'My daughter remembers dying in the Empire State Building after a plane crashed into it' – Daily Star
Karen said her daughter, Claire suddenly developed a fear of flying at the age of eight, despite having never been on a plane before – what she told her next left her shaken
There was always something special about Claire from the moment she was born.
When she entered the world, she was "blue" and "not breathing" and she and her mum, Karen both "nearly died." As she grew into a toddler, she suddenly started saying her name wasn't Claire and was adamant that she didn't want to grow up.
It wasn't until she reached the age of eight when Karen wanted to take her on a plane to visit her auntie, that Claire became terrified of flying – even though she'd never been on an aircraft before.
Speaking to LMN for a programme called The Ghost Inside My Child, Karen from Pittsburgh recalled the moment that sent shivers down her spine.
"I asked her: 'What do you think the worst would happen if we went on an airplane ride?' as her fear was so intense," said Karen.
"When she finally told me, I was overwhelmed."
Karen said that Claire had told her that a plane had crashed through the side of a building in New York and that she'd seen some of it come through the wall.
As Claire was born just three months before 9/11, Karen wondered whether her daughter was remembering part of the tragedy.
She started making notes on what Claire was telling her as she'd also mentioned she'd worked in an office in the city.
"She was talking with emotion like it was happening, it was very real to her," Karen said.
"She described her hair as being red and wavy, she even remembered that she would often put it up in a bun.
"The way she described the outfit that she was wearing, it was sort of like a 1950s type of style. I restricted what they watched on tv so where would she have seen 1950s clothes to even describe them?"
Karen said Claire started telling her about a fire within the office and that people were frantic but she didn't remember what happened next.
"It's almost as if she didn't want to remember," Karen said.
"I had her start talking to me about the building itself and I fully expected her to describe two buildings (the Twin Towers).
"But when I asked her which building, she told me it was the Empire State Building."
Karen had never heard of a plane crashing into a building in New York City except for on 9/11. She took to her computer to carry out some research.
"I was shocked to find that there actually was an airplane that hit into the Empire State building on July 28, 1945 – how was an eight-year-old telling me this?
"I couldn't understand how would she know about that."
Karen discovered that an army bomber had got lost in the overcast when it crashed into the Empire State Building, blasting through the 79th floor before landing across the street.
All three crewmen on board were killed along with 10 people working in the skyscraper. Another 25 were injured.
Karen added: "I was amazed to find that it really did happen. I realised this was more than just a story. She was remembering a past life.
"The year even matched the description of the clothes she had told me about."
The next day, Karen showed Claire what she had found and said it "helped to validate what she remembered was real."
Not exactly sure who Claire was in "her past life," Karen decides to take her to New York to see if she could unlock any more memories and start to heal.
The programme heard from a now 12-year-old Claire,who said: "I remember the names Rose or Ann and that I had two children.
"I was working inisde of a cubicle in the Empire State Building when the plane's wing crashed into my office.
"All I remember was the crash, the rest was fuzzy.
"I was unsure and scared."
About to embark on their trip to New York, Claire states: "Maybe understanding my past self will help me understand me in this life."
Claire says she hopes to find a list of names or a memorial but is disappointed that there is nothing there and the pair are not allowed onto the 79th floor.
Karen said: "It seems like it's not only forgotten, but also sort of erased – you can't erase the past."
Claire adds: "There needs to be something – a lot of people don't know that it happened but I do, it's really special."
Programme-makers manage to track down more information about the women killed in the disaster. Claire seems to resonate with information about a woman called Anna Gerlach who was Irish and had red hair.
Anna had two children and her mum was called Rose. She died instantly on impact.
Claire, who is no longer afraid of flying since travelling to New York, said: "I found that I actually died in the Empire State Building in the crash.
"It's nice to put the pieces of the puzzle together and find out who I was in the end.
"I realse I'm not in that lifetime and I can't be hurt any more and don't have to be afraid any more."
Karen added: "That simple act of remembering that past life has really healed her."
After the interview recently resurfaced on YouTube, many people flocked to the comments section to have their say.
One said: "My son used to always say he didn't want to grow up. It used to make me feel really sad and I didn't understand that. I think now it had something to do with his past life."
Another added: "I would suggest parents go see someone that professionalize in past life regression therapy."
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