Moody at first rejected the notion that consciousness could persist after death. Then, while a graduate student in philosophy, he heard psychiatrist George Ritchie speak about his own NDE. While in the military in 1943, Ritchie had "died" for nine minutes before being revived by a shot of adrenaline directly into his heart.
原本不相信死後仍有意識的穆迪，在就讀哲學研究所時第一次聽到著名的精神科醫生喬治・李奇訴說自己不尋常的瀕死體驗── 1943 年，身在軍中的李奇曾死亡 9 分鐘，當時心跳呼吸都已停止，經由直接自心臟注射腎上腺素後甦醒。