Life is Hard and then You Live
Curtis Eickerman
It was such a strange thing for a little
boy to describe, but hearing strange things from little kids was an every day
occurrence for Dr. Steve Davison. Still,
sometimes what they said was a little unnerving and that was the case with what
little Joshua Peters had related.
Steve Davison had known as far back as he
could remember that he wanted to be a doctor and wanted to help people. He never even questioned it, and neither did
his family. For some reason everyone
always just accepted that little Steve would one day be Doctor Davison. Steve also knew that he wasn’t going to be
the kind of doctor that cut people and stuck needles into them. In fact the sight of blood always made him
lightheaded and dizzy. Of course this
prompted Steve’s brother and sister to dub him “Dizzy Doctor Davison.” Sometimes they just referred to him as
Triple-D for short.
When Steve was in high school he became
fascinated by how the mind works. He
would read incessantly about all kinds of mental disorders, but what interested
him most were the workings of the minds of children. It always seemed to Steve that a child’s mind
should be in good working order, not having had the time to be all cluttered up
with a lot of bad experiences that tend to make the rest of us act and think
strangely at times. Of course there were
injury related issues, and diseases, but in general it always seemed that a
normal healthy child should have a normal healthy mind. Yet it fascinated him to learn that sometimes
the minds of children revealed a strange and fascinating look at the universe.
When he entered college Steve set himself
on a course that would lead him into psychology with a particular interest in
matters relating to children. So it was
that Steve Davison ended up pursuing a PhD. in psychology and really did end up
being a doctor who didn’t have to cut people or stick needles into them. Triple-D had found his place in life.
In his practice Steve had focused more and
more on the phobias of young children, particularly those that seemed to have
no rational cause. Time and time again
he would be faced with two, three and four year old children that had extreme
phobias that seemingly had come from nowhere.
There would be extreme fears of loud noises, heights, fire, water, cars,
airplanes, and the like. Stranger still,
many of these same children also had extreme affection for something
unique. The affection could be for a
particular piece of music, a picture of some tourist attraction, a book, or
something else that you wouldn’t think would be of interest to a young child.
Generally the fears would fade over a
period of months or years and could often be helped by a variety of
therapies. However, in the most extreme
cases Steve would have to refer families to a Psychiatrist who could prescribe
medications that seemed to help until the phobia waned. This often left Steve troubled because he
always felt that these children who showed no signs of disease or injury should
not have to take medication for their minds to be free of the phobias. Then one day he got a glimpse of another way
to handle the problem.
Joey Simms was just the normally active
three year old.
He was constantly on the run and into everything, but that’s not why his
parents had come to Steve’s office. They
brought Joey to Steve because of his extreme fear of large bodies of
water. The house he and his parents
lived in had a pool in the back yard.
Until about six months earlier this had not been a problem. Then one day Joey became very upset at even
the sight of the pool. He would cry,
scream, wail, and literally beg his parents, Jean and John, to make the pool go
away. It had become such a problem that
they had to keep the drapes closed for all the back windows and they could not
even use the back door. Even with those
concessions Joey didn’t want to be in any of the back rooms of the house. Jean and John were at a total loss, and had
brought Joey to Steve for help.
In one of their therapy sessions Steve
asked, “Joey, could you do me a favor and lay back there on the couch and close
your eyes?”
“Why?”
“We’re going to talk a bit while you have
your eyes closed.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you very relaxed while we
talk and that’s the best way, OK partner?”
“OK.”
Joey swung around and started to put his
feet up on the couch and then looked at his mom. “It’s OK, Joey, you can go ahead and put your
feet up and get real comfortable,” Steve assured him. Joey complied and settled in. “Now go ahead and close your eyes and get
real comfortable.”
“OK.
You feeling nice and relaxed?” Joey nodded.
“Good. OK, Joey, I want you to
picture yourself in your house and tell me what you see.”
“Ummmmm, I see my
fire truck.”
“Good.
Where is it?”
“It’s in the front room.”
“Do you like driving your fire truck?”
“Yeah, it’s neat.”
“Good.
How about we take your fire truck for a little ride around the house?”
“OK.”
Knowing the layout of the Simms house,
Steve suggested, “Let’s take it for a ride into the family room.”
“I don’t want to.”
“It’ll be OK. We’re right here. I just want you to tell me what you see when
we get into the family room.”
Joey hesitated then responded, “OK. We’re in the family room now, and I see the
TV and the big couch, and some books.”
“Good.
Now how about we take the fire truck out in the back yard?”
“Nooooo!”
“It’ll be OK. Nothing can hurt you here. You’re just on the couch here in my
office. I just want you to tell me what
you see when we take the fire truck out in your back yard, OK?”
There was a long hesitation and a deep sigh
from Joey. “OK, I’m taking the fire
truck outside.” Joey noticeably
stiffened and his lips tightened. “It’s
bad,” he said.
“What’s bad Joey? What do you see?”
