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Paranormal: My Life in Pursuit of the Afterlife
The author of Life After Life present a look at his life spent researching near-death experiences in this fascinating memoir.Paranormal begins with a harrowing account of Moody’s suicide attempt—due to an undiagnosed illness that led him into depression—and proceeds to explore his lifelong fascination with life beyond our bodies. Moody traces the roots of his obsession with the point of death and how, at age twenty-three, he launched the entirely new medical field of near-death studies. He went on to explore the world of past lives and possible reincarnation before stumbling into the fascinating realm of facilitated visions. Moody’s rural research center, Theater of the Mind, dramatically advances paranormal research by melding ancient and modern techniques to arouse many of the transformative elements of the near-death experience in people who are still living.After more than four decades of studying death and the possibility of an afterlife, Moody still sees endless promise in the fringes of psychological sciences, where he continues to seek answers to what happens to our souls after death.Praise for Paranormal“A lucid, engrossing memoir from a psychologist and philosopher dedicated to the afterlife. . . . The fascinating life story of an impassioned mystical maverick.” —Kirkus Reviews“Best known as the man who coined the phrase “near-death experience” . . . Moody is candid and upfront about his life working with near-death experiences, past-life regression, and mirror gazing. . . . An interesting addition to any library.” —Library Journal“Moody radically changed the way modern humans think about the afterlife. Paranormal is a thrilling and inspiring literary experience.” —Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words and The Power of Premonitions
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2012
244 people are currently reading
763 people want to read
About the author
Raymond A. Moody Jr.
98 books237 followersRaymond Moody, M.D., Ph.D. is the bestselling author of eleven books which have sold over 20 million copies. His seminal work, Life After Life, has completely changed the way we view death and dying and has sold over 13 million copies worldwide. His latest book is GLIMPSES OF ETERNITY: Sharing a Loved One's Passage from this Life to the Next.
Dr. Moody is the leading authority on the "near-death experience"--a phrase he coined in the late seventies. He is best known for his ground-breaking work on the near-death experience and what happens when we die. The New York Times calls Dr. Moody "the father of the near-death experience."
Dr. Moody has enlightened and entertained audiences all over the world for over three decades. He lectures on such topics as: Near Death Experiences, Death With Dignity, Life After Loss, Surviving Grief & Finding Hope, Reunions: Visionary Encounters With Departed Loved Ones, The Healing Power of Humor, The Loss of Children, The Logic of Nonsense, and Catastrophic Tragedies & Events causing collective grief response.
In addition to his writing and lecturing, he is in the private practice of philosophical counseling and consulting on dying. Dr. Moody also trains hospice workers, clergy, psychologists, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals on matters of grief recovery and dying. He helps people to identify systems of support and to cope with their anxiety, grief, and loss through better understanding of mourning and bereavement.
Dr. Moody received his medical degree from the College of Georgia and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Virginia where he also received his M.A. and B.A.
He is the recipient of many awards including the World Humanitarian Award and a bronze medal in the Human Relations category at the New York Film Festival for the movie version of Life After Life.
Dr. Moody is a frequent media guest and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show three times, as well as on hundreds of other local and nationally syndicated programs such as MSNBC: Grief Recovery, Today, ABC's Turning Point, and hundreds more.
Dr. Moody is the leading authority on the "near-death experience"--a phrase he coined in the late seventies. He is best known for his ground-breaking work on the near-death experience and what happens when we die. The New York Times calls Dr. Moody "the father of the near-death experience."
Dr. Moody has enlightened and entertained audiences all over the world for over three decades. He lectures on such topics as: Near Death Experiences, Death With Dignity, Life After Loss, Surviving Grief & Finding Hope, Reunions: Visionary Encounters With Departed Loved Ones, The Healing Power of Humor, The Loss of Children, The Logic of Nonsense, and Catastrophic Tragedies & Events causing collective grief response.
In addition to his writing and lecturing, he is in the private practice of philosophical counseling and consulting on dying. Dr. Moody also trains hospice workers, clergy, psychologists, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals on matters of grief recovery and dying. He helps people to identify systems of support and to cope with their anxiety, grief, and loss through better understanding of mourning and bereavement.
Dr. Moody received his medical degree from the College of Georgia and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Virginia where he also received his M.A. and B.A.
He is the recipient of many awards including the World Humanitarian Award and a bronze medal in the Human Relations category at the New York Film Festival for the movie version of Life After Life.
Dr. Moody is a frequent media guest and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show three times, as well as on hundreds of other local and nationally syndicated programs such as MSNBC: Grief Recovery, Today, ABC's Turning Point, and hundreds more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
March 1, 2013
I was really excited when I learned that Raymond Moody had published a new book. I had very much enjoyed "Life After Life" where he was one of the first doctors to interview and record the stories of individuals who had near death experiences (NDEs). He is known as the "father" of NDEs. I had studied his work and the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and others during college and found it fascinating.
