Paranormal: My Life in Pursuit of the Afterlife

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.

This was a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek into the life of Raymond Moody and what made him pursue life after life stories. I enjoyed it, and I felt a kinship with his shyness and sometimes low self-image from an overbearing parent.

What a beautiful book. What a beautiful man. I’ve been a Raymond Moody fan since his first book —Life after Life—back in the 70’s where he introduced and catalogued near death experiences. (NDE’s.) Indeed, Moody coined the term, and (almost) invented the field of NDE studies. At one time I was reading anything I could get my hands on in this area. Curiously, here forty years later, I am circling around and again am reading anything I can get my hands on. Decided I would re-read Moody, and came across this wonderful autobiography. I would not necessarily recommend this book as an introduction to Moody--- read any or all of his other books. But if you have read and enjoyed his other books, you’ll love this wonderful window into a very brave man’s inner and outer life experiences. Not to be a spoiler, but I expect (and hope) we might have a new Moody book at some point in the near future about “shared death experiences.” In the meantime, this is a wonderful, mind-expanding, head in the clouds, feet on the ground journey.

I read this book mainly to learn about near-death-experiences because I believe that pure physics cannot fully explain our existence. The book is written very well and easy to understand, however, it goes beyond the pale.

Because the author seemed sincere, I was drawn-in for the first half. Then he mentioned a physician friend, Elizabeth, who lived in a trailer with a seven-foot tall, American Indian ghost. Oh-oh, Houston, we have a problem! A few chapters later, he reviews how he was hypnotized and relived events in nine past lives - too strange! He also describes how he met Socrates at an Oracle in Greece for a tour. I didn't know that Socrates spoke English? Then, to top it off, he goes on to crystal-gazing where one can meet with the dead by staring into mirrors - oh boy! Finally, thank goodness, the author ends with a discussion of shared-death experiences where an observer can see bright lights and a mist as someone dies - enough!

Mr. Moody describes how his thyroid disease may have affected his mental state and may have caused him to make poor financial decisions. He also states that he was in financial difficulties before he started writing these books. Of course, this is all suspicious. I think we can understand why his physician father had him committed to an asylum.

If you believe in the occult, read this. If you're rational, save your money.

I told my family that my next book will be based on reality. I don't want to read any more books from Bizarro Land.

I get the impression that Dr. Moody wrote this book to provide his long-time readers with a sense of closure in their relationship with him and his research. By providing autobiographical insights into his life, I better appreciate the integrity and motivations behind his life's work. To him, I would like to say "thank you" for addressing an important topic whose time has again come.

The book not only provided the historical and philosophical context within which the author entered the study of near death experiences (NDE's), but caused me a bit of pain in learning of his troubled relationship with his father, and a life-long struggle with a thyroid deficiency which disrupted his relationships, made him the victim of an unscrupulous financial manager, and took him past the brink of suicide.

As important as his studies of near death experiences and related paranormal incidents, the written review of his life is equally fascinating. For in studying his life, we might better understand both our own, and the lives of countless others. And that is truly a gift to humanity.

Raymond Moody' can legitimately claim to be father of the Near Death Experience movement, coining the phrase in his seminal work Life After Life (more than ten million copies sold). In Paranormal, Dr. Moody (with the help of Paul Perry) tells the story of his interesting life. Raised during the Forties in Georgia, by an abusive father and depressive mom, he first showed an interest in death at age four. He later became "hooked on death" and devoted himself to research on spiritual events such as out of body and near-death experiences. He also got involved with past-life therapy. Moody recounts his own past lives, such as a hunter of mammoths, a murder victim, and asian artist.

Moody is candid about his struggles, including a suicide attempt. Later he discovered it was caused by a thyroid condition which leads to depression. Now in his sixties, Moody continues his research bringing his strong mind to this important research. I'm confident anyone interested in Near Death and after-life experiences will find this memoir an absorbing read.

If you like this book, other books you might like that I've read and recommend: Synchronicity: The Bridge Between Matter and Mind which takes some focus, but will be of interest to those with a scientific bent) and I Walked to the Moon and Almost Everybody Waved: The Curiously Inspiring Adventures of a Free Spirit Who Changed Lives; somewhat the opposite. Great stories and moving account someone devoting themselves to a life of love/spirit.

