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{{Short description|American writer and psychiatrist (1923–2007)}}
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'''Dr. George G. Ritchie''', [[Doctor of Medicine|M.D.]] (25 September 1923 &ndash; 29 October 2007) held positions as [[president]] of the [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] Academy of General Practice;<ref name=RSback/> chairman of the Department of Psychiatry of Towers Hospital;<ref name=RSback>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E., ''Return from Tomorrow'', 1978, back cover.</ref> and founder and president of the Universal Youth Corps, Inc. for almost 20 years.<ref name=Anniston/> In 1967, he entered private [[psychiatry]] practice in Richmond and in 1983, moved to [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]], [[Alabama]], to serve as head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center. He returned to Richmond in 1986 to continue in private practice until retirement in 1992.<ref>[http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/obituaries/newsobituaries.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-10-31-0107.html Richmond Times-Dispatch obituary], October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.</ref>
{{Multiple issues|
{{Notability|date=May 2021}}
{{Third-party|date=May 2021}}
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'''George G. Ritchie''' (25 September 1923 &ndash; 29 October 2007) was an American psychiatrist who held positions as [[president (corporate title)|president]] of the [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] Academy of General Practice;<ref name=RSback/> chairman of the Department of Psychiatry of Towers Hospital;<ref name=RSback>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E., ''Return from Tomorrow'', 1978, back cover.</ref> and founder and president of the Universal Youth Corps, Inc. for almost 20 years.<ref name=Anniston/> In 1967 he entered private [[psychiatry]] practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, and in 1983 moved to [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]], [[Alabama]], to serve as head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center. He returned to Richmond in 1986 to continue in private practice until retirement in 1992.<ref>[http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/obituaries/newsobituaries.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-10-31-0107.html Richmond Times-Dispatch obituary]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.</ref>


==Near-death experience==
==Near-death experience==
In 1943 as a young army recruit in Texas Ritchie caught pneumonia and passed out. He was placed in an isolation room. When an attendant checked him 24 hours later he found no pulse or breathing. A medical officer pronounced him dead, pulled a sheet over his face, and gave orders for his body to be taken to the morgue. But when the attendant came back nine minutes later he thought he detected chest movement, and although his vital signs were still negative he convinced the medical officer to give him a shot of [[adrenaline]] into the heart muscle. Ritchie's pulse returned and he started breathing. He regained consciousness four days later. But Ritchie had experienced waking up and seeing the body covered by the sheet. He then felt himself flying over the country, trying to get back to Virginia to continue his training to be a doctor. At one point he came down in a town and tried to ask someone a question, but the man didn't hear or see him. (Ten months afterwards, Ritchie happened to travel through [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]] and saw the exact place he had seen during the experience.)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ian Wilson |title=Life After Death: The Evidence |date=1997 |isbn=9780283063008 |author1-link=Ian Wilson (author) }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=George G. Ritchie |title=Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying |date=1998 |isbn=9781571740960 |pages=24–25}} (First published 1991.)</ref>
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At the age of twenty, George Ritchie apparently died in an army hospital and was pronounced dead twice by the doctor on duty.<ref>Ritchie, G. ''Ordered to return: my life after dying'', 1998, pp. 24-25.</ref> Nine minutes later he returned to life. Dr. Ritchie wrote of his [[near-death experience]] (NDE) in ''[[Return from Tomorrow]]'', co-written with Elizabeth Sherrill (1978). In ''Return from Tomorrow'', he tells of his [[out-of-body experience]],<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 36-46.</ref> his meeting with [[Jesus Christ]],<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 47-55.</ref> and his travel with Christ through different dimensions of time and space.<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 55-74.</ref> ''Return from Tomorrow'' has been translated into nine languages.<ref>Ritchie, G. (1998), op. cit., back cover.</ref>


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Ritchie wrote of his [[near-death experience]] (NDE) in ''Return from Tomorrow'', co-written with [[John and Elizabeth Sherrill|Elizabeth Sherrill]] (1928-2023), and published in 1978. In the book he tells of his [[out-of-body experience]],<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 36-46.</ref> his meeting with [[Jesus Christ]],<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 47-55.</ref> and his travel with Christ through different dimensions of time and space.<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 55-74.</ref> ''Return from Tomorrow'' has been translated into nine languages.<ref>Ritchie, G. (1998), op. cit., back cover.</ref> Later he published another book, ''Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying'', to elaborate on his heavenly experience.
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Ritchie's story was the first contact Dr. [[Raymond Moody]], [[PhD]] had with NDEs, during his undergraduate studies in [[philosophy]] at the [[University of Virginia]]. This led Moody to investigate over 150 cases of NDEs in his book ''[[Life After Life]]''<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 9-10.</ref> and two other books that followed.


