 Okay, I have a question for you. It’s a toughie. What if the alarm clock went off inside your head when you awoke one day and it felt like you were somebody else?
I’m not talking about a bad dream, or even a good one, for that matter – the kind that can cause you to wash your face in a hurry and stare at your familiar image in the mirror, only to see the same eyes, furrowed brow, and, in my case, a white beard.
I’m talking about looking into the mirror and seeing somebody else staring back at you. Somebody you recognize who is not you. Would that scare the socks off you? And what if you sat down at the breakfast table for your morning coffee and a bowl of Wheaties, picked up the newspaper, glanced at the headlines and let your mind wander.
Suppose you suddenly found yourself in a dream world someplace, and you were experiencing things mentally that were not your own. Suppose those thoughts lingered with you throughout the day, and you couldn’t shake them from the cobwebs inside your head.
No matter how much coffee you consumed or how many pounds you lifted in the weight room at the gym during your lunch hour, you couldn’t shake the terrible thoughts that had taken over your brain.
Worse yet, what if it was evident these thoughts had nothing to do with you, or anyone you associated with on a regular basis, or knew when you were a kid growing up or met when you went off to college. And, what if you recognized this person who had somehow invaded your mindset, (and maybe your body), as one of the most famous and controversial celebrities in the world?
Would that scare the bejabbers out of you or would you simply dismiss it as a joke because things like that don’t happen today to people like you?
Well, it happened in 1998 to a woman named Sherrie Lea Laird, a super-talented young Canadian pop star. She, too, had felt bewildered at first, but the memories continued to haunt her to the point that, finally, in desperation, she eventually contacted Dr. Adrian Finkelstein, a noted California psychiatrist, for help.
 Her story, although not new to Dr. Finkelstein, had a strange and bizarre angle that was different from most people who find themselves in this weird predicament. Sherrie Lea Laird said she felt like she wasn’t Sherrie Lea Laird anymore, but was the reincarnation of actress Marilyn Monroe.
This experience was more than an occasional dream. Over a period of time, she recognized people in Marilyn’s former life and went places in her mind with them and talked to them mentally on a daily basis.
 As bizarre as it seemed, Sherrie Lea Laird found herself drifting away gradually from the person she had been all these years and suddenly came to the conclusion that she was somebody else. Not just an ordinary somebody, mind you, but Marilyn Monroe, the famous Hollywood actress who had affairs with President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy and met a tragic death while still in the prime years of her life.
The idea of her exposing this strange occurrence to any psychiatrist, particularly one of Dr. Finkelstein’s reputation, was sure to attract media attention, she ascertained, and she feared what would happen as a result; if she would be subject of ridicule by her friends and family. How would she cope with that? Could she cope with that? Worse yet, when and if this bizarre revelation became public, would it jeopardize her career as a budding young singing star?
 Early on, Sherrie struggled with her problem, determined to keep it a secret from everyone, but when the emotional feelings became stronger and stronger day after day, she began to fear what might happen to her, if something tragic might occur, like in the case of Marilyn, that would suddenly snuff out her own life, forever.
Finally, frantic to resolve her dilemma and rid herself of these awful demons causing such traumatic fears and frustrations, she went online and searched for reputable psychiatrists and eventually wrote an email to Dr. Finkelstein, begging him for help in resolving her problem.
Shortly after I found out about Sherrie Lea Laird’s emotional situation, I contacted Dr. Adrian Finkelstein, and asked him to bring me up to date on Sherrie Lea Laird and his plans to write a book about her amazing life. Dr. Finkelstein sent me an impressive medical biography, called me on the phone and later arranged for me to receive a copy of the book when it was published.
I readily admitted, initially, to him and to Sherrie Lea Laird, when I eventually contacted her, that I was at first somewhat skeptical about her bizarre situation and Dr. Finkelstein’s “re-incarnation theory of her as Marilyn Monroe.” I quickly changed my mind when I reviewed the situation thoroughly and read Dr. Finkelstein’s book (three times over a six day period).
I was quite impressed with Dr. Finkelstein’s credentials, a board certified psychiatrist, who has been performing past life regressions as part of his practice for almost 30 years. Almost eight years ago, Dr. Finkelstein began working with Sherrie Lea Laird, after she began experiencing disturbing flashbacks and nightmares of a past lifetime in which it appeared that she was Marilyn Monroe.
After conducting extensive past life regressions, Dr. Finkelstein became convinced that Ms. Laird was indeed the reincarnation of Ms. Monroe, not only due to her memories, but also due to the presence of similarities in facial bone structure, hands, handwriting, voice pattern, linguistics and personality traits that exist between Marilyn Monroe and Sherrie Lea Laird.
 Dr. Finkelstein’s work was subsequently the subject of his compelling book, Marilyn Monroe Returns, The Healing of a Soul, which was published by Hampton Roads Publishing in the Spring of 2006. Ms. Laird, who performs under the stage name, Sherrie Lea, is the celebrated singer whose CD release of No Ordinary Love hit the top of the charts in Canada and Europe, before being released recently in the U.S. (It is also interesting to note that in her film Bus Stop, Marilyn’s role was of a singer named Cherie).
