Psychomanteum mirror-gazing for grief

Domain VII · Transpersonal, psychedelic & altered states · Raymond A. Moody Jr. · 1990 · Alabama, USA

What it is

Moody modelled his "psychomanteum" on the oracles of the dead of ancient Greece. A bereaved adult spends a day remembering a chosen deceased person with a guide. At dusk they sit alone in a darkened, curtained chamber, gazing into a large mirror angled so that it shows no reflection of them, only…

Format

• Moody's procedure is a single extended day, not a course of sessions. The phases below are his. The clinical "before" and "after" phases (0 and 5) are.
• What it is. Moody modelled his "psychomanteum" on the oracles of the dead of ancient Greece. A bereaved adult spends a day remembering a chosen deceased person with a guide. At dusk they sit alone in a darkened, curtained chamber, gazing into a large mirror angled so that it shows no reflection of…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Status. This is not a manualised psychotherapy. It is an experiential procedure, and its originator described it as "not a scientific study." Moody suggested that therapeutic techniques for grief "might be derived" from it. It has no recognised place in grief treatment guidelines. The evidence-based treatment for prolonged grief disorder is Complicated Grief Treatment, a 16-session manualised therapy. Any use in…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• sounds of distress, prolonged silence well past the agreed check-in time.
• fixed expectations of a guaranteed reunion, or consent given to please someone else.
• reflections of the sitter (re-angle the mirror); claustrophobia; trip hazards in the dark.
• an object that carries painful associations, such as the circumstances of the death. Ask before using it.
• unfinished business such as guilt, anger or unsaid words. Note it for the remembrance work and the debrief.

Problems the guide addresses

• Contraindications and screening (named in sources vs added)
• Prolonged grief disorder and suicide risk
• Documented adverse and difficult effects, and responses
• Stuck, resistant or non-adherent clients
• Ruptures and worldview conflicts

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.