Do you believe in Soul Exchanges?

[Sabredance1]

I do believe in them because I am one. I was the original person born into the body, left at age 14, then returned again 25+ years later. In January, I will have been here (again) 3 years.

And yes, before anyone starts to psychoanalyze me, I do realize how crazy it sounds and I'm not sure I would have believed it if I didn't experience it. It's not something I feel very comfortable talking about publicly because I know there will be those that will judge me without knowing me and without having experienced what I experience. 10 years ago, there was hardly anything to be found about soul exchanges on the web. Now it is becoming more common that people feel they have experienced them. Remember it was once thought that the world was flat and thinking otherwise could get you thrown into jail.

But as far as your question, they can happen for various reasons. I don't think there are any hard set of rules (so I would shun anyone who talks as though there are), but in general, I think it is most often to keep a vessel in use that someone else can make use of. If you needed to take a class of Algebra, it would stink to have to be forced into going through kindergarten all over again when it was only the Algebra class you need. So, if there is a body available that the person inhabiting it no longer needs, might as well make use of it and walk straight into that Algebra class than have to wait for a new body to be made.

The above applies to why the first exchange with my body happened. However, it does not apply to the reason I came back. I came back for a different reason than that (hence the reason I don't think there are any set rules).

In my case, there was nothing traumatic that prompted the exchanges. I was not injured, ill, no NDE, nor was I suicidal. I have always had a happy, stable life.

Do I consider the possibility that the one that left is just another facet of myself? Sure. But regardless of what the true-truth ultimately is, the experience I had and continue to have is that one unique soul was exchanged for another.

I am willing to share more information about my experiences for anyone that is genuinely interested and to discuss this subject with those that think they may have experienced this too, but I ask that you send me a private message. There are other people on these boards that had soul exchanges as well. The Past Lives & Reincarnation forum has a section for Soul Exchanges.

[Light Seeker]

And yes, before anyone starts to psychoanalyze me,

Hello Sabredance1,

As an aside , it may come as something of relief to you that a great many of us are far too busy trying to fathom ourselves to make sense of anyone else. So please be assured.

And I would agree totally there are no set rules .. It is indeed a major trauma by the sound of it... I come across the cliches regularly enough , you will have heard them " That was so out of Character, What has gotten into her ? " He's not been himself for weeks" etc etc...

I get to feeling this is more major obviously as it must surely feel like whole new you has moved in and forcibly ejected any semblance of your old personality ... Quiet a troubling notion from the get go from me... I get the sense that as you have worded it that these walk in's are quiet different from those times whenwe are not ourselves ( for whatever reason ) and that this is far more permanent and lasting change.

[Sabredance1]

[/quote]I get to feeling this is more major obviously as it must surely feel like whole new you has moved in and forcibly ejected any semblance of your old personality ... Quiet a troubling notion from the get go from me... I get the sense that as you have worded it that these walk in's are quiet different from those times whenwe are not ourselves ( for whatever reason ) and that this is far more permanent and lasting change.[/quote]


Hi Light Seeker,

Yes, this is different than someone coming in and sharing while you stay you or when you feel just a bit off. I have had that happen too though technically it was with the person prior to me (as I have all of her memories as though they were mine). I prefer to compare it to a car. When you share, you can have someone get in the car and know that someone has gotten in the car to have a look around with you, but you are still the driver. In the case of an exchange, the driver of the car changes and the first driver has completely left the car.

But for me, it was not traumatic as it was mostly seamless. I did have one friend who is gifted who said "You've been through a big change" but he didn't know what he meant by that at the time. I also had another friend who became frightened that my mediumship abilities increased in strength. I remember her saying, "I get the feeling you were gone and came back again" though at the time I didn't know what she meant, nor did she. It was just the feeling she had.

But otherwise, the way I figured it out was I noted over several months that my thought processes had changed. At soon as I woke up after the exchange took place, I instantly noted feeling emotionally different and intuitively knew something had happened, but it wasn't until I realized that my thought processes had changed too that it finally clicked with me what had happened. This was different than gaining a new perspective about a subject. This was a fundamental change in the way I thought through things, the way I reasoned, and self-identifying factors.

