Brian Weiss

BLWEISS

Brian Leslie Weiss (born November 6, 1944) is an American psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and author who specializes in so-called past life regression, a field not recognized as legitimate by mainstream psychology and psychiatry. Weiss's work has gained popularity with the general public, but it has been met with skepticism by the scientific community.

Early Life and Education

Brian Weiss was born in New York City, New York. He graduated from Columbia University in 1966 with a degree in chemistry, and he received his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine in 1970. After completing his internship at the New York University Medical Center, Weiss went on to complete his residency in psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Career

Weiss worked as a psychiatrist at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, where he was introduced to the concept of past life regression therapy. His interest in the field began with a patient he refers to as Catherine in his books, who, under hypnosis, began to describe past life experiences that purportedly shed light on her psychological issues and phobias.

In 1988, Weiss published his first book, Many Lives, Many Masters, which details his experiences with Catherine and his growing belief in reincarnation and past life regression as therapeutic tools. Despite criticism from the scientific and medical communities, the book became a bestseller and has been translated into multiple languages.

Following the success of his first book, Weiss went on to write several more books on the subject, including Through Time Into Healing, Only Love Is Real, and Messages from the Masters, further exploring the themes of reincarnation, spiritual healing, and the connections between past and present lives.

Criticism and Controversy

Weiss's work in past life regression and reincarnation is controversial and is not accepted by mainstream psychology or psychiatry. Critics argue that there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of past lives, and they caution against the use of past life regression therapy, suggesting it may lead to false memories or be otherwise psychologically harmful.

Despite the controversy, Weiss has maintained a large following and continues to conduct seminars, workshops, and training programs on past life regression therapy around the world.

Personal Life

Details about Weiss's personal life are not widely publicized. He is known to be married and has children.

Bibliography

• Many Lives, Many Masters (1988)
• Through Time Into Healing (1993)
• Only Love Is Real (1997)
• Messages from the Masters (2000)

See Also

• Past life regression
• Reincarnation
• Hypnotherapy