In 1971 Doubleday published a book called Journeys Out of the Body, a Virginia businessman's memoir of his weird and wonderful adventures on other planes of reality. That book, which has sold more than a million copies, and that man, Robert Monroe, helped cement the concept of astral travel into the American psyche and made the out-of-body experience a household word. Monroe not only helped others understand this state of being, but through his research on binaural beats and his development of the technology known as Hemi-Sync, he made the OBE accessible through programs at The Monroe Institute, which is attended by thousands of people each year. However, Monroe made consciousness research more than an esoteric thrill ride. He put his technology to practical use by creating frequencies that have helped people with everything from meditation and learning, to insomnia, quitting smoking, and pain control.
Judith Valente is a former staff writer for the
Washington Post and the
Wall Street Journal and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. She is a former correspondent for PBS's
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly and senior correspondent for investigative reporting and long features at the NPR affiliate in central Illinois. She was also a special correspondent covering faith and values and arts and culture for Chicago Public Radio. Valente contributes articles to
US Catholic magazine and
National Catholic Reporter. She lives in Normal, Illinois. Learn more at www.judithvalente.com.
Brother Paul Quenon, OCSO, entered the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in 1958 at the age of 17. Thomas Merton was his novice master and spiritual director. Quenon is the author of 9 collections of poetry. His memoir,
In Praise of the Useless Life, was praised by Sue Monk Kidd, Pico Iyer, and Kathleen Norris.