How Mediumship Works
A Deep Dive into Spirit Communication
Introduction
Mediumship is the practice of acting as a bridge between the physical world and the spirit world, enabling communication with those who have passed away. A medium uses their heightened sensitivity and intuitive abilities to receive messages, impressions, feelings, images, or even sounds from spirit beings—often loved ones, friends, or guides—who wish to communicate with the living. The medium’s role is to interpret and share these messages as clearly and accurately as possible.
The purpose of mediumship is not to predict the future or offer fortune-telling, but to provide evidence of life after death, reassurance, and healing to those grieving or seeking closure. It can bring comfort by validating that loved ones are still aware of our lives, watching over us, and continuing their own journey in the spirit world.
At its heart, mediumship is about connection, love, and the continuation of relationships beyond physical death. It can inspire hope, lessen the fear of dying, and remind us that the bonds we share are eternal.
In this article, we’ll explore:
Difference between a Psychic and Psychic Medium
The different types of mediumship
How mediums claim to receive messages
Theories (both spiritual and scientific)
Training and ethics
Controversies and considerations
Difference Between a Psychic & Psychic Medium
Psychic
A psychic tunes into a person’s energy field (often called the aura) and the subtle energies around them. This allows them to pick up information about the client’s past, present, and potential future. Psychics may use tools like tarot cards, crystals, or astrology, or they may rely purely on intuition.
They connect to the client’s own energy and surrounding influences.
Their readings are often focused on life guidance—relationships, career, life path, and decision-making.
The information comes from the psychic’s heightened perception and intuitive skills, not from spirits of the deceased.
Psychic Medium
A psychic medium is also psychic—they have intuitive abilities—but they specialise in communicating with spirits in the afterlife. Their role is to connect with loved ones, friends, spirit guides, or others who have passed away.
They act as a bridge between the living and the spirit world.
Their purpose is to bring messages, evidence, and reassurance that life continues beyond death.
They may still offer psychic insights about your life, but their key focus is spirit communication.
Types of Mediumship
There are several forms of mediumship, often overlapping:
Mental Mediumship
Mental mediumship is a form of spirit communication where the medium receives messages from the spirit world through their mind, rather than through physical manifestations like knocks, voices, or moving objects.
In mental mediumship, everything happens through the medium’s own thoughts, senses, and impressions. The spirit communicator uses the medium’s mind as a kind of translator—sending information that the medium then interprets and delivers to the sitter (the person receiving the reading).
How It Works
When working with mental mediumship, a medium might receive:
Clairvoyance – seeing images, symbols, or visions in the mind’s eye.
Clairaudience – hearing words, names, or sounds internally rather than with the physical ears.
Clairsentience – feeling emotions, sensations, or even physical impressions from the spirit.
The communication is subtle and often blends with the medium’s own thoughts, which is why training and experience are so important—so the medium can distinguish between imagination and true spirit communication.
Why It’s Called “Mental”
The term doesn’t refer to mental health, but rather to the fact that the information is received mentally—through the inner senses—rather than being physically apparent to everyone in the room.
This is different from physical mediumship, where phenomena like spirit voices, ectoplasm, or moving objects can be experienced by everyone present, not just the medium.
The Role of the Medium
A mental medium’s job is to act as a bridge—bringing through evidence of the spirit’s identity (such as names, shared memories, personality traits) and delivering messages intended for healing, comfort, and reassurance.
Many professional mediums today work primarily with mental mediumship, as it allows for clear, direct, and personal communication in one-to-one or group settings without the complex conditions physical mediumship requires.
Physical Mediumship
Physical mediumship is a form of spirit communication where the presence of spirit is demonstrated through observable, physical phenomena that can be experienced by everyone present—not just the medium.
Unlike mental mediumship, which works through the mind and inner senses of the medium, physical mediumship involves the manipulation of the physical environment. In other words, something tangible happens in the room that others can see, hear, or feel without relying on psychic perception.
How Physical Mediumship Works
Physical mediumship often requires a deep trance state. In this state, the medium’s consciousness steps aside, allowing spirit communicators to influence the medium’s body or the surrounding environment.
Many traditions describe spirit working with energy from both the medium and the sitters, sometimes producing a substance known as ectoplasm—a mysterious, vaporous, or gauzy material said to form from the medium’s body and be shaped by spirit for physical manifestations.