According to Dr. Finkelstein, it is common in reincarnation cases that memories can be disturbing, as the individual does not have a context to understand the memories. As such, past life memories can often interfere with “normal” life activities.
This type of reaction, he explained, was also described in the Barbro Karlen/Anne Frank case, in which Barbro began having spontaneous memories at age three which were so vivid that she lived, in effect, a double life.
Her parents, who were Christians, did not understand how Barbro could have memories of another lifetime and were made uncomfortable by her experiences, which resulted in emotional isolation for Barbro as a child. When the memories started to subside at age 15, Barbro experienced great relief, as she was now able to live life “just as Barbro.”
 In a similar way, Sherrie was distressed by these intrusive memories of a past lifetime and sought out Dr. Finkelstein, who had written, Your Past Lives and the Healing Process: A Psychiatrist Looks at Reincarnation and Spiritual Healing, first published in 1985.
Dr. Finkelstein’s own history is quite dramatic and also lends credibility to the reincarnation case of Marilyn Monroe/Sherrie Lea Laird. Dr. Finkelstein grew up in Communist Romania at the end of the WWII. Due to the anti-Semitism characteristic of Romania at that time, through great effort, Dr. Finkelstein and his family immigrated to Israel in the winter of 1960-61.
His family was poor and he described walking through the snow in torn shoes as his family made the rounds to make the necessary “bribes” to Communist officials, to get the needed paperwork to depart. To prepare for their planned move to Israel, Dr. Finkelstein taught himself Hebrew in secret, as it was illegal to study Hebrew in Romania.
Though the competition was great, Dr. Finkelstein was admitted to the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School. It was here that he first was exposed to hypnosis, which was used by a mentor to treat severe cases of asthma. Dr. Finkelstein also witnessed how hypnosis could be used to stop severe asthma attacks in an almost miraculous way, which made a great impression on him.
In 1967, Dr. Finkelstein served as a medical officer in the Six Day War, treating Israelis and Arabs alike. He won his MD in 1968. After moving to the United States, Dr. Finkelstein was accepted at the Menninger School of Psychiatry, which, at the time, was one of the premiere psychiatric training institutes in the world. While at Menninger, Dr. Finkelstein cured one of his mentors of chronic, severe migraine headaches through hypnosis.
After he graduated from Menniger, Dr. Finkelstein was given the Directorship of Outpatient Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago, and, in addition, took on the position of Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Chicago Medical School, University of Health Sciences in Chicago. He later became Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Rush University, Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago.
Dr. Finkelstein also undertook personal analysis for about 700 hours with a training analyst at the Psychoanalytic Institute in Chicago. During this time in Chicago, Dr. Finkelstein started doing past life regression therapy.
Dr. Finkelstein’s medical history and qualifications not only impressed me, but also convinced me that he is an experienced psychiatrist and past life regression therapist, who certainly would easily distinguish genuine past life memories from fabricated memories, which definitely made the Marilyn Monroe/Sherry Lea Laird case all the more compelling.
 In his fascinating and amazing book, which can be ordered at Amazon.com, Dr. Finkelstein explained how Ms. Laird, (who happened to be an excellent hypnotic subject), was guided into a “somnambulistic hypnotic state,” characterized by specific features, such as a “waxy face,” resulting from deeply relaxed facial musculature, which cannot be faked.
Information obtained in this state is considered to be truthful, he observed, which is one reason why Dr. Finkelstein believes that Ms. Laird is the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.
Like most people, I wondered why everyone thinks they were someone famous in a previous lifetime. The truth is, according to Dr. Finkelstein, most people were not famous in past lives. Many times, he said, when a psychic or a person gets an intuitive hit that an individual was a famous person in a past lifetime, in actuality, the famous person is acting as a “landmark” for that incarnation.
For example, a psychic may get the impression that a client was Cleopatra in a past lifetime, when in actuality, the client was Cleopatra’s advisor, maid or acquaintance. The psychic can't come up with the client’s specific name or identity in that era, so the closet, most prominent individual in that era, Cleopatra, pops into the psychic’s mind.
These so-called “landmark associations,” as the famous person, acts as a landmark for a person’s past lifetime. On the other hand, he said, famous people have to reincarnate just like everyone else and recent reincarnation research indicates that people reincarnate very quickly, almost continually.
If this is true, Dr. Finkelstein observed, then we would expect famous people, such as Marilyn Monroe and Anne Frank, to be reincarnated at this point in time.
Dr. Finkelstein explored and explained his research through the past regression process with Sherrie Lea Laird, through hypnosis, thoroughly and candidly, in the following Q&A session:
Q: How did you begin your professional work that brought
you to the discovery of Marilyn Monroe‘s “reincarnation” in the person of Sherrie Lea Laird?