The gal prior to me, who had been in this body for 25+ years, had been notified by her guide that a soul exchange would happen. That was the first she had ever heard of such a thing. A couple of months went by, the exchange happened (she woke up during the process due to a sharp pain on the top of her head where the bones come together), and it was a disaster. The person that came in had a total panic attack as soon as she woke up and stayed like that all day. I'm not someone who has panic attacks so this was majorly out of character. That person was panicking because she felt like she wasn't supposed to be here and was in the wrong body. For her, it was hell. She practically couldn't function and hid in her room all day. That night, everything was reversed back. A few more years went by and I came in. I think it went well largely because I was the original person so I laid the groundwork for what this incarnation's interests and so forth would be. I personally do not think it was planned, pre-incarnation, that I would return, but it was determined that I needed to return, after the intended exchange failed, so that the person that was here could leave.

Yes, sometimes I do look in the mirror and see an image looking back at me that doesn't quite seem like me. I imagine most people feel that way at times though. I guess the first year seemed the weirdest as I felt like I was stepping into the role of someone else...someone else who decided who the spouse would be, someone else who decided what the career path would be, someone else who decided that we should have way too many horses that I now am responsible for feeding. But, IMO, she set up a good life and so I have done my best to merge into it as smoothly as possible.

[dakota jim]

[quote=wolfgaze]
Imagine the scenario of a mother/father who shared a very close bond/connection with their adult son or daughter. If that adult child had some type of incident and a 'soul exchange' took place (assuming it can even happen). Now a soul with a different nature, different personality/demeanor takes over and there is a newfound disconnect suddenly present and an eventual erosion of that preexisting bond/connection transpires. The parent becomes distraught, blames the original soul for what has unfolded (even though they are not responsible), and this opens up the door for strong feelings of anger, resentment, guilt to take hold - all over undetectable circumstances that were unable to be perceived? Meanwhile that poor parent has been deceived the whole time through no fault of his/her own. Who would ever wish to interact with someone while unknowingly mistaking their true identity for someone else? And what kind of effect would it have on the deceived individuals when they crossover and find out that they were directing all these emotions towards a particular soul who was not even the individual they thought them to be?
[quote]
It seems you are seeing it in too conventional of terms - its not something that happens to ordinary people. There are always very unusual circumstances and very old-wise souls with a mission, a challenging ans rare mission. And also the personality doesn't change as much as you might think, the new soul adjust to everything about the person they walk-in to, including the personality and memories. They may seem and feel quite different than before, but they are still the same person, just a different soul is driving the car- the person, not just their body. And the understanding comes from meditation and communication with angels or spirit guides, it's very personal, and very advanced spiritually.

[wolfgaze]

Originally Posted by dakota jim

It seems you are seeing it in too conventional of terms - its not something that happens to ordinary people. There are always very unusual circumstances and very old-wise souls with a mission, a challenging ans rare mission. And also the personality doesn't change as much as you might think, the new soul adjust to everything about the person they walk-in to, including the personality and memories. They may seem and feel quite different than before, but they are still the same person, just a different soul is driving the car- the person, not just their body. And the understanding comes from meditation and communication with angels or spirit guides, it's very personal, and very advanced spiritually.

Well I didn't make any claims about how common it is or whether it happens to quote 'ordinary' people...

Can you give some examples of the kinds of 'rare missions' that the arriving soul partakes in and how these 'missions' would be any different (more rare or special) than the ones that would be available to the souls who have been with their bodies since the time of their physical birth?

You said that the new soul adjusts to the personality of the physical body it takes over? Is it your perspective that the personality is solely the product of the physical body and it's physical experiences in a single lifetime? You don't feel that the soul and it's past development and degree of evolution imparts any influence on the personality that is exhibited within each person?

Also, when you say "they are still the same person" - who is the subject you are referring to here when you say 'they' (I know you mean it in a singular fashion, as in he/she)? Merely the physical body / human character? Why isn't the subject here the soul that is experiencing that body? Hmm... I would have to disagree with you if you feel you can separate the soul from the human and still have the 'same person'...

[Rah nam]

Originally Posted by GalTrav

If yes, why do you think they occur?