Examples of Physical Phenomena
Common physical mediumship occurrences include:
Direct voice – Spirit voices speaking aloud in the room, independent of the medium.
Materialisations – Apparitions or partial forms of spirit people becoming visible.
Table tipping or levitation – Furniture moving without physical force.
Apports – Objects appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
Spirit lights – Small, luminous orbs or flashes seen in the séance room.
Touch – Sitters feeling taps, brushes, or handshakes from unseen presences.
Conditions for Physical Mediumship
This form of mediumship often needs strict conditions to work:
Darkness or low light – said to protect the ectoplasm and help manifestation.
Closed circle – a small, regular group of sitters providing focused energy.
Controlled environment – to prevent external interference and preserve integrity.
Historically, many physical mediums worked in dedicated séance rooms, often with a cabinet or curtained space where the medium would sit in trance while phenomena occurred.
Historical and Modern Perspectives
Physical mediumship was most famously associated with the Victorian Spiritualist movement of the mid-to-late 1800s, when séances became popular entertainment as well as spiritual practice. Mediums like Daniel Dunglas Home, Florence Cook, and Eusapia Palladino became well-known for dramatic manifestations.
Today, physical mediumship is much rarer than mental mediumship. It requires years of development, a dedicated circle, and the right conditions. However, there are still contemporary mediums and circles who work to preserve and develop this tradition.
Trance Mediumship
Trance mediumship is a type of mental mediumship where the medium enters an altered state of consciousness—often very deep—allowing spirit communicators to blend closely with their mind, body, and voice to deliver messages or information.
While in trance, the medium’s own awareness is reduced or even fully set aside, giving spirit more direct access to speak, express personality, and convey insights through the medium.
How Trance Mediumship Works
In trance mediumship, the medium’s brain activity shifts into slower patterns (similar to deep meditation or the hypnagogic state before sleep). This creates a receptive channel for spirit communication.
Trance states vary in depth:
Light trance – The medium is still aware of their surroundings and can remember most of what was said.
Medium trance – The medium’s awareness fades, and spirit has more influence over voice, mannerisms, and expression.
Deep trance – The medium is largely unconscious of events and may have no memory afterward.
Characteristics of Trance Mediumship
Changes in speech – Spirit may speak in a different tone, accent, or vocabulary than the medium’s normal style.
Facial expressions and body language – These can shift to reflect the spirit communicator’s personality.
Knowledge beyond the medium’s own – Information may emerge that the medium would have no normal way of knowing.
Altered breathing or posture – The medium’s physical demeanor often changes during the blend.
Purpose of Trance Mediumship
Trance mediumship is often used for:
Delivering teachings from spirit guides or enlightened beings.
Healing – Spirit using the medium’s body as a conduit for healing energy.
Evidential communication – Loved ones in spirit using the trance state to speak more directly to sitters.
Famous Trance Mediums
Estelle Roberts – Known for spirit guide “Red Cloud” delivering philosophical teachings.
Maurice Barbanell – Famous for his guide “Silver Birch,” who spoke through him for decades.
Eileen Garrett – Respected for her scientific approach to trance mediumship and psychic research.
Trance Mediumship vs. Channeling
Trance mediumship is often more structured, with years of development in a spiritualist or dedicated circle, and typically involves deeper states than casual “channeling,” though the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably in modern metaphysical communities.
Channeling
Channeling is the process of receiving and conveying information, guidance, or energy from a source beyond the medium’s conscious mind—often from spirit guides, higher beings, collective energies, or other non-physical intelligences.
In channeling, the practitioner acts as a conduit or translator, allowing this higher source to communicate through them. The information may come in words, feelings, images, or an overall “knowing,” and can be delivered either verbally or in writing.
How Channeling Works
Channeling can be conscious or trance-like:
Conscious Channeling – The channel is fully aware and in control, receiving impressions and relaying them in their own words while staying present.
Trance Channeling – The channel enters a deeper, altered state, allowing the spirit or intelligence to speak more directly, sometimes even changing their tone of voice, mannerisms, or vocabulary.
What Can Be Channeled?
Spirit Guides – Personal guides offering life advice or spiritual teaching.