A: I began in 1977 by having flashbacks of myself as a healer in a previous life. As it helped me personally a great deal, it moved me profoundly. Being a physician, I realized this could be a modality of healing the sick or personal growth that has not been explored. I felt that once properly utilized, it could be harnessed to bring healing to humanity.
More than 20 years later and after performing past-life regressions on thousands of individuals with many impressive therapeutic results, (mostly under hypnosis), I went through the most unusual experience in my professional work.
 In 1998, as a practicing psychiatrist in California, I was contacted by Sherrie Lea Laird, a young professional singer from Canada, (who performed under the name Sherrie Lea). Her story, although in many ways not new to me, had one astonishing twist. The young singer thought that she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.
Q: What did you tell in your book, Marilyn Monroe Returns: The Healing of a Soul about this unusual experience, Sherrie Lea Laird story?
A: Marilyn Monroe Returns tells the remarkable story of seven and a half years I researched and in a way treated Sherrie Lea Laird, revealing the mounting evidence that supports her claim. The undeniable physical similarities, bone structure, voice pattern, handwriting—coupled with the astonishing memories that surface during her therapy, convinced me of her authenticity. Her claim was of a troubled psyche seeking relief, not notoriety.
 Q: Wasn’t it an act of courage for Sherrie Lea to claim to be the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe?
A: Indeed, it was a courageous “outing” by Sherrie Lea, an up-and-coming pop star who risked everything to tell the truth about being the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.
Q: Does this “outing” by Sherrie Lea solve Marilyn Monroe enigma?
A: It solves Marilyn Monroe mysteries that have gone unanswered for decades—including a revelation about how Marilyn really died.
Q: How did you solve those mysteries, including coming by such a revelation?
A: Through “past-life regression sessions,” in which Sherrie Lea answered questions as Marilyn Monroe.
Q: Who should read your book, Marilyn Monroe Returns: The Healing of a Soul?
A: Marilyn Monroe Returns is a “must-have” for legions of Marilyn fans, the skeptical, and the curious.
Q: How can you impress upon the reader that Sherrie Lea’s story is true?
A: Maybe, primarily, by identifying with Sherrie Lea and her experience. What if you woke up one day and had memories that weren’t your own? That’s bad enough, but what if you weren’t experiencing just anyone’s life. You were having flashbacks of having lived as Marilyn Monroe. What would you do?
Sherrie Lea Laird was having just those experiences. As a talented, rising young pop star, she could not bare to face the criticism that telling her story would bring—or the damage that it could do to her career. But the longer she lived with her memories, the more she realized that, like Marilyn’s, her own life might end way too soon.
Q: Because Past Life Regression Research and Therapy led you into deeper spiritual quest, can you explain more what is meant by "past life regression?"
A: The word "regress" means to go back or return. Spontaneously, but usually through the use of hypnosis, self-hypnosis or meditation, a person is able to "return" to earlier lives and discover possible causes of problems in his or her present life. With the understanding of these causes, and often the assistance of a qualified professional, the patient is able to “deprogram” them once and for all from his or her life.
The law of reincarnation tells us that this present life span of ours is not a unique one, but actually part of a long circle of experiences stretching far back into the past. These past lives, combined with our present one, are what prepare us for the future.
Q: Why is it necessary for us to reincarnate life after life?
A: The earth is “a schooling ground.” How can we be expected to learn everything required for our development in one lifetime? If we become Masters, then it is possible. But, otherwise, it is necessary for us to return many times to learn from our earlier experiences and thereby set the stage for our future lives.
 Eventually, as body, mind, and spirit mature, we develop higher and higher levels of reality. How accustomed we are to perceiving this world in only three dimensions! It is so easy to deny what we do not readily perceive. As the late American surgeon Ernest La Place so wisely stated: “What we know is little, and what we don't know is immense.”
Our world, (which, of course, includes ourselves), is formed of various levels of energy vibrations. These vibrations rise from the gross level of our physical world to the highly refined plateau of thought--and ultimately spiritual consciousness. We cannot deny the existence of these higher levels of reality simply because ordinary methods fail to unlock their secrets.
Exploration of the mind and spirit is one of the hallmarks of this New Age; a refusal to examine new approaches to scientific truth is clearly unscientific-and slightly foolish.
Q: What happens to us at the end of an incarnation?
A: At the end of each incarnation the life force withdraws from the physical body, which it relinquishes like an outer garment, and enters a new world just as real as the physical--though it may be invisible to ordinary sight. Now follows a time of rest and refreshment, a holiday from the school of early instruction.
Next comes a period when the soul is gently and gradually led to a deeper understanding of the mystery of its own being. It begins to reassess its progress in the unfolding of its divine attributes and powers. Also, at this time, the soul is presented with a panoramic picture of its many incarnations on earth.
Gradually, it begins to grasp a vision of those spiritual gifts which--when developed--will enable it to contribute to the development of the Whole. At this time. the soul may also realize that only further learning through a physical body can develop these necessary gifts; thus, it senses the need to reincarnate one more time.
Q: How much "time" do we spend between incarnations?
