How To Connect With Spirit
HOW TO CONNECT WITH SPIRIT
I recently made a post in the BEGINNER’S FB GROUP asking for your most pressing mediumship questions (there were SO MANY good ones, thank you!), but a lot of them needed some background context for a clearer explanation.
So this is going to be a practical, grounded (and SIMPLE) explanation of how the connection to spirit works.
This is what I teach all my students in our very first mentorship session together. And they always tell me what a relief it is, because suddenly everything starts to make SO much more sense.
FIRST LET’S DEFINE SPIRIT
The word spirit is used in many different ways across cultures and belief systems, which can make it confusing when you're beginning your mediumship journey. I’m going to define it here as I use this term, so we’re on the same page in this space.
In my work, I use the word spirit to include all consciousness (or anything non-physical). For me that includes the oneness (Call it god, universe, source, it doesn’t matter. Pick one that feels comfortable to you.), deceased loved ones, your own spirit, other non-physical beings like guides, angels, etc.
However, since we’re strictly talking about evidential mediumship here, I’m going to use spirit in terms of deceased loved ones to keep it focused and simple.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get into it!
HOW THE CONNECTION WORKS
If you were to ask 100 different mediums HOW they connect to spirit, most of them wouldn’t be able to answer. They don’t really know. It just happens.
And if you ask them the best way to learn how to connect with spirit, they’ll tell you to start by meditating. Clear your mind. Trust and surrender.
But as a beginner, that’s so NOT helpful!
(And it’s not their fault. Other mediums gave them the same answers, too)
So I went in search of a better understanding. Because understanding HOW the connection happens is not only critical to getting started with your mediumship development, but it can help give clarity to so many other questions we have about working with spirit, too.
HERE’S WHAT I FOUND
Scientists have studied mediums using EEG/EKG machines to get a clearer picture of what’s happening in the brain during a mediumship reading.
And what these brain scans show is that when a medium is connected to spirit and giving a reading, their brain is in what we call the ALPHA brainwave state.
When they’re not connected, their brain is in the BETA brainwave state.
WHAT’S ALPHA AND BETA MEAN
ALPHA is an altered brainwave state where you’re calm and relaxed, but aware.
For example:
You’re scrolling on TikTok and you zone out.
You’re working on a creative project and you get in the flow.
You’re super relaxed sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee and watching birds in the feeders.
BETA is the brainwave state where you’re active thinking.
This can look like:
Having a conversation with your friend at a coffee shop
Trying to decide what to cook for dinner
Feeling nervous, anxious, or overwhelmed about something you’re dealing with (like right before a practice reading!)
The good news is that we naturally shift in and out of alpha and beta all day long.
Our brains are already pros at doing this! It’s as natural as breathing.
So to connect with spirit, all you have to do is make the shift into ALPHA on purpose.
And there are many ways to do this.
A few of the most common methods taught are meditation, deep breathing, binaural beats, or rituals/routines.
But in my experience, these are completely unnecessary and make connecting WAY more complicated than it needs to be.
The easiest way to get your brain into ALPHA, is to simply shift your attention to spirit.
What’s that mean more practically speaking? You think about spirit and they’re there. That’s the connection. It can be that simple if you let it.
Let's say I have a client who wants to connect with her daughter in spirit. As I think about the client's daughter, my mind shifts into alpha and the connection is made. Then I’ll become aware of information in my mind (images, feelings, sounds, smells, etc.) which I communicate to the client for her to validate as a yes or no.
WHERE MOST BEGINNERS STRUGGLE
The challenge for most beginners isn’t getting into alpha and making the connection.
It’s believing that it’s actually happening.
They don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like in real time, so it’s hard to trust that it’s real.
(Mediumship happens in the same place in your brain as your imagination, so in the beginning it can feel like you’re just making it all up!)
GETTING THE HELP YOU NEED
This is the part where it can be SUPER helpful to have a mentor walk you through the process step by step, so you can learn what the connection actually feels like (and how to keep the connection going through a reading).
The first session of my mentorship program is always my favorite day with students, because it’s usually the moment beginners realize they’re not broken, blocked, or doing it wrong. They just finally understand what they’re looking for and everything starts to click into place.
Need help with getting (and staying) connected to spirit? This is exactly what I do with my students in my 6 week 1:1 mentorship program, Connect with Confidence. Click here to learn more.
