Was That Spirit, or Was It You? How to Tell the Difference
You’re in a reading and something comes through.
A name.
A memory.
A feeling.
A detail that seems far too specific to be coincidence.
And then the question appears:
Was that really Spirit… or was it psychic information?
It’s one of the most common questions I hear from people developing their mediumship, and it’s an important one.
A mediumship connection and a psychic connection are not the same thing.
Both involve receiving information beyond our ordinary five senses, but where that information is coming from, and how we connect with it, is different.
Learning to recognise that difference is an important part of developing strong, ethical and evidential mediumship.
Mediumship vs Psychic Connection
In evidential mediumship, our intention is to connect with the consciousness of someone who has passed and bring forward information that helps identify who they are, not simply information that relates to the person receiving the reading.
Psychic is different.
When we work psychically, we are reading the energy of a living person.
We may pick up information about their emotions, experiences, relationships, personality, challenges or circumstances.
That distinction matters.
Because if I tell you something you already know about yourself, it may be incredibly accurate, but accuracy alone doesn't necessarily make it mediumship.
The question becomes:
Where did the information come from?
Evidence Changes Everything
One of the strongest aspects of evidential mediumship is information that identifies the communicator in Spirit.
That might include:
Their personality and character
Their relationship to you
Memories or shared experiences
How they lived
Significant places
Names or dates
Specific events
Mannerisms or expressions
Details surrounding their passing
Information you may need to verify later
For me, some of the most powerful evidence is information the recipient doesn't immediately recognise.
Perhaps I bring through a name they've never heard before.
A memory they don't recall straight away.
An unusual object they can't place.
Or something about their loved one's life that they simply don't know.
Then they go away, speak to another family member or look through old photographs, and discover that the information was correct.
I sometimes call this the "golden egg" of evidence.
Why?
Because the recipient didn't consciously know the information.
They couldn't simply feed it to the medium through conversation, and it becomes much harder to explain as information being read from their immediate thoughts or responses.
That kind of evidence can be incredibly powerful.
Mediumship Is More Than Getting Facts Right
There is another part of mediumship that I believe is just as important.
The essence of the person should begin to come through.
Spirit isn't a checklist.
When someone you love communicates, there is often a recognisable quality to the connection.
Their personality.
Their humour.
Their way of expressing themselves.
The relationship you shared.
Sometimes even the little characteristics that made them wonderfully, unmistakably them.
A strong mediumistic connection should begin to create a picture of the communicator rather than simply producing a collection of statements that could belong to anyone.
You aren't trying to prove that you can receive information.
You're allowing the recipient to recognise:
"Yes. That's them."
That is where evidence and connection come together.
Why Developing Mediums Get Confused
If you're learning mediumship and sometimes wonder whether you're reading psychically instead, that doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong.
It's part of development.
Psychic awareness and mediumistic awareness can feel very similar, particularly in the beginning.
You may receive images through clairvoyance.
Feel something through clairsentience.
Suddenly know something through claircognizance.
Hear a word, name or phrase internally.
The psychic senses can be involved in both experiences.
So the difference isn't necessarily how you receive the information.
The difference is what you're connected to when you receive it.
This is why intention, awareness and structure matter so much in mediumship development.
You need to learn not only how to receive information, but how to recognise the connection you are working within.
Be Careful About Searching for Confirmation
One of the habits I see developing mediums fall into is looking too quickly to the recipient for confirmation.
You receive something and immediately ask:
"Does that make sense?"
Then you watch their face.
You notice their reaction.
You hear their response.
Without realising it, you can begin allowing the recipient to lead the connection rather than allowing it to unfold from Spirit.
Instead, learn to stay with what you're receiving.
Explore it.
Describe it.
Allow the evidence to build.
If you receive a man, don't immediately decide who he is.
What does his energy feel like?
What personality is he showing you?
What memories are coming forward?
What relationship is being demonstrated?
What evidence can he give you?
Let Spirit tell the story before you try to interpret the ending.
Don't Throw Away What You Can't Understand
This is another important part of development.
Sometimes the strongest evidence makes absolutely no sense to the medium, and that's okay.
In fact, I often prefer it that way.
Your job as the medium isn't to make every piece of information logical.
Your job is to communicate what you're receiving as clearly as possible.
If you start editing information because you don't understand it, you may accidentally remove the very detail the recipient needed to recognise their loved one.
A strange image.
An unusual name.
A random number.
A particular food.
A tiny memory.
You may think:
"That can't possibly be right."
But it isn't your evidence to judge.
Give what you receive before your conscious mind has the opportunity to rewrite it.
That is where trust begins to develop.
So… Was It Spirit, or Was It You?
You won't answer that question by simply trying harder to believe.
You answer it by developing discernment.
Learn what mediumistic connection feels like.
Learn what psychic connection feels like.
Understand your own psychic senses.
Develop structure around your connection.
Stop searching the recipient for answers.
Most importantly, look for evidence.
Confidence in mediumship shouldn't come from convincing yourself you're right.
It comes from repeatedly experiencing the connection, testing what you receive and allowing the evidence to speak for itself.
Over time, something changes.
You stop asking "Was that Spirit, or was it me?" as you begin recognising the difference. Ready to Take Your Mediumship Further?
If this has resonated with you and you’re ready to move beyond simply sensing Spirit into understanding, trusting and communicating what you receive with greater clarity, The Eternal Soul Mediumship Course may be your next step.
The course is already underway, but you can still join and enrol now. You’ll receive access to the course materials and recordings so you can catch up on what has already been covered, then continue developing alongside the current class.
This is your opportunity to deepen your connection, build confidence in the evidence you receive, understand your own mediumistic process and develop your abilities within a structured, supportive learning environment.
You haven’t missed your chance to be part of this intake.
Enrol in The Eternal Soul Mediumship Course today and begin strengthening the connection you already know is there.
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