US Mediums’ Impressions of Spirits and the Afterlife

A Qualitative Investigation of United States Mediums’ Impressions of Spirits and the Afterlife (pages 4-20)

Jennifer Lyke

Proof-focused research aimed at evaluating the validity of mediums’ perceptions of the spirit world has provided the basis for a contentious scientific debate about whether information received by mediums is partially veridical or fundamentally delusional. However, little empirical research has gone beyond attempts to establish the veridicality of alleged spirit communications to qualitatively investigate the unique perspectives of mediums regarding the content they claim to access. Qualitative work with mediums thus far has focused on the mediums themselves, as opposed to their perceptions of the nature of discarnate entities or the afterlife. This investigation attempted to summarize themes in mediums’ descriptions of the spirits and the afterlife using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a qualitative method of investigation founded on phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography, which seeks to understand individual perceptions and interpretations of experience. The specific aims of this research were to interview six mediums regarding their understanding of the nature of the afterlife and spirit experiences based on their perceptions and impressions, and to identify commonalities and discrepancies among the themes they described. The mediums, who each participated in a semi-structured interview, were chosen from a list of Windbridge Certified Research Mediums (WCRMs) for maximum geographic diversity, and IPA was used to identify meanings participants assigned to their perceptions and impressions.

Analysis identified themes shared across participants as well as aspects of reports unique to individuals or subgroups of participants. Themes common to all mediums’ descriptions of the spirits and the afterlife included the following: the afterlife is part of a timeless, omnipresent non-physical reality; spiritual evolution organizes non-physical reality; spirits may reincarnate; discarnates may remain connected to the living; death is a transition; suicide is a mistake; and a variety of spiritual entities inhabit non-physical reality. The mediums had differing views regarding the availability of discarnates and reincarnation, the nature of angels, and the variety of spiritual entities that exist in the afterlife.

Possible factors influencing mediums’ interpretations of their experiences are discussed. Given multiple possible interpretations of the impressions they report, it is useful to ask mediums themselves what sense they make of their experiences. These findings are potentially useful for understanding people who have similar experiences and choose to interpret them in a framework that includes the possibility of survival of consciousness after physical death. Similarities among mediums’ descriptions may be influenced by commonalities among their particular psychological characteristics, membership in a unique sociocultural subgroup, or they may reflect common elements of a particular kind of transpersonal experience. The results of this investigation should be viewed in the context of the ongoing debate regarding the validity of mediums’ perceptions