Monday 21st September 2026 ZOOM SPR WEB EVENT at 8pm (BST): Autism and Past-Life Memory: What We're Learning - James Matlock

REGISTRATIONS FOR THIS EVENT WILL CLOSE TWO HOURS BEFORE THE TALK IS DUE TO START. ALL SPR WEB EVENTS ARE RECORDED, AND A LINK TO THE RECORDING WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO THOSE WHO REGISTER TO ATTEND WHEN THE RECORDING IS READY. From the speaker: Studies of past-life memory over the last 65 years have shown that factors favouring past-life memory retrieval very much resemble those favouring present-life memory retrieval, so it is not a great surprise to find that autism appears to impact present- and past-life memory in a similar fashion. Autism does not always affect memory, but when it does, it is in one of two ways -- either it enhances episodic memory or it suppresses it, and we see the same thing with past-life memory. I describe a series of five apparent reincarnation cases involving autistic children. In four of these cases, there were no declarative past-life memories, although there were personality traits and behavioural and physical signs suggesting reincarnation. In two cases, what may be subliminal episodic memories were displaced onto invisible companions. In the fifth case, the child claimed to recall multiple past lives, something highly unusual for children. I discuss what these findings suggest about a neurological connection to past-life memory retrieval, something it should be possible to explore in the laboratory.