| A medium is someone who can communicate with the | | | | - The body temperature of the medium drops. When |
| spiritual world. Most often they use their gifts to | | | | we lose consciousness either in sleep or for other |
| communicate with those who have passed on. Trance | | | | reasons, our body temperature drops so that our body |
| Mediumship is a specific type of communication in | | | | systems can focus on keeping the important parts |
| which the medium falls out of conscious awareness | | | | working properly. |
| so that the spirit communicator may use the medium's | | | | - The medium will not feel physical contact. In this |
| body as a vessel for transmitting a message. | | | | sense, the medium has almost entered a |
| Mediums that practice this type of spirit communication | | | | chemically-induced state of unconsciousness similar to |
| can go into various levels of trances. Some may still | | | | that which patients experience when they are |
| be aware of their surroundings and of the spirit talking | | | | "knocked out" before a surgical procedure. Mediums |
| through them; others are so deep that they are lost to | | | | sometimes come out of their trances with minor |
| the world during the event. | | | | injuries because of the actions that were taken whilst |
| Unfortunately, not all mediums who claim to practice | | | | their bodies were being controlled by the spirit |
| this type of trance communication are doing so. They | | | | communicator. |
| may still be able to talk to the spiritual world but only a | | | | Alternative Explanations |
| few are able to make this level of connection. | | | | Those who do not believe in mediums explain away |
| Signs of True Trance Mediumship | | | | the physician evidence of the trance-like state in a |
| One of the most important signs for those witnessing | | | | number of ways. One of the most common is to |
| the trance is that the medium takes on a different | | | | credit the experience to a type of self-hypnosis. |
| voice and mannerisms. They seem to "imitate" the | | | | Hypnosis does bring about many of the same physical |
| deceased person even though they may never have | | | | signs listed above. In fact, people can use hypnosis |
| met them during their lives. | | | | instead of drugs to be made unconscious during |
| There are also physical signs that the medium has | | | | surgery and while under hypnosis they also do not |
| entered a trance-like state: | | | | exhibit any signs of dreaming. |
| - The heart rate and breathing slow down almost as if | | | | However, hypnosis cannot explain the accuracy of the |
| the medium was entering a very deep sleep. | | | | medium's communications between specific spirits and |
| - The medium will show no signs of dreaming. This is | | | | their living families. Often the spirit communicator tells |
| important because it could be argued that the medium | | | | the families information only he/she and their loved |
| is actually dreaming this experience and somehow | | | | ones would know. |
| communicating it to the audience in the same way that | | | | Essentially, trance Mediumship is a high level method of |
| some people are able to talk in their sleep. Research | | | | communicating with deceased loved ones and others |
| has shown that mediums in these trances show no | | | | in the spirit world by allowing them to occupy their |
| sign of rapid eye movement - the primary symptom of | | | | bodies and use the mediums as tools for |
| the dream state. | | | | communication. |