How To Train Your Psychic Medium

In the lower section of this page you'll find 10 things to consider when engaging the services of a psychic Medium. 

Introduction

At the October 2017 Beyond the Brain conference in London, run by the Scientific and Medical Network, among the 200 or more delegates of which I was one, there was a psychiatrist. Once a senior consultant at a leading London hospital, now being retired he felt he could reveal the following: Although seldom spoken about openly, it was not uncommon for psychiatrists treating patients with certain conditions, to call upon the services of talented and trusted mediums.

This illustrates the level at which mediumship is accepted, albeit almost secretly and in some surprising places.  It’s a sad fact that many scientists, while secretly believing in so-called paranormal phenomena, dare not admit to it due to fears of being ostracised by their peers and the repercussions for their careers. Thankfully, this situation is starting to change.

Many universities and institutes around the world are now researching psychical phenomena, mediumship included. However, there is to date only one research institute that, for an extended period, dedicated its time solely to the study of mediumship, namely the Windbridge Institute in Tucson, Arizona. Co-founded by Dr Julie Beischel over ten years ago, it has enjoyed notable success. It is now broadening the scope of its research into other aspects of psychical reserach, while at the same time applying mediumistic and psychical phenomena to the search for missing persons and law enforcement.

Under laboratory conditions, very good mediums are right about 85% of the time. But what’s the statistical likelihood of someone having genuine mediumistic or psychical abilities? In 2017, research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (www.ions.org) indicated that it was likely that only one person in 85,000 had such abilities. Even then, the accumulation of data was starting to suggest that the figure may decrease to only one in 125,000. There is strong evidence indicating that exceptional ability is genetic, i.e, that it runs in families.

However, there's a body of evidence that suggests we all have a certain degree of innate psychical abilities, inherited from our distant ancestors. Being able to sense the presence nearby of a Sabretooth Tiger could mean the difference between life and death for the whole family.

There is a global project to investigate whether we can in fact develop these abilities. It will be interesting to see just how true this turns out to be. Visit the Learning to Sense the Future page for more details and how to join.

Is there's a difference between psychical and mediumistic abilities? Yes, there is. Psychical abilities refer to telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance etc. (See the page on Psychical Phenomena.) Mediumship, on the other hand, is the ability to communicate with people who are now deceased, or discarnate to use the technical term. (The literal meaning of discarnate is 'without flesh', which correctly implies that the soul, the Self,  is still very much in existence.) There is, of course, nothing to say that someone cannot be blessed with a combination of both mediumistic and psychical abilities. 

Here are the Windbridge Institute’s 10 considerations for managing a session with a medium.

Tip 1: Be patient

If you’ve recently suffered the loss of a loved-one or someone very close to you, the temptation may be to seek out a medium just as soon as possible. However, make sure that not only you are ready but, as strange as it may seem, that the discarnate is ready too. If their death came as a shock to you, it may well have come as an equal shock to them. (This will, of course, depend on the conditions leading up to the death.) It’s not yet known exactly what happens in the time immediately following death, but give the discarnate time to acclimatise, to ‘settle in’. They may well have to learn how communicate. Being patient is very important. The act of wanting the communication too badly can actually prevent the medium from connecting. Many people have reported successful communication decades after the death. There’s no hurry.

Tip 2: Choose your medium wisely

That the phenomenon of mediumship exists at all, is truly remarkable. There is though, a major problem. The skills of a medium are quite easy for dishonest people to simulate. People who are grieving are vulnerable. By using experience and cunning in the way questions are asked and a few life skills, it’s not difficult to guess what someone who has just lost a loved-one wants to hear. This fake process is called 'cold reading' and can involve observing the smallest of changes in body language. Fakery has been so prevalent over the last hundred years that it's been an uphill struggle to regain credibility. 

When choosing your medium, if they claim to be certified, tested or trained then ask for details. Who gave the certificate, who tested them, where were they trained? An important point is that the medium does not need to be in your city or even your country. It’s been proven that readings made over the phone can be even better than those made when in the presence of the reader.

Another very important note is that mediumship is not an exact science. Even the very best medium on a very good day, in an ideal environment, will not be perfect. They will be right around 85% of the time. It’s worth repeating here that the very fact that the phenomenon of mediumship exists at all is truly remarkable. 

And lastly, spending a large sum of money on a famous medium does not in itself guarantee an accurate reading. Less well-known mediums can be equally accurate.

Tip 3: Ask your discarnate to be there

Tests show that by asking your discarnate to be there, you increase the probability of the medium making a connection. Mediums say that when people do this, a connection is often made before the sitter arrives. You can ask your discarnate to be there simply by thinking it about them and asking them to communicate, as if perhaps making a wish. 

Tip 4: Each medium’s process is different

Every medium has their own way or working. They know what works best for them. For example, one reader (medium) might prefer to sit with their eyes closed, while another does not. Do not ask the one that keeps their eyes closed, kindly to open them. 

