A few months ago, I met a woman at a group playdate. We were chatting about the usual mom things when she casually mentioned that she considered herself a psychic medium who can, and does, channel spirits of the dead. I have to say, communication with the dead was not the playdate conversation I was expecting!
The thought of communicating with the dead seems both unbelievable and intriguing. This is probably why my new playdate friend was suddenly surrounded by people wanting to hear her stories. I'm never quite sure what to believe when it comes to supernatural things like ghost stories or psychic readings, but some of her stories seemed real enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. According to her, communication with the dead isn't always easy and it isn't always pretty. Turns out not every ghost is in the mood for a conversation.
I decided to collect some more real stories of communication with the dead to see if they'd make me a real believer. Some stories involve mediums and psychics and some are just regular people who had totally unbelievable experiences. I'm not sure I'm convinced, but I am 100 percent sure that these ghost stories are totally fascinating.
Tarot for Real
"My next-door neighbor was totally into all things 'woo woo' — crystals, chakras, all that stuff. She swore that she knew someone who was a legit medium and amazing with tarot cards. She threw a party and invited this woman. I got a 15-minute session and it blew my mind. She was totally matter-of-fact when she told me that my sister wanted me to know that my husband was cheating on me. My sister died 10 years ago (and I didn't tell her that) and, yep, a year later I caught him in the act." — Lauren E., Green Bay, Wisconsin
Final Goodbye
"When my dad was 15 he was out playing ball with friends. His sister came to him seemingly out of nowhere and told him not to worry about her. Then she walked away. He thought that was sort of weird but shrugged it off. When he went home, his mother was hysterically crying. His sister had been killed in a car accident several hours earlier. I'm convinced she was dead when he said his final goodbye." — Carmen Y., Portland, Oregon
Girl in the Mirror
"We were staying at the Victorian B&B and my 4-year-old was playing on the floor near a big antique mirror. She was talking to herself, or at least I thought she was. I asked her what she was doing and she said 'I'm just talking to the girl in the mirror. She lives here.' Um, totally creepy. I'm convinced she was talking to a ghost." — AnnaMarie G., Salina, Kansas
Tarot Terror
"I went to a tarot card reader because I was trying to figure out if I should start grad school or not. During our reading, she kept flipping the same card, and finally she said, 'I have to ask, were you sexually abused as a child? Because someone is telling me that they're sorry they didn't believe you.' I was abused and my grandmother, whom I'd told about it and who didn't believe me, had just died. I'm convinced she was reaching out to me." — Name withheld by request
Drowning
"During a really dark period of my life, I drank way too much wine and took some sleeping pills. I got in the tub and was starting to fall asleep. I remember going under the water and I heard the crystal clear voice of my late father (with his distinct Irish accent) say to me, 'Oh, girlie, you don't want this. Get out of the tub.' I got out of the tub and made an appointment with a therapist the next day." — Name withheld by request
Sleep Paralysis
"My family moved into my now childhood home when I was 7, from then on, throughout my teens, I felt uncomfortable falling asleep. I always had the feeling someone was watching me in my room and had sleep paralysis (only in my room) where I'd half-wake and see a girl standing across from me. When I was 19 my mom was at a wedding chatting to a lady who was a psychic, who out of the blue, with no prompting, says, 'The reason your daughter feels scared when alone in her room is because the girl who died in the car crash is confused why there's another girl in her room.' Mom says the woman heard it directly from the girl, which is creepy AF." — Beth T., Chicago, Illinois
Husband's Watching
"One night my granny was just falling asleep, and Granddad asked her to lock the front door. She told him she was tired and he should do it, but he asked again. So she dragged her sleepy self out of bed. It took a minute for her to wake up fully and remember he was dead. She went and checked the door, and found she'd left it unlocked. When she went back to bed, the room smelled strongly of his aftershave. We found out later that there were three break-ins on her block that night. He was watching out for her!" — Sarah D., Tucson, Arizona
Artist Inspiration
"My uncle is an amazing artist. I asked him once where he gets his inspiration from and he looked me dead in the eye and said 'the voices do.' I asked him more and he said there were muses among the dead and he just had to listen for them. This might not seem like a big thing, by my uncle is a practical man and a pastor, so not the person who you'd think believes in spirits." — Olivia T., Casper, Wyoming
Child Terror
"My daughter kept drawing the same thing over and over again. One day I asked her about it and she said that the other girl kept making her draw it but she didn't want to anymore. I asked about the other girl and she burst into tears and told me she wasn't allowed to tell about her. Totally freaked me out!" — Valeria R., Santa Fe, New Mexico
Baby Monitor Horror
"One night I was falling asleep and I heard an absolutely evil voice on the baby monitor. It said, 'I don't like it. I don't want it.' The next second the baby woke up screaming. Something evil was trying to talk to us that night. I've never been more terrified." — Ullie R., Grand Rapids, Michigan
Lost Sister
"When my twin sister died, we were 11 years old. For years afterwards, I just [could] feel her presence in our room, and a few times I'm sure I heard her voice as I was falling asleep. Eventually the feeling faded, I think because she finally moved on." — Quinn A., Coral Gables, Florida
Hearing Voices
"When my grandpa got dementia, he used to tell us he was hearing voices. As he got worse, he started having long, extended conversations all by himself. One day, when he was especially lucid, he told us that he was talking to Grandma and that she was telling him that it was almost time for him to come home. She'd been dead for 12 years. He died the next week." — Irene D., Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Imaginary Friend
"My daughter had an imaginary friend name Nina. I would hear her talking to Nina at night when she went to sleep, usually with lots of giggling. One day I mentioned Nina to our elderly next-door neighbor, who got a funny look on her face. The original owners of the house (like 30 years ago) had a daughter named Nina who died in an accident in the backyard. Um, holy sh*t, right? My daughter was totally talking to a ghost." — Becky T., Springfield, Missouri
Signing Ghost
"I was traveling in Romania and we drove past this creepy abandoned building. I saw a woman out of the corner of my eye and she looked like she was signing something to me (I'm deaf). I couldn't figure out how she could tell I was deaf and then the driver told us that the building used to be a school for deaf and blind children until it had been closed due to a fire that killed some of the children. I think she was a ghost and was signing for help!" — Avery B., Baltimore, Maryland
Grandma Ghost
"I totally communicate with the dead! Specifically, with my grandmother. She was psychic and she was the first person who seemed to realize that I was psychic too. I consult with her before I make any major decisions and she has ways to let me know what to do. I'd be lost without her." — Jackie G., Boise, Idaho
