Rain_Bird wrote:
... Unless, of course, AS symptoms are an integral part of your soul and you are always forced to be reborn as the exact same person, over and over and over until the universe ends...
I don't think it's possible or even necessary to be reborn as the exact same person. Each person is a product of their environment, which includes all influences from outside and inside the body, and the consequences of actions of others and yourself. Hence, each person is unique, and if reincarnated, one would be very different in each life. And if there was some kind of residual effects caused by your life that carried on to the next life, it would also contribute to a difference, in that you begin a life with it rather than end one with it.