 A: No specific rules seem to govern this period. Sometimes, the soul will spend a considerable time resting in the heavenly world. This could be for hundreds of years or a century or less. It is known that, in certain circumstances, a child will come back almost immediately--often to the same family. In short, no specific rules seem to govern time between incarnations. One thing does seem certain, however. The spiritual evolution of various races is speeded up with the re-entrance of more evolved souls eager to help others rise from darkness and suffering.
Q: What positive results can I expect from past life regression?"
A: As one might suspect, a great many of our physical and mental problems are brought into this present life from our past ones. Chronic pain, such as headaches, and arthritis, as well as cancer, heart conditions, asthma, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, depression, extreme anger and fears, such as claustrophobia, anxiety, panic, and other physical, mental and emotional ailments, as well as various mal-adjusted relationships, can be the result of problems unresolved in earlier lifetimes.
Through the use of “past life regression,” the patient is presented with answers unavailable to him or her through any other means. Once he or she understands the cause of these difficulties, their cure becomes realizable.
Past life regression, conducted through hypnosis, permits us to peer, as it were, into multiple layers of former lives which have gone to shape our present existence.
Q: Will I meet my friends and loved ones in future lives? Have I known them in earlier ones?
A: According to those teachers who possess a knowledge of spiritual laws, we journey in groups. We reincarnate with those to whom we are bound through love--or hate. Sometimes, it is necessary for us to learn the lesson of the Golden Rule by meeting in this life those whom we have injured or treated unjustly in former lives.
We may also find ourselves in a series of alternating relationships--as master and servant, parent and child, or husband and wife. All these experiences help us to understand how an individual feels in various situations, and to learn how we would like to be treated in these particular circumstances.
Q: Why are we born under certain conditions or with certain characteristics?
A: The lesson we must learn, or experiences we are required to fulfill, are in accord with the law of cause and effect known in Eastern philosophy as “karma,” or in Western physics as the Newtonian Law of Action and Reaction. This universal law works in concert with reincarnation by insuring that we are born in the proper time and place to either pay our debts or receive our rewards due us from past lives.
We are born with various talents and skills which may need almost no training to elevate themselves into superior attributes. This does not happen by accident. These gifts are the result of hard work and perseverance in previous lives. In the cycle of reincarnation, nothing is forgotten. On the other hand, we may be born with a disability or with certain other limitations which compel us to develop capacities which we may find not altogether to our liking.
For, as I have already said, life is a schooling ground. We reincarnate into the classroom of earthly existence with a certain curriculum of instruction. Those subjects, which we have mastered earlier, come easily; those we have failed will have to be repeated until they are mastered.
Q: Why can't we recall our past lives?
A: When your realize how difficult it is for us to recall the events of childhood, not to speak of events occurring only a few years back, you can readily appreciate the difficulties imposed on a physical brain to remember happenings of a century ago--or several centuries ago. However, as one proceeds along the path of unfolding, like through hypnosis, guided imagery and other forms of meditation, the conscious mind becomes more and more sensitive to the vibrations of these past experiences.
These vibrations create images in the mind of scenes from one's past. Gradually, the memories of past lives become more vivid.
Q: What is the purpose of our having to return to this earth plane again and again?
 A: Only in this way can we evolve spiritually. Through such evolution, all negative vibrations are eventually absorbed into the positive good. This means reaching the great White Light as stated in the Eastern esoteric teachings. God said, “Let there be Light: And there was Light.”
All creation has come from the Light. And these teachings are based on the understanding that from that Light we have come and to that Light we return. It is a lesson our souls must learn, and thereby acquire wisdom, love and strength. At the end of this journey, we truly become children of God.
Q: When did you first announce your discovery of Marilyn Monroe’s reincarnation?
A: In agreement with Sherrie Lea Laird, to coincide with the birthday of Marilyn Monroe, I made an announcement in my web page: www.pastlives.com, shortly after performing the past-life regression on Sherrie, in the beginning of May, 2005. That was followed by publishing it in Malibu Surfside News newspaper on May 26, 2005 issue, (Volume 32. Number 29). It was titled: Preliminary Announcement, June 1, 1926-2005, Happy Birthday to You…Marilyn Monroe!
Q: Can you elaborate on the communications between you and Sherrie Lea Laird, the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe, and the research you conducted on her?
A: As I indicated before, it was October of 1998 that, after practicing past-life regression therapy as a psychiatrist for more than 20 years, I was contacted by Sherrie Lea Laird, a professional singer in Canada, who was having repeated flashbacks and dreams of a past life as Marilyn Monroe.
 After a series of e-mail exchanges, I contacted her and listened with an open mind to her very sad story. She had been having frightening nightmares, as well as dreadful flashbacks, of Marilyn Monroe, since childhood. And since the age of 14, she claimed that her life, including her effect on men and her ambitions for herself, was set in motion by this other “grown-up woman,” imposing her will on her.
