People talk a lot about how visibility & representation in the media is really important so that we can actively see ourselves being portrayed on film. & I spent a long time waiting for that moment. Until finally, a movie came out called The Sixth Sense. By the time the movie ended, I was in tears. I was able to identify with the child that saw spirits & also with the therapist trying to help him, as well as the mother that felt so confused by his ability, & also in her powerlessness of feeling unable to help him. This was THE movie I was waiting for. It’s true that it wasn’t some fairytale princess that gets captured & rescued by her prince, but it was the most realistic portrayal of representation I had ever seen or felt from a movie up until that point.
Even though this movie wasn’t based on true events, if you ask most adults that had these abilities as children, this film portrayed some pretty accurate experiences. Especially when the child asks the therapist, “How can you help me, if you don’t believe me?” It’s like trying to explain something that only you can feel & because it's uncommon, rare or unheard of, your experiences might get easily dismissed because there’s no valid or substantial proof. This is why the work of Dr Brian Weiss is so profound. He was your average psychiatrist, performing a form of hypnotherapy on a patient, that morphed into a past life regression of some sort & it shifted his entire career into becoming Past Life Therapy. & even though the spotlight was on Kevin Bacon in The Stir Of Echoes, his son is most definitely in tune & says to his father, “You’re awake now daddy, you ok? Don’t be afraid of it, daddy.” I was hoping they would’ve shared more from the son’s perspective although it was equally as important to show that adults, too, can have a shift in consciousness at any age. & even as adults, there’s not necessarily a readily available outreach for assistance- as depicted in the film, where he’s comforted by his much younger, yet much more experienced child. On the other hand, here’s where it can get complicated. There’s this gray area that a lot of people don’t want to touch. & because of this, when a documentary-series called Psychic Kids came out, it was good that they decided to get that covered. They had a Psychic Medium & a Clinical Psychologist doing intake & working with the kids the entire time. This show was a miracle for those kids to finally be able to see, identify & connect with other kids experiencing the same or similar things. There’s nothing like a long night of disturbed sleep from trying to process what just happened on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, then waking up for school the next day, sitting through classes, taking tests, doing extra curricular activities & homework while trying to maintain this “normal” life & then doing it all again- night after night. Especially when you realize that the energy you encounter might feel intense, but doesn’t necessarily make it harmful. Sometimes, feelings like desperation can come across as intrusive because they require immediate attention. It wasn’t until I got older that I could actually appreciate the movie Ghost. When I had people showing up in ways that I could better understand, with a message for someone else, I felt Oda Mae’s pain :) but also Sam’s pain- who felt so stuck, confused & afraid-- as he mirrored the pain of his wife. I do believe we are moving more towards a space that is much more willing to investigate between the extremes that say either you are a witch or you have a mental illness if you have experiences with the deceased. & in the past, because those were often the options, & because we were afraid of both the experiences & the people having the experiences, then we push ourselves & others further back into the closet. **This is, not at all, suggesting to ignore any signs or symptoms of any mental illness & treatment from a medical professional. This is to state that there is now scientific proof of supernatural activity & its influence & effect on people. Other resources: Advice to Parents of Children who are Spontaneously Recalling Past Life Memories https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/resources/advice-to-parents-of-children-who-are-spontaneously-recalling-past-life-memories/ Birthmarks and Birth Defects Corresponding to Wounds on Deceased Person https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/wp-content/uploads/sites/360/2016/12/STE39stevenson-1.pdf
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