The Search for Bridey Murphy is a non-fiction book authored by Morey Bernstein, first published in 1956.
It chronicles the case of Virginia Tighe, a Colorado housewife who, under hypnosis, recounted memories of a past life as Bridey Murphy, a 19th-century Irish woman.
Bernstein, an amateur hypnotist, documented these sessions, presenting them as evidence of reincarnation. “Ruth Simmons” was the pseudonym Bernstein used in early publications to protect Tighe’s identity, but her real name was later revealed.
The book became a bestseller and sparked widespread public interest in past-life regression and hypnosis.
Some commentators claimed that Tighe’s recollections might have stemmed from cryptomnesia—subconscious memories of information she had encountered earlier in life—rather than genuine past-life experiences.
Despite the controversy, the book remains a significant work in discussions about consciousness and the human mind.
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