In his presentation ‘Life After Life,’ doctor and bestselling author Raymond Moody shares stories and life lessons from those who have been to the brink and back
What can near-death experiences teach us about life? Physician Raymond Moody has spent nearly four decades grappling with that question. The bestselling author and internationally-known authority on near-death experience, a phrase he coined in the 1970s, has changed the way many people understand death and dying – not to mention, life itself.
Moody will share stories and life lessons from those who have been to the brink and back in a talk titled, “Life After Life: The Meaning of Near-Death Experience.” Sponsored by Florida International University’s Program in the Study of Spirituality and Temple Israel of Greater Miami’s Spiritual Health and Wellness initiative, the program will be held Sunday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. in the Bertha Abess Sanctuary on the Temple Israel campus, located at 137 NE 19th St., Miami.
This event is open to the public. Tickets are on sale through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/866133. General admission is $25, $10 for students with a valid ID. VIP tickets are also available for $100, which includes a pre-event meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with Dr. Moody, an autographed copy of his book, and reserved, preferred seating at the talk. Free self-parking is available in the Temple Israel lot.
Moody doesn’t fit the profile one might imagine of someone who explores the afterlife. A self-proclaimed rationalist, he is a medical doctor and doctor of philosophy who is more likely to discuss Plato’s The Republic than paranormal phenomena.
Yet, his dozen books – particularly his 1975 seminal work Life After Life, which has sold 13 million copies worldwide – have had such a global impact, he’s been called “the father of the near-death experience” by the New York Times. Moody’s concept of NDEs, which may have been considered radical when first introduced, has become a common phenomenon with the advances of medical resuscitation. Continuing to push the envelope and debate about the possibility of an afterlife, his 2010 book, Glimpses of Eternity, introduces the “shared-death experience” of those sitting with a dying person also experiencing out-of-body sensations.
To this day, Moody credits Plato’s The Republic, which he read as a college freshman, as setting him on the path of his life’s work. The story of Er, a warrior thought killed in battle who awakened days later and told of his journey in the afterlife, captivated him. His fascination deepened further after a college friend told him of his own near-death experience.
It was the first of more than a thousand near-death stories Moody has heard. Since then, he has interviewed people from around the globe. While subjects have been of different nationalities, cultures and religions, he said he’s been struck by some distinct commonalities – among them, reports of an out-of-body experience, encountering a bright light and the feeling of traveling through a tunnel.
Moody received the World Humanitarian Award in Denmark in 1988 and was honored with a bronze medal in the Human Relations category at the New York Film Festival for the movie version of Life After Life. He received his medical degree from the College of George and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Virginia where he also received his M.A. and B.A.
In addition to sharing his findings through his writings, Moody has spoken to audiences all over the world and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs (including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Today Show and ABC’s Turning Point). In addition, he trains hospice workers, clergy, psychologists, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals on matters of grief recovery and dying.
For more information about this event, contact Temple Israel at 305-573-5900 or info@templeisrael.net.
