"[15] The philosopher Paul Kurtz has written that Moody's evidence for the NDE is based on personal interviews and anecdotal accounts and there has been no statistical analysis of his data.

There also is the question of interpreting such data as has been published assuming that the factual matter is objectively correct; according to Kurtz, "there is no reliable evidence that people who report such experiences have died and returned, or that consciousness exists separate from the brain or body.

"[16] The philosopher Robert Todd Carroll has written that a characteristic of Moody's work is the omission of cases that do not fit his hypothesis, confirming the aspect of cherry picking.

Carroll writes that what Moody describes as a typical NDE may be due to brain states triggered by cardiac arrest and anesthesia.

Moody believes NDEs are evidence for an afterlife but Carroll states they can be explained by neurochemistry and are the result of a "dying, demented or drugged brain.

"[17] Moody says he had a near-death experience in 1991 when he attempted suicide (which he talks about in his book Paranormal) which he says was the result of an undiagnosed thyroid condition which affected his mental state.