It was an extreme reaction to a “fairly typical scenario” that involved past-life memories, a kind of possession by the other persona. There were other indications, (together with her extreme emotional distress), that this woman’s assertion was legitimate, a claim from a troubled psyche seeking relief, not notoriety. In my experience, despite what the general public may infer about such a practice, I had never had at the time such a “famous” patient.
 I proceeded with my inquiry, taking down her medical history through e-mail correspondence and phone conversations, since she couldn’t travel from Toronto to Los Angeles for treatment due to passport problems. Since I wasn’t licensed to treat patients in Canada, I would have to consider it a research endeavor, which would also have therapeutic benefits for Sherrie, especially, if I could conduct past-life regressions on her as part of my research.
Q: Can you explain any of the so-called “coincidences” or synchronicities that you and Sherrie became aware of during your research work?
A: Another indication of legitimacy, probably less credible for some, was a series of “coincidences” or synchronicities that began to crop up. Sherrie had first contacted me when she was 35-years-old, going on 36, the age Marilyn Monroe had died, indicating psychological pressure to resolve her dilemma before a similar fate ensued. (She told me of two previous suicide attempts.) Sherrie was also concerned that close friends from Marilyn’s life were getting older and might die before she could contact them. (Joe DiMaggio passed away on March 8, 1999, within weeks of Sherrie breaking off contact with me.)
However, the biggest “coincidence” was running into Ted Jordan at a social gathering during the holiday season of 1998-1999. We met at the Christmas party of Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry. He was there with a lady friend, who was a nurse on the psychiatric staff.
 Without knowing about his “Marilyn” connection, I struck up a friendship with him. As it turned out, Ted was a retired Hollywood actor who had written a controversial book about his longtime relationship with Marilyn Monroe entitled: Norma Jean: My Secret Life With Marilyn Monroe.
During a lunch, several weeks later, I mentioned to him, (since he was an actor of that era), Sherrie’s claim to be the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. He was excited, and with their mutual consent, I put the two of them in touch with each other.
They conducted almost daily phone conversations and reported in gushing terms to me their mutual recognition.
The way that Sherrie came across to Ted—her voice, vocal mannerisms, her little-girl giggling, along with sharing many intimate details of their romantic affair, (and later friendship), was very convincing.
When I later showed him a music video of Sherrie, her great physical resemblance, her postures and movements, along with her singing style, Ted became, unequivocally, convinced that Sherrie Lea Laird was indeed the reincarnation of his former lover and friend, Norma Jean Baker, or Marilyn Monroe.
Ted made plans to fly to Toronto and meet with Sherrie, but a recurring back injury landed him in the hospital and quashed those plans. And, as fate would have it, due to the increasing psychological pressure and fears this revelation would ruin her budding singing career, Sherrie broke off contact with me and Ted in March of 1999.
Q. Were there any other so-called “coincidences” or synchronicities that you and Sherrie had become aware of as a result of your investigation?
A: Yes. The following are some of the “coincidences” or synchronicities I came by during the investigation:
1. Preceding Marilyn’s (M) death, there was about 15 minutes in which she experienced an awful sensation of her chest being crushed, and suffocation from respiratory failure, a sensation that Sherrie (S) has experienced repeatedly throughout her life.
2. After M took a number of Seconals, Nembutals, and Chloral-hydrates, she experienced numbness in her face and mouth prior to her death. While reliving M’s death during the 5/3/05 hypnotic regression, S was barely able to speak, her speech slow and slurred, her voice just above a whisper.
3. In reliving M’s death, S said that at one point M realized that she had overdosed and wanted to live but it was too late. S saw flashes of turquoise, M’s favorite color, which S had always been associated with the “crushing and numbness” sensations she had experienced all her life. (S could now associate it with M’s death throes).
 4. In S’s first regression, she spontaneously, without hypnotic suggestion, began to relive M’s death, which is typical of the thousands of past-life regressions I’ve conducted, and a further verification of the S’s past-life recall.
5. S first communicated with me sometime after her 35th birthday; she broke contact due to extreme psychological pressure around the time of Joe DiMaggio’s death, in March 1999, and a few months before her 36th birthday, the age at which Marilyn died.
6. Months after S first contacted me in September, 1998, I “coincidently” met at a Christmas party retired actor Ted Jordan, 74, who unbeknownst to me, had had a romantic affair and longtime friendship with M and had written about it in a celebrated book.
7. Upon first contacting me, S had said if she was indeed M reincarnated, she wanted to contact people still alive who would’ve known her. Putting her in touch with Ted allowed them to renew their friendship and exchange many mutual memories.
8. S wasn’t fixated on her M identity, despite numerous flashbacks and memories, and expressed her doubts, up until the first round of hypnotic regressions. This is a differential diagnosis sign that she is sane (i.e., not psychotic). She later confirmed this by breaking contact with me and Ted to protect her singing career and S identity.
9. After six years, S contacted me the first week in April, 2005, one week after Ted Jordan’s death, a fact neither of us knew at that time. She expressed concerns in her email that people who could vouch for her, like Joe DiMaggio, would die. I learned of Ted’s death a month later when I was finally able to reach his brother. S was devastated by the news.
