Raymond Moody
Encyclopedia
Raymond Moody is a psychologist
and medical doctor. He is most famous as an author of books about life after death
and near-death experiences (NDE), a term that he coined in 1975. His best-selling title is Life After Life
.
, United States
, where he obtained a B.A.
(1966), an M.A.
(1967) and a Ph.D.
(1969) in the subject. He also obtained a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of West Georgia
, then known as West Georgia College, where he later became a professor in that topic. In 1976, he was awarded an M.D.
from the Medical College of Georgia
.
After obtaining his M.D., Moody worked as a forensic psychiatrist
in a maximum-security Georgia state hospital. In 1998, Moody was appointed Chair in Consciousness Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
.
Moody was born in Porterdale, Georgia
and currently lives in rural Alabama
. He has been married three times. As of 2004, he is married to Cheryl and they have an adopted son, Carter, and an adopted daughter, CarolAnne. In an interview in 1993, Moody stated he was placed in a mental hospital by his family for his work with mirror gazing.
. He was also awarded the World Humanitarian Award.
His much later book The Last Laugh, containing, as he states, material edited out of Life After Life, confused some of his admirers as to his own personal view of NDE phenomena, which he had done so much to publicize. In this book, he says he does not consider them to be conclusive proof of life after death, and is disturbed by the use of his works by religious fundamentalists and New Age gurus to further their causes.
Nonetheless, Moody's own beliefs on NDEs can be summed up with the following quote from his interview with Jeffrey Mishlove:
In 2010, Moody published Glimpses of Eternity which describes the "shared death experience", in which people gathered at the bedside of a dying loved one sometimes describe being lifted out of their bodies and accompanying their loved one part-way into another realm. Moody describes seven key elements of the shared death experience which are very similar to those of the near-death experience.
The Dr. John Dee Memorial Theater of the Mind is a research institute in Alabama that was founded by Moody as a place where people can experience an altered state of consciousness
with the intention of invoking apparitions
of the dead. One of the methods used to obtain this altered state is crystallomancy, or "mirror gazing".
Moody has also researched past life regression
and believes that he personally has had nine past lives
.
or almost died, Moody concluded that there are nine experiences common to most people who have had a near death experience. These are:
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
and medical doctor. He is most famous as an author of books about life after death
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
and near-death experiences (NDE), a term that he coined in 1975. His best-selling title is Life After Life
Life After Life
Life After Life is a 1975 book written by psychiatrist Raymond Moody. It is a report on a qualitative study in which Moody interviewed 150 people who had undergone near-death experiences . The book presents the author's composite account of what it is like to die...
.
Life
Moody studied philosophy at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he obtained a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1966), an M.A.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(1967) and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(1969) in the subject. He also obtained a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of West Georgia
University of West Georgia
The University of West Georgia is a comprehensive doctoral-granting university in Carrollton, Georgia, approximately 45 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia. The University is built on 645 acres including a recent land gift of 246 acres from the city of Carrollton in 2003...
, then known as West Georgia College, where he later became a professor in that topic. In 1976, he was awarded an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from the Medical College of Georgia
Medical College of Georgia
Georgia Health Sciences University formerly known as, and now home of the, Medical College of Georgia , is a public academic health center, with its main campus located in the Medical District of Augusta, Georgia. It is the smallest of four research universities in the University System of Georgia...
.
After obtaining his M.D., Moody worked as a forensic psychiatrist
Forensics
Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
in a maximum-security Georgia state hospital. In 1998, Moody was appointed Chair in Consciousness Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
.
Moody was born in Porterdale, Georgia
Porterdale, Georgia
Porterdale is a town in Newton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,281 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Porterdale is located at ....
and currently lives in rural Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He has been married three times. As of 2004, he is married to Cheryl and they have an adopted son, Carter, and an adopted daughter, CarolAnne. In an interview in 1993, Moody stated he was placed in a mental hospital by his family for his work with mirror gazing.
Career
Moody's most famous book was made into a movie of the same name, Life After Life, for which he won a bronze medal in the Human Relations Category at the New York Film FestivalNew York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival has been a major film festival since it began in 1963 in New York. The films are selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center...
