For example, an English TV documentary showed a American who had become so fascinated with the American Civil War that he had turned his house into a Civil War museum. Not surprisingly, under hypnosis he remembered being a soldier in the Civil War. This can be viewed by the sceptic as wishful thinking, but conversely it follows that a Civil War veteran would always have a fascination for that period - probably even into their next incarnation.
And an example of these obsessions with history which often seem irrational to the outsider are the current proliferation of military re-enactment groups all over the world, covering formations as diverse as medieval knights, through to soldiers of the American Civil War, WW1 and WW2.
Recurring dreams or nightmares
Recurring dreams or nightmares are a common way people claim to be able to view their past lives. This can vary between vague dreams of an unpleasant nature with a recurring theme all the way through to vivid dreams where other participants can be clearly recognised.
Seemingly irrational fears or phobias
Some people have seemingly irrational fears from a young age for such things drowning, aircraft crashing, loud noises, etc. Often when trying to work through this problem under hypnosis, the person will state that the cause of their phobia is an event from a time when they were someone else - and often the event is the cause of their death in that life.
Unexplained or chronic physical afflictions
Another problem that can occur is when people have a chronic health problem for which there seems to be no evident reason. Here again, when working through this problem under hypnosis, sometimes people will state that the origin of their problem is a traumatic event from a past life. And surprisingly once this discovery is made (under trance, etc), the person's problem are often reported as - almost miraculously - going away of their own accord.