10. In my research of past-life regression (p.l.r.) over some 30 years, I’ve found that 70 percent of the people who died prematurely, tragically, or unjustly (or haven’t learned their lesson), reincarnate within months or a few years to CONTINUE the same interrupted life lesson, designated by the same North Moon Node position in their astrological charts.
Both M and S have the same North Moon Node: Cancer, as M died prematurely and reincarnated as S in 11 months. Under p.l.r., S said she was “hurrying back,” after her death as M, to have her baby daughter. (This is statistically significant, whether you believe in astrology or not).
 11. S's daughter, Kezia, was conceived around March 11, 1984, or within days of Gladys Baker's death (M's biological mother). It seems that immediately upon her death, Gladys made a "reservation" to be born to S, and Kezia was born December 11, 1984 or about nine months later. (This was also confirmed by a p.l.r. of Kezia in November, 2005).
12. S shares many of M’s personality traits, with a history of drug and alcohol abuse (drugs and champagne), and has had several suicide attempts over the years for many of the same reasons that eventually killed M. She is also involved in the entertainment business, and, despite plenty of talent and moxie, she hasn’t attained nearly the same level of success of M. (This could be due to a subconscious block equating success with the same unhappy, premature and tragic death as M’s).
I emailed Sherrie this list of “coincidences,” which seemed to trigger some conscious recall on her part. Her answer to this email later the same day was rather intriguing. The following are “coincidences” or synchronicities that Sherrie Lea Laird came by which practically comprise her entire life:
1. Since very young, I had crushing chest pains associated with “panic attacks.”
2. My parents said I was always telling them I was someone else.
3. I took acting classes, thinking I was going to be an actress or a singer. I always felt I was supposed to be famous.
4. I went to modeling school briefly.
5. I had anorexia (and read later that M also had brief bouts of anorexia).
6. I married an Army guy next door. His sister resembled M.
 7. My daughter, Kezia. was born December 11, 1984, nine months after Gladys Baker’s death, and looks like M.
8. I dated two brothers at the same time, which they allowed. One looked exactly like Tony Curtis.
9. M adored and worshiped animals as much as I do.
10. I have some of the same phobias, like not being able to sleep.
11. My father looks like Clark Gable.
 12. I’m very attracted to Arthur Miller and his types.
13. I’ve always needed older men, “daddying” types.
 14. From age five, I’ve been attracted to men. I remember they're supposed to be with me.
15. Taking pills with champagne.
16. When I went to Banff, Alberta I felt I'd been there before, but didn't know then about M’s visits.
17. Even when I could afford it, I didn’t accumulate clothing, and don’t have a lot of things.
18. I’m “scatterbrained” and clumsy like M.
19. I went to Jamaica and loved it, and felt I'd been there before.
20. Our voices sound alike.
21. M played a singer named Cherie in the movie “Bus Stop.”
22. I’ve always been very loving toward blacks and sympathize with their plight.
23. I nearly called my daughter Natasha; Natasha Lytess was M’s drama coach.
24. I Have had similar “out-of-control” episodes like M, while on drugs.
25. I can be sexual or asexual depending on my moods and ambitions.
26. I’m obsessed with my family like M was with her mother, Gladys.
 27. M was happiest with the microphone in hand, and wanted to be a singer.
28. Even at 16, I was obsessed with everything from the 1950's.
29. I wanted to play a musical instrument at a young age.
30. When I first saw pictures of Bobby Kennedy, I knew I liked him better than JFK.
31. As a teenager and older, people were constantly telling me I looked like a famous person.
32. I’m notorious for crying, at the drop of a hat, like M.
And, good Lord, there are still many, many more things, all tiny, but all big at the same time.
Q: What made you conclude that past-life regression therapy was the proper healing for Sherrie?
A: Reviewing my six-month contact and investigation of Sherrie’s case, I was convinced that only past-life regression therapy could purge her “demons,” after repeated drug therapy and hospitalization in Canada had failed over the years. I came to that conclusion after having been classically trained as a psychoanalytic therapist, but discovering that some patients suffered from psychological or spiritual trauma in which their personal history revealed few causative factors from either their childhood or adult life.
In April, 2005, after a six-year absence, Sherrie Lea Laird contacted me again. She related how her nightmares and flashbacks of Marilyn Monroe had intensified and worsened. It had come to the point where she was less concerned about jeopardizing her singing career and more about reclaiming her own life and protecting her daughter, family, and friends from her “Marilyn demons.”
She had attempted suicide twice, since our last contact, and she begged me for help. I could sense that she was at a critical juncture; I immediately made plans to fly to Toronto and conduct a series of past-life regressions, which I felt was the only hope at this stage to relieve the pressure.
Q: When was your first face-to-face encounter with Sherrie Lea Laird and how did it go?
A: I flew to Toronto at the beginning of May, 2005 and met with Sherrie and her daughter, Kezia. I conducted an initial regression of Sherrie on May 3, 2005, which was to serve as an exploration and to familiarize Sherrie with the process.