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Ritchie's story was the first contact [[Raymond Moody]] had with NDEs, during his post-graduate studies and residency in [[Psychiatry]] at the [[University of Virginia]]. This led Moody to investigate over 150 cases of NDEs in his book ''[[Life After Life (Moody book)|Life After Life]]''<ref>Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 9-10.</ref> and two other books that followed.
==Passing==

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Dr. Ritchie died on Monday October 29, 2007 at his home in [[Irvington, Virginia]], following a courageous battle with cancer.<ref name=Anniston/>
==Verification of the Out-of-Body Experience==
In the opening part of his account, Dr. Ritchie describes an out-of-body experience, including numerous details regarding buildings, places, events, etc., which can be reasonably verified by third parties.
Researchers Robert and Suzanne Mays have conducted a thorough investigation of these details contained in Dr. Ritchie's account in order to verify the possible validity of the perceptions described. They found precise correlations and exact matches <ref>Investigation of George Ritchie's NDE OBE, Robert G. Mays and Suzanne B. Mays. https://selfconsciousmind.com/ritchie/index.html</ref>.

==Death==
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Ritchie died on October 29, 2007, at his home in [[Irvington, Virginia]], aged 84, following a long battle with cancer.<ref name=Anniston/>
{{cquote|Death is nothing more than a doorway, something you walk through. − Dr. George Ritchie<ref name=Anniston>[http://www.annistonstar.com/obituaries/2007/as-deaths-1031-0-7j30s4557.htm#5 Anniston Star Obituary], October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.</ref>}}
{{cquote|Death is nothing more than a doorway, something you walk through. − Dr. George Ritchie<ref name=Anniston>[http://www.annistonstar.com/obituaries/2007/as-deaths-1031-0-7j30s4557.htm#5 Anniston Star Obituary], October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.</ref>}}


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==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
* George G. Ritchie and Elizabeth Sherrill, ''Return from Tomorrow''. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1978. ISBN 0-80078412-X.
* George G. Ritchie and Elizabeth Sherrill, ''Return from Tomorrow''. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1978. {{ISBN|0-8007-8412-X}}.
* George G. Ritchie, ''Ordered to return: my life after dying''. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-57174096-1.
* George G. Ritchie, ''Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying''. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing, 1998. {{ISBN|1-57174-096-1}}.


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.annistonstar.com/obituaries/2007/as-deaths-1031-0-7j30s4557.htm#5 Obituary], Anniston Star, October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://www.annistonstar.com/obituaries/2007/as-deaths-1031-0-7j30s4557.htm#5 Obituary], Anniston Star, October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/obituaries/newsobituaries.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-10-31-0107.html Obituary], Richmond Times-Dispatch , October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/obituaries/newsobituaries.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-10-31-0107.html Obituary]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://www.fbc-sav.org/book_reviews/ Book review of ''Return from Tomorrow''] by Joan Fulcher, April 19, 2002. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://www.fbc-sav.org/book_reviews/ Book review of ''Return from Tomorrow''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510151314/http://www.fbc-sav.org/book_reviews/ |date=2008-05-10 }} by Joan Fulcher, April 19, 2002. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080206181627/http://www.near-death.com/ritch.html Heaven and Hell: Dr. George Ritchie's near-death experience] ([http://www.webcitation.org/5hElgnpNg WebCite archive]). Accessed 2009-06-02.
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206181627/http://www.near-death.com/ritch.html |date=February 6, 2008 |title=Heaven and Hell: Dr. George Ritchie's near-death experience }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20080206181627/http://www.near-death.com/ritch.html WebCite archive]). Accessed 2009-06-02.
* [http://www.art-rageous.net/MiracleatEaster.html ''Miracle at Easter''] by Sharon Barrett Kennedy: the story of a healing miracle "foretold by the Lord" to George Ritchie. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* [http://www.art-rageous.net/MiracleatEaster.html ''Miracle at Easter''] by Sharon Barrett Kennedy: the story of a healing miracle "foretold by the Lord" to George Ritchie. Accessed 2007-12-18.
* Investigation of George Ritchie's NDE OBE, 2010-02-18. https://selfconsciousmind.com/ritchie/index.html].

