Reincarnation: One soul, many lives

After writing my piece on koshas, I got to thinking about reincarnation.  On the first day of teacher training, Paalu said that we had all known each other in prior lives and that we had found ourselves in Ho Chi Minh City for a reason.  I am naturally a skeptical person so I found this hard to believe.
Now, several weeks after we all first sat together in that room, I’m still skeptical, but maybe a little less so.  Some coincidences are probably too strange to be random.  In Asia, the idea that one soul lives many lives is not radical.  Connections or coincidences are more than random.  In the western world, knowledge and acceptance is slow but growing.
In August the New York Times ran an article about the growing interest by therapists, surgeons and other professionals in reincarnation.  Past life regression therapy is growing in popularity.  Unlike traditional Freudian psychoanalysis, regression therapy requires few visits and does not require a deep relationship between doctor and patient.  There is no need to examine every relationship, memory and dream.  A therapist may be able to bring up troublesome memories in as little as one session and provide some sense of catharsis and recovery.  From a practical perspective, it can be very effective very quickly.
On a deeper level, this leads to questions about the self, the soul and history. Traditional, monotheistic Western religions increasingly are failing to meet it followers spiritual needs.  Belief in reincarnation gives a broader perspective on living and connections to history and the world.  If you can remember being an ox, a farmer and a king, these memories can inform the decisions you make in this life.  It’s compelling.
Naysayers may argue that the mind is complex and unknown; these past life memories might be just elaborate concoctions, like dreams.  Even if this is true, one cannot deny the peace that comes with the therapy.
I continue to be a skeptic, but agree with the doctor who states, “I have become convinced that there is more to the world than the physical universe. There’s the mind piece, which is its own entity.”
Link to NYTimes article: http://nyti.ms/eBbgvt
Link to another recent article: http://bit.ly/eLTxQB