His interviews and stories of near death experiences (NDEs) parallels what I have heard through the years working in health care from individuals who have personally experienced them. I have also heard similar accounts from doctors, nurses and hospice workers caring for people coming back from a NDE. There do seem to be similarities in the stories people tell after having a near death experience.
I was very moved by his reports of "shared death experiences" where individuals who are in the presence of someone dying - sometimes have powerful extraordinary experiences - feeling, seeing or hearing something the person dying is experiencing. I have been in the presence of several individuals near the end of their lives and have experienced this personally. I have also heard reports from family members and hospice personnel who work closely with the dying who have experienced this.
Where Dr. Moody lost me in this book - is when he began to talk about past last regressions, mirroring, crystal gazing, ghost sightings, etc. Around this time, he was having difficulty with his mental health - he believed due to an extreme thyroid problem. However, his father who was also a physician had him committed to a mental institution. Dr. Moody claims to have been restored to good health after his thyroid problem was appropriately treated.
Dr. Moody is a very intelligent man and he makes some interesting and thought provoking comments about life and death throughout the book. However, I disliked the fact that he repeatedly told the reader how intelligent he thought he was and repeatedly mentioned how many degrees he had. I remember at one point in the book he comments upon meeting someone who was "finally a match for his intellect". If you are intelligent - you don't need to tell people - they will realize it on their own.
I would recommend the book if you are interested in learning more about NDEs and "shared death experiences". However, I would urge the reader to critique some of his other findings - near the end of the book - which I found difficult to believe. I believe that he may not have been well during the time he wrote this.
I hope that Dr. Moody remains in good health since he is a brillant man who has made great contributions in researching NDEs. His findings have had an impact on the way in which the dying are treated in hospitals today.
His interviews and stories of near death experiences (NDEs) parallels what I have heard through the years working in health care from individuals who have personally experienced them. I have also heard similar accounts from doctors, nurses and hospice workers caring for people coming back from a NDE. There do seem to be similarities in the stories people tell after having a near death experience.
I was very moved by his reports of "shared death experiences" where individuals who are in the presence of someone dying - sometimes have powerful extraordinary experiences - feeling, seeing or hearing something the person dying is experiencing. I have been in the presence of several individuals near the end of their lives and have experienced this personally. I have also heard reports from family members and hospice personnel who work closely with the dying who have experienced this.
Where Dr. Moody lost me in this book - is when he began to talk about past last regressions, mirroring, crystal gazing, ghost sightings, etc. Around this time, he was having difficulty with his mental health - he believed due to an extreme thyroid problem. However, his father who was also a physician had him committed to a mental institution. Dr. Moody claims to have been restored to good health after his thyroid problem was appropriately treated.
Dr. Moody is a very intelligent man and he makes some interesting and thought provoking comments about life and death throughout the book. However, I disliked the fact that he repeatedly told the reader how intelligent he thought he was and repeatedly mentioned how many degrees he had. I remember at one point in the book he comments upon meeting someone who was "finally a match for his intellect". If you are intelligent - you don't need to tell people - they will realize it on their own.
I would recommend the book if you are interested in learning more about NDEs and "shared death experiences". However, I would urge the reader to critique some of his other findings - near the end of the book - which I found difficult to believe. I believe that he may not have been well during the time he wrote this.
I hope that Dr. Moody remains in good health since he is a brillant man who has made great contributions in researching NDEs. His findings have had an impact on the way in which the dying are treated in hospitals today.
August 12, 2016
The first half of the book (covering his previous work already known to me) is intriguing -- the last half covering info new to me was mind blowing!
May 18, 2013
I am a Near Death Experiencer. I first read Raymond Moody's book 'Life After Life' back in the 1980's, long before I had my NDE.
Back in the 1960's, when I was in my twenties, I had a family member who told me I needed to be put into the state mental hospital, a real snake-pit, because I was having what I knew were psychic experiences. That type of reaction was, and is, a serous danger for Near Death Experiencers, for psychics and for visionaries, then and now.
When I had my NDE in 1998, I went through an initial stage of denial and confusion. Re-reading Dr. Moody's books helped me through those first tough years. His outline of the NDE showed me that what I had experienced was indeed a valid experience, and knowing that gave me the freedom to accept what I already knew was real. Over the years, Dr. Moody's research and his best-selling books have helped me immensely. His famous list of the stages of the NDE showed me that what I had actually experienced was something altogether different from the careless misdiagnoses and the cruel remarks and threats that others leveled at me.
