Raymond Moody facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raymond Moody
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| Born | June 30, 1944 Porterdale, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, doctor of medicine |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 20th century |
| Genre | Philosophy |
| Subject | Near-death experiences |
Raymond A. Moody Jr. (born June 30, 1944) is an American philosopher, psychiatrist, and author. He is best known for his books about the afterlife and near-death experiences (NDEs). He even created the term "near-death experience" in 1975. This was for his popular book Life After Life.
Dr. Moody's work looks into personal stories of people who have had NDEs. These are experiences reported by people who were thought to be dead but then came back to life. He has written a lot about what he calls "near-death-experience psychology."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Raymond Moody was born in Porterdale, Georgia. His father was a surgeon who did not believe in God (an agnostic).
Raymond studied philosophy at the University of Virginia. He earned his first degree (BA) in 1966. He then got a master's degree (MA) in 1967 and a PhD in philosophy in 1969.
He also earned a PhD in psychology from the University of West Georgia. He later became a professor there. In 1976, he received his medical degree (MD) from the Medical College of Georgia.
Career and Research
Early Career Steps
After becoming a doctor, Dr. Moody worked as a forensic psychiatrist. This means he helped with legal cases involving mental health. He worked in a high-security state hospital in Georgia. In 1998, he became a special professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His role was in "Consciousness Studies."
Exploring Near-Death Experiences
In 1965, while in college, Moody met a psychiatrist named Dr. George Ritchie. Dr. Ritchie told Moody about an amazing experience. He believed he had traveled to the afterlife when he was almost dead for nine minutes. Dr. Ritchie later wrote about this in his book, Return From Tomorrow.
This story inspired Moody to start collecting similar accounts. He talked to many people who had been clinically dead and then revived. He found that many of their experiences were very similar.
Common features included:
- Feeling like they were outside their body.
- A sensation of moving through a tunnel.
- Meeting dead family members.
- Seeing a bright, loving light.
In 1975, Moody shared many of these stories in his book Life After Life. In this book, he officially named these events "near-death experiences."
Later Studies and Ideas
Dr. Moody was also interested in ancient Greek practices. He learned about psychomanteums. These were places where ancient Greeks would try to see spirits of the dead.
Inspired by this, Moody built his own psychomanteum in Alabama. He calls it the Dr. John Dee Theater of the Mind. He claims that by looking into a mirror in a dimly lit room, people can see visions of spirits (this is called mirror gazing).
Moody has also looked into past life regression. This is the idea that people can remember events from previous lives. He believes he has personally experienced nine past lives.
See also
In Spanish: Raymond Moody para niños
