in Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, the Boston Globe, the Miami Herald, the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Despite his success, critical and scientific debate over his theories continues. In Through Time Into Healing, Weiss defends his work:

"When you feel better as a result of a past life recall experience - whether a physical symptom has been alleviated, an emotional issue soothed, or you simply feel more confident and peaceful about your life and its direction - you don't need to question the logical validity of the experience. You know it has empowered you to improve the quality of your life in a very tangible way."

Weiss admits that past-life therapy isn't for everyone, nor does it work for everyone. In a 1992 interview for Longevity, Weiss said about 30 percent of those interested in discovering a past life don't succeed. But he insists that when people do remember details of what they believe are other lifetimes, they not only lose their fear of death but also tend to gain more years of life because of positive lifestyle changes.