Ascended Masters – Beings like Quan Yin, St. Germain, or other enlightened teachers.
Angelic Energies – Guidance from angelic realms.
Collective Consciousness – Group energies or “soul collectives” that speak as one.
Higher Self – The practitioner’s own deeper spiritual wisdom.
How Channeling Differs from Mediumship
While mediumship typically focuses on communicating with the spirits of people who have passed away, channeling often connects with guides, teachers, or energies that may never have lived as humans.
Mediumship is about proving the continuation of life.
Channeling is about receiving insight, wisdom, or inspiration from higher realms.
Forms of Channeling
Speaking – Delivering messages aloud, sometimes in front of an audience.
Automatic Writing – Letting words flow onto paper or keyboard without conscious editing.
Artistic Channeling – Creating paintings, music, or other art inspired by a spiritual source.
Purpose of Channeling
Channeling can offer:
Spiritual teachings and philosophies.
Guidance for personal growth and healing.
Insights into universal truths and metaphysical concepts.
Comfort, reassurance, and a sense of connection to higher realms.
How Do Mediums Say Mediumship Works?
The Mechanics (From a Medium’s Perspective)
Mediums often describe mediumship as a process of blending their energy with the energy of the spirit world so that communication can take place. They see themselves as a “bridge” or “translator” between two realms — the physical world of the living and the non-physical world of spirit.
Here’s how many mediums explain the process:
Raising and Matching Energy
Mediums believe that the spirit world operates at a higher vibration than our physical reality.
The medium learns to raise their own vibration through focus, meditation, or altered states of consciousness.
Spirits are said to lower their vibration so they can meet the medium halfway.
This “blending” creates a shared space where communication can happen.
Receiving Impressions
Once the link is made, information can come through in various forms:
Clairvoyance – seeing images, symbols, or scenes in the mind’s eye.
Clairaudience – hearing words, names, or phrases internally.
Clairsentience – feeling emotions or physical sensations that relate to the spirit’s life or message.
Claircognizance – simply “knowing” facts without a visual or auditory cue.
Translating the Message
Mediums don’t hear spirits speak in full sentences like another person in the room; instead, they receive fragments of information, feelings, and symbols that they must interpret. They act as translators, turning spiritual impressions into language that makes sense to the sitter.
Providing Evidence
Professional mediums aim to give specific, verifiable details — such as names, physical descriptions, shared memories, personality traits, or personal items — so the sitter can recognise the communicator.
This evidence helps validate that the connection is genuine rather than guesswork.
Delivering the Message
Once the identity of the spirit is confirmed, the medium will share any messages they wish to pass on — which could be words of love, reassurance, apology, or advice. The goal is to provide comfort, closure, and proof of life after death.
Closing the Link
At the end of a session, the medium will mentally “close” the connection to separate their energy from the spirit world, often thanking the spirit and ensuring the sitter feels grounded before leaving.
Scientific & Psychological Perspectives
Mediumship has fascinated, inspired, and divided opinion for centuries. For those who have experienced a reading that felt deeply personal and accurate, the connection can feel undeniable. For scientists and skeptics, however, the challenge lies in finding verifiable, repeatable proof that mediumship truly involves communication with the dead.
Below, we’ll explore both scientific and psychological perspectives — including the skepticism, the research, and the potential human benefits — so you can see how different disciplines approach the subject.
The Scientific Perspective
Mainstream science approaches mediumship from an evidence-based standpoint, which means claims must be measurable, replicable, and explained through natural laws before being accepted as fact. Communication with spirits challenges current scientific understanding of consciousness, so the field remains controversial.
Lack of Definitive Proof
While many anecdotal accounts describe mediums sharing highly specific, emotional, or evidential details, mainstream science requires repeatable results in controlled conditions before accepting such claims.
No large-scale, universally accepted study has yet proven beyond doubt that consciousness survives physical death.
Parapsychology and Research Efforts
Parapsychologists — researchers exploring phenomena beyond conventional explanation — have spent decades investigating mediumship. Some notable work includes:
Dr. Gary Schwartz (University of Arizona) conducted double-blind and triple-blind experiments with mediums. In some cases, mediums provided information that sitters confirmed as accurate despite strict protocols removing sensory cues.