Technically speaking, no the soul is never exchanged in a body, since the soul is never in the body. The soul never moves from where it is.
A spirit can leave the body and an other come in, yes. It is rare but it happens.
Why?
Perhaps the first spirit only needs to go through the early years to do what it wants to do, and the other spirit doesn't want to go through the growing up period. These exchanges are almost always prearranged and it takes a near death situation for the exchange to be possible. Only in a death or almost death situation can the first spirit disconnect from the body, which is a must for the other spirit to fully engage with the body.

[dakota jim]

Originally Posted by wolfgaze

Well I didn't make any claims about how common it is or whether it happens to quote 'ordinary' people...

Can you give some examples of the kinds of 'rare missions' that the arriving soul partakes in and how these 'missions' would be any different (more rare or special) than the ones that would be available to the souls who have been with their bodies since the time of their physical birth?...

you will find out about this if you read some of the accounts and articles online, search on the terms. It takes personal effort and research, you can't just ask for a few soundbites from someone who has read and understood a lot more about it than you, especially when you just want to discount it with some rigid categorical thinking.

Originally Posted by wolfgaze

You said that the new soul adjusts to the personality of the physical body it takes over? Is it your perspective that the personality is solely the product of the physical body and it's physical experiences in a single lifetime? You don't feel that the soul and it's past development and degree of evolution imparts any influence on the personality that is exhibited within each person? ...

Nope not what I said. "imparts any influence..." ???? No- you twisted my words.

Originally Posted by wolfgaze

Also, when you say "they are still the same person" - who is the subject you are referring to here when you say 'they' (I know you mean it in a singular fashion, as in he/she)? Merely the physical body / human character? Why isn't the subject here the soul that is experiencing that body? Hmm... I would have to disagree with you if you feel you can separate the soul from the human and still have the 'same person'...

You twisted my words as if you are more motivated to resist changing your understanding of things.
'The person" is not the soul. It includes only part of the expression of the soul, the soul steers the person, who cannot be separated from the body and main personality which is part of the incarnated person's single lifetime, not the expression of one soul over many lifetimes. In a walk in the personality does not completely change, the new soul takes it on, so there is an adjustment period and some apparent change in personality, but it is predetermined that they will adjust to the existing personality.
It's for very advanced souls in very unusual circumstances, like less than 1 in a million. It's not something most people can understand, walk-ins are here to help bring about major spiritual change on a societal level. The advanced souls who walk in won't incarnate from birth because they would face too many risks, waste time and effort. The departing soul always agrees to it before birth. then typically have difficult painful lives and when it's time for the walkin they want to leave. This will be a very rare thing for centuries yet.

[dakota jim]

Originally Posted by Rah nam

Technically speaking, no the soul is never exchanged in a body, since the soul is never in the body. The soul never moves from where it is.
A spirit can leave the body and an other come in, yes. It is rare but it happens.
Why?
Perhaps the first spirit only needs to go through the early years to do what it wants to do, and the other spirit doesn't want to go through the growing up period. These exchanges are almost always prearranged and it takes a near death situation for the exchange to be possible. Only in a death or almost death situation can the first spirit disconnect from the body, which is a must for the other spirit to fully engage with the body.

Exactly- and other advanced races who are way beyond humans have mastered this process, they can manipulate it because they know how to force it to happen, they can use their free will over divine will in ways most people won't be able to understand for many years yet. This is covered on other websites.

[wolfgaze]

Originally Posted by dakota jim

you will find out about this if you read some of the accounts and articles online, search on the terms. It takes personal effort and research, you can't just ask for a few soundbites from someone who has read and understood a lot more about it than you, especially when you just want to discount it with some rigid categorical thinking.

You made a claim, I asked you for some examples to illustrate your claim. If you are so well-read and understand so much about this subject matter surely you wouldn't have any difficulty elaborating on this and sharing some examples?

Originally Posted by dakota jim

Nope not what I said. "imparts any influence..." ???? No- you twisted my words.

You said that the arriving soul adjusts to the personality of the body that it takes over. What aspect of the personality is rooted in the physical body and what part of the personality is rooted in the influence of the soul? Did the departing soul have any personality of it's own and which stayed with that soul when it departed? Or do you feel the personalty is completely rooted in the physical body and brain? If you believe that the soul influences and contributes to the personality that is expressed and exhibited by an individual, than NO, you will not have the "same person" if one soul departs and another soul takes over.

