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Recently I was a guest on Stuart Palm’s podcast, Mysterious World. It was jokingly referred to as my “coming out party” because I talked about many things that sure, my good friends know, but I have only NOW been speaking about professionally…
Hearing and Seeing Ghosts
“It’s as if you went to a party and everyone there was speaking a different language and all of a sudden you hear somebody, in the distance speaking English so you run to that person and say “Omg! Can you understand me?” and have a conversation with them. This is sometimes what happens to me if there’s a spirit that needs to communicate because it recognizes that I can understand it.”
Yes, it’s true. Spirits talk to me...I see ghosts.
And yes, I have seen them my whole life, and I see them at unexpected times and sometimes they even try to graze my leg while I’m asleep (in bed with my husband might I add)! (keep reading below for that story!)
I cover this and more in my all-things-mysterious podcast interview with Stuart Palm of Mysterious World where we deeply discuss my experiences being a clairvoyant (yes, I am finally admitting to the world I’m clairvoyant and clairaudient), Highly Sensitive Person, someone who experiences altered states of consciousness, and has even seen… wait for it… elves.
If this has you wondering what the heck I’m talking about (and please listen to the whole podcast!) let me tell you a short version of one of my favorite ghost encounters, which just happened to occur around Halloween right before I was about to become DOCTOR Larson.
Of course it was Halloween time
After 5 long years of intense research, my PhD journey was FINALLY coming to an end as I was called to sit in front of a panel of experts to defend my final dissertation. This took place in New Hampshire, USA, some 8,000 miles away from my home in Hong Kong.
I took this opportunity to gather both sides of my family together in one place for a rare celebration (imagine nice autumn weather, orange leaves and pumpkins in the distance).
While the initial purpose of the trip was centered around a very scholarly, rational, and reason-based event (dissertation defense), my ‘extra-rational’ ability to “see the unseen” quickly superseded it as the hot topic of conversation.
Indeed, sitting in the kitchen of the 18th Century New Hampshire farmhouse, I was certain of an additional presence at the dinner table. Naturally, my family was quick to laugh my suspicions off. “Classic Katie!” they mocked, “always seeing ghosts!” (Only my husband believed I was able to do this… but my parents (and his) not so much).
Even after a locked door was repeatedly (and impossibly) opened, they still doubted my explanation that the ghost was opening it!
I assume the ghost realized I could see him and thought we had some sort of connection, because that same night I woke up to a mustached, elderly man-ghost touching my leg!
I think it goes without saying I turned that down!
Still, no budge of belief from my family when I told them about it in the morning. (Except my hubby, who threatened the air with his fists saying “Leave my wife alone, ghost!”)
Then the following night mister ghost woke my husband up, standing beside him with his hand placed on his shoulder. My husband woke me up in a panic, asking me if I could “see him he’s right there!” I know, I said,“I know, over your shoulder. I’ve been telling you all he’s here!”
My husband’s experience certainly made me feel validated, but it was minor in comparison to the last day of our trip.
As we were leaving, we happened to pass the groundskeeper who asked how our stay was and I casually made a joke about hanging out with a ghost all weekend, and to all of our surprise he laughed it off and said, “Don’t worry, that’s just Benji, he mostly likes the ladies.”
Just for final validation I asked what he looked like. “Oh, he’s an older guy from the 1800s, has gray hair and a mustache”.
The look on my family’s faces: (!!) it was certain they finally took my gifts seriously, which obviously felt great.
I had defended two things that weekend! My PhD and my ability to see ghosts! :)
So, what does all of this mean?
And how do I #integrate these bizarre experiences into my life?
For many years, my work as a scholar left me somewhat reluctant to go public about any abilities I have to anyone outside my immediate friend-circle. It will hardly come as a surprise to read that accounts of supernatural encounters are rarely well-received in strictly scientific settings (which was my background).
I was still having experiences, and believing them (they are undeniably real when you are in them), but just not sharing them with many people.
But the door to the unseen remains wide open, and the more I’ve learned to embrace my unique senses, the greater my ability to see the invisible has become. I can now stretch pockets of time longer and longer in what I call the “Vertical dimension"--the dimension that connects “All that is” with “All you are”.
But it didn’t happen overnight, I really had to nurture my sensitives to both the human and spiritual energies I encounter daily, and TRUST that I am meant to see and understand this world.
But why does all this matter?
Having somewhat recently discovered I fall into the category of an #HSP (Highly Sensitive Person), I know that my nervous system is just not like the other 80% of the world, and I feel a sense of duty to assist similar souls in making sense of the experiences they have had, but are having a hard time speaking about.
Because HSPs are highly attuned and deeply intuitive individuals, it is perfectly logical that many of us also possess “clair-” (clairaudient, clairsentient, clairvoyant, etc.) abilities. But we don’t talk about it often because our introspective demeanor can also make it harder to share things that we believe may not be well-received by our peers.
In other words, an HSP can easily spend a lifetime without sharing their incredible insight with the world because they are too busy thinking deeply about what is happening to them that sharing it might negatively influence their processing (I know that's why I don't always share!).
BTW: This is why I created “Depth Quests”- intensely meaningful coaching experiences which are designed to give clients the courage to dive deep into the life-changing phenomena that have really shaped their lives, (but are rarely spoken about).
In Depth-Quests, we not only integrate these experiences, but we help continue exploring any abilities you too may have, that allow your life to have even more meaningful and quite possibly, magical moments.
There are several ways to explore a #Depth-Quest, so simply feel into which may be right for you.
So, PLEASE don’t go a lifetime without sharing these mysterious moments with someone. Make them a centerpiece of your life instead of a weird story you stuff in the closet and only bring out from time to time.
Want to come out of the closet together? :)
xx
Dr. Katie T. Larson,
GrowthQuests Founder