Now Dr. Moody has written his autobiography, detailing his ongoing work into the nature of death, as well as sharing his personal story. His heartbreaking relationship with a rigid and unyielding father who had him incarcerated in a mental institution, his long struggle with a rare life-threatening thyroid condition, and his emotional battles, including a divorce, tell the tale of a man whose absolute and unyielding dedication overcame even the greatest obstacles.
Even today, so many NDE'rs like me are being silenced by the forces of materialism and prejudice, from nutty pseudo-christianity at the one extreme, to absolute intolerance from the materialist-reductionists at the other far end of the spectrum. Dr. Raymond Moody's work is a standing challenge to those who would use either religious cant or professional and social censorship, to silence the Near Death Experiencer.
With his background in philosophy, logic, reasonable debate, and medicine, along with years of research and counseling, Dr. Moody's life and his many years of work have been a blessing to me and to all those like me who have visionary and near-death personal experiences.
Dr. Moody has earned my deepest thanks for his great dignity, his courage, and his intellectual and professional honesty and integrity. Thanks to him and those whom Moody has inspired, my life and the lives of so many experiencers and their families are richer, more informed and free of so many fears.
Thank you Dr. Moody.
Back in the 1960's, when I was in my twenties, I had a family member who told me I needed to be put into the state mental hospital, a real snake-pit, because I was having what I knew were psychic experiences. That type of reaction was, and is, a serous danger for Near Death Experiencers, for psychics and for visionaries, then and now.
When I had my NDE in 1998, I went through an initial stage of denial and confusion. Re-reading Dr. Moody's books helped me through those first tough years. His outline of the NDE showed me that what I had experienced was indeed a valid experience, and knowing that gave me the freedom to accept what I already knew was real. Over the years, Dr. Moody's research and his best-selling books have helped me immensely. His famous list of the stages of the NDE showed me that what I had actually experienced was something altogether different from the careless misdiagnoses and the cruel remarks and threats that others leveled at me.
Now Dr. Moody has written his autobiography, detailing his ongoing work into the nature of death, as well as sharing his personal story. His heartbreaking relationship with a rigid and unyielding father who had him incarcerated in a mental institution, his long struggle with a rare life-threatening thyroid condition, and his emotional battles, including a divorce, tell the tale of a man whose absolute and unyielding dedication overcame even the greatest obstacles.
Even today, so many NDE'rs like me are being silenced by the forces of materialism and prejudice, from nutty pseudo-christianity at the one extreme, to absolute intolerance from the materialist-reductionists at the other far end of the spectrum. Dr. Raymond Moody's work is a standing challenge to those who would use either religious cant or professional and social censorship, to silence the Near Death Experiencer.
With his background in philosophy, logic, reasonable debate, and medicine, along with years of research and counseling, Dr. Moody's life and his many years of work have been a blessing to me and to all those like me who have visionary and near-death personal experiences.
Dr. Moody has earned my deepest thanks for his great dignity, his courage, and his intellectual and professional honesty and integrity. Thanks to him and those whom Moody has inspired, my life and the lives of so many experiencers and their families are richer, more informed and free of so many fears.
Thank you Dr. Moody.
August 10, 2023
Close to three stars, but not quite.
Dr. Moody is the pioneer on NDEs back in the 70’s, that’s a big plus, but then he dedicates a good chunk of the book to say how wonderful, smart and lucky he has been. When I was about to give up on the book for this reason, then he finally starts talking about NDEs, his area of expertise.
Dr. Moody describes himself as a skeptic and scientifically objective professional. He convincingly declares NDEs are not real proof of an afterlife, that more is needed, and that makes sense to me.
Then he takes on past life regressions under hypnosis, that although being very vivid experiences and of their own category, different than anything else, he does not think they are proof of the existence of past lives, as such events can be explained differently, he got me engaged this far.
Then he wonders if it is possible to reproduce some or all of NDEs experience without having to die, and he says to have found “scrying” or the method of crystal ball and mirror gazing to materialize ghosts. From this point on it gets me wondering about Dr’s sanity, as his own father did at the time to the point of getting him institutionalized. Then he describes “shared NDEs” in an enthusiastic way that seems to imply those are things that happen as a matter of course.
Finally, he says that the loving, peaceful and joyful light and, basically, heaven will happen to all without exception. He excludes or ignores the occurrence of negative NDEs and even some sort of judgment that has happened to some NDEers, e.g. Howard Storm.
In summary, the book starts out good, but then gets into a more and more outlandish tone. Dr. Moody is not the skeptic and rigorous scientific thinker he claims to be, in my opinion. These subjects can’t, and shouldn’t, be taken more seriously than a series of stories in their own genre.
Dr. Moody is the pioneer on NDEs back in the 70’s, that’s a big plus, but then he dedicates a good chunk of the book to say how wonderful, smart and lucky he has been. When I was about to give up on the book for this reason, then he finally starts talking about NDEs, his area of expertise.