Dr. Julie Beischel (Windbridge Research Center) developed rigorous blind testing methods for evidential mediumship, reporting results that exceeded chance levels.
While these findings intrigue some scientists, they are still regarded as inconclusive by mainstream academia due to small sample sizes, subjective interpretation, and the difficulty of reproducing identical results.
Alternative Explanations Considered by Science
Cold Reading – Skillfully using general statements, high-probability guesses, and reading body language to give the impression of psychic insight.
Hot Reading – Obtaining background information on a client before the reading (historically used by fraudulent mediums).
Subconscious Cue Reading – Picking up micro-expressions, subtle reactions, or environmental clues without consciously realising it.
Statistical Probability – Some statements are bound to be correct simply by chance.
Pattern Recognition – The brain’s natural tendency to connect random details into a meaningful narrative.
The Psychological Perspective
Psychologists approach mediumship by studying the mental, emotional, and perceptual processes involved in the experience — both for the medium and the client.
Altered States of Consciousness
Many mediums report entering a meditative or trance-like state to connect with spirit. Psychologists recognise these as altered states of consciousness — similar to deep meditation, hypnosis, or the hypnagogic state before sleep — where the mind becomes more receptive, intuitive, and creative.
Dissociation
In deep trance mediumship, the medium may experience dissociation, where conscious awareness is partially set aside, allowing other mental processes to take the forefront. Mediums interpret this as spirit blending; psychologists see it as the mind shifting into a different mode of operation.
The Role of Suggestion and Expectation
Clients who strongly wish to connect with loved ones may interpret vague or symbolic statements as highly accurate — a process known as confirmation bias. This doesn’t necessarily imply deception; it reflects how human cognition searches for patterns and personal meaning.
Emotional & Therapeutic Benefits
Even when approached from a non-paranormal viewpoint, psychologists acknowledge that mediumship can have genuine benefits:
Grief Support – Providing comfort and a sense of ongoing connection.
Closure – Helping clients express unspoken words or emotions.
Hope and Meaning – Offering a spiritual framework for loss.
Narrative Therapy – Assisting clients in reshaping their story of loss in a way that feels healing.
Personality Traits of Mediums
Research indicates many mediums score high in:
Openness to Experience – Curiosity, imagination, and sensitivity to emotions.
Empathy – Strong ability to tune into others’ feelings.
Absorption – A capacity to become deeply immersed in inner imagery and sensation.
These traits may enhance both psychic sensitivity and the ability to connect deeply with sitters.
Bridging the Gap Between Science and Belief
Some researchers and open-minded scientists take a middle-ground approach:
They acknowledge that fraudulent practices have existed and that some phenomena can be explained through psychology or environmental cues.
They also recognise that certain cases of mediumship have produced information difficult to explain through ordinary means.
This leaves open three possibilities:
The Spirit Hypothesis – Consciousness survives death and communicates via mediums.
The Psi Hypothesis – Mediums may access information through extrasensory perception (ESP) without necessarily speaking to spirits.
The Psychological Hypothesis – All information comes from heightened intuition, subconscious cues, and human connection.
The Human Factor
Regardless of which explanation one believes, there is no denying the emotional impact of mediumship for many clients.
For some, it is sacred proof of life after death.
For others, it’s a source of comfort and hope, even if they see it as symbolic rather than literal.
The intersection of science, psychology, and spirituality ensures that mediumship will remain both a deeply personal experience and a subject of ongoing investigation.
Can Mediumship Be Learned?
Yes — most mediums (and spiritual teachers) agree that mediumship can be learned and developed, although the degree of ability varies from person to person.
While some people seem to have a natural sensitivity from an early age, others discover their abilities later in life through training, practice, and dedication. In this view, mediumship is like a musical talent: some are born prodigies, but many can learn to play well with enough guidance and effort.
Natural Ability vs. Learned Skill
Natural Mediums – Often describe sensing spirit from childhood, sometimes without understanding it.
Developing Mediums – May begin with no obvious experiences, but through meditation, awareness exercises, and training circles, learn to tune into subtle energy.
Natural sensitivity might give someone a head start, but without practice and discipline, it won’t necessarily lead to strong mediumship. Likewise, someone with no early experiences can develop into a competent, even exceptional, medium through consistent work.
