Customer Reviews

The Journey of Robert Monroe: From Out-of-Body Explorer to Consciousness Pioneer

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Having known Robert Monroe for many years, I can say this was the best biography of Monroe I could have imagined anyone writing. The research and reporting are impeccable. Ronald Russell has truly captured the fascinating life and world of Robert Monroe. This is a "Must Read" for any Journey Out-of-Body fans.

This book provides background and explanatory information helpful in understanding Robert Monroe's writings. The first few chapters are difficult to get through, as the information on Monroe's family (especially the name changes) isn't clear. The rest of the book provides useful information supplementing and clarifying the history of the Monroe Institute and the personal characteristics of Robert Monroe that tended to reduce his effectiveness and that of the institute. I would recommend reading Monroe himself before tackling this, as the ambiguity and inconsistency here gets in the way of understanding the original work.

I watched some videos of Robert Monroe on Youtube and was curious to know more about him. This book answered all my questions, and then some.

Here are some excerpts from the book:

"In recent decades, consciousness has come to the fore as one of the great problems confronting Western science and philosophy. The attempt to explain consciousness has developed into a sort of academic business, with professorships and lectureships accumulating and publications multiplying year after year." (p. 338)

"Monroe's reading did not include books on the scientific study of consciousness. His conversational approach in his writings and talks is devoid of the weighty vocabulary of academia. He was an explorer, not a theorist, and, certainly to begin with, he had no clear idea as to where his explorations might lead. [...] It took much courage to move forward, leaving security and certainty behind." (p. 347)

The biography is objective and deals frankly with some of Monroe's less admirable personality traits. On the negative side, the writing is not great.

After finishing this book I felt as if the author presented less that a full
picture of the man. I'm hoping that in the future, there will be a book
that comes out with more objectivity. I want to know what he really felt
about his journys, and what he still hoped to discover.

This book fills in the gap of Robert Monroe's history that I never knew. Having been to The Monroe Institute twice, I have always wondered how everything came together and how Bob got it there. After having read this book, I feel like I have a greater sense of who Bob Monroe was and also a greater appreciation for the legacy he left behind.

Robert Monroe's name may sound familiar: he produced JOURNEYS OUT OF THE BODY in the 1970s to give New Age followers insights into the experience: her his life is revealed in a fascinating biography JOURNEY OF ROBERT MONROE: FROM OUT-OF-BODY EXPLORER TO CONSCIOUSNESS PIONEER - and it comes not from an outside researcher, but from an intimate friend. Monroe's research on alternative realities and his pioneering research in consciousness are charted in a blend of biography and new age insights, making for an excellent recommendation not just for New Age collections, but for any general-interest library catering to readers of psychology or mysticism.

I liked the book, but it is informaton is kind of flat. For someone who worked in the entertainment business, there seem to be no interviews with voice actors or scripters who associated with him. The opening chapters are written lead like, all in declarative.

The book opens up to its content when the OOB material starts. But who inside the mind of Robert Monroe and what remain a little distant. He did fascinating things and these are described well, but the man is a elusive.

I've used some of his products. I wanted to know a little bit more. The content here delivers some of the story, but there seems to be a lot missing.

An interesting read, Ronald fills in a few of the unknowns that are not explained in Bob's first publication by explaining them from his perspective.

It is wholly unfortunate to have a contemporary biography of a mind and spirit, such as Robert A. Monroe's, be written by such an average mind and spirit. As Monroe said we do the best we can. Not only is Ronald Russell simply unable to to grasp the magnitude and comprehensiveness of Monroe's work, but he's also, sadly, put his own interpretations on it, making them not only small, but in many instances false. If you did not read Monroe's work first, I would not recommend this book as any kind of introduction. Read Monroe's books yourself and make your own conclusions. What saddens me the most is that the awesomeness of Monroe's work was reduced to so little by being run by an average, trivial, small mind. It would be great to see a biography of Monroe by someone who really gets his work, its implications and gets Monroe. Ronald Russell's The Journey of Robert Monroe is, for the most part, an inaccurate, narrow presentation of the life and work of Robert A. Monroe.

A good, insightful, well done biography of a strange, yet brilliant man who, it is claimed, possessed legendary paranormal gifts. Trying to discuss Robert Monroe and all he is purported to have accomplished is akin to discussing string theory - one doesn't understand much and what one does understand doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If one can suspend their disbelief, this is quite an account.