Can they really?  I believe they can… but this is one of those ‘based-on-your-belief’ topics.

If you are comfortable trying them, great.
If not, that is okay too.

Let me tell you about my experience with mediums and what I’ve seen.
At first, when my 21-yaer-old son Brent died, I had no experience with spirituality, other than being brought up in the Catholic religion.  Nor had I ever considered going to a medium, knew nothing about them.  

But approximately four months after losing Brent, when the numbness wore off and I hit bottom, I was desperate to find out if he was okay.  Our primary role as a parent is to protect our children, and when we can’t any longer, it is devastating, to say the least.  You just know you can survive if you can only confirm your child is doing all right.  Brent’s death sent me on a long spiritual journey to find out.

But at that 4-month low point, a spiritual friend told me that she knew a medium that she trusted, and she had been told by other friends of positive encounters with this medium.  She agreed to call her for me and find out if she’d see me.  I agreed.  I was open to anything that might help me.

The medium, Pat, lived not far from me, but she’d retired and was undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer.  However, she agreed to see me at her home the following week.  She called me a few days before and asked me if I spoke to my son in my mind.  I said “Yes, of course”.  She advised me to tell him to be there at the time we agreed upon, and before that, to get help to learn how to come through to talk to her.

I tell the details of the story in my book, but suffice to say that I went to that session, and my son did come though.  Pat knew many details she had no way of knowing.  I felt like someone had lifted a thousand pounds off my shoulders. Even my skeptical then-husband couldn’t explain it and said that night was the first night I slept peacefully, not a fitful sleep as it had been since my son died.

After that, I reached out to other mediums every few months for awhile – when I needed to know more or needed the comfort of being reminded that my son’s spirit continued.  It was one of the more important things that saved me.   I later went to Laurie, Kevin, Shelia, Janice and Laura – they all had different specialties and they all helped me in their own way.

They were all referred to me.  I recommend that you only go to mediums who are referred to you by someone who has had a reading with them and had a good experience.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of fakes out there and we are a vulnerable bunch when grieving.  Only once did I go to someone not referred, and it was a waste of time.

I believe that we all have some psychic capability which can be developed, and I’ve taken classes to work on mine, which has improved my intuition.  But it works best when you get enough quiet or meditation time.  I struggle with that.  Paranormal ability is like any other skill – some of us are better at it.

I can also see results with the bereaved families I work with.  I often refer them to mediums that I trust and their feedback is lovely, hopeful and healing.  

Approximately once a year, I host a trusted medium at my home so that families can take advantage of a 30-minute reading in a convenient, comfortable environment.  I did so last weekend with Laura Emerald.

The feedback from the bereaved mothers and aunts there was wonderful, the first time for some of them with a medium.  They all came out convinced that Laura had connected them to their loved ones and the relief showed on their faces.  

I truly love helping families heal from traumatic early loss any way I can.  Thank God for honest mediums like Laura with the skills to help us heal!

 …supporting your journey to a new normal.

         Barbara J Hopkinson
         President & Executive Director