Is Psychic Ability & Mental Illness linked?

One of the comments on my Hereditary Witches post prompted me to ask this question. Do you believe psychic ability and mental illness has a link? Can one be caused by the other? I am really not sure, so I look at my own family to help me answer my question.

My mother is the first person in my family I've known to have a mental illness. Before I was born she was very suicidal. She has a 3 inch thick (Not even joking here) folder full of her hospital visits and what the doctors diagnosed for her. There are too many diagnosis to remember, but the one I do remember is schizophrenia.
Despite the doctors diagnosis, I doubt my mother is schizophrenic. I've never known her to hallucinate or have delusions. She does go through periods of depression, so I've no doubt some kind of mental disorder is at play here. Regardless of what she has, I know my mother isn't a medium. She has an abnormally high level of focus, and I believe she's lucid dreamed before, but that's about it as far as ESP.

My husband is the second person in my life with a mental illness (Bipolar disorder). And I do know he is a very good psychic. When he was healthy he had such an extremely rare gift for reading people. In his case however, when his mental illness got worse his ability to read people declined as did his spiritual connection. That is because he no longer has the focus required to listen to the spirits. He's often told me he still hears murmurs, but its like someone talking with their hand covering their mouth. They are there, you just can't understand.

So I have two examples. One I know is a psychic but loses his gift, the other no gift but a long list of mental disease. So that leads me to believe that it depends on the individual. I do think mental illness can be linked with psychic ability. That's not to say that psychic ability is a sham and only caused by delusions. Perhaps because the person has something different in their brain its easier to accept a connection with the spirit world. For others maybe it makes it harder.

What do you think? Are there any examples you can think of that show a connection?

22. Samhain Divination. Draw one Tarot card and tell us how it relates to your life.

Source

The 6 of cups: This card represents opening the heart to the simple pleasures of life. This card reminds us to follow the simple joy of youth and innocence. It teaches us to be in harmony with natural forces and allow old friends to enter our life again.

This card makes a lot of sense to me. This year has been all about change and getting back to my husbands (and mine) childhood homes. Though my family in Ohio is not on speaking terms, I do still consider Ohio to be "The homeland". Really, I have two home states, because although I will gladly bitch about how backward Kentucky really is, I've grown fond of it over the years.

As far as the "simple pleasures", well I could read that in a lot of ways. Earlier I said I want to live like a gypsy. That would involve bringing the simple pleasures back to our life. We wouldn't have access to things like cable TV or the Internet. Both things Dh and I both love and find it difficult to live without. Yet there is a certain health benefit (Both spiritual and physical) of unplugging and being closer to nature. I've long said that I believe embracing our faith more and getting back to nature are going to be how Dh's mental illness is maybe not cured, but controlled.

I suppose what will be will be. I'm trusting in the Lord & Lady to guide us. I'm sure she will. But like anyone now, I'm impatient to get things moving! I have a feeling around the first of the year things will turn around for us. Which isn't soon enough for me. But we shall see.

This is apart of 31 Days of Samhain

Like my page on Facebook

Psychic Readings Without Permission

I thought I was done posting for the day, but I have sort of an educational post combined with a rant. First let me say I am a Psychic Medium. However I don't do readings for people unless they ask and I feel they really need it. I just don't like people coming back asking the same questions over and over again. I feel people become dependent on a reading to help guide their life.

Theresa from the TV show, Long Island Medium, says she is a psychic and after watching the show I'd say that she has some ability. However she walks up to people and starts doing readings without their permission. I understand when a spirit really wants to communicate. I also understand walking into a crowded area and just feeling anxious and needing to say something to someone. However you CAN control it. This is what Theresa is not doing and to me this behavior indicates that the reader is not quite as adept as she believes herself to be. It is also incredibly rude IMO to read someone without their permission. She says she can't control it. There are ways to control such as Psychic Shielding which I've discussed previously in my Spiritual Protection post.

If you are a psychic medium, how do you feel about this? Is it OK in your opinion to walk up to someone and start reading without their permission?

Have you had any paranormal experiences?

Yes! Many paranormal experiences in my lifetime. I can remember when I was a child I was afraid of going to sleep because I would wake up and see people standing at the end of my bed or looming over me. As soon as I tried to focus on them they disappeared. But while in that half awake sleepy phase I could feel and see a shadow there. Most people would tell a child that they aren't really there, but I know they were! I still wake up sometimes and see those shadows.

I've gotten better at seeing and interacting with Spirits. They no longer frighten me, but they can still startle me sometimes. One of the strongest experiences I've had was when we were living in an old farm house. Almost every night I would wake up and see a man looking in the window. Then he would disappear. Well this time I was pregnant and already loosing sleep. So I put a blanket over the window. That night he appeared standing over me inside the house this time. And he was mad! So was I. I told him this wasn't his house anymore and to get out! I was very forceful about it. (Hey I was hormonal give me a break). The blanket fell when he disappeared and I never saw him again. That guy freaked me out a bit. I think he was the first owners of the home. I'd gage him to be from the 1930's maybe. I think his habit was to look in to see if his wife was asleep when he went out drinking. He seemed to be that kind of drunk redneck kind of man.

The last spirit I saw was I believe to be my son before he was born. I was only 8 weeks pregnant. I should explain that I believe around this time the spirit is near but not "IN" the baby's body. Its still undecided if the embryo is going to survive those first few important weeks.

I was afraid that I would miscarry. I have lost a baby before and though I have no proof I think I was having multiple very early miscarriages for years. I couldn't sleep that night because I was worried about the light cramps I was having, but I was very tired. I remember going to the bathroom and pleading that I wouldn't see any red spots. (I didn't). I went back to bed and there standing by my bed was a young man that resembles my husband. Though his hair was like mine. He told me everything would be OK. That if I worried I could stress myself out too much. To just have faith that all would be well and that he loved me. I had an overwhelming feeling of love. It was at this time I also knew I would have a son. I held onto that message and anytime I felt myself start to worry something was wrong, I'd relive that moment in my mind and be OK. I never saw him again. Shortly after that the spirit no longer hovers because the baby is viable and the spirit attached. I'll never forget that visit though!

Lance & Wyatt. Like father like son!

And Wyatt is just like his daddy. Right now his hair is a combination of my hair and his fathers. Though as he ages I think it will turn darker. He definitely has my red highlights!