On May 4, 2005, I conducted a second and more extensive past-life regression on Sherrie, which included more than a hundred carefully-researched questions about Marilyn Monroe’s life.
 From a deep “somnambulistic hypnotic trance,” Sherrie answered these questions in a very convincing manner, not only being factually correct, but also being “emotionally” correct with her feeling responses to many questions. I must admit that, one of the major problems of this research and its subsequent therapy, (as well as its presentation to a doubting public), is that Marilyn Monroe’s life has been so thoroughly dissected and the details are so readily available to all.
I must emphasize, as cited in numerous journal articles in the book and from 30 years of experience, the absolute certainty that selective amnesia about the use of conscious-mind information does not occur during a somnambulistic state of hypnosis. I am also certain that Sherrie reached such a state, as evidenced by clinical signs such as amnesia.
I can, unequivocally, state that in such a hypnotic trance, which is tantamount to “truth serum,” Sherrie was unable to “act out.” She was compelled by my suggestions to tell the truth, after erasing from her mind all acquired knowledge about Marilyn Monroe from books, magazines, films, and the Internet, or any other source of information – selective amnesia.
 When the first round of regressions came to an end, we all felt a great sense of accomplishment. I had no doubt that Sherrie Lea Laird was indeed the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. More importantly, she began to experience a relief of her psychological symptoms of anger, depression, and fear associated with her Marilyn memories. In fact, after this session, Sherrie and Kezia cried, in each other’s arms, for some time.
Next, came the more daunting task, once we were both convinced of the authenticity of her past-life recall: to heal the soul of Marilyn/Sherrie and free Sherrie to pursue her own designs in this life.
Given the travel constraints on Sherrie and my inability to practice in Canada, this would remain a research project. However, it would have therapeutic benefits as Sherrie helped me in my comparative research, giving her a focus and gentle way to confront her memories, feelings and experiences and integrate them at each stage of our inquiry.
This research would consist of comparing personality traits; physical and emotional problems; linguistics; writing and singing styles; graphology; and biometrics such as facial bone architecture; body, hands, and feet constructs; voice comparisons and iris similarities. There is considerable evidence, including the work of famed researcher Ian Stevenson, indicating that biometric traits are passed on from one lifetime to the next.
 Q: What did you learn about Marilyn Monroe’s persona and her childhood and adolescence that helped you identify Sherrie Lea Laird as the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe?
A: Basically, many of the synchronicities already covered had been confirmed through past-life regression sessions, including hundreds of details of Norma Jean/Marilyn’s life, sessions in which Sherrie Lea answered questions as Marilyn Monroe.
Q: You mentioned in your book that the research/therapy, from October, 1998 until November, 2005, would only begin the healing of the soul. What happened during the second round of more intensive regressions you conducted on Sherrie in November of 2005 and thereafter?
A: In November of 2005, I would return to Toronto for an even more extensive series of past-life regressions on Sherrie, which would be mainly cathartic healing sessions. Here, I would probe such areas as M’s death, her drug addictions, her relationship with the Kennedy brothers, and other significant relationships and traumatic events in her life.
I always videotaped the past-life regression sessions I conducted on Sherrie Lea Laird for future reference and study.
 Q: What was Marilyn’s relationship with the two Kennedy brothers and what was the real cause of Marilyn’s death that Marilyn/Sherrie revealed during the regressions?
A: On John Kennedy, Marilyn/Sherrie revealed: “Jack joked I fixed his back. I (had) been with Jack for several years before he became president… I thought we would make the most beautiful couple in America.” She dated Bobby Kennedy after Jack Kennedy broke his relationship with her. The most dramatic part of all regressions in which Marilyn/Sherrie cried, screamed and was undergoing the most intense emotional pain, was when Jack Kennedy broke up with her.
An abundance of tears were rolling down her face. In fact, her emotional reaction was so intense, I could hardly distract her from that scene, that shearing emotional, painful experience. She was livid, trembling all over and screaming hysterically: “No, no, no, no, no…..!”
The abandonment, by both JFK and RFK, was the last straw that made Marilyn not care about anything at the time. She developed a great tolerance to alcohol and drugs, such as Nembutal and Chloral Hydrates. She claimed, under trance, that it wasn’t the first time she had taken many pills mixed with alcohol, (usually champagne), but, during the day and evening of August 4, 1962, she seemed to take a bit more than usual of these pills, mixed with alcohol.
 She claimed, she was older, had lost a lot of weight and had ingested too much; that it was too late to save herself. She emphatically declared, though she didn’t care, that she didn’t want to die. She had made plans to remarry Joe DiMaggio and redecorate her new house in Brentwood, California. She was expecting new furniture, that she purchased during her trip to Mexico, to arrive on August 6.
She also, vehemently, denied “murder through conspiracy” by the Kennedy brothers, her friend Peter Lawford, her doctor Ralph Greenson, FBI, CIA, Mafia or any other entity or means. She insisted that her death was an accidental self-overdose.
