Raymond Moody

Raymond Moody, 2017

Raymond A. Moody (born June 30, 1944 in Porterdale , Georgia ) is an American psychiatrist and philosopher, who extensively investigates the border area between life and death.

Already during his studies he was confronted with near death experiences by the doctor George Ritchie and began to be interested in their background. Since there was no research on this topic at the time, he ventured into new scientific territory of thanatology with his systematic investigations of near-death reports . He published his first research results on 150 such cases in 1975 under the title Life After Life .

Moody received his medical doctorate from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta in 1976 and then worked as a forensic psychiatrist until 1985. After opening his own practice, he also teaches philosophy at East Carolina University , Greenville .

Near-death experiences

In Life After Life (1975), Moody describes a variety of experiences that sufferers have on a regular basis, although the order may vary:

1. Perception of an unpleasant noise (ringing, humming)
2. Moving through a long, narrow, dark tunnel
3. The affected person is suddenly outside his body and perceives his surroundings
4. Slow getting used to the new condition
5. Realize that he / she still has a type of "body" that is different from the human body
6. Other beings, often known deceased, approach and greet him / her
7. Appearance of a light being who is occasionally equated with Christ or other religious figures
8. The being of light directs a question to the dying person without words, which should lead him to an evaluation of his own life
9. Timeless review of your own life
10. Approaching a “barrier” that symbolizes the dividing line between life and death
11. Resisting the realization that he / she needs to come back to life
12. Feeling of total joy, love and peace
13. Attempts to communicate in the 3rd phase to the doctors and bystanders
14. Consequences in life (affected persons perceive life more deeply and broadly, deal more with major philosophical basic questions)
15. New view of death (people who have always feared death are now relaxed and fearless)
16. Confirmation of patient information

Works

• Life after death. Exploring an inexplicable experience . 34th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-498-04252-1 (original title: Life After Life ; the 1st edition of the German edition was published in 1977, number 1 on the Spiegel bestseller list from September 26 to October 23, 1977 )
• Reflecting on the afterlife . Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-499-61423-5 (Original title: Reflections On Life After Life ; the 1st edition of the German edition appeared in 1978)
• The light from over there. New questions and answers. New edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-61532-0 (original title: The Light Beyond ; the 1st edition of the German edition was published in 1989)
• Life before life . Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1997, ISBN 3-499-60388-8
• Look behind the mirror. Messages from the other world. Goldmann 1994, ISBN 3-442-30612-4 (Original title: Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones , 1993)

Web links

• Literature by and about Raymond Moody in the catalog of the German National Library