stokes

Remembering Doris Stokes – The People’s Medium by Kristian von Sponneck – Psychic Medium & Psychic Entertainer

There are names in the world of mediumship that evoke instant affection — figures who brought comfort, credibility, and compassion to the art of spirit communication. One such name is Doris Stokes.

For many in Britain, especially through the 1970s and 1980s, Doris wasn’t just a psychic medium — she was the medium. A household name. A woman whose gentle voice and sincere manner touched hearts far beyond the walls of Spiritualist churches.

Today, decades after her passing, Doris Stokes remains a symbol of what mediumship can be when it’s grounded in empathy, humility, and human warmth.

The Early Years – A Gift in Ordinary Surroundings

Doris Sutton (later Stokes) was born in 1920 in Grantham, Lincolnshire — the daughter of a working-class family. Like many natural mediums, her gift appeared early. She spoke of sensing Spirit as a child, often in ways that frightened her before she learned to understand what was happening.

Her life was not easy. She worked in factories, married, raised a child, and suffered significant personal loss. But it was precisely her life experience — the pain, resilience, and love — that shaped her compassion and made her so relatable to ordinary people.

When she later described the Spirit world, she did so without grandeur or mystery. To her, the afterlife wasn’t an abstract philosophy; it was an extension of love itself.

From Church Platform to Public Stage

Doris’s journey as a working medium began modestly, through Spiritualist church demonstrations in London and around the UK.
In those early post-war years, many sought comfort after the immense losses of the Second World War. Doris’s gentle manner and matter-of-fact approach reassured people that their loved ones had survived death and were still aware of them.

Her reputation grew through word of mouth — one heartfelt message at a time.

By the 1970s, she had become a regular fixture at major venues, including the London Palladium, where she demonstrated mediumship before packed audiences. Her shows were not theatrical; they were intimate, conversational, filled with laughter and humanity.

What made Doris remarkable was her tone. She didn’t “perform” Spirit communication — she shared it.
Viewers at home, watching her on television or listening to her radio appearances, often said it felt like talking with a kindly neighbour who just happened to speak with the departed.

Television, Books, and Bringing Mediumship to the Mainstream

At a time when psychic mediumship was still considered taboo or fringe, Doris’s sincerity helped bring it into the mainstream.
She appeared on television talk shows and in documentaries with a natural grace that won over sceptics and believers alike.

Her best-selling autobiographies — beginning with Voices in My Ear (1980) — gave an unprecedented glimpse into a medium’s inner world.
She wrote candidly about doubt, exhaustion, illness, and the emotional responsibility of her work. She made mediumship human.

Through her books and interviews, Doris didn’t preach or dramatise; she comforted. She showed that faith in the Spirit world could coexist with practicality and humour.

A Medium of the People

What truly set Doris apart was her accessibility.
While many mediums of her time sought mystique, Doris remained grounded. She spoke in plain language, laughed easily, and approached Spirit communication as service, not spectacle.

She referred to her ability not as a gift of superiority, but as a responsibility of love:

“I’m just a telephone exchange between two worlds,” she often said.

To her audiences, that simplicity was disarming — and authentic. She didn’t claim to have all the answers. She offered what she received, and she trusted Spirit to do the rest.

Criticism and Controversy

As with all public figures in psychic work, Doris faced scepticism and controversy, particularly from the scientific and sceptical communities. Investigators questioned the methods and accuracy of public mediums, and Doris was not exempt.

However, even her critics often conceded that her intentions appeared genuine. Whether one believed or not, few denied her compassion or the comfort she brought to grieving families.

To this day, she remains a reminder that integrity and warmth matter more than theatricality or fame.

Her Passing and Continuing Legacy

Doris Stokes passed away in 1987, but her influence never really faded. Her books remain in print. Recordings of her demonstrations still circulate among Spiritualists, mediums, and historians.

For many working mediums — myself included — she stands as an early model of professionalism and humility in a field often misunderstood.
She proved that mediumship could be done with dignity and without sensationalism.

She also helped bridge the gap between traditional Spiritualism and a broader public curiosity about the afterlife. In doing so, she quietly shifted public consciousness toward acceptance of spiritual communication.

Doris Stokes and the Modern Medium

Today’s generation of mediums — including those of us who blend contemporary presentation with deep spiritual ethics — owe much to the groundwork she laid.

Her style wasn’t about speed, technique, or “wow moments.” It was about listening — to Spirit, to emotion, to silence.
In that sense, her mediumship was profoundly Spiritualist — a service of love rather than proof, a bridge rather than a performance.

When I watch clips of Doris today, I’m struck not by the messages she gave, but by the feeling in the room.
There’s a softness, a tenderness, a sense of care that transcends the words. That, I believe, was her true mediumship — to make people feel seen, loved, and less alone.

Lessons from Doris for Modern Practitioners

If Doris were alive today, in an age of social media and “psychic entertainment,” I believe she would remind us of a few timeless truths:

Keep it simple. Spirit doesn’t need embellishment.

Stay humble. The work is not about the medium; it’s about the message.

Be compassionate. Mediumship is emotional work — always hold it with care.

Serve with sincerity. Fame fades; integrity endures.

Those values are as relevant now as they were when she first stepped onto the platform.

Remembering Doris – The Spirit That Endures

Doris once said,

“When I die, I shall go on working from the other side — that’s where the real work begins.”

Many Spiritualists believe she’s kept that promise. Her influence lives on through the comfort her books continue to give, the mediums she inspired, and the generations who first learned about life after death because of her gentle voice.

She taught the world that Spirit communication, when done with love and sincerity, is not about the dead — it’s about life continuing.

Remembering Doris Stokes – The People’s Medium Final Reflection

Doris Stokes opened a door for millions — a door between this world and the next, but also a door in the human heart.
She showed that mediumship could be an act of compassion, not performance.
And she left behind a legacy that continues to guide, inspire, and comfort all who believe that consciousness survives and that love endures.

For me, as a working medium in a very different era, Doris remains a benchmark of what the work can and should be: honest, heartfelt, and human.

So this post isn’t just remembrance — it’s gratitude.
Thank you, Doris, for showing the world that speaking with Spirit can be done with gentleness, humility, and grace.

And thank you for reminding us that the true message of mediumship is not death — it’s continuing love.

You may like my last post, click the following to read The History of Halloween – A Spiritualist’s View

Remembering Doris Stokes – The People’s Medium