Dear Julia:

I am a brain injury patient who is gathering information for a book on disabilities. I was born a normal person but had an accident that caused brain damage, and am no longer the same. It's like the person that was there was "taken out." I feel I lost all my human qualities, like my head's screen went blank. I thought if we were born human, we would always be that way. If I had not survived it would have been a kindness, because at least I would have died the same person I was when I was born. I am hoping you can help.

Maura

Dear Maura:

There are a lot of strange things in the Universe, but what I believe you're struggling with is one of the weirdest.

Have you ever heard the term "walk-in?" Basically, a walk-in is believed to be a highly evolved soul that is granted permission to take over the body of someone who is ready to move on from this life. The original "person" may have completed their lessons for this lifetime, or they may be deeply depressed and suicidal, or they may have done so much damage to the physical body that they don't want to deal with the pain of healing and perhaps the physical challenges of disability.

If the body is still viable, instead of allowing it to "die," that soul may grant permission to another soul to take it over. This is always done with permission, though that permission generally happens at a soul level, and thus the personalities involved are usually not conscious of this plan.

In the classic near death experience, someone "dies" and then they meet up with some heavenly being who tells them that it's not their time yet, and they must go back. Often that person will argue that they don't want to leave the bliss of "heaven" to return to physical life. If they win that argument, they die and we never hear about it. If they are sent back, we may hear about this discussion as part of their near death experience.

Apparently there is another possibility we don't hear about so often: that person may indeed be allowed to move on from this life, but they may be asked to bequeath their physical body to another soul - one who has a humanitarian mission of some kind. This can be of great advantage to a soul that has already mastered the lessons of childhood and needs the freedom and power of an adult to quickly fulfill a higher mission. Often this new soul is from another world - someone we might call an "alien." There are supposedly many wonderful beings from other star systems who are working hard to keep Earth a great place to live.

The concept of "walk-ins" was first introduced to the general public via a book called Strangers Among Us by Ruth Montgomery, which was published in 1979. There are lots of other resources you can explore along with some great networks for people dealing with the unique challenges of being a walk-in. I recommend you begin at www.walk-ins.com, and check under the "resources" area. There you'll find a list of books, websites, and virtual communities of kindred spirits.

No doubt you're wondering why I concluded that you are dealing with a walk-in situation. First, let me explain that I was highly skeptical of this whole idea until I met a walk-in myself.

I was in Sedona, Arizona, and decided to attend a healing circle. There I met a man who had been in a really bad accident of some kind. He expressed feelings very similar to what you describe, and his body was definitely struggling to survive his extensive injuries. The most striking thing about him, however, was his aura/energy, which was unlike anything I'd ever encountered before. I knew instantly that he was not "human," even though I didn't even consider that possible before then. Meeting this man instantly made me realize that "walk-ins" can and do happen.

The concept of a walk-in is naturally hard to believe. If you think about it, however, everyone is a walk-in in the sense that our souls all took up residence in a baby's body - walk-ins just enter the body later in the game.

Here are some of the details that tipped me off that this is what you're dealing with: your problems arose after a major accident, you're writing a book on disabilities, you believe in reincarnation, you feel you were "taken out," and you even describe yourself as no longer human!

You see, when a walk-in occurs, it generally happens at the time of some major accident or physical trauma. Again, we might consider this a "near death experience" in which the soul decides to depart, but allows another soul to take over the body.

Your book on disabilities is no doubt related to the higher mission of the incoming soul - to help humanity. Did you have an interest in reincarnation and spiritual matters before the accident? I bet that before the accident, you were not nearly as spiritual as you are now. It's common for someone to emerge from an NDE with great spiritual knowledge and insights, and sometimes, this is because a higher level soul has moved in.

Finally, you feel that you were "taken out" of your body and are no longer human. It is common for walk-ins to feel that they are not of the Earth, do not really belong here, and don't fit in.

The most difficult thing to understand about the walk-in process is how the new soul can remember life before they arrived. In fact, sometimes they can't. Many cases of amnesia are walk-in situations.

Other times, the transition is practically seamless. The body stores mundane memories, karma, blocks, etc., holographically on a cellular level. If the incoming entity aurically integrates on all levels with the new body, it will be able to access that memory and function well in the body. Often, however, it takes a number of years to "recover" from such a transition and to fully integrate with the body. This period is often one of great challenge mentally, emotionally and physically. Walk-ins frequently have trouble with memory, coordination, speech, etc., and may appear to be "brain damaged." With better integration, these issues naturally improve.

This is a "high-tech," experimental spiritual process, much like a brain transplant would be physically speaking. Sometimes it's a great success, and other times there are problems. The physical body may in fact reject the new soul, just as a body may reject the new brain in a transplant situation.

Often both the original soul and the new soul both inhabit the body for a transition period. This can be a very disorienting experience. If the mental body of the new incoming soul never fully integrates, you may indeed have a situation where it seems there is "brain damage." Often, however, we see someone who emerges from an accident or a coma gain more and more control of their various faculties with time. Sometimes, this integration process can take years, so don't lose hope for improvement.

It's my understanding that the first spiritual healing step for you is to realize what has happened, for that will clear up a lot of confusion. Then, of course, you have to make peace with it emotionally. With that in mind, I again encourage you to find a support group.

Also, instead of being angry at your "brain," recognize that this body was considered so valuable that a higher level soul chose it as a vehicle to accomplish an important mission. Love your body, and instead of focusing on all you feel you've lost, focus on all that you have retained. You are obviously intelligent and have a higher goal and spiritual awareness. Instead of expecting yourself to be the same as before, know that in many important ways, you can be even better.

- Julia

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