The intersection of personal trauma, historical memory, and the metaphysical concept of reincarnation is vividly illustrated through the life and experiences of Dutch writer Bas Steman. His narrative, spanning decades of investigation and personal realization, serves as a profound case study in how unresolved trauma from a previous life can manifest in the present. Steman's journey is not merely a story of personal belief but a detailed exploration of the mechanics of memory, the persistence of the soul, and the tangible connection between a modern individual and a specific historical figure: Morgan Probert, a British paratrooper who died during the Battle of Arnhem in 1944.
This article examines the specific mechanisms by which Steman identified his past life, the process of verification through the "Lakmoesproef" (litmus test), and the psychological impact of carrying the unresolved trauma of a soldier who died abruptly. The case of Steman and Morgan Probert provides a unique lens through which to view the relationship between past-life memories and present-day psychological states, particularly regarding phobias and the closure of traumatic events.
The Genesis of the Connection: Skydiving and the Battle of Arnhem
The narrative begins not with a spiritual awakening, but with a mundane corporate event that triggered a profound psychological break. In the summer of 1997, Bas Steman, then 26 years old and working for the television channel SBS, participated in a company outing involving skydiving. While his colleagues successfully completed the jump, Steman experienced a severe panic attack when the equipment was being fitted. He was unable to jump, an event that he initially dismissed but which resurfaced years later as a critical piece of evidence.
The connection between a modern-day panic attack and a historical event is the cornerstone of Steman's realization. During a dinner with friends, including musician Bram Vermeulen and actress Shireen Strooker, the incident was discussed. His friends immediately suggested that the panic was a manifestation of a past life, specifically linking it to the Second World War. This external validation prompted Steman to seek professional guidance, leading him to a regression therapist. Initially, Steman approached this with skepticism, viewing reincarnation as "bullshit" and intending to use the experience solely for research and inspiration for a novel. He believed he would be fabricating a story, yet the process yielded results that defied his skepticism.
The specific historical context is the Battle of Arnhem, part of Operation Market Garden. This operation, occurring in September 1944, resulted in the deaths of thousands of Allied soldiers. Steman's regression sessions revealed that he was the reincarnation of Morgan Probert, a British paratrooper who died on September 19, 1944. The trauma of Probert's abrupt death—killed in action during the battle—had not been resolved, and this unresolved energy was interfering with Steman's current life. The panic attack during the skydiving session was a direct somatic echo of Probert's final moments, where he was dropped from a plane and subsequently killed.
The Mechanics of Past Life Regression
Regression therapy, as utilized by Steman, serves as a tool for accessing memories that the conscious mind cannot normally retrieve. The process involves entering a trance state where the barrier between the present self and the past self is lowered. For Steman, this was not a passive experience but an active investigation. He initially sought the therapy to gather material for a book about the body and soul existing on separate timelines. However, the sessions revealed a specific identity: Morgan Probert.
The mechanism of this connection is described as a "circular" process. Steman posits that the soul of Morgan Probert, having died abruptly and traumatically, required a new vessel to process the unprocessed grief and shock of that death. The trauma of a sudden death—often an execution or a drowning, but in this case, a battlefield death—creates a karmic loop. The soul must return to experience the event again, or rather, to "close the circle" and resolve the trauma that was left unfinished.
Steman's experience highlights a specific pattern in past-life recall. He notes that individuals who undergo regression rarely recall mundane lives, such as being a warehouse worker. Instead, the memories almost exclusively involve figures from high-stakes historical events, such as soldiers, knights, or those who met tragic ends. The pattern suggests that the soul returns specifically to resolve the specific trauma of a violent or abrupt death. In Steman's case, the "unresolved" nature of Probert's death in 1944 created a persistent psychological blockage in Steman's modern life, manifesting as an irrational fear of parachuting.
Verification: The Lakmoesproef (Litmus Test)
The most compelling aspect of Steman's journey is the empirical verification of his claims, a process he terms the "Lakmoesproef" or litmus test. This involves cross-referencing the details revealed during regression with physical, historical, and familial evidence. The verification process moved from skepticism to undeniable confirmation.