I had recently finished reading this book by Raymond Moody and Paul Perry, and it was an interesting read. I am one of those types who enjoy reading autobiographies and learning from others through their lives, and this book is basically an autobiography of Dr. Moody and his journey into the "paranormal." Personally, I have never had a chance to read his "Life After Life" yet and whenever I passed by this title in a bookstore, I had avoid it due to its high mass market distribution and how it was sold million copies (it was one of those things that I used to avoid - I tend to go against the popularity). But, after reading this latest book, I just might as well go ahead and pick it up.

"Paranormal" is about Dr. Moody's journey into the paranormal field, starting from near-death experiences, past lives, psychomanteum, and shared-death experiences as well as his own personal life and his life-long struggle with myxedema. In the early 1990s, he tried to kill himself (due to myxedema madness) and ended up having his first near-death experience. Dr. Moody appeared to be heavily influenced by ancient Greek literature, especially Plato's works, to which he became a philosopher (his first doctorate was in philosophy) and he became deeply fascinated with the subject of life after death to what philosophy is all about. He has taken a stance on being a skeptic, in an ancient Greek sense of the word, as being the one who neither believes nor disbelieves but who keeps searching for truth (rather than a "naysayer").

There is an interesting piece, for me anyway, on the interaction between Moody and Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (author of "On Death and Dying" to which I have read back in college over 10 years ago) where she was becoming insistent that his work has "proved" that there is life after death while Moody said "if you believe in life after death, then none of this research is necessary, but if you want to prove life after death, then our research has only begun" (118). She simply didn't agree.

The book goes further on with Dr. Moody's experiments with the psychomanteum in his country home, which he has named "Theater of the Mind." Eventually, when his own father found out about the experiment with the psychomanteum in the early 90's, he had committed his own son to an institution (even though it was a short stay).

I've found this book to be an interesting and an easy read, but I felt a slight impression as if there is a great deal of details being left out in a few areas of this book.

Moody's high spirited volumes appeal to anyone interested in the beyond which awaits us all. It is clear that life is merely a "test" or "waiting at a bus stop" in terms of the eternity which awaits us and Moody's work is an epic demonstration of good research, listening and theory testing. He's come to the conclusion that what awaits us can lessen our fears of the hereafter--possibly even evoking positive anticipation of this fate. Great book!

Raymond Moody has been an influential harbinger of the New Age revolution in the West - therefore, a better understanding of his work might provide insight into how the movement forms 'truths' that permeate our culture in so many ways (spirituality, entertainment, even politics). Moody and Kuebler-Ross made terms such as "afterlife" and "NDEs" respectable, taking them out from the hands of 'crazy' occultists, ouija board devotees, fundamentalist Christians and theosophists and bringing them into the (pseudo)-scientific discourse where they have remained ever since. Did these revolutionary discoveries change their own lives for better? If not, why?

I have to say that the book is written well. It is easy to read, with good narrative arcs and packed with just an appropriate amount of information to keep the reader's interest. What caught my eye was how Moody makes it seem that he is simply plucking the low hanging fruit, as if the story of his life is being written by life itself. While this is true for all of us, he is using inevitability as a literary device that serves as a credibility-bolster rather than as a means to understand his inner life. Regarding credibility, the skeptic has plenty to gripe about as Moody veers from afterlife to past life regressions to scrying (crystal gazing) and meeting Socrates (yes that Socrates) on a recent trip to Greece. In other words, the tale gets taller and taller until we the reader lose sight of it. Moody himself is not interested in and therefore does not pursue, the meaning of his life beyond the serial accumulation of 'extraordinary', 'paranormal', events.

This why this awkwardly titled book ultimately disappoints. Moody learns nothing. Despite his degrees - a PhD in philosophy and an MD - he is content to function as a story teller, collecting stories and wowing us with the, khm "paranormal." His experiences are rational; he does not veer out of his head, has minimal capacity for introspection and less interest in questioning the nature of the reality he is supposedly exploring for the benefit of his audience. This lack of curiosity makes me think that it is the Tale not the Truth Moody is after, and just like an old guy in the pub fishing for that last beer, Moody seems to be willing to lay us another one at the drop of his hat. This book ... is a moody fairy tale.

