Touched By The Extraordinary Blog

One of the most fascinating ways in which we experience both a loving connection and communication with deceased loved ones or nonphysical energy such as guides, angels, masters and God, is that of enmeshment. I have been privileged to have had several individuals share their stunning stories of awareness of their deceased loved ones slipping into their body, resulting in a sense of increased peace.

Actually, in a typical enmeshment you experience a sense of positive, warm and, often, empowering energy. It does not last long, but long enough to usually be noticed, and, usually it is validated by a third party who notices the difference in your likeness that may last for just a moment or two. But it is noticed, and that is so important here. You may think you are imagining the whole thing, but because someone comments on the change in appearance, if only for a brief moment or two, you know you are not losing your mind. There are a number of these stories in Touched by the Extraordinary for those of you who are interested in learning more about such experiences. In one in particular, the story of my dear friend Rosalie, Rosalie receives validation via two different sources; ONE BEING A NEIGHBOR AND THE OTHER, HER FAMILY ROOM WINDOW!

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Ruth Montgomery, prominent White House correspondent and author of more than fifteen books dealing with paranormal and psychic subjects, has described her own experience of automatic writing (another type of communication or message from beyond) in The World to Come. She describes how, before beginning to write, she first sits, meditates and prays for protection, and, then, with her fingers ready to type, she begins to write. She writes while maintaining a dialogue with her guides and occasionally with her deceased husband and parents. Consequently, she views her work as a collaborative process.

Author and medium, James Van Praagh, has shared similar experiences. I also recall a couple in one of my classes who shared with the class that their deceased daughter would come to their other daughter via the automatic writing process. This, I believe, is what love is about; that is, this is love persevering in its determination to not be forgotten; always to be remembered. Automatic writing is also evidence of the power of love to make the invisible visible.

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There are other ways angels, spirits, deceased loved ones, our guides,masters, teachers and even God communicate with us. Dreams are one of the most powerful means of communication with our own soul, as well as those who wish to connect with us. Dreams are an intrinsic part of our intuitive network, one through which we not only get to connect with loved ones no longer here, but also represent an aspect of communication which provides us with necessary information for our well-being. So many patients have reported to me experiences of awakening with needed answers to dilemmas or problems on which they had been working. Such was the case for Thomas Edison when he invented the electric light bulb and Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine. Did this come from their own intuitive wisdom – or was it something they intuitively derived from the dream state? We will never know; we only know that it was a part of their intuitive network and that they listened to their dreams.

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Many have reported to me that frequently when they think of their loved one, something specific happens. For some, a feather falls at the moment they are deeply missing or thinking of his or her deceased loved one. For others, it may be that the phone rings or the doorbell – and nobody is there. There are those who report smelling the scent of the deceased’s favorite cologne or perfume and, again, at the very time they are intensely missing him or her. For some, the television goes on automatically or the lights in the house blink, and always when one is experiencing significant feelings of deep grief. Once we equate these events with a meaning, such as messages from beyond or from a deceased loved one, we experience feelings that either comfort or bring us pain – or sometimes do both. I call these instances “bittersweet moments.”

Whenever I ask recipients of these messages what the meaning might be, I am told, “Oh it was just a hello or a goodbye” or ‘I am always going to be with you.’ Sometimes, I am told, “That was my guardian angel protecting me – or my loved one letting me know he or she is with me.” Other times, I have been told, “That was my loved one making sure I am fine and that I am not forgetting him or her.” And sometimes, I am told, “He or she wanted to give me important information.” So, there are a number of basic meanings we assign to these various kinds of communication. All, however, have the power to soothe, comfort, sometimes heal and even transform those who are grieving.

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Meaning for many of the survivors of the Holocaust included being available to tell their story so that it would never happen again; for others, meaning meant a determination that Jewish life continue and thrive, rather than be wiped out, as Hitler had wished. Meaning for some had to do with the love they felt for another. As with Frankl and other survivors, those of us who survive trauma and grief do so by eventually finding meaning in the experience.

Rosemary Altea, in her book, You Have the Power: Stories and Exercises to Inspire and Unleash the Force Within, has written of her experience of a reading given for congregants of a synagogue in California during which she connected with relatives who suffered through the Holocaust. The description of this horrific experience is in a later part of the book. (The book is also available on tape and CD. To hear her share her experiences of those who were in the concentration camps and their journeys to the other side is stunningly powerful. It has stayed with me for many years. Once again, it is the meaning you will give to either reading or listening to these stories regarding the Holocaust that will determine how powerful it is for you.

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The incidents that occur, you know, the ones we label as signs or messages, are significant only because of the meaning we assign to them. Meaning determines everything in life. An incident is just an incident until we think of it in terms that have a unique, special and personal meaning in our lives and, then, it has the power to influence how we think or feel at any moment. You see, meaning is a form of communication; it speaks to us.

Victor Frankl, survivor of the Holocaust, renowned psychiatrist and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, recognized that in order to survive the Holocaust, he had to find meaning in the experience. Meaning is about finding an explanation, a sense of purpose which may contribute to our very existence – our raison d’etre. Thanks to Frankl, those who managed to carve a sense of meaning out of the horror of their experience were the fortunate individuals who were able to survive and share with humanity what they had learned.

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A Gallup poll reported that 8 million Americans have experienced near-death experiences. One poll stated that 69% of the public believes in angels. Another poll noted that 42% of Americans have experienced visions of their deceased loved ones. In one study of 300 widows, half had reported having a visionary experience of their deceased spouses.

For more than 20 years, I have sat with patients who have lost loved ones to cancer, heart disease and diabetes and who have died in car accidents and other types of horrible experiences. As difficult as it is to have to grieve for a loved one, most of my patients tell me that they find comfort in signs that their loved ones are not completely gone. That is, my patients and so many others are usually very pleased whenever they receive indications or experience synchronicities that indicate their loved ones continue to be with them on some level.

Posted by Susan Apollon at 8:15 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

A Gallup poll reported that 8 million Americans have experienced near-death experiences. One poll stated that 69% of the public believes in angels. Another poll noted that 42% of Americans have experienced visions of their deceased loved ones. In one study of 300 widows, half had reported having a visionary experience of their deceased spouses.

For more than 20 years, I have sat with patients who have lost loved ones to cancer, heart disease and diabetes and who have died in car accidents and other types of horrible experiences. As difficult as it is to have to grieve for a loved one, most of my patients tell me that they find comfort in signs that their loved ones are not completely gone. That is, my patients and so many others are usually very pleased whenever they receive indications or experience synchronicities that indicate their loved ones continue to be with them on some level.

Posted by Susan Apollon at 8:15 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I was recently interviewed by a freelance journalist who is an excellent reporter and a sharp, intelligent gal, who admittedly, at the time, was a skeptic at heart and who was honestly not familiar with much of what I was offering her. Yet, she had the courage to go into unchartered territory for her and ask me questions about topics such as nonlocal mind and incidents in Touched by the Extraordinary dealing with life after death. By the time we were done talking (about 30 minutes or so later), she stated that she intended to actually read the book from cover to cover, because she was intrigued by our conversation and wanted to know more about some of the paranormal topics such as the soul, angels, answered prayers, communication with the dead, the sixth sense, psychic ability, miracles, healings and intuitive wisdom. Even the toughest skeptics, I believe, are interested in indications that we may be able to receive messages from beyond.

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