Are Psychics and Mediums Real?

I had never gone to a psychic before and, honestly, did not believe in them. I now feel differently. Back then, I had just lost my 24-yer-old son, Kevin, when I had the chance to visit a psychic in Sedona, Arizona. The following is my experience.

True psychics are able to use extrasensory perception to identify information hidden from the normal senses. Mediums mediate communication between spirits and the living. When someone refers to himself or herself as a “psychic medium,” it is because they claim to have both “gifts.”

While visiting friends in Flagstaff, my friend told me about a psychic medium her sister had gone to after losing her husband ten years earlier. Convinced she had been connected with her husband, she gained a great deal of solace from the reading. I was in such despair, I felt I had nothing to lose.

First Visit out of Desperation

When I called, she graciously rearranged her schedule in order to see me the next day. I only told her my first name, and that I had lost a son two months earlier. She requested I bring a cassette tape for recording, a photo of my son, and something of mine for her to hold during the reading.

I was nervous as I walked up the steps of a nice, but unassuming home, in Sedona. Before starting. I asked if she wanted any additional information. She declined, explaining she only wanted to know what his spirit had to say. I thought to myself, She just might be the real deal.

Convinced of Authenticity

The following two-hour session was the most amazing experience of my life! I have never been so astounded as when this woman reported detail after detail about Kevin. She described his relationship to each of us, what he loved to do, how he hadn’t been able to handle money, and how sorry he was for dying because he loved his life and that was not his intention. He explained to her about the troubled relationship with his ex-girlfriend. He also asked me not to be angry with her since what happened had been his own “stupid fault.”

During the reading, this woman repeatedly coughed, complained of shortness of breath, and of having a heavy sensation in her chest. An hour into the reading, I revealed my son had died by inhaling computer duster, causing him to asphyxiate. She offhandedly responded, “Oh, that is why I’m feeling this way,” and continued with the reading.

I would say that at least 90% of what she told me about him was spot-on. These were specific details that she could not have learned from any other source, and I didn’t give her any clues through my reactions. Needless to say, she made a believer out of me.

After Visit, Happiness Returned

I left the psychic‘s home actually feeling happy for the first time since losing Kevin. I bounded down the steps an hour later than expected to meet my worried husband. Relaying the many things she had told me about Kevin, I told him how “blown away” I was by the reading.

There was no doubt in my mind that Kevin had been present, communicating through her. Now I treat myself to a visit with a psychic medium every year on my son’s anniversary, what I call his “angel-versary.”

Visiting a psychic or medium is not for everyone; each person needs to decide for him or herself. My husband will not consult a psychic or medium due to his religious beliefs, and I respect that.

Be Cautious with Mediums

I would not go to a psychic or medium who resorted to advertising. The two I have used only rely on word-of-mouth for clients. There are many charlatans who claim to have this ability and therefore have given all psychic mediums a bad reputation. My advice for anyone interested in seeing a medium or psychic is to find one through a recommendation. There are tip-offs from persons only claiming to be psychic; they will ask a lot of questions before the reading and use generalizations. Often they will make educated guesses, then feed off your reactions.

That said, I believe there are many psychics and/or mediums who do have the “gift” of communicating with our loved ones on the Other Side. I have spoken to quite a few bereaved parents who have had similar positive experiences.

For me, these incredibly accurate readings have provided a great deal of peace, healing and hope. Because of these experiences, I know Kevin is around me in spirit and I will see him again when it is my turn to pass over. 

Read more from Linda on Open to Hope: Recognizing Signs From the Afterlife – Open to Hope

Linda Zelik

Linda Zelik is a retired occupational therapist who specialized in treating hand injuries. Unable to have children, she and her husband felt blessed to be able to adopt two newborns: a girl in 1984 and a boy a year and a half later. Being a family with these two beautiful children was a highlight of their lives. Tragically in 2010, Kevin their 24-year-old son, died in an accident. Linda and her husband have been consoled through witnessing many and varied signs from their son since his passing. Linda wrote a book entitled From Despair to Hope, Survival Guide for Bereaved Parents. Its purpose was to assist other bereaved parents and siblings through their painful grief journeys. Additionally, she details the many signs she has received in hopes that the readers will be open to recognizing signs from their loved ones on the other side.

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