Most of us have seen the film “The 6th Sense” where the little boy could see and communicate with ‘dead people’. Well, as a child, I was just like that little boy and I experienced many different supernatural occurrences.

It would generally occur at night in my room when it was time to go to bed, a moment that I would come to dread. I would lie in my bed trying to fall asleep and suddenly, I’d sense an eerie chill and a ghostly presence. Occasionally, I would see flickering lights on the walls and ceilings or I’d experience spirits or silhouettes wandering around my bedroom. Sometimes, I would hear whispering as they attempted to communicate with me. I would hide in absolute terror, quivering under the blankets with the sound of my heart pounding and adrenaline pumping through my body. I would begin to pray, hoping that if I prayed hard enough, the ‘spirits’ would go away. I endured many sleepless nights being tormented this way wondering.. Why me?

My earliest memory of this was when I was about 3 or 4 years of age.  The door to my bedroom was half a jar. I woke up bleary eyed, feeling a strange invisible presence around me and then out of nowhere, an apparition appeared in white light.  This male figure was clothed in a white robe with toga-like drapery and a golden wreath around his head.  Both of his hands were outstretched as if they were beckoning me to come forward to him. Initially, I was not frightened as there was a very bright white light emanating from him and I could tangibly feel a strong vibration of love in my body. I experienced so many intense emotions and was completely riveted by this vision. However, as this apparition began to advance towards me, I became absolutely PETRIFIED and began to cry.  It then vanished into thin air. I learned later that he was one of a group called the ‘Ascended Masters of the Great White Brotherhood’, believed to work with and protect seekers of truth and self mastery and reveal the next stages of our spiritual evolution. I would come to see them again many many years later on my spiritual path.

It became apparent over time that the things I felt and saw were not “normal” to my family and schoolmates. I realized I was different through people’s reaction to what I could sense or experience.  I began to withhold many of my experiences for fear of rejection or ridicule. After all, I grew up in the Catholic faith and speaking about the paranormal was neither welcomed or encouraged. I began to see my sixth sense as an affliction, something that was “wrong” or “freakish”. I needed to find a way to  shut it off so that I could be normal and accepted in the world. I found a place inside myself to hide and be silent about my experiences. After a period of time as I grew older, the occurrences became less and less and I thought I could finally live a normal life.

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In my early twenties, I suffered from deep depression and anxiety and was seeking guidance and answers. My mother had been going to The Tony Quinn healing centre and suggested I go to see some healers there and get some guidance. Finally, a place where I might find answers.  Could I finally find someone to explain why I saw what I did?? Did anyone else experience out-of-body-experiences or have premonitions through dreams? 

Tony Quinn was well known in Ireland as a hypnotherapist, yogi, fitness expert, and mind coach. I attended many of his Mind Power seminars and was hand picked out of hundreds to be trained as a healer by him. I learned that by repressing my gifts and ‘shutting down’ my psychic centres, mainly the crown chakra and third eye, it caused a blockage in my energy field which then led to my depression.

I became very active in the centre and learned many different energy healing techniques.  A couple who were psychotherapists in the centre asked me to work for them preparing essential oils for the 7 different health stores in Ireland. They owned a very old Edwardian style house that was on the corner of a beautiful street. So, when they asked me to house sit while they were away, I jumped at the chance. Little did I know it would change my life forever.

During the night, while sleeping in a large four poster bed, I was suddenly awoken to a presence in the room. As I opened my eyes, to my horror there was a man leaning over me in the bed. I could see him very clearly but knew he was a spirit. He was in his late thirties and was wearing a shirt and beige and a brown sweater-vest from the 1930’s. His hair was oiled back and parted to the side. I hid my face and screamed for him to go away and hid under the covers once more as I had done as a child. After a few moments, I peeked out from under the blankets. I could no longer see him, but I could feel his presence. I jumped out of bed and turned the light on and waited for a feeling of calm to wash over me and eventually fell asleep. I left the house early the following morning but could not shake the need to know why he came.

I decided to tell the family on their return. I was shocked to learn that the family knew of this spirit and had been told that he protected the house. But there was more…! They had been contacted by their neighbors about disturbances that had occurred the night before. Three men in masks had broken into the shed in the garden and were trying to break into the house.  When they saw the light being turned on upstairs they ran! It was at this moment that I understood that this “ghost” had actually come to warn me and had saved my life. I no longer wanted to feel fearful or shut down my ability. I wanted to understand it.

Up Next… “Part 2 of ‘I See Dead People’ Blog Series”