Talking to Heaven by James Van Praagh is a bestselling account of mediumship, purported communication with the deceased and belief in life after death. Combining autobiographical material with stories drawn from Van Praagh's work as a medium, the book explores his conviction that human consciousness continues after physical death and that communication between the living and those who have died may sometimes be possible.
Van Praagh describes the development of the abilities he interprets as mediumistic, explaining how he came to believe that he could perceive information from deceased individuals. Through numerous accounts involving people seeking contact with departed relatives and friends, he presents mediumship as a potential source of reassurance, healing and a different perspective upon death.
A particularly important theme throughout the book is bereavement. Many of the experiences described concern people attempting to come to terms with the death of someone close to them. Van Praagh argues that death represents a transition rather than the extinction of the individual and presents his reported communications as supporting that spiritual understanding.
The book also discusses the practical experience of mediumship, intuitive or psychic sensitivity and Van Praagh's understanding of the afterlife. Written for a general readership rather than as an academic study of psychical research, Talking to Heaven became one of the books that brought contemporary mediumship to a large international audience during the 1990s.
The experiences in the book reflect Van Praagh's own interpretations and claims. Purported communication with deceased people remains controversial, and mediumistic experiences do not constitute generally accepted scientific proof of survival after death. The book is therefore valuable both as a personal account of mediumship and as an influential example of modern popular literature concerning death, bereavement and survival.
The book explores:
Mediumship and purported spirit communication
Life after death and survival of consciousness
James Van Praagh's development as a medium
Psychic and intuitive experiences
Messages attributed to deceased people
Bereavement, grief and emotional healing
Spiritual understandings of death
The relationship between the living and the deceased
Personal accounts of mediumistic sittings
Beliefs concerning the afterlife
This title will appeal to readers interested in:
James Van Praagh and mediumship
Life after death
Spiritualism and spirit communication
Bereavement and grief
Psychic and paranormal experiences
Survival of consciousness
Modern mediums
Spiritual approaches to death and dying
Its accessible combination of personal narrative and individual case stories makes Talking to Heaven particularly suitable for readers approaching the subjects of mediumship and survival after death for the first time.