You need to clarify this.. I'm not twisting your words here, I'm questioning your assertion that you can have a different soul in the same body and still have the "same person"...

Originally Posted by dakota jim

You twisted my words as if you are more motivated to resist changing your understanding of things.

How can I understand if I do not ask the difficult questions? When you come across new ideas/perspectives - do you just immediately accept them at face value, or do you test, challenge, and question those ideas to see if they are sensible and can be integrated into your perception and awareness?

Originally Posted by dakota jim

'The person" is not the soul. It includes only part of the expression of the soul, the soul steers the person, who cannot be separated from the body and main personality which is part of the incarnated person's single lifetime, not the expression of one soul over many lifetimes. In a walk in the personality does not completely change, the new soul takes it on, so there is an adjustment period and some apparent change in personality, but it is predetermined that they will adjust to the existing personality.

Okay...

Originally Posted by dakota jim

It's for very advanced souls in very unusual circumstances, like less than 1 in a million. It's not something most people can understand, walk-ins are here to help bring about major spiritual change on a societal level. The advanced souls who walk in won't incarnate from birth because they would face too many risks, waste time and effort. The departing soul always agrees to it before birth. then typically have difficult painful lives and when it's time for the walkin they want to leave. This will be a very rare thing for centuries yet.

Something tells me that 'advanced souls' would not have any qualms about facing risks, and would not see a longer duration life experience here as 'wasted time and effort'... But that's just my perspective...

[Lambo009]

Originally Posted by LifeWhispers

I had never really thought of this before. But it makes me wonder, if it can happen, which part of us would be aware of it happening?

Would my physical body feel like something in side me is different, maybe new thoughts and feelings?

Or would I wake up one day and look in the mirror and not recognize myself because my vessel has suddenly changed?

I mean, I'm pretty certain that the soul currently occupying my body isn't the same one that was as a child, and it would surprise me if a second came through, was like, "screw this," and then left and then either my current soul is the one I was born with and it needed a break from maddening chronic pain and misfortune, or it's some star person or somebody, because I look at pictures of myself as a child, and while the memories are in my brain, and I can remember them like they were yesterday (if yesterday is a little foggy) I have no connection with them at all. It's just the body that I'm currently occupying before I occupied it. I've seen some pretty huge personality shifts at three key points in my life, and one was accompanied by a year of me viewing life from outside of my body (just above the back of my head with a 300 degree field of view; it was neat and fascinating. The phenomena is called depersonalization in psychology, albeit I had a more sever case due to it's triggering factor, anxiety, being heightened by pain, and pain's tendency to heighten anxiety. It just created a never-ending loop until I started actively rewriting my personality because I was just going down the way wrong path, which was arguably a slow soul exchange, but the earlier one was when my pain started. My theory is that my should decided to protect itself from the really detrimental effects that pain has on a mind and soul, because I went pretty crazy because it took me 3 years of going from doctor to doctor to get any real help, all the while I felt like I was on fire 24-7 and that there was hydrochloric acid eating my muscles from the inside out and gasoline in my spinal column. I would say that the whole experience has made me realize that the body is little more than a rotting meat sack designed to allow extra dimensional beings to experience organic life by occupying it while it rots. I still haven't gotten over the fact that time doesn't pass properly at all anymore. Mostly, now is forever and infinity is contained in each moment, and I can better appreciate how much beauty exists in each moment every single moment of my day and life. That part is nice, but the dragging out of the pain is unpleasant and intolerable, but even the withered trees breathe as I walk down the street, and they're beautiful, so it's okay.

Yeah, the thoughts and feelings initially are actually exactly the same, but they have a different inclination, so then the soul rewires the brain by changing the thought patterns and settles in. There is no fragmentation of the self into parts, honestly, you're still experiencing it via your body (in some cases) but the soul is different, like, it's the same car, but Danny Devito got out and Sean Connery got in and started driving, ya know what I mean? And it's not that you don't recognize yourself, it's that others don't recognize you for who and what you currently; they project a different soul onto you, and it just does't fit. It's quite alienating, honestly.