. He was also awarded the World Humanitarian Award.
His much later book The Last Laugh, containing, as he states, material edited out of Life After Life, confused some of his admirers as to his own personal view of NDE phenomena, which he had done so much to publicize. In this book, he says he does not consider them to be conclusive proof of life after death, and is disturbed by the use of his works by religious fundamentalists and New Age gurus to further their causes.
Nonetheless, Moody's own beliefs on NDEs can be summed up with the following quote from his interview with Jeffrey Mishlove:
In 2010, Moody published Glimpses of Eternity which describes the "shared death experience", in which people gathered at the bedside of a dying loved one sometimes describe being lifted out of their bodies and accompanying their loved one part-way into another realm. Moody describes seven key elements of the shared death experience which are very similar to those of the near-death experience.
The Dr. John Dee Memorial Theater of the Mind is a research institute in Alabama that was founded by Moody as a place where people can experience an altered state of consciousness
Altered state of consciousness
An altered state of consciousness , also named altered state of mind, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state. The expression was used as early as 1966 by Arnold M. Ludwig and brought into common usage from 1969 by Charles Tart: it describes induced...
with the intention of invoking apparitions
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of the dead. One of the methods used to obtain this altered state is crystallomancy, or "mirror gazing".
Moody has also researched past life regression
Past life regression
Past life regression is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations, though others regard them as fantasies or delusions. Past life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience, or in a...
and believes that he personally has had nine past lives
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
.
Elements of the near-death experience
From a study of 150 people who had clinically diedCardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
or almost died, Moody concluded that there are nine experiences common to most people who have had a near death experience. These are:
- hearing sounds such as buzzing
- a feeling of peace and painlessness
- having an out-of-body experienceOut-of-body experienceAn out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
- a feeling of traveling through a tunnel
- a feeling of rising into the heavens
- seeing people, often dead relatives
- meeting a spiritual being such as GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
- seeing a review of one's lifeLife reviewA life review is a phenomenon widely reported as occurring during near-death experiences, in which a person rapidly sees much or the totality of his or her life history in chronological sequence and in extreme detail. It is often referred to by people having experienced this phenomenon as having...
- feeling a reluctance to return to life
Partial bibliography
- Raymond Moody, Life After LifeLife After LifeLife After Life is a 1975 book written by psychiatrist Raymond Moody. It is a report on a qualitative study in which Moody interviewed 150 people who had undergone near-death experiences . The book presents the author's composite account of what it is like to die...
: the investigation of a phenomenon – survival of bodily death, San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. ISBN 0-06251739-2. - Raymond Moody, Reflections on Life After Life, Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1977. ISBN 0-81771423-3.
- Raymond Moody and Paul Perry, The Light Beyond, New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1988. ISBN 0-55305285-3.
- Raymond Moody and Paul Perry, Glimpses of Eternity: Sharing a loved one's passage from this life to the next, New York, NY: Guideposts, 2010. ISBN 0-82494813-0.
- Raymond Moody and Paul Perry, Reunions: visionary encounters with departed loved ones, New York, NY: Villard Books, 1993. ISBN 0-67942570-5.
- Raymond Moody and Dianne Arcangel, Life After Loss: conquering grief and finding hope, San Francisco : HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. ISBN 0-06251729-5.
- Raymond Moody and Paul Perry, Coming Back: a psychiatrist explores past life journeys, New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1991. ISBN 0-55307059-2.
- Raymond Moody, Laugh after laugh: the healing power of humor, Jacksonville, FL: Headwaters Press, 1978. ISBN 0-93242807-X.
- Raymond Moody, The Last Laugh: a new philosophy of near-death experiences, apparitions, and the paranormal, Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Pub., 1999. ISBN 1-57174106-2.
- Raymond Moody, Elvis After Life: Unusual psychic experiences surrounding the death of a superstar, New York, NY: Mass Market Paperback, Bantam Books, July 1, 1989. ISBN 0553273450.
Interviews (Video and Podcasts)
- What Being a Skeptic Really Means Featured Interview of Moody on www.Skeptico.com
- Play and the Paranormal A Conversation with Dr. Raymond Moody