After my uncle passed away in late 2009, I became interested in reincarnation because of a book he loaned me. I decided to see if I could undergo hypnosis and recall any past life memories. I found a therapist in Syracuse, NY, went under hypnosis fairly easily and was quite surprised by the results.

The life I recalled was as a little girl named Sophie in Iowa in the 1800's. The therapist and I went through various events in Sophie's life, and she brought me up to the day that Sophie passed away. But when I left the center, I felt as though I had recounted a dream, or as though the whole thing was simply a story I had made up.

I have no knowledge of life in the 1800's in Iowa, and I had never before heard of Sophie. When I got home, I hopped on the internet and googled some of the information I had been able to recall while under hypnosis. I was VERY excited when I discovered that the events I had seen in my regression perfectly matched events that took place in the mid 1800's. This was proof to me that Sophie existed, that I had not made her up, and that these things really happened. The details that follow are things I learned in my regression, things I saw through Sophie's "eyes."

I remembered her marriage to Theodore Poehler in April of 1855. I was able to confirm the month of that marriage on a genealogical site with the help of an actual member of the family. I recalled that Theodore tried farming early in their marriage, but that he decided to go into the wholesale grocery business soon after. I remembered their move to Lawrence, Kansas in 1866 and their grocery business on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence. All this was confirmed on a website on the history of Lawrence, Kansas. At the time of Sophie's death, my therapist asked if I saw anyone at my bedside. I was able to name Sophie's three oldest children as well as Theodore, her husband. Later, I confirmed the names of the children on the genealogical site as well.

I found a photo of Sophie's husband, Theodore Poehler, online. Although he was older in the photo than what I was able to recall as Sophie, I still recognized him. I also found a picture of Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, Kansas around the time that Sophie lived in Lawrence with her family. It matched the picture I have in my memory.

I continue to search for a photo of Sophie Knoener Poehler. I am hoping it will spark further memories of that lifetime.

Kathryn Talada

Posted Jan. 20, 2011