You Are a Medium by Sherrie Dillard

The following is my review of Unveiling the Spirit World: “You Are a Medium” by Sherrie Dillard available on Amazon.

Book Review: You Are a Medium by Sherrie Dillard

You Are a Medium is a book about developing mediumistic abilities, but its central message is that everyone has the potential to connect with the spirit world. Dillard presents mediumship as a natural ability rather than a rare gift, and she offers a structured approach to understanding and developing this skill. The book is practical, with exercises and meditations designed to help readers recognize their own connection to the other side.

One of the key ideas in the book is that mediumship manifests in different ways. Dillard categorizes mediums into four types: Emotional, Mental, Physical, and Spiritual. Emotional mediums connect through feelings and empathy. Mental mediums receive impressions as thoughts, ideas, or voices in their mind. Physical mediums experience sensations in their body, such as gut feelings or chills. Spiritual mediums have a deep sense of oneness with the universe and may receive insights in a more abstract way. She includes a quiz to help readers identify their dominant type.

The book also covers the role of spirit guides, angels, and deceased loved ones. Dillard describes these entities as sources of guidance, protection, and comfort. She emphasizes that everyone has a guardian angel who has been with them since birth, watching over them and offering support. Spirits, she explains, continue to evolve and learn after death. Some may even seek to assist the living, particularly if they have unresolved matters from their earthly life.

Dillard also addresses earthbound spirits—ghosts that remain attached to the physical realm due to unfinished business or emotional attachment. She suggests that such spirits often gain power by provoking fear, but their influence weakens once they are recognized as powerless. The book provides advice on how to help these spirits move on, rather than simply fearing or avoiding them.

Throughout the book, there are practical exercises for developing mediumship, including meditations, telepathic practice, and techniques for sensing energy in objects. She also describes signs that spirits use to communicate with the living, such as dreams, flickering lights, or certain animals appearing at meaningful moments.

You Are a Medium is written for those who want to explore their own abilities, connect with loved ones on the other side, or gain a deeper understanding of the spirit world. Dillard presents mediumship in a way that is both accessible and encouraging, making it clear that this is something anyone can develop with practice and awareness.

After reading Discover Your Psychic Type, I found that it really helped demystify the process of developing mediumship abilities and deepening one’s connection with the spirit world. It’s not just about understanding what mediumship is or how to get started—it’s about recognizing how different people connect with the other side in different ways. The book makes it clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to mediumship. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the idea or have been practicing for a while; knowing your “psychic type” can help you understand your strengths and areas of growth in this field.

One of the things that stood out to me was the idea that mediumship isn’t just about hearing or seeing spirits. Some people connect through feelings or emotions. The book divides people into several types of mediums, each defined by the way they receive information. For example, emotional mediums are more likely to pick up on the feelings of spirits and relay them. They might feel sadness, joy, or peace—these emotions can act as the message. Mental mediums, on the other hand, may experience clairaudience or claircognizance. That means they hear voices or suddenly know things without any logical explanation. I found it fascinating that these types of mediumship aren’t all the same, and that’s why it’s so important to recognize how you personally experience spirit communication.

This leads to a key idea: the book encourages people to pay attention to the subtle ways spirit might try to get through. Sometimes it’s as simple as a fleeting thought or a sudden sense of knowing. One of the examples given in the book was when someone experiences the scent of a loved one who has passed, even though no one else can smell it. That’s just one of the many ways that spirits try to communicate. It’s not always about loud signs or dramatic experiences—it’s often the quiet moments that matter the most.

Another aspect that really resonated with me was the discussion about spirit guides and how they assist us. Spirit guides, according to Dillard, are beings who watch over us and help steer us in the right direction. These guides can be family members who’ve passed or other spirits who’ve been assigned to us. They help us avoid pitfalls, make decisions, and stay aligned with our true purpose. The concept of spirit guides has always been something I’ve found interesting, but this book gave me a deeper understanding of their role in our lives, especially in the context of mediumship. Spirit guides aren’t just there to provide comfort; they also help us discover our natural abilities and grow into our fullest potential.

I also appreciated how the book addresses the challenges people might face when exploring mediumship. One part of the book talks about addiction and how it affects our connection with the spiritual realm. Addiction, as it’s described, is not just a physical or mental struggle—it’s also a spiritual one. It disconnects people from their inner power and subdues the voice of the spirit. I thought it was powerful that the book framed addiction not only as something to overcome but also as something that can be healed through spiritual surrender and connection to a higher power.

The concept of individuality is another theme that stood out to me. The book highlights how important it is to embrace who we truly are, rather than conforming to societal expectations or trying to fit into a mold. This resonated with me deeply. The idea that we are meant to bring our unique energy into the world and that our personal growth relies on this authenticity really struck a chord with me. It’s easy to forget that when we suppress parts of ourselves, we miss out on the growth and lessons that those parts could bring.