Dr. Moody describes himself as a skeptic and scientifically objective professional. He convincingly declares NDEs are not real proof of an afterlife, that more is needed, and that makes sense to me.
Then he takes on past life regressions under hypnosis, that although being very vivid experiences and of their own category, different than anything else, he does not think they are proof of the existence of past lives, as such events can be explained differently, he got me engaged this far.
Then he wonders if it is possible to reproduce some or all of NDEs experience without having to die, and he says to have found “scrying” or the method of crystal ball and mirror gazing to materialize ghosts. From this point on it gets me wondering about Dr’s sanity, as his own father did at the time to the point of getting him institutionalized. Then he describes “shared NDEs” in an enthusiastic way that seems to imply those are things that happen as a matter of course.
Finally, he says that the loving, peaceful and joyful light and, basically, heaven will happen to all without exception. He excludes or ignores the occurrence of negative NDEs and even some sort of judgment that has happened to some NDEers, e.g. Howard Storm.
In summary, the book starts out good, but then gets into a more and more outlandish tone. Dr. Moody is not the skeptic and rigorous scientific thinker he claims to be, in my opinion. These subjects can’t, and shouldn’t, be taken more seriously than a series of stories in their own genre.
December 10, 2014
This autobiography is fascinating in that it explains, in this own words, how a doctor turned into a researcher of the near death experience. Much of the story is simply human interest and does not delve into the somewhat paranormal nature of his work until about the middle of the text. I found his writing very readable and his personal reflections to be honest and often self-effacing. The title is a bit misleading because the book is about his own personal discovery of the NDE and less about NDEs themselves.
August 26, 2017
Makes complete sense!
Loved it! I'm not sure why the author is almost reluctant to declare reincarnation specially with so many documented cases of NDE and SDE and his experiments on the Oracle of the dead. Maybe the Universe wants him to keep his research going. I'm okay with that. If NDEs interest you, then this is a must read. This is his autobiography that also helps us see many aspects of his research in more detail. I was introduced to the term SDE for the first time here, even though I'd heard of the experience before. Now it makes more sense.
Loved it! I'm not sure why the author is almost reluctant to declare reincarnation specially with so many documented cases of NDE and SDE and his experiments on the Oracle of the dead. Maybe the Universe wants him to keep his research going. I'm okay with that. If NDEs interest you, then this is a must read. This is his autobiography that also helps us see many aspects of his research in more detail. I was introduced to the term SDE for the first time here, even though I'd heard of the experience before. Now it makes more sense.
December 5, 2012
Crappy - I mean that in the best possible way. He is SO naracassistic and can't get over himself. I mean, I know its his story, but he keeps going on about how special he is, about how smart he is, about how awesome he is. Gah. Couldn't actually get into it.
October 26, 2017
This is really a personal account of one man's fascination with what happens after we die. The author has several books that examine the possibilities and each one will make readers think and wonder.
February 27, 2018
A very courageous biography. It opens up a new world of inquiry into our perception of Life and Death. Raymond Moody had the courage to challenge society's accepted views on this subject.
October 19, 2025
Is there an afterlife? Is the world we live in a materialistic one or does it have dualistic properties? Admittedly, I'm more comfortable thinking of reality as existing entirely off of natural phenomena that can be explained (or one day explained) via the scientific method. And yet... I can't shake this sneaking suspicion that we do have a "soul" or something along those lines. What are the implications of having a soul? Who could say? Although, it's easy to see how the import of it could be terrifying just as easily as it could be comforting.
Thankfully, Moody's report of NDE's (near death experiences) are widely comforting. While no two NDE is exactly the same, there are several overlapping qualities according to Moody. One of which is the subject's new views on death itself. Moody describes how people typically experience a "review" of their own life and even a "being of light" who questions them how they are living it. However, "the being of light made their sinful deeds obvious to them and made it clear that life was a learning process, not a platform for later judgement" (page 90). That's a nice thought. I'd like to believe that.
I appreciate that Moody never makes grand claims of himself (saving his personal opinions for the very last few pages). He merely presents the cases and relays first hand accounts that are fantastical to varying degrees. His approach is largely unbiased. I did find the topics of "past lives," past life "regressions," and communication with dead relatives via "scrying" to be far less compelling as presented in this book. However, Moody makes the case for their utility in therapy regardless if reincarnation or communion with ghosts is actually "real" or not.
In short, if the concept of having a soul or the potential of an afterlife freaks you out then this books is for you!
Thankfully, Moody's report of NDE's (near death experiences) are widely comforting. While no two NDE is exactly the same, there are several overlapping qualities according to Moody. One of which is the subject's new views on death itself. Moody describes how people typically experience a "review" of their own life and even a "being of light" who questions them how they are living it. However, "the being of light made their sinful deeds obvious to them and made it clear that life was a learning process, not a platform for later judgement" (page 90). That's a nice thought. I'd like to believe that.
