A theoretical process of rebirth in some other form of life.
The belief held by members of some religious groups that a person returns in physical or spiritual form to live again after death.
The idea that we die only to be born again as some other person or being human, animal, or, in some versions, vegetable and that evidence of such a process surfaces from time to time in memories of one or more of our past lives. These memories of our past(s) are believed to emerge under hypnosis. A particular case that is often quoted is that of Virginia Tighe who, under hypnosis, remembered that in a former life she had been an Irish girl, Bridey murphy. For a while, this case was seen to provide convincing evidence for reincarnation, but closer inquiry revealed that Virginia Tighe was uncovering memories of an Irish girl who had been one of her neighbors in Chicago when they were children.
Another notable case is that of Kardecism, an occult sect attracting many in Brazil, combining Spiritualism with reincarnation. The medium calls up a spirit mediator, a reincarnation of some appropriate person from a past life, who can then be asked to advise, provide information, or act as the intermediary between the living and the dead.