Finally, the book touches on the idea of helping lost souls and wandering spirits. I’ve always found the idea of spirit release intriguing, but Dillard’s approach felt especially compassionate. She suggests that it’s not only about freeing these souls but also about understanding the reasons why they’re stuck in the first place. Whether it’s fear, guilt, or unfinished business, helping spirits move on requires sending them love and light. It’s a reminder that healing is a two-way process: both for the spirit and for ourselves. In a way, the book almost presents a way of life; I’m thinking of the Japanese Shinto beliefs and Kami ect. where we are surrounded by spirits and energies that we are constantly interacting with.

Overall, Discover Your Psychic Type offers a blend of practical advice and spiritual wisdom. It helped me better understand how I connect with the spirit world, how I can nurture and refine those connections, and how my experiences with mediumship are influenced by who I am. Whether you’re just starting out or have been exploring this path for some time, this book is a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of mediumship and psychic development.

Some practical exercises in the book

The book provides several exercises to develop mediumship abilities, such as:

Level One: Discern Energy Vibrations These exercises are designed to help you differentiate your own thoughts and feelings from those you receive intuitively.
- Emotional Mediums The goal is to differentiate your emotions from the emotional energy you’re receiving.
  1. Write down or record a list of your current feelings without analyzing them.
  2. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and visualize white light.
  3. Focus on a deceased loved one, repeating their name.
  4. Invite and receive your loved one’s emotional energy, naming the emotions and feelings that surface.
  5. Thank your loved one for their presence.
- Physical Mediums The objective is to become aware of subtle vibrations emanating from a photograph or personal object.
  1. Write down or record your expectations for this exercise.
  2. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, visualizing white light.
  3. Hold a picture, object, or the written name of the person you wish to connect with.
  4. Imagine receiving energy from the item, noting sensations in your body.
  5. Put words to the vibrations you receive.
  6. Thank your loved one for their presence.
- Mental Mediums The challenge is to differentiate personal thoughts from thoughts and impressions intuited from the other side.
  1. Write down or tape record your thoughts without judgment.
  2. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and visualize white light filling your mind.
  3. Speak the name of the loved one you wish to connect with, clearing your mind and noting any thoughts and impressions.
  4. Thank your loved one for their presence.
- Spiritual Mediums The aim is to become aware of energy in the cosmos and stay focused on communicating with a loved one.
  1. Write down what you would like to experience in this exercise.
  2. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, visualizing white light.
  3. Visualize a clear and open space above your head, like an energy funnel.
  4. Focus on a loved one, repeating their name and intending to communicate.
  5. Allow images, thoughts, and feelings to surface, and record whatever you become aware of.
  6. Thank your loved one.
Level Two: Convert Energy into Useable Form These exercises focus on learning how to discern, understand, and put into words the energy information that you receive.
- This level involves developing clairvoyance, the ability to perceive energy information in the form of an image. If an image doesn’t automatically surface, consciously use your imagination to create one.
- After performing the “Beginning Meditation for All Types”, perform the meditation specific to your medium type:
  - Emotional Mediums Imagine an image that represents the emotional energy that you are receiving from the other side.
  - Physical Mediums Imagine an image that represents the energy that you are receiving from a picture or personal object of your loved one.
  - Mental Mediums Imagine an image that represents the thought energy that you are receiving from the other side.
  - Spiritual Mediums Imagine an image that represents the energy vibrations that you are receiving.
Level Three: Communicate and Dialogue This exercise helps you begin to communicate and dialogue with the other side. Do not do this exercise until you have practiced all four medium type exercises for levels one and two.
- After performing the “Medium Opening Meditation”, perform the meditation specific to your medium type:
  - Emotional Mediums Imagine an image of your loved one and perceive it in as much detail as possible. What are they wearing? What is the expression on their face? Send feelings of love to your loved one. Listen and ask him or her if they have a message for you.
  - Physical Mediums Imagine the picture or object in as much detail as possible. Send feelings of love to your loved one. Listen and ask him or her if they have a message for you.
  - Mental Mediums Imagine an image of your loved one in as much detail as possible. What are they wearing? What is the expression on their face? Send feelings of love to your loved one. Listen and ask him or her if they have a message for you.
  - Spiritual Mediums Imagine an image of your loved one in as much detail as possible. What are they wearing? What is the expression on their face? Send feelings of love to your loved one. Listen and ask him or her if they have a message for you.

In addition to these exercises, there is a meditation to become more familiar with spirit guides and angels:

Breathe in and out slowly and deeply, relaxing the body.
Imagine a tranquil place in nature with warm sunshine.
Ask your guide or angel to draw close.
Express gratitude for their help. Open your eyes and write down any thoughts, feelings, images, or messages that you experienced.

As a last thought, I’ll add that (in addition to my earlier thoughts about Shintoism) is that these abilities can also be woven into other occult practices for people living a magickal life, for example during oracle readings, but also during ritual invocations, for example, they could also involve a two-way communication with a diety (involving a magic mirror if this is a part of your technique) and so on. As I said, to me the whole practice comes across as a way of life/being that will incorporate itself into a spiritual life as a part of your being. The possibilities this work present are really endless.