I appreciate that Moody never makes grand claims of himself (saving his personal opinions for the very last few pages). He merely presents the cases and relays first hand accounts that are fantastical to varying degrees. His approach is largely unbiased. I did find the topics of "past lives," past life "regressions," and communication with dead relatives via "scrying" to be far less compelling as presented in this book. However, Moody makes the case for their utility in therapy regardless if reincarnation or communion with ghosts is actually "real" or not.
In short, if the concept of having a soul or the potential of an afterlife freaks you out then this books is for you!
July 22, 2017
Very much worth reading, all the way through.
I found it satisfying and helpful that this author's thoughts parallel my own, for the most part, in this area of human thought and endeavour. I also find myself, through no fault of the author whatsoever, just slightly disappointed, in that this author has spent a lifetime researching this phenomena and has discovered strong hints of life after life, but no absolute confirming evidence. So, what hope have I to discover anything beyond what he has invested so much diligent effort in trying to confirm or refute? My only consolation concerning this important subject is that I have not lost the ability to have faith. Faith that what my simple mind cannot comprehend, God can, and that when the time comes, if it comes, the details of this most perplexing issue will be revealed to us in a way that we all, the complete family of humankind, can understand, and know that the issue is resolved. Until then, all we can do is continue to search and inquire with an open mind. I confer with the author also that the resolution may actually transcend the ability of our language at this point to adequately describe. To the unknowing, I would suggest they begin reading and searching. To the skeptics, I would suggest cracking open the door to your closed mind just a tiny bit. What you see may fascinate you enough to open the door all the way for complete unbiased examination of ALL things. To the curious and confused (my category, and I think most of ours), I would suggest continuing to search and study. It is the only tool in the toolbox at this moment in history.
I found it satisfying and helpful that this author's thoughts parallel my own, for the most part, in this area of human thought and endeavour. I also find myself, through no fault of the author whatsoever, just slightly disappointed, in that this author has spent a lifetime researching this phenomena and has discovered strong hints of life after life, but no absolute confirming evidence. So, what hope have I to discover anything beyond what he has invested so much diligent effort in trying to confirm or refute? My only consolation concerning this important subject is that I have not lost the ability to have faith. Faith that what my simple mind cannot comprehend, God can, and that when the time comes, if it comes, the details of this most perplexing issue will be revealed to us in a way that we all, the complete family of humankind, can understand, and know that the issue is resolved. Until then, all we can do is continue to search and inquire with an open mind. I confer with the author also that the resolution may actually transcend the ability of our language at this point to adequately describe. To the unknowing, I would suggest they begin reading and searching. To the skeptics, I would suggest cracking open the door to your closed mind just a tiny bit. What you see may fascinate you enough to open the door all the way for complete unbiased examination of ALL things. To the curious and confused (my category, and I think most of ours), I would suggest continuing to search and study. It is the only tool in the toolbox at this moment in history.
July 9, 2012
Autobiography always leaves me wondering, what did the other people in his life have to say about him?
Moody describes the path of his professional life moving from a young man interested in the seminal questions of philosopy, to exploring Near Death Experiences, to fashioning a room in his home with a mirror so patients could try to contact the dead, and ends with his interest in the experiences that people have while watching a loved one die called Shared Death Experiences.
Moody is a medical doctor like his stern father who had him committed to a mental institution at one point in his life. According to Moody, his doctor father never realized that even as a boy Moody suffered from a rare thyroid disorder call Myodema (spelled wrong) that can bring on all kinds of strange symptoms and can affect your judgement centers.
Moody's work with Near Death Experiences is interesting as well as his other reasearch, but I guess I should not have chosen this autobiography to read. His personal life was not very interesting to me, and I felt bad about how his father treated him.
Moody describes the path of his professional life moving from a young man interested in the seminal questions of philosopy, to exploring Near Death Experiences, to fashioning a room in his home with a mirror so patients could try to contact the dead, and ends with his interest in the experiences that people have while watching a loved one die called Shared Death Experiences.
Moody is a medical doctor like his stern father who had him committed to a mental institution at one point in his life. According to Moody, his doctor father never realized that even as a boy Moody suffered from a rare thyroid disorder call Myodema (spelled wrong) that can bring on all kinds of strange symptoms and can affect your judgement centers.
Moody's work with Near Death Experiences is interesting as well as his other reasearch, but I guess I should not have chosen this autobiography to read. His personal life was not very interesting to me, and I felt bad about how his father treated him.
