Jim B. Tucker, M.D.

The Case of Sam Taylor

Sam Taylor is a boy from Vermont who was born a year and a half after his paternal grandfather died. When Sam was one-and-a-half years old, his father was changing his diaper one day when Sam told him, “When I was your age, I used to change your diapers.” After his mother saw the puzzled look on his father’s face as he brought Sam out of his room, they discussed the comment, which they both found odd. Neither had ever given reincarnation much thought. Though Sam’s mother was the daughter of a Southern Baptist minister, his parents were not religious.

Following that incident, Sam gradually began saying that he had been his grandfather. He also said, “I used to be big, and now I’m small.” While his father was initially skeptical about such a possibility, his mother was more open to the idea, and she began asking him questions about the life of his paternal grandfather. At one point, she and Sam were talking about the fact that his grandmother had taken care of his grandfather before he died. Sam’s mother asked him what his grandmother made every day for his grandfather to drink, and Sam correctly said that she had made milkshakes and that she had made them in a machine in the kitchen. He got up to show her the food processor on the kitchen counter. When his mother showed him the blender in the pantry and asked if he meant that his grandmother had made the milkshakes with it, he said no and pointed out the food processor instead. In fact, his grandmother had made milkshakes for his grandfather in the food processor. She had had a series of strokes after the death of his grandfather, and Sam had never seen her make milkshakes for anyone.

At another time, Sam’s mother asked him if he had had any brothers or sisters when he lived before. He answered, “Yeah, I had a sister. She turned into a fish.” When she asked him who turned her into a fish, he said, “Some bad guys. She died. You know what, when we die, God lets us come back again. I used to be big, and now I’m a kid again.” The sister of Sam’s grandfather, in fact, had been killed some sixty years before. Her husband killed her while she was sleeping, rolled her body up in a blanket, and dumped it in the bay.

At other times, Sam correctly said that his grandfather’s favorite place in the home was the garage where he worked on “inventions” and that Sam’s father had a small steering wheel of his own when they rode in the car. When his father was a boy, he had a toy steering wheel that attached to the dashboard of a car by suction cups.

When Sam was four-and-a-half years old, his grandmother died. His father flew out to her home to take care of her belongings and returned with a box of family photographs. Sam’s parents had not had any pictures of his father’s family before then. When his mother spread them out on the coffee table one night, Sam came over and began pointing to the pictures of his grandfather and saying, “That’s me!” When he saw a snapshot that just showed a car without any people, he said “Hey! That’s my car!” This was a picture of the first new car that his grandfather ever purchased, a 1949 Pontiac that was very special to him.

His mother gave Sam a class picture from when his grandfather was in grammar school. The picture showed twenty-seven children, sixteen of them boys. Sam ran his finger over the faces, stopped it on his grandfather’s face and said, “That’s me.”

His father says that Sam’s grandfather did not communicate very well about emotional issues with his sons, particularly when they were adults. Sam’s father let his own father know how he felt about him, but his father had great difficulty reciprocating. He feels that if his father has come back through Sam, then his deceased father is reaching out to return his love. Sam’s father is very open with all of his children, and he and Sam seem to have a very good relationship.

The Case of Sam Taylor

Sam Taylor is a boy from Vermont who was born a year and a half after his paternal grandfather died. When Sam was one-and-a-half years old, his father was changing his diaper one day when Sam told him, “When I was your age, I used to change your diapers.” After his mother saw the puzzled look on his father’s face as he brought Sam out of his room, they discussed the comment, which they both found odd. Neither had ever given reincarnation much thought. Though Sam’s mother was the daughter of a Southern Baptist minister, his parents were not religious.

Following that incident, Sam gradually began saying that he had been his grandfather. He also said, “I used to be big, and now I’m small.” While his father was initially skeptical about such a possibility, his mother was more open to the idea, and she began asking him questions about the life of his paternal grandfather. At one point, she and Sam were talking about the fact that his grandmother had taken care of his grandfather before he died. Sam’s mother asked him what his grandmother made every day for his grandfather to drink, and Sam correctly said that she had made milkshakes and that she had made them in a machine in the kitchen. He got up to show her the food processor on the kitchen counter. When his mother showed him the blender in the pantry and asked if he meant that his grandmother had made the milkshakes with it, he said no and pointed out the food processor instead. In fact, his grandmother had made milkshakes for his grandfather in the food processor. She had had a series of strokes after the death of his grandfather, and Sam had never seen her make milkshakes for anyone.

At another time, Sam’s mother asked him if he had had any brothers or sisters when he lived before. He answered, “Yeah, I had a sister. She turned into a fish.” When she asked him who turned her into a fish, he said, “Some bad guys. She died. You know what, when we die, God lets us come back again. I used to be big, and now I’m a kid again.” The sister of Sam’s grandfather, in fact, had been killed some sixty years before. Her husband killed her while she was sleeping, rolled her body up in a blanket, and dumped it in the bay.

At other times, Sam correctly said that his grandfather’s favorite place in the home was the garage where he worked on “inventions” and that Sam’s father had a small steering wheel of his own when they rode in the car. When his father was a boy, he had a toy steering wheel that attached to the dashboard of a car by suction cups.

When Sam was four-and-a-half years old, his grandmother died. His father flew out to her home to take care of her belongings and returned with a box of family photographs. Sam’s parents had not had any pictures of his father’s family before then. When his mother spread them out on the coffee table one night, Sam came over and began pointing to the pictures of his grandfather and saying, “That’s me!” When he saw a snapshot that just showed a car without any people, he said “Hey! That’s my car!” This was a picture of the first new car that his grandfather ever purchased, a 1949 Pontiac that was very special to him.

His mother gave Sam a class picture from when his grandfather was in grammar school. The picture showed twenty-seven children, sixteen of them boys. Sam ran his finger over the faces, stopped it on his grandfather’s face and said, “That’s me.”

His father says that Sam’s grandfather did not communicate very well about emotional issues with his sons, particularly when they were adults. Sam’s father let his own father know how he felt about him, but his father had great difficulty reciprocating. He feels that if his father has come back through Sam, then his deceased father is reaching out to return his love. Sam’s father is very open with all of his children, and he and Sam seem to have a very good relationship.