Live, Die, Repeat - by Rande Brown (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Live, Die, Repeat, Rande Brown interweaves Eastern reincarnation and Western psychology in a raw, mind-bending memoir that cracks open the soul's journey across lifetimes, and explores what it really takes to heal.

What if the key to healing your deepest wounds lies not just in your past--but in your past lives?

In Live, Die, Repeat, psychoanalyst, Buddhist practitioner, and spiritual adventurer Rande Brown shares her astonishing firsthand recall of three previous lifetimes--and how those vivid experiences transformed her understanding of karma, trauma, and emotional healing. With a rare mix of insight, irreverence, and psychological depth, Brown fuses Eastern wisdom with Western therapeutic tools to reveal a new, radically integrative model of transformation.

Far from abstract philosophy, this is a gripping personal journey--part spiritual memoir, part psychoanalytic adventure story--that challenges our assumptions about identity, memory, and the soul's journey through time.

Whether you're a seeker, a skeptic, or simply curious about the forces that shape your life, Live, Die, Repeat offers a compelling roadmap for tapping into the unseen threads of consciousness, and unlocking the healing potential hidden in your own story.

Rande Brown, LCSW is a psychoanalyst, author, and longtime Buddhist practitioner whose work bridges Eastern spiritual traditions and Western psychotherapy. She is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Geisha, A Life (Atria, 2002) with Mineko Iwasaki, and a well-respected translator of Japanese spiritual texts. Formerly the Executive Director of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, she has spent decades exploring the intersection of karma, consciousness, and emotional healing. She now maintains a private practice in Greenwich Village, where she specializes in the integration of Buddhism, spirituality and psychology.

Review Quotes

Live, Die, Repeat is a joy to read! With playfulness and depth, Rande Brown leads us through a fascinating spiritual journey that evokes her compelling experience of past life recall. For anyone who has ever been curious about reincarnation and its ripple effects, this memoir offers a story told with heart and humility. It opens up possibilities for healing, and suggests that even the most intractable suffering can be worked through when we mine the images, fantasies, and dreams that may be more than the offerings of imagination. What a pleasure to find this unusual and courageous tale.--Pilar Jennings, PhD "Author of Mixing Minds: The Power of Relationship in Psychoanalysis and Buddhism, Professor of Psychiatry and Religion at the Union Theological Seminary, and Lecturer at Columbia University"

For all of us who go about this life with a nagging feeling that we belong elsewhere, this astral adventure story about past lives and karmic knots may be the best jump-starting tool on any bookshelf anywhere to help you unravel yours...--Tim McHenry "Curator of the acclaimed Mandala Lab at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art"

Rande Brown has written an extraordinary memoir. First, it is a page-turning story of a young woman swept up into a new life and religion, carried along on a wave of meaning she doesn't understand. On another level, it is a complete introduction to Buddhist teachings in a manner that leaves the reader inspired, but not confused or exhausted by unfamiliar details. And on still another level, Rande's story is about the multiple layers of our past lives as they surface in rare moments and guide us through confusions to clarity about what we are doing on earth now. I commend her on every level for a fascinating tale that everyone will be moved by.--Polly Young-Eisendrath, PhD "Renowned Jungian Analyst and Author of The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery"

Sometimes the path to our own spiritual insight is through the dreams and discernment of creative souls such as Rande Brown. Rande supports the reader in exploring the realm of the profoundly unknown, that which cannot be accounted for by our everyday minds. Instead, in her compelling story of her own journey and spiritual insight, Rande brings the reader along on a spiritual journey leading to insight and clarity. There are many paths to wisdom, and Rande's book can serve as a guidebook to realizing our own way. I encourage you to read, enjoy, and benefit!--Roshi Enkyo O'Hara "Zen Master and Founding Abbot of the Village Zendo, and Author of Most Intimate: A Zen Approach to Life's Challenges "

This fascinating 'past life memoir' by psychoanalyst and Buddhist teacher, Rande Brown, challenges our most cherished beliefs about trauma, healing, and the unbridgeable gap between birth and death. Whether you're an atheist or a person of faith, this book invites you to reconsider your views in light of Brown's extraordinary experiences and insights. Rich in humor and irreverence, her story will open your mind and challenge your heart to see the world through fresh, inquiring eyes, and consider your existence anew. I've never read anything quite like it.--Mark Matousek "Author of Emerson, the Stoics, and Me: Timeless Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life"

What is belief? Rande Brown brings into relief the constructivist nature of identity. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, she does, being true to herself. She presents in this book her coherence of the life she has led, her search for meaning. Does not each of us do the same?--Robert Langan, PhD "Buddhist Meditator, Psychoanalyst, and Author of Minding What Matters: Psychotherapy and the Buddha Within"

Live, Die, Repeat is a fascinating tale of reincarnation and the complexities of human experience. Brown combines her expertise in psychotherapy with her experience in self-exploration to remind us that there are answers to many of the big questions in life if we are willing to look for them.

--Dana Bridgewater "Co-Creator of Garden Marcus"

Gives a radiant new meaning to the term joy ride.--Laurie Anderson "performance artist, director, and author (with Lou Reed) of The Art of the Straight Line"

In Live Die, Repeat, Rande Brown takes us on a riveting journey that transcends lifetimes. She recalls past incarnations with astonishing clarity and expertly weaves them with spiritual teachings and deep psychoanalytic insight. This book is more than a spiritual memoir--it's a powerful roadmap for anyone seeking to understand the karmic threads that shape our lives. Through her unique integration of reincarnation, karma, and therapeutic tools, Rande offers readers practical ways to release energetic blocks and step into transformation. A masterful and original work that will stay with you long after the last page.

--Barbara Biziou "Spiritual Alignment Coach and Global Ritual Expert, Author of The Joy of Ritual"

One of the first women to graduate from Princeton, trained in psychotherapy, in Zen, in social work, and in chaplaincy, Rande Brown has lived a remarkable life of searching and of service. Knowing all this, however, did not prepare me for the mind-changing insights, moving spiritual drama, and pathway to healing that is Live Die Repeat. Rande put everything she is into this book, and it is as unforgettable as the woman herself.

--Craig Nelson "NYT Bestselling Author of Rocket Men"

About the Author

Rande Brown, LCSW was a psychoanalyst, author, and longtime Buddhist practitioner whose work bridges Eastern spiritual traditions and Western psychotherapy. She was the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Geisha, A Life (Atria, 2002) with Mineko Iwasaki, and a well-respected translator of Japanese spiritual texts. Formerly the Executive Director of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, she spent decades exploring the intersection of karma, consciousness, and emotional healing. She maintained a private practice in Greenwich Village, where she specialized in the integration of Buddhism, spirituality and psychology.