September 23, 2013
I was excited when I checked this book out because I thought it was a study on near-death experiences. It is, but it's also an autobiography, which I was not expecting. At first it rubbed me the wrong way because I wasn't looking forward to reading about somebody's life. But then as I kept reading on I couldn't put the book down.
He talks about his first glimpse of death, and how it shaped his career from that point on. He starts with near death experiences in college, then eventually moving onto working with scrying and eventually ending with shared-death experiences (which I have never heard of until now.)
Great book and an excellent read for anyone interested in the subject.
He talks about his first glimpse of death, and how it shaped his career from that point on. He starts with near death experiences in college, then eventually moving onto working with scrying and eventually ending with shared-death experiences (which I have never heard of until now.)
Great book and an excellent read for anyone interested in the subject.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2014
I think that the people who are disappointed about this book are those who stated that it us about Moody's life. That fact is written right into the title. He has written several other titles on his research if you are interested in that. I found his life fascinating. His whole life lead him to do what he does. I thought it was honest and to the point. He doesn't seem to be sensationalist or a narcissist to me at all.
April 11, 2012
The father of the "near death" movement, this book goes one step farther to examine the living using gazing or the ancient method of scrying to contact the dead. Interspersed with Moody medical issues and personal problems, this book is easy to read and brings up some interesting phenomena to be investigated further.
July 26, 2012
I thought it was a fabulous read until the end. I enjoyed a clinical explanation of near death experiences. when he started getting into past lives and looking into mirrors, he lost me. I could appreciate looking at certain seemingly paranormal activities from a scientific point of view but past life regression and apparitions was a little bit much.
December 11, 2015
I really like this book. Informative, entertaining, and did not lose my interest. The book is a bit self-indulgent, but it warns in the beginning that this is the case. However, I can overlook this if I consider the great read I got out of this book. It does seem like it is unfinished, so I hope there is a continuation of this book with a subsequent edition.
January 14, 2018
BRILLIANT AGAIN
I have always loved "Life after Life. One of the best books ever written. Dr. Moody's done it again, he's an excellent writer. Love his heart. Will tell everyone to read.
I have always loved "Life after Life. One of the best books ever written. Dr. Moody's done it again, he's an excellent writer. Love his heart. Will tell everyone to read.
January 2, 2013
I knew little about his work before reading this. I thought it was fascinating but I wish it went into more detail.
April 4, 2015
Not what I thought... ehh
July 28, 2019
Tell me more about how great you are.
June 27, 2021
Extraordinary, noteworthy book.
Raymond A. Moody, M.D. specialising in psychiatry and Ph.D. in philosophy, has written a book of discovery based on his lifelong paranormal studies. This book covers his explorations in the near-death experience (NDE)—a term and acronym he coined in his famous book, "Life After Life"—past-life regressions, the Greek belief in the afterlife, psychomanteums, and even shared-death experiences—another study area he has pioneered and term he has coined.
Recommended this book by my father, I was delighted in its contents. Raymond Moody proves that a background in a non-medical endeavour, philosophy no less, can lead to much fruit even in a medical sense. There is not much about NDEs or the experience of the other world (heaven if you like), or of God or Jesus or angels. However, the book read like I was exploring these fascinating realms in search for that elusive thing, proof that life continues after death. I'd read about NDEs a long time ago, when in my teens. So, I'm a believer, yet like Raymond Moody, I tend to be sceptical until I receive proof.
Raymond Moody investigates the paranormal in an enterprising, humble and accessible manner. He has laid his life bare for the reader. His undiagnosed thyroid illness, which sometimes presented as his being on the autism spectrum, and his father's bullying led the young Moody to sit alone at home for long periods to read and learn. Once he discovered the Greek philosophers and their concepts of death and the afterlife, his lifelong passion and career path were born. Raymond Moody never looked back. It led to fame in 1975 when "Life After Life" was published, when Moody was 31 years of age.
Raymond Moody's doggedness in the face of his father's spite and bullheadedness served him well later in life when some members of the medical profession pooh-poohed his research realm and findings. His medical training underscored his scientific research underpinnings. "Paranormal" is a hallmark of Raymond Moody's persistence, insatiable curiosity and sense of enterprise that led him down the extraordinary, noteworthy path to this book, in which we can share his discoveries. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
This review also appears in www.Amazon.com and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/...
Raymond A. Moody, M.D. specialising in psychiatry and Ph.D. in philosophy, has written a book of discovery based on his lifelong paranormal studies. This book covers his explorations in the near-death experience (NDE)—a term and acronym he coined in his famous book, "Life After Life"—past-life regressions, the Greek belief in the afterlife, psychomanteums, and even shared-death experiences—another study area he has pioneered and term he has coined.