{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Ritchie, George G.
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
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}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, George G.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, George G.}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:American physicians]]
[[Category:American psychiatrists]]
[[Category:American spiritual writers]]
[[Category:American spiritual writers]]
[[Category:People from Richmond, Virginia]]
[[Category:American Christian writers]]
[[Category:Near-death experiences]]
[[Category:Writers from Richmond, Virginia]]
[[Category:Near-death experience researchers]]

[[Category:People from Lancaster County, Virginia]]

{{US-nonfiction-writer-stub}}

[[nl:George Ritchie]]

Latest revision as of 17:42, 5 November 2024

George G. Ritchie (25 September 1923 – 29 October 2007) was an American psychiatrist who held positions as president of the Richmond Academy of General Practice;[1] chairman of the Department of Psychiatry of Towers Hospital;[1] and founder and president of the Universal Youth Corps, Inc. for almost 20 years.[2] In 1967 he entered private psychiatry practice in Charlottesville, Virginia, and in 1983 moved to Anniston, Alabama, to serve as head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center. He returned to Richmond in 1986 to continue in private practice until retirement in 1992.[3]

Near-death experience

[edit]

In 1943 as a young army recruit in Texas Ritchie caught pneumonia and passed out. He was placed in an isolation room. When an attendant checked him 24 hours later he found no pulse or breathing. A medical officer pronounced him dead, pulled a sheet over his face, and gave orders for his body to be taken to the morgue. But when the attendant came back nine minutes later he thought he detected chest movement, and although his vital signs were still negative he convinced the medical officer to give him a shot of adrenaline into the heart muscle. Ritchie's pulse returned and he started breathing. He regained consciousness four days later. But Ritchie had experienced waking up and seeing the body covered by the sheet. He then felt himself flying over the country, trying to get back to Virginia to continue his training to be a doctor. At one point he came down in a town and tried to ask someone a question, but the man didn't hear or see him. (Ten months afterwards, Ritchie happened to travel through Vicksburg, Mississippi and saw the exact place he had seen during the experience.)[4][5]

Ritchie wrote of his near-death experience (NDE) in Return from Tomorrow, co-written with Elizabeth Sherrill (1928-2023), and published in 1978. In the book he tells of his out-of-body experience,[6] his meeting with Jesus Christ,[7] and his travel with Christ through different dimensions of time and space.[8] Return from Tomorrow has been translated into nine languages.[9] Later he published another book, Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying, to elaborate on his heavenly experience.

Ritchie's story was the first contact Raymond Moody had with NDEs, during his post-graduate studies and residency in Psychiatry at the University of Virginia. This led Moody to investigate over 150 cases of NDEs in his book Life After Life[10] and two other books that followed.

Verification of the Out-of-Body Experience

[edit]

In the opening part of his account, Dr. Ritchie describes an out-of-body experience, including numerous details regarding buildings, places, events, etc., which can be reasonably verified by third parties. Researchers Robert and Suzanne Mays have conducted a thorough investigation of these details contained in Dr. Ritchie's account in order to verify the possible validity of the perceptions described. They found precise correlations and exact matches [11].

Death

[edit]

Ritchie died on October 29, 2007, at his home in Irvington, Virginia, aged 84, following a long battle with cancer.[2]

Death is nothing more than a doorway, something you walk through. − Dr. George Ritchie[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E., Return from Tomorrow, 1978, back cover.
  2. ^ a b c Anniston Star Obituary, October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.
  3. ^ Richmond Times-Dispatch obituary[permanent dead link‍], October 31, 2007. Accessed 2007-12-18.
  4. ^ Ian Wilson (1997). Life After Death: The Evidence. ISBN 9780283063008.
  5. ^ George G. Ritchie (1998). Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying. pp. 24–25. ISBN 9781571740960. (First published 1991.)
  6. ^ Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 36-46.
  7. ^ Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 47-55.
  8. ^ Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 55-74.
  9. ^ Ritchie, G. (1998), op. cit., back cover.
  10. ^ Ritchie, G. and Sherrill, E. (1978), op. cit., pp. 9-10.
  11. ^ Investigation of George Ritchie's NDE OBE, Robert G. Mays and Suzanne B. Mays. https://selfconsciousmind.com/ritchie/index.html

Bibliography

[edit]
  • George G. Ritchie and Elizabeth Sherrill, Return from Tomorrow. Old Tappan, NJ: F.H. Revell, 1978. ISBN 0-8007-8412-X.
  • George G. Ritchie, Ordered to Return: My Life After Dying. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-57174-096-1.
[edit]
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