Life After Life: A Groundbreaking Exploration of Near-Death Experiences and the Transformative Insights into the Afterlife, Backed by Scientific Study and Personal Testimonies

I truly enjoyed this fascinating book. Dr. Moody explores near-death experiences (NDEs) — a term he coined — by identifying striking similarities across many personal accounts. He presents his findings in a clear, methodical, and very approachable way, using real firsthand stories that make the subject vivid and easy to follow. What stood out to me most was his open-minded curiosity and sincerity. He never claims to prove life after death, instead, he gently invites readers to reflect on what these experiences might mean. The book is engaging, well-written, and insightful, with something to offer just about everyone — from general readers to academics, doctors, spiritual seekers, and skeptics alike. Although it was first published in 1975, it still feels completely relevant today. Life After Life remains a classic and a great starting point for anyone curious about spirituality, the afterlife, or the mysteries of the human mind. Whether you’re religious, spiritual, skeptical, or scientifically minded, this book offers a careful, logical, and deeply humane exploration of one of life’s greatest mysteries. Highly recommended!

This book was written by Raymond Moody, who at the time of the writing, was in a doctoral program studying to become a psychologist. He presents the stories of dozens of people that he has interviewed who have had a near death experience. That is, the people have suffered a serious illness or accident and were pronounced dead but were ultimately resuscitated. The subjects described a very similar experience of leaving their bodies, coming into contact with a “being of light “ which was a beautiful, reassuring, and enlightening experience. They were all sure that they were not dreaming and that they actually had this experience. The author comes from a scientific background and the modest way he approached these experiences makes him all the more believable. An excellent quick read that can’t help but make the reader think of the deep questions surrounding life and death and what follows death

I found this book to be interesting, but also oddly comforting. I ordered this after watching "The OA" on Netflix after learning that the story was loosely based on the interviews of those who had an NDE with a doctor. Of course, the show is mostly fiction, and the author of this book never kidnapped folks to do his research! This book is a collection of stories that have remarkable similarities, across cultures and religions, that tell of experiences with near-death experiences (or in some cases, an actual clinical death). After the death of my mother, and not being a deeply religious person, I struggled with questions about what may happen after death, and I feel this book gave me some clarity and comfort; maybe even some answers.

I really enjoyed reading this book - a quick and informative dive into NDEs. I found the tone of the author to be honest, personally based yet open-minded and non-conclusive, and of a logical framework. This book includes a relatively large collection of NDEs that show a shocking consistency in testimony and individual features across experiences. For those interested in learning about the repeating themes seen in NDEs cross-culturally and temporally, this book provides a first examination with ample supplementation through specific examples. These experiences tie us together, regardless of our individual histories, and provide a framework irrespective of religious affiliations that suggests a reality beyond that currently preached by scientific "consensus". I highly recommend this book to those interested in learning more about the lesser known aspects of our reality.

I remember first reading this in the 70’s. It was considered so “out there”. Really considered crazy belief and ridiculed by many. It just touched me at a young age because I BELIEVED the author at the time and it transformed my ideas and fear of death. Over the years, due to the internet and easy access to so many people who have studied this phenomenon, I noticed the stigma slowly receding. Sure, there are people who do not believe there is life after death. After reading and watching these accounts for so many decades, I am fully convinced. I decided to return to this original book and author who risked his entire reputation so long ago and give it a re-read. My own elderly parents both have cancer right now and I am caring for them. I think this book can bring tremendous relief to someone suffering the loss or potential loss of someone simply by presenting a lot of evidence that death is not necessarily the horror we believe it to be. There are simply too many people coming forward even today with these experiences that cannot yet be explained by science. And Raymond Moody is a man of science who has tried to understand the people who experienced this phenomenon for many decades. His approach, relentless research and commitment to science make this book required reading for anyone interested in NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) They are called “near death” but in many cases the people who experienced them were declared dead by medical doctors before suddenly being aware they were “returned” to their bodies. Fascinating.

