ILLUSTRATES Cesar Rosolino
According to the spiritist doctrine, every human being has the ability to communicate with the dead in the spirit world. It is not a supernatural gift – it is a physical ability, linked to the pineal gland, in the center of the brain, which captures the signal from the “beyond” as if it were a magnetic wave and converts it into perceptions. What differs in each one is the sensitivity to interpret these perceptions. Some understand it as a presentiment, a sudden fear or an inexplicable intuition. A person is only considered a medium when he manifests this phenomenon in an ostensive way, that is, when communications can be clearly perceived. She can feel, see, hear, speak or even psychograph texts dictated by the spirits. There is no determined age for the onset of occurrences and they can occur even if the person does not believe in interacting with the dead.
at the beginning
Belief in communication with spirits has existed in almost all civilizations. Shamans invoked healers, prophets received divine messages and pythonesses saw the future. But the phenomenon was only studied with more scientific rigor after the French professor Allan Kardec (1804-1869) codified the spiritist doctrine and concepts such as immortality of the soul and evolution through various reincarnations
Between two worlds
Still according to the doctrine, the reincarnation process only ends around the age of 7. Until then, the child is linked to both the spiritual and the physical world. Therefore, it is in childhood that most cases of communication of this type occur. This does not mean that she is a medium – the title will only be confirmed for the rest of her life if she ostensibly demonstrates this capacity.
The first interactions…
Occurrences tend to intensify as soon as the child learns to speak. visions and hearings are the most common manifestations and can occur together. Most of the time, the little one is not afraid at all and does not understand why his parents cannot see the presence he perceives either. He does not understand the concept of death and therefore views “companionship” quite naturally.
friendly ghost
In childhood, interactions tend to be positive. It is common, for example, for babies to laugh alone, looking at “nothing”. In many cases, they may be seeing past life friends or protective spirits. Also recurrent are visits from deceased relatives or spiritual friends who take on a more childlike appearance.
inexplicable memories
In some cases, contact can reveal past memories: the child recognizes people from the previous incarnation and even denies the current family. For Léon Denis, French philosopher and follower of the spiritist doctrine, mediumship can also be behind precocious prodigies: cases of genius can be manifested, even unconsciously, by the stimulation of spirits
to shake the spine
“Hauntings” (in particular, those called “obsessions” by the doctrine) are rarer at this stage of life. Most of the time, they are suffering spirits that inhabit the same place as the child. Even if they don’t mean to cause harm, they can provoke fear. There are also those who want to scare her into punishing someone in the family for some past debt.
MEDIUMSHIP… OR IMAGINATION?
How to identify if an “invisible friend” can really be a spiritual contact
Keeping an eye on the little ones
According to statistics, three out of ten children have “invisible friends” – something that psychology takes for granted. So, how to differ them from a mediumistic event? For the vice-president of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation, Marta Antunes, there is no exact recipe: the fundamental thing is that parents observe their children’s behavior and know their personality and habits well.
All good
According to Spiritist author and specialist in community therapy Walkiria Kaminski, children who communicate with spirits are usually healthy, without signs of apathy or depression. They are interested in toys or games as much as the others. They take the visions in stride, without awe – and are even puzzled that their parents are not able to see them.
All bad
What if the visions are a sign of a psychiatric illness? It can happen, but it’s rare: schizophrenia only affects one in every 10,000 children. And it brings signs that are easier to detect, such as a desire for isolation, depression, sudden mood swings… In addition, the “voices” heard are often threatening and the little one has difficulty reporting the phenomenon to adults
lonely club
Imagination is a common feature at this stage and can serve as support for those who have little or no contact with friends their own age. The fantasy construction can also happen when children do not receive due attention from their parents and spend most of their time alone. Thus, pretend companies serve to avoid loneliness.
MANUAL FOR CONCERNED PARENTS
The main tip is to approach the phenomenon calmly – it passes with time
1. For spiritist educator Martha Guimarães, parents should face the stories naturally. If they participate in the “joke”, the child feels free to give more information about the “invisible friend”: name, appearance, age… In some cases, he can even identify in the family albums the image of the spirit as being that of a relative who has died
2. Avoid instilling fear. It has bad consequences. Alluding to figures such as “monsters” or “bogeymen” can make the child terrified of being alone or in the dark. One should also avoid saying that “this is a devil’s thing” or that the voices are “from the devil”. In addition to frightening the child, he may think he is being possessed.
3. Is important find a balance. If adults accuse the child of lying, he may begin a process of denial of mediumship and believe he is crazy. On the other hand, they also shouldn’t encourage the skill too much, lest she lose interest in the physical world or feel forced to forge contact accounts just to please them.
4. For anyone open to the idea, a suggestion is to seek support from a spirit center. Most develop works aimed at children that explain, in appropriate language, the definition of concepts such as mediumship and life after death. In addition, the application of passes and prayers is enough to reduce the frequency of the phenomenon.
5. Another option is to turn to a professional therapist. A psychology denies the existence of mediumship, but considers the creation of imaginary friends to be natural and positive. The child tends to abandon this socialization resource when he gets old – usually, at the same time that the spiritist doctrine believes that the reincarnatory process is concluded, at 7 years old
SOURCES Books History of Spiritismby Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lives of Chico Xavierby Marcel Souto Maior,Mediumship and Obsession in Childrenby Suely Caldas Schubert, In the Land of Shadowsby Elizabeth d’Espérance, and Memories of Mediumship, by Yvonne Pereira; documentary Edgar Caycefrom the Biography channel
CONSULTANCY Walkiria Kaminski, author of Soul FishersLuis Hu Rivas, author of Medium Children: The Little Story That Gave Origin to SpiritismMartha Rios Guimarães, spiritist educator and member of the Union of Spiritist Societies of the State of São Paulo (USE), and Marta Antunes, vice-president of the Brazilian Spiritist Federation (FEB)