Have you ever heard that a medium requires personal background details—such as names, life circumstances, photos, birth dates—before conducting a spirit communication?

Here you will learn which information a genuine medium truly needs, and which they do not.

Hot Reading and Cold Reading

When a medium collects information about you prior to a reading, this is called a hot reading. Such information may be directly requested from you—for example, if the medium asks beforehand for pictures or data about the deceased person. Equally, this information might be gathered without your knowledge, for instance via social media.

Those who do this aim to create a false impression of psychic abilities. It goes without saying that this practice is unethical and unprofessional.

Less obvious is a so called cold reading. This involves quickly analysing the gestures and behaviours of the person in front of them. Even the smallest reaction to a statement can lead to assumptions about you. People skilled at this are truly adept at reading others and using that knowledge. However, presenting cold reading as genuine psychic ability is deliberately deceptive.

True mediumship avoids both methods. Authentic mediums do not rely on either hot or cold reading. They depend solely on information provided by the spirit world.

Genuine Mediumship: Independent and Backed by Meaningful Evidence

Professional mediums work independently. They gather all information directly from the spirit realm. This means a good medium will not want any information from you beforehand.

As the medium connects with you and your departed loved ones on an energetic level, a channeling session (more precisely, a spirit contact) can be conducted just as well via video call or telephone. This connection uses the psychic senses—the subtle counterparts to seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling.

For what is called evidential mediumship—mediumship that provides proof—it is actually essential that you reveal no prior information. I always ask my clients to tell me as little as possible about themselves, and absolutely nothing about the spirit contact they wish to have. I don’t even want to know whether a mother, father, child, or friend has passed away.

Why? Because for most people, spirit contact is primarily about receiving evidence: They want confirmation from a complete stranger that life continues after death, and that their loved ones remain close to them.

If I can tell you (without any prior information) who has passed, in which manner and what your relationship was, it makes the messages the deceased wishes to convey to you far more credible. After all, I can share the message, but I cannot prove the message in and by itself.

Exception: Questions During the Reading

Of course, there is an exception. Sometimes, a medium will ask you a question during a spirit contact. The most common question you will hear from a good medium is: “Does this information make sense to you?” or “Do you understand this?”

It is important for the medium to hear from you that the message is understood. Usually, this allows the next message to flow naturally, and the reading continues.

Occasionally, questions help clarify complex information from the deceased. How much you choose to share about your shared experiences is entirely up to you. Often, providing context helps deepen the message.

What This Means for You

A reputable medium operates independently of background information. They deliver authentic messages purely through energetic connection via psychic senses. Background details are optional and only serve as context during the reading—not as the basis for communication.

 

For what you really need to prepare for a reading, see my article:

5 Steps to Prepare Perfectly for Your Channeling Session with a Medium.

 

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