Recommended this book by my father, I was delighted in its contents. Raymond Moody proves that a background in a non-medical endeavour, philosophy no less, can lead to much fruit even in a medical sense. There is not much about NDEs or the experience of the other world (heaven if you like), or of God or Jesus or angels. However, the book read like I was exploring these fascinating realms in search for that elusive thing, proof that life continues after death. I'd read about NDEs a long time ago, when in my teens. So, I'm a believer, yet like Raymond Moody, I tend to be sceptical until I receive proof.
Raymond Moody investigates the paranormal in an enterprising, humble and accessible manner. He has laid his life bare for the reader. His undiagnosed thyroid illness, which sometimes presented as his being on the autism spectrum, and his father's bullying led the young Moody to sit alone at home for long periods to read and learn. Once he discovered the Greek philosophers and their concepts of death and the afterlife, his lifelong passion and career path were born. Raymond Moody never looked back. It led to fame in 1975 when "Life After Life" was published, when Moody was 31 years of age.
Raymond Moody's doggedness in the face of his father's spite and bullheadedness served him well later in life when some members of the medical profession pooh-poohed his research realm and findings. His medical training underscored his scientific research underpinnings. "Paranormal" is a hallmark of Raymond Moody's persistence, insatiable curiosity and sense of enterprise that led him down the extraordinary, noteworthy path to this book, in which we can share his discoveries. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
This review also appears in www.Amazon.com and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/...
January 5, 2021
The subject of near-death experiences runs through both my professional and personal lives, keeping them joined and never letting me forget that while we are learning to live, we are also learning to die. 228
I'm 8 days shy of the one year anniversary of my father's death. This was the perfect read! Losing someone who was extremely close has fissured the boundary between life and death.
It's a shame Raymond's work is not taken seriously, by some, as he studies the paranormal. Raymond's 1st book, Life After Life was a huge success, an international bestseller, and a game changer for the respect and dignity offered dying patients thereafter. Raymond is up front with his methods and strives to follow scientific principles, to the utmost, while studying the paranormal. He's definitely entered uncharted water. Kudos to Raymond. For many, the stumbling blocks in this latest book of Raymond are his past life regression studies/therapies, and his use of the psychomanteum in treating grief. But hey, if it works, why not? Isn't the best outcome for the patient the most important result? This brought to mind a podcast I listened to from The Moth on keeping an open mind regarding American psychiatry/psychology. Also on my open mind is the thought that a visit to Moody's Theater of the Mind is now imperative.
Over the years since developing modern techniques for scrying, I have had the opportunity to teach these techniques around the world to many therapists who now use them with great effectiveness. But I have also faced the reality of our modern times: We are a pharmaceutical culture, one that would rather use pills to tackle problems like grief than invest the substantial amount of time and energy it takes to have a visionary encounter with a loved one. 224
On a human level, scrying is a successful treatment of the paralyzing psychological problem of grief. That is the point. Period. 227
I'm 8 days shy of the one year anniversary of my father's death. This was the perfect read! Losing someone who was extremely close has fissured the boundary between life and death.
It's a shame Raymond's work is not taken seriously, by some, as he studies the paranormal. Raymond's 1st book, Life After Life was a huge success, an international bestseller, and a game changer for the respect and dignity offered dying patients thereafter. Raymond is up front with his methods and strives to follow scientific principles, to the utmost, while studying the paranormal. He's definitely entered uncharted water. Kudos to Raymond. For many, the stumbling blocks in this latest book of Raymond are his past life regression studies/therapies, and his use of the psychomanteum in treating grief. But hey, if it works, why not? Isn't the best outcome for the patient the most important result? This brought to mind a podcast I listened to from The Moth on keeping an open mind regarding American psychiatry/psychology. Also on my open mind is the thought that a visit to Moody's Theater of the Mind is now imperative.
Over the years since developing modern techniques for scrying, I have had the opportunity to teach these techniques around the world to many therapists who now use them with great effectiveness. But I have also faced the reality of our modern times: We are a pharmaceutical culture, one that would rather use pills to tackle problems like grief than invest the substantial amount of time and energy it takes to have a visionary encounter with a loved one. 224
On a human level, scrying is a successful treatment of the paralyzing psychological problem of grief. That is the point. Period. 227
March 6, 2021
I read this book during the pandemic because I was looking for something out of the ordinary, and this book certainly met that challenge. I had read about Dr. Moody‘s earlier work in researching near death experiences, a term he coined. I wondered about his life story and what led him to this unusual field of study. This book tells his story and also describes more recent work in related fields. Life is a strange trip, and this book is a reminder of that. There were a few things I didn’t like: repetition of certain ideas and phrases, for example—something that an editor could have easily fixed—and also there are aspects of his personal life story that he leaves out or glosses over. He had a very difficult relationship with a domineering father, and that affected him for the rest of his life. But then Dr. Moody had two children with his first wife, and they later divorced while the kids were young, and he doesn’t really mention the children after that. Still, if you are mostly interested in the topic described in the title, his life work, or if you are looking for something really different from your usual life story, this might be the book for you.
