Raymond A. Moody Jr. (born June 30, 1944) is an American philosopher, psychiatrist, physician, and author. He is best known for writing books about the afterlife and near-death experiences (NDE), a term he created in 1975 in his popular book Life After Life. His research examines personal stories from people who had near-death experiences, especially those who appeared to die but were later brought back to life. He has written many articles about what he calls near-death-experience psychology.

Early life and education

Moody was born in Porterdale, Georgia, as the son of a surgeon who does not believe in any religion. In 1966, he earned a BA in philosophy from the University of Virginia. In 1967, he received an MA in philosophy from the same university. In 1969, he completed a PhD in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He also earned a PhD in psychology from the University of West Georgia, which was then called West Georgia College. He later became a professor of psychology there. In 1976, he earned an M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia.

Career

After earning his M.D., Moody worked as a forensic psychiatrist at a maximum-security hospital in Georgia. In 1998, he became the chair of Consciousness Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

While studying at the University of Virginia in 1965, Moody met Dr. George Ritchie, a psychiatrist who described an experience in which he believed he had traveled to the afterlife while being clinically dead for nearly nine minutes at age 20. Ritchie later wrote about this in his 1978 book, Return From Tomorrow. Moody began collecting similar stories from people who had experienced clinical death. He found that many of these experiences had common elements, such as feeling separated from their bodies, moving through a tunnel, seeing deceased loved ones, and encountering a bright light. In 1975, Moody published these accounts in his book Life After Life, where he introduced the term "near-death experience."

During an interview with Jeffrey Mishlove, Moody shared his findings about near-death experiences:

"I have spoken with over a thousand people who have had these experiences. Their stories have given me strong confidence that life continues after death. I honestly believe, based on what my patients have shared, that they saw something beyond this life."

Moody was inspired by ancient Greek practices called psychomanteums, where people would visit to see apparitions of the dead. He learned about these practices while studying at the University of Virginia. Moody later created a psychomanteum in Alabama called the Dr. John Dee Theater of the Mind. He claimed that people could see spiritual visions by staring into a mirror in a dimly lit room (a practice known as mirror gazing).

Moody also studied past life regression using hypnosis.

In 2023, Moody coauthored a book titled Proof of Life After Life: 7 Reasons to Believe There Is an Afterlife with Paul Perry. This was their seventh coauthored book. The book uses case studies, expert interviews, and theories to argue that consciousness may survive bodily death. It explores topics such as shared-death experiences, paranormal events, and questions about the soul and afterlife.

Moody is a Consulting Researcher at the Institute for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ISSC), where he continues researching near-death experiences and consciousness.

In 2025, the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) announced its annual conference would be titled Life After Life: Celebrating the Golden Anniversary of Near-Death Studies, marking the 50th anniversary of Moody’s 1975 book Life After Life.

Criticism of Moody's near-death research

Barry Beyerstein, a psychology professor, wrote that Moody’s claims about evidence for an afterlife are not strong, both in terms of logical reasoning and real-world observations. James Alcock, a psychologist, pointed out that Moody ignored much scientific research about hallucinations and quickly dismissed the real weaknesses in his research methods.

Moody is described as a person who strongly believes in paranormal events. His research methods have been criticized by scientists because many of the personal stories he collected about near-death experiences (NDEs) were shared by patients long after the events happened. Terence Hines noted that these reports are not enough to prove the existence of an afterlife.

Paul Kurtz, a philosopher, wrote that Moody’s evidence for NDEs comes from personal interviews and stories, not from statistical analysis. He also questioned whether the data can be trusted as facts, stating there is no reliable proof that people who report NDEs have died and returned, or that consciousness exists outside the brain or body.

Robert Todd Carroll, a philosopher, wrote that Moody’s work often leaves out cases that do not support his ideas, which is called cherry picking. He explained that the experiences Moody describes as typical NDEs might be caused by brain activity linked to cardiac arrest or anesthesia. Moody believes NDEs prove an afterlife, but Carroll argues they can be explained by brain chemistry and are the result of a brain that is dying, confused, or affected by drugs.

Personal life

In 1991, Moody had a near-death experience after attempting suicide, an event he describes in his book Paranormal. He explains that this was caused by an undiagnosed thyroid condition that affected his mental health. During an interview in 1993, Moody mentioned that his family placed him in a mental hospital because of his work with mirror gazing.