Ghosts Amongst Us
Ghosts Amongst Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side by James Van Praagh
Reviewed by Corinna Underwood
Co-executive producer of “Ghost Whisperer,” James Van Praagh is a “survival evidence medium,” meaning he can bridge the gap between the living and the dead, providing so called proof of the afterlife through detailed messages. Author of several New York Times best selling books, Van Praagh has written another account of his clairsentient experiences.
The author begins by describing his own personal near death experience as a younger man, which focused his confidence in his ability to communicate with the dead. He then embarks on a journey through his many later experiences in an attempt to instill the same faith in his reader’s.
Ghosts Amongst Us is based on the premise that when we die we become a “light, transparent energy body that is an exact replica of the physical body.” If you’re looking for comfort and reassurance in a peaceful afterlife then this is the book for you. It is replete with examples of how Van Praagh and other mediums have helped earthbound souls pass into the light and on to higher astral dimensions. Why they need the living to help them with this, Van Praagh explains, is because when people experience sudden or traumatic death, their soul often remains earthbound because they believe they are still alive, or because it brings them comfort to return to a familiar place.
One of the many examples is the spirit of a young British sailor whose ship was blown up in WWII. The man did not believe he was dead but thought instead that he was clinging to a rock for his dear life. Like many other spirits Van Praagh helped this one pass into the light, relieving him from the bounds of earth.
Van Praagh reassures us that even those of us who are skeptical about the existence of an afterlife do move on to the higher astral dimensions eventually; although they often need the assistance of a medium to help them realize what has happened. He makes the startling claim that we actually do choose our family members before we are reborn on earth from our family “soul group,” members of which often travel back to earth together. Disappointingly the author does not explain how, when or why spirits are reincarnated.
The chapters on chakras and healing, possession and communication offer nothing new apart from a few more of Van Praagh’s personal communications with the spirit world, which eventually seem to be nothing more than self gratifying advertorials.
Corinna Underwood originates from England. She has published articles and books throughout the USA and Europe. She now resides in Atlanta. Her website is www.ambiguousmedia.net.
Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side
224 pages, Hardcover, $24.95
HarperOne (To be released May 13, 2008)
Pre-orders available now from Amazon.com