March 24, 2018
What happens at death, and, by extension, beyond, if there is such a life? Those questions have fascinated Dr. Moody for decades and have driven his case study research. But this book is a memoir of his own life--his medical condition, his relationships with family members, his experiences with the phenomena he has researched.
Dr. Moody's memoir of his life investigating paranormal experiences surrounding death, such as near-death experiences, intrigued me, since Moody himself had a partial near-death experience and could recognize its features and relay them once recovered.
Yet the second half of the book, in which he goes beyond those explorations into the experiences of apparitions, crystal-gazing, and "shared-death experiences", while equally intriguing as research questions, stretches the imagination. It's believable that Dr. Moody and his patients, friends, and family claim to have had such experiences. But the science presented in his memoir provided little of the rigor he claimed to have used in his investigations. Therefore I could not give the book a higher rating.
Dr. Moody's memoir of his life investigating paranormal experiences surrounding death, such as near-death experiences, intrigued me, since Moody himself had a partial near-death experience and could recognize its features and relay them once recovered.
Yet the second half of the book, in which he goes beyond those explorations into the experiences of apparitions, crystal-gazing, and "shared-death experiences", while equally intriguing as research questions, stretches the imagination. It's believable that Dr. Moody and his patients, friends, and family claim to have had such experiences. But the science presented in his memoir provided little of the rigor he claimed to have used in his investigations. Therefore I could not give the book a higher rating.
July 16, 2017
Self involved like no other ....
The Moody rang familiar his name from studies in past shown this name of great importance in his books in librarys, book stores and magazine articles. One rea had the notion that this Drson why he seems so familaiar to me in the beginning was that this Dr. has a trait that my highly intelligent cousin has who also happens to be a Dr. ,they both share Perfect Recall. The mind as a camera taking everything learned and not forgetting.
Unforetuanate his details of himself I don't find interesting and as a whole it be great for a word counter having to reproduce demands of a pubplisher. I due believe this intricate author is of high value and character of person.
I lost very quickly attention to his on going every detail of his life story.
The Moody rang familiar his name from studies in past shown this name of great importance in his books in librarys, book stores and magazine articles. One rea had the notion that this Drson why he seems so familaiar to me in the beginning was that this Dr. has a trait that my highly intelligent cousin has who also happens to be a Dr. ,they both share Perfect Recall. The mind as a camera taking everything learned and not forgetting.
Unforetuanate his details of himself I don't find interesting and as a whole it be great for a word counter having to reproduce demands of a pubplisher. I due believe this intricate author is of high value and character of person.
I lost very quickly attention to his on going every detail of his life story.
August 19, 2023
Well, you're either with Moody or you're not. He's certainly a crusader for the possibility and reality of paranormal experiences. Life After Life introduced the field of NDEs to the general public; this autobiographical book explores how Moody takes his research forward first by creating a modern-day psychomanteum and secondly by studying shared-death experiences. If you're skeptical, I'm sure you're not alone, but Moody is straightforward in his explanations and, to this reader at least, convincing. He has me wanting to have some of these experiences on my own. Moody can be a crank at times (his disdain for the medical profession is obvious) but he's a crusader and an important scientist and philosopher. What happens after we die? is one of life's most mysterious questions, and Moody has been on a quest to find out the answers for most of his life. Bravo. Grade: A-
February 8, 2021
Fascinating book by Raymond Moody. It covers his studies with near death experiences, shared death experiences, past life regressions, and facilitated apparitions, and includes also his own personal experiences with all 4 of those phenomena. It also deals openly and honestly with his struggles with divorce, managing fame and success, becoming nearly broke, and his struggles with myxedema (super advanced hypothyroidism) that got him into psyche wards and led to his own suicide attempt and resulting NDE.
July 23, 2023
having never heard of this person before I have to say now what a interesting guy with an ever more interesting life full of varied experiences on the afterlife including his own! This was a interesting read to say the least. If you have an interest in NDE’s and paranormal things then this will be for you. I enjoyed his accounts on his own experience and his upbringing. I felt sometimes it was more personal about his life that went on a bit more than about the work he did, but overall a decent read.
October 12, 2024
I had to force myself to finish this book with the constant hope that Dr. Moody would gain some awareness that the way he was writing was very much just a form of self gratification. All the way through the end it never got better. He consistently spoke about himself as though there is no one in the world more intelligent than he.
The actual work he did seems to be extremely interesting and I would love to know more about it without the self praise.
The actual work he did seems to be extremely interesting and I would love to know more about it without the self praise.
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