First published in the late 1970s, I believe this book is still the best introduction to the phenomenon known as the "Near Death Experience" (NDE). Whether you're a believer, skeptic, agnostic, atheist, Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Wicca--makes no difference, since the experience has been documented to happen to anyone regardless of their cultural influences or upbringing. If you have heard the phrase "near death experience" but have only a vague notion of what this entails, I urge you to pick up this book and read it--if you keep an open mind, it could change your life :) Simply put, the NDE may give us a preview of what happens to humans when we die. I first read this book around 1985 and found it both fascinating and enlightening. It is very straightforward and even-handed in it's reporting--without religious overtones from the author, although he does draw correlations between NDE's and their possible appearance in texts such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Bible & Greek philosophy. At the time of publication, Dr. Moody had only investigated about 150 cases total--since then, as the technology to resuscitate patients has improved, thousands more have experienced the NDE. The book also created an open dialogue about NDE's and many more who had kept the experience secret (for fear of being ridiculed) have come forward with their story. If this book whet's your appetite for more on the subject (and much has been written about NDE's since) let me recommend a few more titles for continued reading: The Light Beyond by Raymond Moody -- in my opinion, the best of his follow-up books on the subject. On Life After Death by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D. -- One of the pioneers of NDE research & best known for defining "The 5 Stages of Grief & Dying." She & Moody were both studying NDE's at the same time without being aware of each other's research. The Tunnel and The Light by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D. - Another collection of her writings & lectures on the subject of NDE's. Although there are many more books on the subject (some by researchers, others by those who experienced an NDE firsthand) I always recommend these first as they are well-researched and, in my opinion, present the subject with the least amount of bias.

If you want to know more about matters of life and death, there are far, far better books than this one. Copyright says it was first published in 1975. Maybe Mr. Moody has come a long way since then, but I don't know as this is the only book of his I've read, so far. I've been studying this subject for about 8 years, now. This book has serious problems regarding the impressions it can leave you with. The only part of this book that I find useful are the cases of NDEs Moody's recorded. I applaud his efforts, and they are admirable. He's done a lot good in this area. However, with respect to this book, his philosophical and religious speculations leave a great deal to be desired. On these subjects he didn't have the shoes for the territory. He's even inconsistent in his speculations with some of the accounts of NDEs he's relating in this book. IF you want to read on a more seriuos level about what's beyond this life, then I suggest Michael Newton's two books on "life between lives." Look up his name here and get both books. There are others that have written on this subject too, but Newton is the only one that I know of who spent decades with hypnosis patients and compiling his data. It makes a difference. To have someone relate to you what they know from a near-death-experience is very limited. Deep hypnotic states reveal far more. I also highly recommend Brian Weiss' book, Many Lives, Many Masters; also read William Buhlman (2 books) and Robert Monroe (3 books). Weiss has written other books, but read the one above first, if you're new to this topic. If your're a serious minded seeker of after-life knowledge, you'll get nothing more than a few cases of NDEs in Moody's book, and some seriously flawed meanderings on philosophical matters. To some people that may make no difference; to others it will. This book is also written in an extremely casual style, rather on the level of news paper articles.

When I was 9 years old I had this experience. Opening my hand there was a bright yellow bee that had just stung me, it was stuck to my palm. Shortly after I was looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. My face was swollen and I didn’t feel well. My mother called a doctor and then she gave me a baking soda bath. This did nothing. Soon I was in bed and continued to swell up. My mother said my fingers were gone from the swelling. Then slowly I started to lift off of the bed. Trying to reach for my mother I called out “catch me I’m floating” she just stood there terrified. Then I was in a dark tunnel being pulled very quickly upward. It was not scary but I felt sad for my mother. There was a presence with me. I told it I think my mother needs me. Just like that in that second I remember settling back into my body. It was uncomfortably thick. I quickly recovered and found that something inside of me had changed. I felt connected to God, a super loving feeling. Years later when this book came out 1975, I found that it wasn’t just me. What a relief. PLEASE read this before you get your own experience.

Life After Lifeは、ケイト・アトキンソンによる心に残る小説。主人公のアーシュラは、何度も生まれ変わり、さまざまな人生を繰り返しながら、家族や歴史、戦争の中で運命に立ち向かいます。 単なる輪廻転生の物語ではなく、「もしあの時違う選択をしていたら？」という普遍的な問いを、巧みな構成と豊かな人間描写で描き出していてとても印象に残る本でした。

Absolutely nothing new in this book. Just the same old rubbish peddled out to grieving people to make money. People lie and make up stuff all the time and the 'experiences' that this author mentions have been added to I'm sure. This is the last time I'll buy anything even remotely related to this subject. A total waste of money and time.

I read this book because I wanted to know more about how the “near death experiences” got their name, and how Raymond Moody became such an icon in the community. I was not disappointed. This is a well written book, that also convinced me that there are “evidences” that supports peoples stories.

I haven't read this book yet, but I firmly believe it will provide incredible value—offering hours of meaningful and enjoyable reading. I'm expecting a truly uplifting and encouraging experience! Without a doubt, this is a must-have for Christian believers seeking inspiration about heaven

If you're interested in NDEs, this is a fascinating introduction by one of the pioneers in this field of research. It indicates that there are more dimensions to life and reality than the secular worldview of the West has led us to believe.