The Childhood Proofs
Before Steman ever visited the graveyard or met the family, he possessed knowledge that he could not have acquired through conventional means. As a child, at the age of six, he drew paratroopers and airplanes. Crucially, he consistently drew the number "676" on these drawings. He had no logical source for this specific number. It was later revealed that 676 was the identification number of the aircraft from which Morgan Probert was dropped during the battle. This detail, known only to those with access to specific military records or the family, served as a primary indicator of the authenticity of the connection.
The Family Connection
The verification process reached its peak when Steman, after years of searching, made contact with Morgan Probert's family. He befriended Probert's sister, Glenys. This relationship allowed for a direct comparison of memories. Glenys visited the Netherlands with her daughter and traveled to the Airborne Memorial in Oosterbeek. During this visit, Steman described details of the house and the environment as he had seen in his regression.
The final test occurred when Glenys invited Steman to Wales to meet the rest of the family and visit the family home in Pontardawe. Steman claimed to know specific details about the house, such as the location of a window that no longer existed. The family was astonished by his accuracy. Glenys confirmed that Steman possessed knowledge that could only come from having lived the life of her brother. She noted that everyone who knew Morgan recognized a similarity in Steman, stating that "you feel the same."
The Airborne Memorial and the Grave of Morgan Probert
The physical location of Morgan Probert's death and burial serves as the anchor for Steman's narrative. The Airborne Memorial in Oosterbeek is a solemn site where over 1,750 Allied soldiers, mostly paratroopers, are buried. These men died nearly eighty years ago during the Battle of Arnhem. The memorial is a place of reflection, where the white headstones stand in neat rows.
Steman's visits to the cemetery are described with a deep emotional resonance. He navigates the rows, searching for the specific grave of Morgan Probert. He finds the stone marked "M.G. Probert" with the date of death: September 19, 1944. Standing before the grave, Steman experiences a complex mix of emotions. He acknowledges the connection but also the difficulty of accepting that he is, in essence, the same entity as the man buried there. He questions the nature of this link: "Do I sit opposite Morgan now?" The answer he provides is nuanced: he is Bas Steman first, but he carries the history and trauma of Morgan.
The interaction at the grave with Glenys Probert was pivotal. When asked how the death occurred, Steman admitted he did not know the specific mechanics of the death, only the emotional weight of it. However, the shared experience at the grave, where the sister recognized her brother's traits in Steman, solidified the connection. The "Lakmoesproef" was passed when Steman described details of the family home in Wales that he could not possibly know otherwise.
The Nature of Trauma and the Unfinished Circle
The core psychological mechanism driving Steman's experience is the concept of "unresolved trauma." The abrupt death of a soldier in battle leaves a psychic imprint that does not dissipate with death. According to Steman's interpretation of his regression, the soul returns to the current life to process this trauma. The panic attack during the skydiving incident was not a random event but a somatic re-experiencing of the moment of death.
Steman explains that the goal of reincarnation in this context is to "close the circle." The trauma of Morgan's death interferes with Steman's life until the event is emotionally processed and resolved. This suggests a mechanism where the soul seeks closure for a death that was too sudden to be fully experienced or accepted. The "unfinished business" of the past life manifests as phobias, anxiety, or a deep-seated need to understand the past.
The pattern observed in Steman's case aligns with a broader observation: individuals who undergo regression often recall lives that ended in tragedy. The trauma of an abrupt end—whether by execution, drowning, or battle death—creates a "knot" in the soul's journey. The return to life is a mechanism to untie that knot. Steman's journey illustrates that the past is not merely a historical record but a living, breathing part of the present self, capable of influencing behavior, fears, and even artistic output.
The Role of Fiction and Non-Fiction in Processing the Experience
Steman's approach to his experience involved a dual track of exploration. On one hand, he engaged in factual investigation, meeting the family and visiting the grave. On the other, he chose to write a novel about the experience. He noted that perhaps fiction was "safer" than non-fiction, allowing him to explore the themes of the body and soul on a separate timeline without the constraints of strict historical accuracy.