Tip 5: Provide just the right amount of information

Provide as little information as possible. Make a mental note of the information the medium could learn merely by talking to you or being in your presence. Fraudulent mediums will use this information to create fake readings. It’s also true that a genuine medium could subconsciously use this information too. It’s important to take this into account. For example, if you have a French accent, you may want to ignore the medium’s reference to the cities of Paris in France or Montreal in Canada. Unless of course, you have links to those cities. Importantly, don’t assume fraud or cold reading all the time. Use common sense and judgement. 

Consider this too. Sitting with a medium is a very unusual situation. Two people have come together to communicate with someone who has left their physical body. The death might have happed months, years or even decades ago and here you are about to have contact with them again. It could be very emotional, momentarily disorientating and feel unreal. Impulses will be difficult to control. Nevertheless, try to resist the urge to pour out huge amounts of information. While certainly helping fraudulent mediums, it’s been proven many times that too much information can actually impede the medium’s ability to make contact. Just a name is usually enough. 

When answering the medium’s questions, confine yourself to responses such as “Yes, that makes sense,”, “No, that’s not correct, “I’m not sure,”, “Sort of,”, etc. and leave it at that. Avoid the temptation to qualify your answers such as “Yes, that makes sense, because…” Let the medium and the discarnate figure it out.

Beware though. Dismissing things that you’re not sure about can be misleading. Don’t say “no,” when in truth you’re not sure; just say “I’m not sure.” It doesn’t help the medium or the process. 

Tip 6: Even the best mediums aren’t perfect and neither are discarnates

The mediums seen on TV are undoubtedly good, but they’re not perfect. If they seem perfect, it’s because the program-makers edit out the moments when the medium’s messages aren’t making sense to the sitter. This gives viewers an unfair and false impression of how mediumship works. 

If the messages are ambiguous or just plainly wrong, don’t immediately go blaming the medium. It could just as easily be the fault of the discarnate. Mediumship is a very individual experience. Some mediums see images in their mind’s eye; others hear words, get smell of perfume, cigars, hospitals, etc. They may get the taste of the discarnate’s favourite food, feel their ailments or cause of death in their body. The medium must then interpret this and translate it to you, the sitter. Some mediums liken it to playing a game of Charades, where you have to guess the name of a film of book through a person’s gestures. 

Tip 7: Remember that you are grieving

Do as much as you can to protect yourself. Don’t put too much pressure on a reading to prove that relationships can continue even after death. You know perfectly well they can. But remember too, that it’s not known how long it takes for someone to learn how to communicate after death. There is likely to be large differences. If someone wasn’t a good communicator in this life, there’s no reason to think they will be in the next.

Tip 8: Take notes so that you can reflect later on what was said

The amount of information during a meeting with a gifted medium can overwhelming. Multiple lines of thought are started that can be easily forgotten or mixed up during the emotional turmoil. It’s unlikely, but be prepared for the possibility of receiving some startling revelations. Before starting, ask the medium if you taking notes would be a distraction.

Tip 9: Don’t ask “Proof” Questions

As logical as it may seem to ask questions to prove that the medium is in contact with who they say they are, the logic is deeply flawed. The first part of the problem has plagued mediumistic research for many decades. The answer to a test question could easily be attributed to the medium picking up the answer through a telepathic connection with you or anyone else who would know the answer. (It's called super-psi.)

The second problem is one of communication methods available to the discarnate. It may not be possible, or least very difficult, for them to convey numbers for example, or they may simply have forgotten (assuming, of course, they ever knew the answer).

Tip 10: Ask how you can interact with your discarnate after the meeting

In the belief that only a medium can maintain contact with a deceased person, it’s very easy for people to develop a medium dependency. However, it’s the claim of many genuine mediums that their aim is to put themselves out of business.

It’s important fully to understand that when you leave the medium you are still in contact with your discarnate. During a sitting, many mediums make a connection with your discarnate through sign and symbols. Ask them to reveal these to you and to explain how the discarnate may try to use them to communicate with you.

One last and very important consideration. A very prominent feature of a Near-Death Experience or last phase of the transition leading to the threshold of death, is a life review. The person is taken through their life and not only shown how their actions effected others, but are also made to experience for themselves how they made those other people feel. They feel their pain. This can, and indeed should, have an major impact on their future interactions. Don't, therefore, be surprised if the deceased comes over as a changed person. There may even be apsects of them you don't recognise. And if they apologise over an aspect of their past behaviour, then take the apology at face value. It may be the prime reason for them making themselves available to the medium - at least on this occasion. It may be a remarkable moment of humility. Quite obviously, if someone was honest, kind and compassionate in this life, rest assured that it will not change in the next.

Recommended reading: Investigating Mediums by Dr Julie Beischel