Marilyn said she felt sorry for her lover, Bobby Kennedy, her friends, Peter Lawford, Pat Lawford, JFK’s sister and other friends present in the room close to her lifeless body, as she watched them from the ceiling perspective during the out-of-body state after her death. Eleven months after her death, on July 11, 1963, she reincarnated as Sherrie Lea Laird.
Q: You gave before an example of how Marilyn/Sherrie described her relationship with John F. Kennedy. Can you give two or three more examples of Marilyn’s relationships and describe how were they disclosed by Marilyn/Sherrie under hypnosis?
A: On Joe DiMaggio: “I thought it would work. I thought that’s what everyone wanted. But it’s boring. Everyone loves Joe. He’s a man’s man. He gets along with men.”
 On Liz Taylor: “She is snobby. I provoked her to get angry. Just a push. No fight. A little struggle, it was silly. I can be kind of manipulative too.”
On Lili St. Cyr: “Beautiful. She shows me how to move my hips, and she tells me how to be with men…to fluff up their egos.”
Q: Though it is not mentioned in your book, on occasion, you said that the ancient and notoriously accurate spirit Ahtun-Re, channeled by a “trance-channeler,” Kevin Ryerson, renown for his very accurate readings, (and his work with Shirley MacLaine), confirmed that Sherrie Lea Laird is the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. Care to comment on that?
A: During the channeling session with Kevin Ryerson, after he placed himself in a deep self-hypnotic trance, his voice intonation changed completely, becoming much thicker and louder, as Ahtun-Re took over his body. I asked him if Sherrie Lea Laird was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe and he replied that she was.
When I related that she had become curious, after searching on the internet, and discovering so many other women who claimed to be the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe, he again responded by saying that Sherrie Lea Laird is the true linear reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.
I then asked him if Sherrie Lea Laird could be a reincarnated “split soul” of Marilyn Monroe, and if there were other splits of her soul that had already reincarnated, or were waiting to reincarnate?
  “No,” he responded, “Sherrie Lea Laird is the linear soul of Marilyn Monroe. She is the only soul reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe.” I then asked him if Sherrie Lea Laird exhibited any similarities with Marilyn Monroe regarding personality traits, physical and emotional problems, voice, linguistics, writing style, handwriting, facial architecture, hands, feet and body constructs. “These similarities you mentioned,” he replied, “are all undeniable.”
Q: What is PPL-IRCT?
A: Past/Present-Iris Recognition Comparison Test. Until recently Iris Recognition was “government sensitive” and was not released to the public. Because of its prohibitive cost, I have not done it yet in comparing Marilyn’s and Sherrie’s irises for “sameness,” though similarity is present. I belong to a group of prominent scientists and geneticists involved in genetic studies to identify, in the 97% of “junk DNA,” a constant gene for the biometric similarities already mentioned. Due to present life parental genetic influence, we don’t expect complete any sameness in comparing those biometric markers, but similarity.
Q: Do you rely on various psychics in the course of your professional scientific work?
A: As a scientist, I conduct my scientific research based on solid facts as I’ve already described. But parapsychology, which investigates paranormal phenomena, including trance-channeling and other psychic experiences, is a branch of psychology being very extensively scientifically studied and validated. That is why, after the scientific proofs I found, confirmation by Kevin Ryerson, a well known “channeler” notorious in his accuracy, came handy to me.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish by presenting your findings to the public?
A: I can only hope that the effect of this sensational case history will convince readers and medical professionals to take the subject of reincarnation and past lives much more seriously, and to consider the karmic and traumatic effects of those lives on our present health and well-being.
But, as a physician, what was and is foremost in my mind is the therapeutic healing of my “research subject,” and today seeing her more adjusted and healthy, and pursuing her singing career.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add in closing?
A: In conclusion, I would be remiss in my duties as a physician if I were not to mention that the underlying theme of this work, as it has been in every past-life case that I’ve treated, is the truth of reincarnation and what it means to our troubled world.
We have each of us walked in the shoes of people of every race, nationality, creed, and gender—rich and poor, the abuser and the abused—as we evolve our souls to the point that we realize that there is only one life, God’s life, and that we only kill, maim, and bomb ourselves, or the God in each of us.
 The message that Marilyn/Sherrie brings to the world is: Love yourself and each other, and in this way heal yourself, and thus live in peace and experience God’s joy.
(NOTE: Following these observations and conclusions, the Q&A session with Dr. Finkelstein ended).
So, that’s the story as I know it during the time that Dr. Finkelstein treated Sherrie revealing the mounting evidence that supports his belief that she is, indeed, the recreation of Marilyn Monroe.
The undeniable physical similarities – bone structure, voice pattern, handwriting, coupled with the astonishing memories that surfaced during the therapy sessions, convinced the author of the book Marilyn Monroe Returns of her authenticity.
As in any controversial story or book of this nature, in the final analysis, the question is this: Will it convince you?
Well, that’s show biz, baby.
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