"I've travelled in England, I've travelled in France
At the sound of good music I'll sing or I'll dance
So hear me then mister and pour me one more
If I can't drink it up, then throw me out the door
Drink it up men it's long after ten."
(The Dubliners)

In this book, Raymond Moody draws from his experience in all major areas of study - near death experiences, shared death experiences, and contacting the dead. It's a engrossing all-in-one package that includes intimate details of Moody's life, including the challenges of living with myxedema which went incorrectly diagnosed for many years. Dr. Moody shares his love for Ancient Greece and provides many insights from the greats of this period and delves into what has been rediscovered about necromancy and ancient oracles. A fascinating read.

LOVE Moody's books -- every one of them!
I forgive any redundant parts of this book because he has
done an amazing work!!
Hope he is happy at last with his new life since
almost killing himself.

Just finished reading this book. I loved Moody's honesty about his career and personal/financial issues. I could especially relate to his thyroid dysfunction, but was impressed that he ventured to share the psychological effects of his myxedema with readers. He is so brave and honest about these subjects that it can't help but lend credibility to the grenades he tosses in the second half. I am the biggest skeptic about subjects that teeter on the border of accepted and unknown. I trust this author and was left feeling open minded about his psychomanteum, past lives, and shared-death experiences. Highly recommended.

For the first time, we get to understand how Moody began his extraordinary research and the work that would change countless lives. Had it not been for his illness and family issues, he may never have gone down this incredible road. I look forward to hearing more from him. If you have his other books, get this one too.

I purchased Dr. Raymond Moody's "PARANORMAL" because of the positive editorial reviews this book had received, but after reading it, I've concluded (as I must) that the author (hereinafter "Raymond" or "Dr. Moody") cannot be taken seriously. For example, Dr. Moody says that he met the Greek philosopher "Socrates" (in the flesh) while visiting some ancient ruin (Oracles of the Dead) in Greece. Socrates has been dead for more than 2,000 years. I doubt it very much, as any reasonable mind would, that a dead person can rise up from the ashes and materialize as a living, breathing entity. "A MAN'S PATH TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE" would've been a more appropriate title for this book. The fact, as admitted by Raymond, that his father (a surgeon) had him institutionalized in a mental hospital upon noticing that his son (Raymond) had crossed over the line between reality and fantasy, together with the reported incidents of Raymond's suicide attempts, simply don't make Raymond's stories of near-death experiences ("NDE") and shared-death experiences believable. The author's delving in (and practice of) crystal gazing or the like is another factor that weighs heavily against him. I read other books written by Dr. Moody regarding the afterlife, with great interest.... After all, who doesn't want to believe in some kind of immortality? I think we all do because, as we get old, the realization of our own mortality is hard to come to terms with. The author's credentials (medical doctor, psychiatrist, philosopher) made his recital of NDE stories seem convincing to me, but my position has changed after reading his informative autobiography (PARANORMAL). Frankly, in view of Dr. Moody's psychiatric history, I cannot help but wonder whether some (if not many) of his NDE cases are real or fictional. I wish he had plainly disclosed his health problems in his other books about the afterlife, in all fairness to the readers. In any event, anecdotal evidence (even if genuine) does not prove the existence of an afterlife. By the same token, any clear-headed reasoning that an NDE is nothing more than the effect of self-induced hallucinations of a dying brain does not, in my opinion, disprove a dying person's survival of his consciousness after his or her demise. Dr. Moody's continuing research in this field of interest is appreciated, but I don't think that he or anyone else will ever be able to actually prove that there is an afterlife. The author's pursuit, though apparently sincere and prompted by conviction, is like a blind man searching in a dark room for a black cat that may or may not be there; it is like pursuing bubbles that break in their flight. Granted, people from all over the world have all sorts of experiences. However, whether those experiences are induced by specific molecules (e.g., LSD), or by fasting, or by preconceived notions and inclinations, etc., doesn't necessarily mean that the subjective experiences correspond to external reality, not even if the experiences show a common denominator and are shared by several individuals. The belief in the afterlife, without more than anecdotal proof, may be nothing more than an emotive expression of justification for that which the believer hopes will be true. The type of evidence that has been presented thus far, in support of the argument for an afterlife, is neither probative nor compelling. Overall, I find PARANORMAL to be disappointing and far from what I had expected.

This book might be interesting for those who are already convinced that near death experiences have a supernatural cause, and that we have all lived earlier lives that we can access by hypnosis. Others will not find proof in these interesting anecdotes.