How Mediumship is Learned
Mediumship training usually focuses on:
Meditation & Mind Quieting – Learning to still the mind so spirit impressions can be noticed.
Psychic Development – Strengthening the clairs (clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, etc.).
Energy Awareness – Recognising the feel of one’s own energy vs. spirit energy.
Evidence Gathering – Practising giving specific, verifiable details rather than vague messages.
Ethics & Responsibility – Learning how to deliver messages with compassion, accuracy, and respect.
The Role of Mentorship
Many mediums develop their skills within development circles or under the guidance of experienced mentors, especially within spiritualist churches or dedicated training groups.
Circles provide a safe, supportive environment to practise.
Mentors help fine-tune skills and identify common pitfalls (such as over-interpreting impressions).
Time and Dedication
Mediumship isn’t something most people master overnight. Developing a clear, accurate connection can take months or years of steady work.
Beginners may start with brief flashes of information.
With practice, readings become richer, more detailed, and more evidential.
Barriers to Learning Mediumship
Some people find it harder to progress due to:
Skepticism so strong it blocks openness to the process.
Difficulty stilling the mind or recognising subtle impressions.
Emotional or energetic imbalances that make clear connections harder.
Even so, many of these challenges can be overcome with the right guidance and consistent practice.
Can Mediumship be Learned – Conclusion
Yes, mediumship can be learned — but it’s both an art and a discipline. Like any skill involving sensitivity, intuition, and human connection, it grows best with patience, humility, and a willingness to keep learning.
Ethics in Mediumship
Mediumship is more than just a skill — it’s a responsibility. When you connect with people who are grieving, seeking hope, or searching for answers, you’re working with emotions at their most vulnerable. Ethical practice ensures that readings are delivered with respect, honesty, and integrity.
Ethics in mediumship are about protecting the client, honouring the spirit world, and maintaining the credibility of the work.
Honesty and Integrity
Never fabricate information to please a sitter. If the connection isn’t strong, be honest about it.
Avoid making grand claims that can’t be supported with evidence.
Present impressions exactly as you receive them — don’t embellish to make them more dramatic.
Evidence Before Message
Professional mediums aim to give verifiable evidence first (names, shared memories, personality traits) before delivering the emotional message.
This builds trust and helps the sitter know the contact is genuine.
Without evidence, a message risks feeling generic or guessed.
Respect for the Sitter’s Emotional State
Be aware that you may be speaking to someone in deep grief or distress.
Avoid delivering harsh truths without sensitivity.
Never exploit a client’s loss to create dependency on further readings.
Avoid Predicting Death or Illness
Ethical mediums do not tell clients when they or someone they know will die, or make unqualified health diagnoses.
Such predictions can cause unnecessary fear or anxiety.
Instead, encourage clients to seek professional medical or legal advice when relevant.
Boundaries with Vulnerable Clients
Mediumship should not replace professional counselling, therapy, or medical care.
If someone is experiencing extreme grief, depression, or suicidal thoughts, refer them to qualified help.
Consent and Privacy
Only read for people who have given permission.
Avoid “ambushing” strangers with unsolicited spirit messages.
Keep personal details shared in a reading confidential.
Charging for Services
Be clear and transparent about pricing before the reading begins.
Whether you charge or work for donations, the sitter should know exactly what to expect.
Never use fear tactics to pressure someone into booking more sessions.
Continuing Development
Ethics also involve professional growth:
Keep practising and refining your skills.
Take feedback seriously.
Stay open to learning, both spiritually and through ongoing education.
Respect for the Spirit World
Treat spirit communicators with the same respect as you would a living guest.
Accurately represent what they show, say, or impress upon you without distorting the message for personal gain.
Working Within Your Limits
Know your strengths and your boundaries.
If a sitter’s needs are beyond your scope, refer them to a professional in the appropriate field.
Ethics in Mediumship- Summary
Ethics in mediumship are not optional — they are the foundation of trustworthy, compassionate, and credible practice. A good medium not only seeks to pass on accurate messages but also safeguards the emotional well-being of the sitter and honours the trust placed in them.
Controversies & Criticism
Mediumship has inspired wonder, hope, and comfort for countless people — yet it has also been a lightning rod for scepticism, scientific debate, and even scandal. For as long as mediums have claimed to bridge the gap between the living and the spirit world, critics have questioned whether those claims can be trusted.
