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Psychomanteum Research:
A Pilot Study
William G. Roll, Ph.D.
State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
ABSTRACT: Fifty-seven persons participated in 31 workshops seeking
visionary and other reunion experiences with departed loved ones by means
of a mirror-gazing procedure developed by Raymond Moody (1992; Moody and
Perry, 1993). The study was an attempt to repeat Moody's findings, to alleviate
the grief of the participants, and to explore psychological factors related to their
experiences. Forty-one participants completed three questionnaires before the
workshop: the Psi Experiences Questionnaire (PEQ), the Inventory of Child-
hood Memories and Imaginings (ICMI) (Wilson and Barber, 1983), and the
Complex Partial Epilepsy Survey (CPES) Inventory of Common Experiences
(Roberts, Varney, Hulbert, Paulson, Springer, Sheperd, Swan, Legrand,
Harvey, and Steuben, 1990). Nine of the participants (22 percent) reported
strong reunion experiences, compared to 50 percent of Moody's group. A
positive relationship was found between reunion experiences during the
workshop and reports of prior contact with the departed, as reported on the
PEQ. The correlations with the ICMI and CPES were positive but insignificant.
KEY WORDS: psychomanteum; mirror-gazing; apparitions; bereavement;
temporal lobe; fantasy-proneness.
In the attempt to facilitate visions of the departed, Raymond Moody
(1992; Moody and Perry, 1993) created a modern form of the
psychomanteum, the "oracle of the dead," where the ancient Greeks
used to evoke the deceased. Moody has taught the method, which
involves mirror-gazing in a darkened room, to others, including me.
Moody reported that approximately 50 percent of the individuals he
William G. Roll, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at State University of West Georgia.
He thanks Beth A. Braun for assistance in facilitating the psychomanteum sessions,
Lydia Roll for guiding the psi sessions following the psychomanteum sessions, the
Bigelow Foundation for support in preparing this paper, and Lisa Sheehan for editorial
assistance. Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr. Roll at 7106 Isleway Court, Villa
Rica, GA 30180; e-mail: rollpsi@aol.com.
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 22(4), Summer 2004 2004 LANDS
251