The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives
19 August 2026
Deep Dive
The idea of a young child having vivid memories of a past life they claim to have led sounds like the premise of a supernatural movie. But did you know that a team at the University of Virginia have actually spent decades studying this very phenomenon? In this episode, Chyaz explores some of the most fascinating documented cases of children who say they have been on this earth before, as well as taking a look at the incredible work the university have undertaken. Could reincarnation really be at play here, or does the true explanation lie more in the ‘normal’ than the paranormal?
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Source Shout Outs:
Academic Papers/Articles: https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/wp-content/uploads/sites/360/2015/11/REI35.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830724001708
Division of Perceptual Studies Website: https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/
Psychology Today Article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-seekers-forum/202207/when-children-remember-past-lives
Readers Digest Article: https://www.rd.com/article/chilling-reincarnation-stories/
PSI-Encyclopedia Articles: https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/ryan-hammons-reincarnation-case/
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/kumkum-verma-reincarnation-case/
Richmond Magazine Article: https://richmondmagazine.com/news/features/paranormal-studies/
Extraordinary People Documentary Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wh0OsVtdeE
The Mirror Article: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/toddler-could-perfectly-describe-past-28725131
BBC Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20190326-what-is-epigenetics
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Themes
- Investigative methodology
- Childhood memory and behaviour
- Scepticism and alternative explanations
Questions Explored
Who was Dr Ian Stevenson and what did he study? + −
Dr Ian Stevenson founded the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies in 1967 and began systematically studying cases of young children who reported detailed memories of previous lives, publishing early work in the 1960s and later compiling many cases and analyses of birthmarks and other physical correlations. Chyaz Samuel lays out Stevenson’s role in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 98: The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives.
What are the main cases discussed in this episode? + −
The episode details three studied examples: Ryan, a four year old in Oklahoma who identified actor Marty Martyn and many correct personal details; Kumkum Verma, a three and a half year old in India who named districts, relatives and household features matching a deceased woman; and Cameron Macaulay, a Glaswegian boy who recalled a house and family on Barra in the Outer Hebrides. Chyaz Samuel walks through these cases in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 98: The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives.
Where and when did the children's memories arise, and how old were the children? + −
Across the examples, memories appeared in early childhood: Ryan began speaking at about four years old in Oklahoma, Kumkum spoke at around three and a half in a village near Darbhanga, India, and Cameron began at two years old in Glasgow with memories of Barra; many of the cases in the division’s files show onset between roughly ages two and five. Chyaz Samuel covers these timeframes in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 98: The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives.
Why do researchers find these stories striking or unusual? + −
Researchers note that many children offer specific facts that are later corroborated by records or witnesses, and in some cases physical signs such as birthmarks align with wounds or injuries of the deceased person; additionally around 70% of identified prior personalities suffered unnatural deaths, making the pattern of details and physical correlations particularly noteworthy. Chyaz Samuel discusses these striking findings in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 98: The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives.
What explanations do the investigators offer for these memories? + −
The Division of Perceptual Studies maintains an open mind and weighs both normal and paranormal explanations: they document possibilities such as parental memory error or information leakage that can create apparent corroboration, while also exploring nonconventional ideas like carryover of experiences or biological imprints; the researchers do not claim definitive proof either way. Chyaz Samuel lays out these alternatives in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 98: The Children Who Remember Their Past Lives.