“The boat’s leaking.”
“What boat is leaking,
Joey?”
“We went fishing. Me and my kids. It’s our fishing boat.”
Steve looked at Jean and John who were
equally at a loss as to what Joey was talking about. “Where are you fishing?”
“We’re at the lake. We always go to the lake to go fishing. We are way off shore. I can’t see the land. The boat is leaking. I’m trying to start the motor, but it won’t
go. The kids are scared. I’m scared.”
“It’s OK.
You’re not going to be hurt. Just
tell me what you see and take your time.”
“The water is getting higher. We didn’t take the life jackets. I forgot them. It’s my fault. The motor won’t start. The kids are crying.” Tears began to flow down Joey’s cheeks as he
was sobbing silently.
“Take your time. Just relax and listen to my voice and tell me
what you see.”
“The boat sank. We’re in the water. Me and my two kids. I’m trying to keep them up and get us to
shore, but I don’t know which way. The
kids are crying. It’s my fault.”
“Don’t worry. Try to stay relaxed. We’re right here for you. Just tell me what is happening.”
“I’m so weak. I can’t keep their heads out of the
water. My arms and legs won’t move. I’m slipping under the water,” crying while
he’s speaking. “It’s my fault. I can’t get my nose out of the water. I’m trying to hold my breath and make my arms
and legs work, but they just won’t. I
don’t know where the kids are. Things
are getting black. I can’t see
anything. I can’t breathe.”
“It’s OK, you’re still on the couch and you
can breathe here.”
“Now I’m floating.”
“Floating in the water?”
“No.
I’m floating above the water. I
see the water below me. I see some things
in the water from the boat. It’s harder
to see.”
“Why is it harder to see?”
“I just keep getting higher and
higher. I can’t see anything else.”
“That’s OK, Joey. You don’t need to try to see anything more
for me, OK?”
“Yeah.”
“You can open your eyes and get up for me
now if you are ready.”
“OK,” Joey said while swinging himself back
to a sitting position on the couch. “Are
we ever going to do this again doctor Steve?”
“We might Joey. We might.”
That day Doctor Steve Davison had an eye opening
experience. He saw a three year old boy
who was deathly afraid of large bodies of water because he “remembered”
drowning in a lake with his two children.
Steve had his secretary keep an eye on Joey for a few minutes while he
conferred briefly with Jean and John.
All three of them were stunned at what they had heard and they all were
at a loss as to where Joey’s vision had come from. Steve asked them to keep a careful watch on
Joey at home and give him a call if they saw any changes. Less than an hour after they left he received
a call from them.
“Doctor?” Jean
asked.
“Yes.
Has something changed?”
“Yes.
I just don’t understand. The
minute we got home Joey asked if we could all go swimming.”
“Swimming?”
“Yeah, he was so excited. Joey and John are already out in the
pool. He’s having a great time.”
“No fear?”
“None, and he’s
paddling around out there like a fish.”
“Excellent.
Let me know if anything changes.”
“Sure, and thanks doctor. Thanks.
Bye,” Jean hung up the phone.
Steve sat there dumbfounded. Could it be that simple? Could these
seemingly irrational fears be very rational after all? Could these fears just be
real fears from somewhere else or somewhen else? Were they fears that had surfaced from a
trauma in a previous life? Steve began
to explore this possibility with a number of his patients and began having
amazing successes.
There was four year old John Caufield who had an extreme fear of heights. He described falling to his death in a
mountain climbing accident. Three year
old Jennifer Williams had become very afraid of cars which challenged her
parent’s ability to get her help. Steve
had come to their house to see her. In
their first and last visit Jennifer described how her car had careened off an
icy mountain road and how she had lived pinned in the wreckage for a day before
she had died. Five year old Craig
Thompson was deathly afraid of fire. In
their first session Craig told how he had loved being a fireman and how proud
he was to be one. He described in detail
the last fire he was at where they were trying to rescue someone in an upstairs
apartment when the floor gave way under them.
He and two of his best friends were burned to death that night.
Still, with all his success, Steve found it
hard to believe that what these kids were telling him could possibly be real
experiences. Then he met seven year old
Joshua Peters.
Joshua was a very bright youngster with
orange red hair and a face full of freckles.
He had been home schooled because of his extreme fear of the sun that
had kept him indoors much of the time.
Because of this fear Steve met with Joshua and his parents, Henry and
Rhonda, in the evenings after sundown.
Unfortunately, the first few meetings had met with very limited
success. Steve could seem to lead Joshua
just so far and no further. He would
seemingly teeter on the edge of revealing the source of his fear, but would
then pull back.
During the course of their meetings Steve
was able to find out quite a bit from Joshua, and this might have been helped
somewhat by his age. It was highly
unusual for children to remember previous lives much past the age of four, but
clearly Joshua was an exception. From
their meetings Steve had determined that the life Joshua remembered was as a
five year old girl named Heather. He was
also able to describe and tell a lot about details of the surroundings. From this Steve was able to determine almost
the exact location of Joshua’s previous life experience. The place he described in detail was a
restaurant next to the inner harbor area of
“Joshua, are you ready to talk like we have
before?”
