It is inevitable that, at some time, we must all vacate the chrysalis that is our physical body, and allow the essence of our minds the freedom it so desires. I believe it is in this area that mediums are irreplaceable. They bridge the gap between one dimension and another with survival evidence, giving comfort not only to the bereaved but also to the departed, enabling those on both sides to live their lives to the full.

It also takes away the fear of death for those in the last years of their lives. I had not realized until I became a medium, just how frightened old people are at the thought of dying. Because they are old, society does not expect them to show fear, and so they suppress it - and this makes them ill. When they are encouraged to speak about their fears, the floodgates open. I have seen quite tough individuals break down and weep, when they talk about the inevitability of death.

For these people, survival evidence provides the solace and courage they need when it is time for them to make the transition from one dimension to another, as the following story shows.

Maise was a fairly active lady in her mid-eighties. Her daughter Deborah asked me if I could help her mother. Although Maisie was physically active, she had become increasingly depressed and withdrawn over the past year, and no matter how hard her family tried to help, she refused to divulge the reason for her unhappiness. I suggested that Deborah ask her mother to accompany her the next time she herself came to me for healing. This way Maisie would not be suspicious.

Deborah duly arrived for her appointment, and introduced me to her mother. Maisie looked very fit, and was still a very attractive woman, but her eyes were dull and she looked sad. We chatted for a while, and then I asked her to sit in one of the armchairs whilst I healed her daughter.

About ten minutes into the healing, I glanced across at Maisie, and as I did so, I heard a voice say 'For God's sake tell her to cheer up.' I hesitated to repeat this, so I waited for more evidence. 'This is her husband, Eric,' the entity said. 'I'm very annoyed, because I can't get near her to comfort her. She has shut me out.' I passed on the messages to Maisie whilst I carried on with the healing.

At first she just sat and stared at me, and then she said, 'How do you know about Eric? Did Deborah tell  you?' So I explained that I was a medium. 'I don't hold with such people,' she said. 'It's too spooky.' She stood up. ' I'm going. There's no way I'm going to stay here.'

Deborah tried to persuade her mother to stay, 'Come on, Mum,' she said. 'At least stay until I've had my healing.'

I decided to intervene. 'Deborah, I think you should take your mother home.' Turning to Maisie, I said, 'I'm sorry you've been shocked, but I thought you knew I was a medium as well as a healer. Go home and think about what has happened. If you want to return another time, I will be pleased to see you.'

When they had left, I walked back into the healing room and saw a spiral of energy in the centre of the room. A voice said, 'She will be back.' I do not know who was speaking to me - it certainly was not Eric - but the message made me feel better.

A month later, Deborah asked for an appointment for herself and her mother. I must admit I was rather surprised, and wondered what would happen this time around.

When I opened the door to them, I could not believe I was looking at the same woman. Maisie looked ten years younger and, as she smile, her eyes lit up.

'I'm sorry I was so rude to you last time I was here,' she said.

Smiling, I told her not to apologize. I had understood her feelings. 'It must have been quite a shock for you,' I said as I showed her into the healing room.

'Well, it was rather.' She paused, and then she said, 'I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have saved me from a fate worse than death.'

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'Misery,' she replied. 'You see, I thought life ended here, but since you gave me Eric's message, I've come to realize that we do survive death.'

'What makes you so sure?' I asked. 'After all, you weren't given much evidence.'

'Oh yes I was,' she replied vehemently. 'You may not have realized it at the time, but I could see me husband's face building up over yours as you spoke, and you also took on his mannerisms. It was Eric all right. That is why I was so frightened. And the more I thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.' She smiled, 'Perhaps I could come along now and then for a sitting. I told her that she would be more than welcome.

Deborah told me later that the message from her father had turned all their lives around, and the atmosphere at home was now so much happier.

Maisie came to see me regularly for the next four years, and in that time received some incredible survival evidence, not only from Eric, but from friends and relatives as well.

She was ninety-two years old when she died. Her daughter told me that she never stopped speaking about her first visit to me, and how the experience had enabled her to enjoy the rest of her life.