In case you're one of the four people on earth that didn't see The Da Vinci Code, the Cathars were a religious sect in Southwest France in the 13th century. The Pope declared them heretics and this is what kicked off the Inquisition. Long story short, they were wiped out... mostly burned at the stake. Fast forward to the present.
In the 1970's a British psychiatrist named Arthur Guirdham had a patient, a "Mrs. Smith" who, under hypnosis began to recount a tale from the 13th cent... about being one of the Cathars. Tony Robinson, of the Time Team, decided to investigate the claims. Now let me say from the beginning- I'm a cynic, a skeptic...
First, I don't trust psychiatrists or psychiatry... I think they're in general a bunch of bullshit artists. Second, I don't trust hypnosis- people under hypnosis can be "given" memories. So what happened with Dr. Guirdham's patient? Apparently, after Mrs. Smith, several other women came forward with similar stories. This is when the bullshit alarm began ringing madly. Did Guirdham actually GET information from the patients, or did he GIVE it to them? Reason (and cynicism) tells me that the memories are a product of Dr. Guirdham's imagination (and lengthy research).
In the video, they cite police interrogation techniques where suspects are fed bits of information and they are encouraged to elaborate on it. Such was the case with Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler. The police would say things like: "and then you placed the stocking around her neck, right?" And DeSalvo only had to agree. I believe this to be the case with Dr. Guirdham and his patients.
So, I decided to check out Dr. Guirdham. According to Brian Inglis' book, A History of Medicine, "Guirdham was given to making sweeping assertions unsupported by evidence." Psychologist, Robert A. Baker says, "[He] ignores science and embraces the supernatural." Finally, historical researcher Ian Wilson says, "his claims contain serious errors and inconsistencies."
Personally, I also don't believe in reincarnation of this sort. If burning prevents resurrection, why do the Cathars keep showing back up? Like I said, I'm a cynic and this story makes my bullshit meter go off the chart... But, I've been wrong before. You tell me what you think.