One question I am often asked is: “Can my loved ones come through and speak to me through trance mediumship?”

It sounds like a relatively simple question, but the answer is more complicated than you might expect.

To understand why, we first need to understand what trance mediumship actually is and what, from my experience, is involved for those in spirit.

What Is Trance Mediumship?

Trance mediumship is an unusual form of mediumship where somebody from the spirit world draws extremely close to the medium and communicates through them.

I was brought up around trance mediumship. I had aunts, uncles and grandparents who were trance mediums, and I witnessed some remarkable things taking place.

One well-known example from the history of trance mediumship is Winifred Moyes and the Zodiac Messages, which were given through her over a period spanning from the 1920s into the 1950s.

When you first hear stories about trance mediumship, it is understandable to be sceptical. I had the Zodiac Messages myself for many years before I actually read them. But when I eventually did, they had a profound effect on how I looked at the subject.

What Happens During Trance?

I regularly teach trance mediumship myself.

When somebody goes into trance, a spirit draws extremely close to the medium. When I describe this, I sometimes say that the spirit “takes over” the body, but I don’t mean possession.

The medium can often sense the presence coming over their body. Sometimes you may sense whether the communicator is male or female, or other aspects of their personality.

Then they begin to speak through the medium.

The medium’s voice doesn’t necessarily completely change, although sometimes there can be noticeable differences. What can change considerably is the choice of words, expressions and manner of speaking.

But there is another side to trance mediumship that we don’t always consider.

It isn’t necessarily easy for spirit either.

Drawing Close to the Earth Plane Can Be Difficult

When somebody has passed over, they have moved on to the next world and are continuing their own spiritual journey.

For somebody in spirit to draw extremely close to the Earth plane and communicate through the physical body of a medium can, in my understanding, be very difficult for them.

That is quite different from ordinary clairvoyance.

During clairvoyance, a loved one may draw close enough for a medium to sense them. They may provide information that helps identify who they are, perhaps giving memories or a message for somebody they loved.

Trance requires a much closer connection.

That is one reason why I would normally say that loved ones don’t routinely come back and speak through trance mediums.

Why Can’t They Just Come Through and Tell Us What to Do?

There is another important part of this: free will.

Your loved ones may still be close to you. From my spiritual understanding, they may be aware of what is happening in your life and able to see things with a different perspective.

But they cannot live your life for you.

They cannot simply come through a trance medium and say:

“Do this.”

“Don’t do that.”

Or give you tomorrow’s lottery numbers!

They can guide and encourage you, but your life remains your experience.

We are here to make decisions, learn and experience life for ourselves. If those in spirit simply gave us all the answers, that would interfere with our free will.

Have I Ever Known a Loved One to Come Through?

This is where I have to be slightly cautious about giving an absolute answer.

Many years ago, I went into trance while speaking with somebody I knew. I hadn’t realised what was happening at the time, but the person listening recognised the communicator as their grandmother.

So I cannot say that a loved one never comes through in trance.

What I can say is that, in my experience, it isn’t common and certainly isn’t something that can simply be arranged on demand.

You can’t book a trance medium and expect a particular loved one to come through and have a conversation with you.

Mediumship Continues to Surprise Me

This is also where my own understanding has changed over the years.

I have been a medium throughout my life, and when mediums are trained, we can sometimes be taught quite strict ideas about what can and cannot happen.

But particularly over the last two or three years, I have experienced things that have made me question some of those rules.

During the circles I teach, remarkable things have taken place.

Through my work involving ghosts, spirits and entities, I have also encountered situations I once might have believed impossible. Things I didn’t think could be dealt with have been successfully removed or moved on.

It has made me realise that perhaps far more is possible than we understand.

Are We Making the Rules for Spirit?

This is one of the biggest difficulties I see within mediumship.

Human beings like rules.

We say:

“Spirit can do this.”

“Spirit can’t do that.”

“This type of communication is possible.”

“That type isn’t.”

But who actually created those rules?

Quite often, it was us.

It wasn’t necessarily spirit telling us what was and wasn’t possible.

That is why, even after a lifetime involved in mediumship, I remain cautious about saying something can never happen.

There is always more for us to learn.

Your Loved Ones Don’t Need Trance to Be Close to You

So, can your loved ones speak through trance mediumship?

Normally, I would say it isn’t something you should expect to happen. It isn’t common and it isn’t something that can simply be booked or arranged.

But I also wouldn’t say that it is completely impossible.

More importantly, your loved ones don’t need to speak through a trance medium to be close to you.

I believe they can draw close, influence us gently and sometimes place thoughts into our minds. Through a good clairvoyant medium, they may also be able to provide evidence of who they are and pass on a message.

But remember that communication involves both worlds.

It isn’t simply a case of asking a clairvoyant to bring somebody through. Your loved one in spirit also has to be able and willing to draw close at that particular time.

Mediumship is something I have been involved with for my entire life, and yet I am still learning.

Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons of all: we shouldn’t be too quick to place limits on what the spirit world can and cannot do.