But also deeply concerned about near-death experiences are not perverted, transforming the excuse for a new cult. This phenomenon should not be identified with me or any other person who has studied. The near-death experience is very common and very different perspectives are needed to address it in all its complexity.
But Moody's fears came true. Moody
doctorate in Philosophy and subsequently extended to specialize in psychiatric medicine. He was interested in philosophy of medicine, but recounted the experiences of patients who had been at death's door attracted his attention by the way, was curious and went to collect case studies on the subject. This book is the fruit of that first collection. His research involved the study of 150 clinical cases, but only personally interviewed 50 people. Their material draws on three types of cases: experiences reported by subjects who have been clinically dead and have been revived, experiences reported by subjects from accidents or illnesses have been very close to physical death and testimony of third persons who some subjects, before dying, they told their experiences.
While not a scientific test, the book does not pretend to be a clear attempt to scam. The author shows some caution and his intentions seem sincere and try to be more or less neutral. Not to protect any specific position, but basically present the facts he found, offering different possible explanations were handled at that time, including biological (but at that time were not very accurate). However, although he tries, he can not help expressing some of partisanship as he did believe in the Hereafter. The book includes a section explaining the methodology employed and the author is the first to acknowledge that their research is not strictly scientific because it is based on testimony in a sample not properly randomized and uncontrolled situations (medical emergencies), and even gives some brief instructions on how to end further research more rigorously. Moody
found in the testimony that he handled a series of patterns or common elements of the experiences reported, and were independent of patients' cultural beliefs. However, Moody does not forget to tell us that the sample was rather small, that all respondents belonged to the Judeo-Christian tradition and, obviously, not all subjects who have been on the brink of death then refer mystical experiences, many do not remember anything, so that the sample is chosen from among those who have something interesting to say.
Gathering all the elements mentioned by subjects who experienced ECM, Moody produced a story complete theoretical model or type of experience, therefore, is not a representation of the ECM of a person, but a theoretical abstraction that should be clear at least the following essential aspects: although there are similarities, no account is identical to another ; no subject concerns all elements of the narrative kind, though always present most of them, and the order in which they occur can vary from one experience to another.
In total, Moody produced a list of 15 items (which are actually 14 because one of them can not be considered a characteristic of the ECM, as it only refers to the fact that when the patient wakes up, to tell their experience to others, often complain that they do not believe) or feeling ineffability can not explain in words what happened, claim to have listened to doctors or spectators to report their own death, feelings of peace and quiet, perception of noise or hum sometimes unpleasant feeling of being pushed by a dark tunnel body experiences (out-of-body) ; encounter with others, which were supposedly there to ease the transition to death or to inform them that they must return to their bodies, the perception of an intense bright light, the panoramic review of his life approaching a kind of border or boundary; desire to return to the physical body (except in cases where it reaches a certain depth of experience, in which case they often want to stay), change of attitude in their lives to return, which includes a new vision of death and religion, and Many people report events in the physical while the experience occurred. In any case, as the author concedes, the different versions reported by the patients may simply represent different ways of interpreting individual, describe or recall the basis of experience. Finally, Moody said a number of significant parallels between the stories reported by patients and some literary texts from different periods and cultures, such as the Bible the Tibetan Book of the Dead , some writings of Plato and the mystical experiences reported by Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century naturalist in a later period of his life underwent a religious crisis began to speak of spiritual experiences.
Among the explanations offered, are the supernatural and the natural or scientific (pharmacological, physiological, neurological and psychological), which, in my opinion, the author was rushing too much to discredit. Perhaps in this section is where the author relies too. In the next post we will see the modern critical to the principles of Moody and current scientific explanations (and more elaborate than in 1975) for most of its premises.
Source: Life After Life (1975), Raymond Moody. Related Entries
:
death Pseudosciences
Psychobiology of death
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