Police forces sometimes consult mediums

Although it is strictly against the rules of most police forces, some detectives turn to mediums to help them crack particularly tricky cases. Fiona Johansson (aka Persian Medium) has worked on hundreds on cold cases, using her alleged psychic gifts to locate bodies that have been missing for years and track down perpetrators. Her astonishing success rate even led the CIA to launch an investigation into the viability of using mediums in cases.

Ghosts can be the result of people not realising they’ve died

Getty Images

Thomas John, a full time medium and psychic, has written at length about ghosts. John claims that ghosts are an incredibly rare phenomenon, and when they do exist it’s normally because a spirit has actively decided not to move into the afterlife. However, ghosts can occasionally be the result of the deceased not having realised they have died. In this case, a medium can gently help them understand their situation and facilitate their transition into the realm of the dead (much as was the case in classic 1999 movie The Sixth Sense).

Most mediums are born with the gift

It’s very rare for a medium to develop their ability to communicate with spirits in adulthood. Rather, most are born with the gift, although they often don’t fully understand what is happening until they grow older. Jonathan Brown, a psychic medium who helps others master their powers, described his confusion at hearing voices that his friends couldn’t hear during his childhood, and almost sought psychiatric help before he realised he was hearing the voices of the departed and started using his powers to help grieving families.

Some mediums can “channel” spirits

Most mediums are able to communicate directly with spirits and relay messages back and forth between the realms of the living and the dead. Some mediums, however, are able to directly channel the spirits of the departed, acting as a vessel for the spirit to speak directly to those attending the seance. This is known as “trance mediumship,” and it is incredibly rare.

Mediums often have mentors

Ghislain & Marie David de Lossy/Getty

Hearing the voices of the dead can be an incredibly disconcerting experience, especially when the medium is young. More experienced psychics will often take younger mediums who are struggling with their powers under their wing, offering them guidance on how to communicate more effectively with spirits, as well as how to shut the connection off when necessary.

Spirits sometimes communicate by phone

Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia

A medium working in Hinesville, Georgia, has spoken of a number of incidents of spirits contacting their loved ones via landline or mobile phone shortly after their death. Naturally, the family members – some of whom had previously been highly sceptical about the existence of ghosts – were stunned, and called in the medium to help facilitate further contact.

Many people seek out mediums for reassurance of an afterlife

Fiordaliso/Getty

Whilst the main reason people seek out the services of a medium is to communicate with deceased loved ones, some are simply looking for reassurance that the afterlife exists. Psychics are able to provide this reassurance by revealing details that they wouldn’t be able to know without the ability to communicate with the realm beyond, which can be immensely comforting to those facing their own mortality.

Mediums vary in what they can perceive

Photos_frompasttofuture/Unsplash

Whilst all mediums are united by their ability to sense supernatural phenomena, they vary in their level of perception. Some mediums are able to hear spirits, some are able to see them and others are able to “sense” their presence. Whilst it is exceedingly rare, a few particularly gifted individuals are able to perceive the entire spectrum of paranormal manifestations.

A medium discovered her gift after her grandfather died

Kristy Robinett, a professional psychic, revealed that her ability to perceive the spirits of the dead manifested when she was three, after her grandfather died. Robinett recalled seeing him standing by his grave, smoking a cigarette, during his funeral service. From that point on her late grandfather became her spiritual guardian, and helped her use her gift to communicate with other spirits.

Some mediums work within churches

Mateus Campos Felipe/Unsplash

Although many religious organisations – notably the Catholic Church – view mediums as heretical, some welcome those with psychic gifts. One woman who now works full time holding seances recalled how her Lutheran pastor put her in touch with another priest who was also a medium after she confessed to him that she was hearing the voices of the dead. The priest encouraged her to explore her gifts and helped her incorporate them into the framework of her faith.