Two minutes before I had told her I felt there was someone on the other side who had died of a heart attack. After a brief physical description of a man I saw, Winona broke down. This had been her husband. He had left earth suddenly. Her wounds were still raw.

We set a formal mediumship discernment appointment. The first thing that happened when I reconnected to him on the other side was the sighting of a desk. As soon as I described what I saw, the desk changed into a classic legal style, worn out and old.

"Yes! Yes! We had one of those!" She showed obvious excitement.

I decided to ask her deceased husband what was in there. He told me there was important work in the cabinet, which needed to be published so everyone in his family could benefit.

Winona confirmed that this work existed. Not only was she devastated emotionally at his loss, but there was the financial loss as well. He had left her with many bills and no way to pay them. The work was worth nothing unless it was published.

We continued to talk with her husband and he offered much advice and clarification on how to go about its publishing. Winona was relieved with a purpose and direction when she left.

Not all mediumship sessions are this lucid or provide such simple answers, however, they usually, when properly done, provide clarification, confirmation and closure.

The primary way to find authentic mediumship resources is through word of mouth, but here are some other ways.

1. Check out your local New Age Book store. See if the owner can recommend a medium or a Seance to attend. Seances are a great way to become familiar with the work of a claimed psychic to see if there is any validity to it.

2. Check to see if there are any Spiritualist Churches in your area. If not, check out the internet for national spiritualist organizations. Here is a national organization with local church listings: http://www.nsac.org/spiritualism.htm.

3. Another way to find a Spiritualist Church or medium is through local New Age magazines. These magazines are usually found in more holistic locations such as a health food store or New Age Bookstore.

At times it is unclear if discernment is telepathy or true communication with a deceased loved one. For example, if your sitter (person for whom you do the discernment) can validate everything that comes through, then this might be telepathy. However, if the information that comes through is not known by the sitter and is confirmed later, then this can be a validation of a communication with your deceased loved one.