Understanding the controversies around mediumship means looking at its history of fraud, scientific challenges, and psychological debates, as well as the ongoing divide between believers and sceptics.
Historical Cases of Fraud
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mediumship exploded in popularity during the Spiritualist movement. Séances were common, and physical phenomena such as table tipping, spirit trumpets, and ectoplasm wowed audiences.
However, several high-profile mediums were caught faking manifestations using wires, hidden assistants, ventriloquism, and fabric “ectoplasm.” Notable examples include:
Mina “Margery” Crandon – Accused of producing fake ectoplasm and manipulating séance objects.
The Fox Sisters – Founders of modern Spiritualism, who later admitted to producing their famous spirit raps through physical tricks (though some debate the sincerity of their confession).
These scandals cast a long shadow, and sceptics continue to use them as evidence that mediumship is inherently fraudulent.
The Cold Reading Accusation
Critics often argue that many mediums use cold reading — a set of psychological techniques that create the illusion of psychic ability.
Using general statements (“I sense a fatherly figure…”) that could apply to many people.
Picking up on subtle cues from the sitter’s body language, tone, or clothing.
Gradually narrowing down details based on the sitter’s reactions.
While some fraudulent performers have admitted to this, genuine mediums insist that their evidence comes directly from spirit, not from conscious guesswork.
Hot Reading and Researching Sitters
Some exposés have shown “mediums” secretly obtaining personal details about sitters beforehand — known as hot reading.
This can be done through social media searches, overhearing conversations, or receiving information from accomplices.
While this is outright deception, it has been uncovered enough times to keep sceptics on high alert.
Scientific Criticism
The scientific community generally holds that mediumship has not been conclusively proven under controlled conditions. While parapsychological research (like studies by Dr. Gary Schwartz and Dr. Julie Beischel) has produced results suggestive of genuine phenomena, critics argue that:
The results are not consistently replicable.
The protocols sometimes leave room for sensory leakage.
Alternative explanations (chance, subconscious cues) are often possible.
Psychological Perspectives
Psychologists sometimes explain mediumship experiences as products of the human mind rather than spirit communication. Possible explanations include:
The Ideomotor Effect – Subconscious movements creating the illusion of external control (used to explain Ouija boards).
Pareidolia – The brain’s tendency to find meaningful patterns in random information.
Grief Processing – The desire to maintain a connection with a deceased loved one can make people more receptive to ambiguous or symbolic messages.
Ethical Controversies
Even when fraud is not involved, some critics raise ethical concerns, such as:
Exploiting grief – Charging high fees for readings when a client is emotionally vulnerable.
Dependency – Encouraging clients to return repeatedly for guidance, fostering reliance on the medium.
Predicting death or illness – Creating unnecessary fear and anxiety with harmful predictions.
Belief vs. Skepticism Today
Despite criticism, mediumship continues to be popular worldwide, and many people report profound, healing experiences that they feel cannot be explained away by psychology or chance.
Believers argue that fraudulent cases represent the few, not the many, and that the sincerity, accuracy, and emotional impact of authentic mediums outweigh sceptical arguments.
Controversies & Criticism – Conclusion
Mediumship sits at the intersection of belief, personal experience, and scientific scrutiny. For some, it is sacred proof that life continues after death; for others, it is an elaborate performance relying on psychology and theatre.
Regardless of stance, mediumship’s controversies remind both practitioners and clients of the need for integrity, transparency, and discernment — ensuring the work is done with the respect it deserves.
Final Thoughts
Mediumship sits in a mysterious space, neither fully provable nor easily dismissed. Whether seen as spiritual communication, subconscious intelligence, or intuitive sensitivity, it continues to fascinate and comfort people worldwide.
For believers, it offers hope that life continues beyond death. For skeptics, it offers an invitation to explore the edges of consciousness. For everyone, it challenges us to ask:
What is the nature of life, mind, and spirit?
If you’re interested in exploring mediumship, it’s essential to approach it with an open but discerning mind and seek out reputable practitioners who uphold high ethical standards.
If you wish to see Mediumship being used in a show by a Psychic Medium, click on the following page link Psychic Medium Shows
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