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52Brian L. Weiss, M.D.
no rivers . Water come s int o th e valle y fro m th e mountains. " After she relate d mor e topographica l details , I tol d he r t o go several years ahead in time and to tell me what she saw. "There ar e trees an d a stone road. I see a fire with cooking . My hair i s blond. I'm wearin g a long, coarse brown dres s an d sandals. I a m twenty-five . I hav e a gir l chil d whos e nam e i s Cleastra. . . . She' s Rachel . [Rache l i s presentl y he r niece ; they hav e alway s ha d a n extremel y clos e relationship. ] It' s very hot." I wa s startled. My stomach knotted, and th e roo m fel t cold. Her visualization s an d recal l seeme d s o definite. She wa s no t at al l tentative . Names , dates , clothes , trees—all see n vividly ! What wa s going on here ? Ho w coul d th e chil d sh e ha d then- j be her niec e now? I was even more confused. I ha d examine d thousands o f psychiatri c patients , man y unde r hypnosis , an d I ha d never come across fantasies like this before—not even i n dreams. I instructe d he r t o g o forwar d t o th e tim e o f he r death. I wasn' t sur e ho w t o intervie w someon e i n th e middle of suc h a n explici t fantas y (o r memory?) , bu t I wa s o n th e lookout fo r traumatic event s that might underli e current fears or symptoms . The event s aroun d th e tim e o f deat h coul d b e particularly traumatic . Apparentl y a flood or tida l wav e wa s devastating the village. "There are big waves knocking down trees. There's no place to run. It's cold; the water is cold. I have to save my baby, but I canno t . . . jus t have to hold he r tight . I drown ; th e wate r chokes me . I can' t breathe , can' t swallo w . . . salt y water. My baby i s torn ou t o f m y arms. " Catherine wa s gasping an d having difficult y breathing. Suddenl y he r bod y relaxe d com pletely, and her breathing became deep and even. "I se e clouds. . . . M y bab y i s with me . An d other s from my village. I see my brother." She was resting ; thi s lifetim e had ended. Sh e was still i n a