When I began researching psychics and
mediums in 1999, one of the first books I read on
the subject of spirit communication was James Van
Praagh’s Talking
To Heaven. It’s still one of my favorite books.
What I loved about it the most at that time was that
James seemed like a regular guy who just happened to
have this extraordinary ability to communicate with
spirits. And now that I know him personally, I’ve come
to realize that he’s exactly as he comes across in
that book—authentic, grounded and normal.
This was important
to me in the early years of my investigation. Being a
skeptic and private investigator, I resisted psychics or
mediums who were too new age-y or woo-woo. James Van
Praagh came across as the guy-next-door both in his book
and on his TV appearances to promote that book. And, as
a result, he made mediumship seem like an extraordinary
gift rather than a strange paranormal phenomenon.
JAMES VAN PRAAGH,
TRAILBLAZER IN PSYCHIC & MEDIUM FIELD
I don’t think
enough people realize how much James Van Praagh has been
a trailblazer in the psychic and medium field. He was
one of the first of our generation to legitimize spirit
communication and teach mainstream America the
difference between psychics (who read energy) and
mediums (who communicate with spirits). When I first
began investigating the afterlife in 1999, most people
didn’t know that spirit communication was possible,
never mind know the difference between a psychic and a
medium. James’ career as a medium, author and
television producer has significantly helped change the
face of mediumship from being a purposeless pastime for
naïve believers to being a legitimate service to
comfort the grieving.
Additionally, when
James Van Praagh’s first book, Talking
To Heaven, jumped to number one on the New
York Times bestseller’s list, this achievement,
along with James’ radio and TV appearances to promote
the book, quickly gave mediums in this country (and
around the world) the courage to come out of the closet
(due to fear of public skepticism) and be proud of what
they do. It also made it easy for mediums to explain
what they do since so few people in the late 1990s had
ever heard of mediumship. Suddenly, mediums were able to
explain their ability to people by simply saying, “Do
you know James Van Praagh? I do what he does.”
In fact, that’s
how I explained my investigation of this field. Everyone
knew what a psychic was back then, but people were often
confused when I talked about testing “mediums.” So I
would refer to James Van Praagh when explaining my
research, because so many people had read his book or
seen him on one of his television appearances. When
James got his own TV show in 2002, titled Beyond
With James Van Praagh, it made explaining my work
that much easier.
JAMES VAN PRAAGH’S
IMPRESSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
That was just the
beginning for James. From there he went on to write Reaching
To Heaven, Healing
Grief, Heaven And Earth, Ghosts Among
Us, Unfinished
Business, Looking
Beyond (for teens) and his latest book (at the time
of this writing), Growing
Up In Heaven. He even wrote a book on meditation.
Following his
daytime television talk show, Beyond
With James Van Praagh, he produced a successful TV
mini-series about his life on CBS entitled Living With The Dead starring the ever-popular Ted Danson from
Cheers fame (playing the role of James Van Praagh) and
Mary Steenburgen. James also produced The
Dead Will Tell on that network starring Anne Heche
and Eva Longoria (before her Desperate
Housewives infamy). And he was Co-Executive Producer
of the CBS primetime series Ghost Whisperer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, which ran for 5
seasons. We can only guess what might come next.
James Van Praagh has
now been working as a medium and teaching people about
life after death for over 30 years. It’s a
mind-blowing career, but it hasn’t come without
turbulence. Because of his success and notoriety, as
well as the skepticism surrounding mediumship, James has
been a popular target of a skeptical media who are
guilty of editing film footage and twisting James’
words in biased journalism for the purpose of
sensationalism and higher ratings. While these people
are the minority, I give James Van Praagh a lot of
credit for the persistence and passion required to
continue his work after the manipulation of truth by
some media personnel who have tried to lift their status
up by taking him down.
James’ longevity
in this field—and what he’s done to comfort the
grieving and teach people about the afterlife—is both
commendable and courageous. Under the circumstances,
most mediums would have folded to the pressure and
surrendered to a quiet life of giving private readings
in the country somewhere. Not James Van Praagh. He
continues to write books, make television appearances,
present live events, and even produce TV shows, all
which educate the public about life after death and
continue to bring solace to the bereaved.
WITNESSING JAMES VAN
PRAAGH GIVING READINGS
In early 2011, I
finally got to meet James Van Praagh in person and
witness him giving readings first-hand. I had been
invited to introduce him at an event he was presenting
in Massachusetts. After more than a decade of watching
this man’s career from afar, I now had the opportunity
to spend the evening with James and get know him
personally.
We spent some time
together before the event and arrived at the Firehouse
Center for the Arts in Newburyport, Massachusetts
shortly before opening. I introduced James to the
audience and then sat in the theatre to watch him work.
I’d seen James on television and YouTube, of course,
but it’s my policy to not write about a medium unless
I actually witness him or her giving a reading live, in
person.
The fact is that it
was never my intention to add James Van Praagh to my
“Tested as Legitimate” list, so I didn’t even take
notes. In truth, I didn’t really expect James to be
out of the ordinary. I’ve learned from experience that
just because a medium is famous doesn’t mean he’s
any better than other non-famous mediums. But all that
changed as I watched his presentation that evening. With
each new message he delivered, I realized that this guy
needed to be on my recommended list. His readings were
truly extraordinary.