“Sure, doctor Steve.” Joshua relaxed on the couch and closed his
eyes.
“Good.
Just take a couple of minutes to relax just like we did before. Then when you are ready tell me what you
see. OK?”
“Mmmmm hmmm,”
Joshua grunted assent as he stayed perfectly quiet for almost two minutes.
“I’m in the restaurant again, with my
mom. We’re having the fish and
chips. I always liked the fish and
chips.”
“Good.
Is there anything else you notice in the restaurant?”
“People next to us are talking. They seem to be worried about something. They are saying something about people
getting killed somewhere.”
“Can you tell where?”
“Uh, no. They say a name, but I don’t understand
it. It sounds kind of foreign.”
“OK.
Is there anything else you notice?”
“The restaurant has a TV. I like TV.”
“I like TV too. Do you see what’s on the TV?”
“Nothing fun.”
“Nothing fun like what?”
“There is some guy talking. He seems real serious. He seems to be talking about people getting
killed too in some strange sounding place.”
“Is it a news broadcast?”
“I think so. It’s not fun.”
“Why is it not fun?”
“The man seems worried. Everyone is worried... I hear a jet. I like planes.”
“Me too. Is the
plane close?”
“I don’t know. My mom is paying the guy and we’re going to
leave the restaurant.”
Realizing this was the point where Joshua
always stopped, Steve prompted, “Remain very relaxed and remember you are right
here, but you can tell me what you see.”
“Mmmmm
hmmmm.”
Joshua again grunted assent but had visibly stiffened.
“The sun is so bright. Why did mommy have to make us go
outside? It’s so bright...”
“Can you tell me more about how bright the
sun is?”
“My eyes are closed, but it’s still so
bright. All I can see is the sun. It’s hot.”
“Is it summertime?”
“Uh, no. Mom said she wanted to go today because it
was a nice spring day. She said it’s too
nice to stay home. I wish we had stayed
home.”
“Why do you wish you had stayed home?”
“The sun is so bright. It’s so hot.
I... Uh...”
“It’s OK.
Relax. Take a couple of big deep
breaths. You are right here and I am
right here. When you are ready you can
tell me what is happening.” Steve
waited.
“It’s not just hot. It’s burning.
The sun is burning.”
“Do you have a sunburn?”
“Uh, no...
The sun is burning me. It’s so
bright. My eyes are closed but I still
see it. Now I hear the sun. I don’t know where my mom is.”
“It’s OK.
Just relax.” Steve was on the
edge of his seat hearing this for the first time. “You can tell me what is happening. It will be alright.”
“I’m flying through the air.”
“Like a bird?”
“No.
It’s the sun. I’m burning. It’s so loud.
The sun is throwing me through the air.
I want my mom.”
“Your doing fine. I’m right here for you. Just relax and everything will be fine. Take your time.”
“I’m not burning anymore. I can see.
I still hear the sun.”
“What does the sun sound like?”
“It’s rumbling. Terrible rumbling. I can see.
I’m way up high. I don’t know where my mom is. I see a big cloud.”
“A big cloud in the sky?”
“No, it’s below me. The cloud is on the ground but it’s coming up
into the sky.”
“The cloud is coming up?”
“Yes.
It’s getting bigger and bigger.
It just keeps coming up.”
“Do you know why the cloud keeps getting
bigger?”
“The sun made it. I don’t know.
It’s changing shape. It’s
starting to look like a tree. A cloud shaped
like a big tree.”
“What else do you see?”
“Nothing. I’m going somewhere else, but I don’t
see. I don’t know.”
“It’s OK.
Just relax.”
“I don’t see any more. There isn’t anything else.”
“It’s OK, Joshua. Relax for a few moments then when you are
ready you can open your eyes and sit up.
OK?”
“Mmmm
hmmm.” Joshua began to wiggle and
finally sat up. “It was scary doctor
Steve.”
“I know Joshua, but you’re here now and
everything is OK. You don’t have to be
scared any more.”
“OK.
Are we done?”
“Yeah we’re done. Can you run out and ask your dad to come in
for a moment?”
“Sure.”
Joshua hopped off the couch and ran to get his dad.
As Steve waited he wondered what he was
going to say. How do you explain
something like this? Certainly what
Joshua described didn’t seem to be a past life experience. Had he just made up a great story in his mind
that had scared him? Still the details
that he described were haunting.
“You wanted to see me?” John asked.
“Yes.
I think we have made a bit of a breakthrough. I won’t go into details, but let me know how
he’s doing. Give me a call if anything
changes, and thanks for bringing him in.”
“OK, sure.
G’night.” Henry stepped out and closed the
door.
Steve sat there wondering. How long would Joshua live? He hoped for