The decision to write a novel allowed Steman to process the emotional weight of Morgan's story while maintaining a degree of creative distance. However, the factual basis of the story was so strong that the line between fiction and non-fiction blurred. The specific details—such as the plane number 676, the location of the house in Wales, and the date of death—were not inventions but memories retrieved from the regression. The novel served as a vessel for the truth, even if the author initially framed it as a creative exercise.
Comparative Analysis of Reincarnation Cases
The case of Bas Steman and Morgan Probert shares characteristics with other documented cases of past-life recall. For instance, the article references Simon Jacobs, another individual who experienced regression. Jacobs had recurring nightmares involving gliders and paratroopers. His investigation led him to identify himself as Myles Henry, a captain of the 10th Battalion who was killed near the Hotel Bilderberg in Oosterbeek.
Both cases highlight a common pattern: the subjects are linked to the Battle of Arnhem and the death of Allied paratroopers. The recurrence of this specific historical event in multiple regression cases suggests a thematic resonance, possibly due to the scale of the tragedy and the number of souls involved. The pattern of "soldier" or "knight" identities in regression is consistent with the observation that traumatic, abrupt deaths are the primary drivers for reincarnation memories.
Key Elements of the Steman-Probert Connection
| Feature | Detail | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Past Identity | Morgan Probert (M.G. Probert) | British paratrooper, died Sept 19, 1944. |
| Present Identity | Bas Steman | Dutch writer, journalist, former cyclist. |
| Trigger Event | Panic attack during skydiving (1997) | Somatic echo of the paratrooper's death. |
| Key Evidence | Drawing of plane #676 at age 6 | Specific detail unknown to Steman, verified later. |
| Verification | Visit to Wales family home | Family confirmed details of the house and history. |
| Location | Airborne Memorial, Oosterbeek | Site of Morgan's burial and Steman's visits. |
| Mechanism | Unresolved trauma of abrupt death | Soul returns to close the circle of trauma. |
The Psychological and Metaphysical Implications
The story of Bas Steman offers a profound insight into the nature of memory and identity. It challenges the linear perception of time and the separation between the living and the dead. The "unresolved trauma" theory suggests that death does not always mark the end of a life's narrative. Instead, the emotional residue of a traumatic event can persist across lifetimes, influencing the psychology of the reincarnated individual.
This phenomenon raises questions about the continuity of the soul. If the soul carries the memory of a violent death, the return to life is not merely a new beginning but a continuation of an unfinished story. The panic attack, the drawings, and the specific knowledge of the family home all point to a continuity of consciousness that transcends the biological death of the physical body.
The case also highlights the role of skepticism in the process. Steman approached the therapy with the intent to debunk or fictionalize the experience, yet the evidence accumulated to a point where skepticism was no longer viable. The "Lakmoesproef" provided an objective standard for verification, moving the experience from the realm of superstition to a documented phenomenon.
Conclusion
The journey of Bas Steman and the identity of Morgan Probert serves as a definitive case study in the intersection of history, psychology, and metaphysics. The connection between a modern Dutch writer and a British soldier who died in the Battle of Arnhem is not merely a story of belief, but a narrative supported by specific, verifiable details. From the childhood drawings of plane 676 to the recognition by the Probert family in Wales, the evidence suggests a continuity of identity that defies conventional explanations.
The core lesson of this phenomenon is the persistence of unresolved trauma. The abrupt death of a soldier in 1944 created a psychological blockage that manifested in the present life as a phobia and a deep-seated need for closure. The process of regression allowed Steman to access these memories, and the subsequent verification with the family provided the necessary confirmation. This case illustrates that the past is not dead; it is a living part of the present, waiting to be understood and resolved. The story of Morgan Probert and Bas Steman stands as a testament to the complexity of the human soul and the enduring nature of memory across the veil of death.