James came onto the
stage like a ball of lightning. Anyone who knows him or
has seen him on stage knows he’s a bundle of positive
energy, which transferred into the audience within
seconds of his arrival at the microphone. In no time at
all, James had everyone laughing, relaxed and having a
great time. He told stories about some of his most
interesting readings, explained how he connects with
spirits, and taught us that we all have some ability to
do what he does. It was at that point that he took
everyone through a meditation.
After the
meditation, which helped get the audience in the right
state of mind for readings, James Van Praagh began
giving readings. This is where he took me completely by
surprise by how good he was. I’ve tested psychics and
mediums from all around the world—some of the best
that exist—so I honestly wasn’t expecting to be
blown away. But when James Van Praagh began giving
readings, I almost fell out of my chair because his
messages were so clear and accurate. And I truly loved
that he didn’t ask any leading questions (that was
especially impressive).
Since I was emceeing
the event that evening and was responsible for segueing
the audience between breaks, I didn’t bring a notebook
and wasn’t taking notes. I can’t tell you how much I
regret not having some written or audiotaped recording
of his readings that night so that I could pass along to
you the mind-blowing details he conveyed from spirit. I
was sitting next to friends in the audience and just
kept looking at them with my mouth dropped wide-open
every time James nailed some obscure fact that he could
not have possibly known without getting the specifics
from spirit.
There was one
reading where James connected with a little girl in
spirit that I will never forget. He knew exactly how the
little girl’s hair was done and what she was wearing
when she was buried, the cause of her passing, what was
secretly put into her casket by loved ones, words that
were spoken immediately prior to her passing, what her
favorite shirt looked like and even the words that were
written on it, and a whole list of names, dates and
memories that were eerily accurate and all verified by
her family members who were sitting in the audience.
If I had to choose
the most impressive reading in terms of specific details
that I have ever witnessed in my entire research of
mediums, this reading with this little girl would be the
winner. And James gave several more readings that
evening that came in as close seconds. I’m telling you
the guy was hot that night.
Thanks to his
extraordinary readings that evening, I now knew why
James Van Praagh had become a household name. I also
knew long before the readings were over that James Van
Praagh had earned his place on my recommended list. But
then he gave me an on-the-spot private reading back
stage that nailed that decision shut once and for all.
He was able to hone in on some details that no one but
my wife, Melissa, and myself knew about, and with
absolute accuracy.
Thinking I needed to
share details of his readings in this article about him,
I did not add James to my Tested As Legitimate list
right away. I waited for another opportunity to watch
him on stage so I could take notes. Six months following
that first event, I attended another James Van Praagh
event at The
Wilbur Theatre in Boston. This time I recorded the
readings and took detailed notes. But as I write this, I
realize now that none of that was necessary. The fact is
that James Van Praagh is an extraordinary medium whose
messages from spirit are consistently detailed and
accurate. Sure I could list the remarkable messages he
gave people in the audience that night from their loved
ones in spirit, but how would that further my point? The
best I can do now is inspire you to witness one of his
events on your own so that you’ll know first-hand what
I’m talking about.
I’m pleased to add
James Van Praagh to my personal recommended list on
BestPsychicMediums.com. James is not taking appointments
for private readings, but you can still get a reading
from him at one of his many live medium demonstrations.
He offers larger events for one to two thousand people,
but he also offers smaller “Spirit Circles” where a
maximum of 150 people are allowed. He’s told me that
he has plans to offer these Spirit Circles around the
country. Check out the Calendar page of his website for
dates and ticket info: Click
Here
You’ll also want
to check out my video interviews with James on my new
video website Afterlife TV (there is a series of
interviews there that I’ve done with James Van
Praagh): http://www.afterlifetv.com
I
also recommend these cool features on James Van
Praagh’s website:
AUDIO/VIDEO: Audio
& Video of James Van Praagh teaching and being
interviewed on television, radio and telephone
conferences: Click
Here
ONLINE COURSES:
James Van Praagh’ store where you can get online
courses on mediation, life after loss (grief healing),
enhancing your intuition, plus autographed copies of his
books, and a few carefully selected gift items: Click
Here
BOOKS BY JAMES VAN
PRAAGH: James Van Praagh is a #1 New York Times
Bestseller and has written multiple books on life after
death, spirit communication, healing grief, meditation,
and even a teen’s guide to the spiritual world: Click
Here
CHAT ROOM EVENTS:
James Van Praagh is a frequent guest on his own website
chat room where he also allows other authors, experts
and practitioners teach his online audience about a wide
variety of subjects for spiritual growth (I’ve given 3
chat seminars there over the past few years): Click
Here
………………………………………………
Finally, if you want
to contact James Van Praagh, I recommend that you visit
his Contact Page: Click
Here
Warmest regards,
Bob
Olson
Founder of BestPsychicMediums.com
BestPsychicDirectory.com
AfterLifeTV.com
OfSpirit.com Magazine editor
