Paranormal: My Life in Pursuit of the Afterlife

not of interest to me. Don't believe most of what he says.

This book includes the autobiography of the author which is a great introduction into the many testimonys of traveling towards the white light. If anything, it made me feel good about crossing over to the other side.

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)

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!

enchanting very interesting

For anyone who's read Moody's book on near death experiences - Life After Life, this is a must.
He not only brings you up to date on this field but fills you in on the other lines of research that he's been working on since the release of that book.
There is also a lot of personal information about his own life, health and work and so much more within the scope of what happens when we die.
It's fascinating, compelling and inspiring.

It's hard to believe that this author's first book, Life After Life, was published almost four decades ago. I remember it being avidly discussed back then, but I wound up reading it just a few years ago. After having read it, I wondered how Dr. Moody got into this line of research in the first place. Well, it's all here in this compelling autobiography of his.

In this book, Dr. Moody recounts important events in his life - from early childhood to the present. The parts of his life that he discusses are mainly his research work on Near Death Experiences and related matters, but important issues in his personal life are also presented.

Dr. Moody has written this book in a style that is very warm, honest, sincere and open-hearted. He recounts how he ended up doing this line of research, how it was received by medical professionals, religious authorities and the public and how his research has evolved over the years. This book should be of interest to anyone curious about the Near-Death-Experience phenomenon and how research in this field came about as recounted by its originator.

Bought this as a gift for my cousin who was interested in contacting or receiving contact from her deceased black lab. She said that she has found the book helpful.

Anytime you see "Dr. Raymond Moody" on a book cover or spine, do yourself the favor and buy it or check it out of the library right there! You will never be disappointed as I certainly wasn't with this volume - or anything else Dr. Moody has written.

After high school graduation 25 years ago, I began to explore so many things that I had an inner need to explore during my formative years, but couldn't due to the religion (cult) that I had no choice in being a part of. As all religions do, I was brainwashed into believing that anything they didn't believe in was somehow "evil," and now that I was free to start exploring, I did just that.

It didn't take me long to come across Dr. Moody's seminal book, "Life After Life."

The book floored me and managed to bust apart my entire belief system, which was a good thing for me. It was beyond refreshing to know that there was, indeed, something after this life, but it wasn't the fire and brimstone b.s. cults preach 24 hours of the day. It was nothing like that - at all! In a nutshell: It made me rethink everything and change my perspective about people and especially about how I act towards others and what their actions to me might mean.

This book is Dr. Moody's autobiography, so he went into detail about his upbringing - the fact his father was shipped off to war the day he was born, how he was the darling of the neighborhood womens' eyes, his troubled relationship with his father (I know the feeling of having a fractured relationship with parents!), his interest in and studying philosophy and his entry into medical school to study psychiatry, and, most important, what sparked his study in what he called "near-death experiences."

If you have any questions about Dr. Moody's background, it's all here.

Through Dannion Brinkley, I learned about Dr. Moody's "Theater of the Mind," but I wasn't familiar with the type of work Dr. Moody did there. For example, I didn't know about the psychomanteum until Dr. Moody explained what it was and how it worked.

I remain in awe of how he has been able to take methods the ancient Greeks used and bring them into modern times. I do hope other people have taken up Dr. Moody's cause of studying elements of parapsychology with the sole intent of helping people and nothing more. And I hope they have the same integrity Dr. Moody displays in his work.

Two things that struck me here:

1. Dr. Moody's relationship with his father being so troubled that his father did a sneaky thing and had his own son committed to a psych ward because of his work with psychomanteums. Instead of getting to the heart of the matter (Dr. Moody's thyroid problem), he just decided his son was crazy. That was sneaky and unforgivable (although I'm sure Dr. Moody doesn't feel that way).

2. Dr. Moody stops short in believing in the true existence of a life after life, even though he himself nearly died from an overdose. He's been given over 40 years' worth of stories from thousands of people about an afterlife, how could he *not* believe in it?

I understand he's a scientist first and foremost and doesn't want to lose precious credibility by doing what Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross did (endorsing New Age mystics and "unorthodox" ideas), although she never lost credibility and his research is solid enough to stand on its own. I reckon he's afraid of losing objectivity if he comes out for or against an idea.

Or ... he's just a skeptic in the true Greek sense of the word. In which case, I'll go for door number 2.

In any case, I guess it works out for Dr. Moody that he is the way he is because people on both sides of the issue can take comfort and gain something from his research and observations. Scientists don't have to worry about his being "New Age" (as if that's a bad thing) and going all esoteric on them and the people who have had NDEs or experienced other paranormal events know they're in good company with lots of people. So the middle ground is the perfect place to be in this situation.

Now, my sole complaint about this book? The fact that it ended. - Donna Di Giacomo.

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.