Further Thoughts on Life After Death

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Some time ago I wrote about Reunions by Raymond Moody. Raymond Moody has become well known as the pioneer who discovered and described the near death experience. Since that time, going through the tunnel toward the light, out of body experience, coming back from the dead (through various and sundry means of resuscitation) has become commonplace, its language, a part of our vernacular. But there is much more to this story.

This past week (April 21-28) I had the opportunity and privilege of listening to, observing, and becoming friendly with Raymond Moody.

Raymond is a modest man both in appearance and manner. His mild exterior belies the intensity of the passion within, which prays to know, which loves the great literature, which is restlessly creative — new ideas aflowing. A relentless inner drive casts about and seeks for ever greater understanding. Since the age of eight, Moody has been fascinated by Greek literature. From that he has derived insights into realities which lie deep in the mind (which reside on the so called subtle plains of mind) and which are more real than we had believed. This is called the mythology, but close investigation finds that behind legend lies a reality we are yet to learn. In fact, in this fast moving age of discovery these truths are rapidly revealing themselves.

Raymond Moody is a professor of philosophy, his first Ph.D., at the University of Virginia. Later, he decided to expand it so that he could travel in therapeutic realms, whereupon he undertook residency and achieved certification in psychiatry. Therefore, he is indeed a psychiatrist/philosopher or philosopher/psychiatrist.

Early in his experience he listened to a professor who described the fact that he had had a most unusual experience. He (the professor) had died for eight minutes — and yet came back. Then he described to Moody what has now become commonplace knowledge, about the tunnel, the traveling toward the light, he beautiful and beatific experience of being surrounded by departed loved ones who welcomed him — and finally the experience of coming back. This had never been heard before. Sometime later, Moody encountered the same experience related by another colleague and conjectured that if this identical adventure of the mind could have been related by two people, then perhaps it was a more widespread experience. And so he began his own adventure, collecting experience after experience of near death episodes. From them, this uniform story evolved, a near-death experience story that has become a part of our language.

When one gets to know him and listens to him, one hears of his vast investigation of ancient Greek literature, which speaks much about communication with the dead, visitations by the dear departed, instructions from them and visualizations of them which were commonplace. Following hints in the literature, he mounted an expedition and located the very place where many of these oracles delivered their visions of spirits encountered. The site he found was originally a mound, a hill overgrown and covered. Yet excavation revealed a long tunnel, a long hallway with rooms and finally a basin, highly polished one, into which the subject (properly prepared) would look and visions appeared. Apparently the visitors were made ready by a long period of waiting and contemplation, relaxation and release from the daily cares of the world, and then visiting what was then called a psychomanteon. The vision experiences were then commonplace.

As it is described in his book, Moody has constructed a modern version of the psychomanteon. It is a matter of creating a completely darkened room. This is done simply by use of Tee-shot black poplin curtains (constructing a cubicle), and a dim light is then placed within. The seeker faces a four-foot square mirror, but is seated low enough not see their own reflection. Then things happen. The mirror turns gray, or perhaps shimmery silver. Perhaps it will dissolve. And then — the spirit visitor will appear. In some cases the visitor comes into the room. In others, the experiencer goes through the mirror (much as Alice in Wonderland), to find himself/herself in a new and larger world. As Moody describes it, it is always a moving experience. It is a grief relieving experience. It is cheerful and joyously so.

I have written about my belief in the fact that we (our essential conscious identities) are immortal (The Monthly Aspectarian, September, 1996) and have given my reasons. This is one more indication of the fact and it carries with it so much promise. The mirror is the veil that separates us from the vision into the knowledge of the higher realms which we inhabit and which we deny in our daily lives. When we temporarily suspend the doubt (which we have been so carefully taught by our western science), we get visions, intimations and instruction in the possibilities of the higher mind. What is even more encouraging is that in these realms of higher mind and adventure, there is, it seems, a loving and welcoming atmosphere. These are the same as the experiences of the “near-deathers,” but without peril. In only one instance have I heard of a near death experience which was unpleasant. All of the others have been joyous, promising, loving, enlightening and life changing.

What are the implications of the fact that this psychomanteon can be constructed and investigated so easily? The indication is that we, people, can each explore in his and her own way, the possibility of life beyond life. We can explore the higher realms of mind — for indeed in our subtle realms, our thought realms, our creative-visions realms, we are living on an expanded plane of consciousness. We are deriving from a highly creative source. We are learning lessons in love and togetherness. An example would be one instance in which I conducted a group hypnosis experience with my patients, and in a deep trance experience many of them were able to intuit the experiences and feelings of the others. Some even adventured into the same picture journeys that another of the group had taken. These are intimations of a higher world in which we live and can live: The world of togetherness, union, love, beneficence, greater wisdom, greater creativity, and intimations of immortality. Think of what this would mean for our world, and think of what this does mean for those who believe. Think of what this means for those of us (and that is almost all of us) who fear the end of the life of this material body.

And so Moody leads us further into “Life after Life.”

Maurie D. Pressman, M.D.
200 Locust St.
Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
Tel: 215-922-0204
Fax: 215-922-3008
email: mauriedavid@earthlink.net
web: www.mauriepressman.com

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Maurie D. Pressman, M.D. is the author of Enter the Supermind, Visions From the Soul and co-author (with Patricia Joudry) of Twin Souls: A Guide to Finding Your True Spiritual Partner. Dr. Pressman is Emeritus Chairman of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Temple University Health Sciences Center. He is Medical Director at the Center for Psychiatric Wellness, clinics that operate in Philadelphia and Haddonfield, N.J. These clinics bridge traditional and spiritual psychotherapy. Dr. Pressman can be reached at 200 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; telephone: 215/922-0204; fax: 215/922-3008; email: mauriedavid@earthlink.net; website: www.mauriepressman.com.

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