A few years ago, I was teaching an Advanced Medium class to a group of 25 students. During a break, I noticed one student (we’ll call her “Mary”) sitting alone in the hallway, with a discouraged look on her face. I went up to her and asked how she was doing.

“I’m really frustrated,” she told me. “All the other students are talking about what they’re seeing — and I don’t see any of it! I think it’s because I have such an analytical mind. Maybe I’m just not cut out for this …”

I stopped Mary before she could go any further. I knew she was extremely gifted, even though she was full of doubt in that moment.

“Don’t compare yourself to others,” I encouraged her. “Read your way.”

All mediums have their own styles, none necessarily better than the others. We all come to mediumship with strengths and areas we have the opportunity to develop.

Related: Want to Become a Medium? 7 Signs You’re Ready to Learn

If you have an analytical way of thinking, start there. That’s your style. Don’t try to change it; rather, expand upon it.

Can Analytical Thinkers Become Good Mediums?

In short: absolutely!

The problem is, if you’re an analytical thinker, it might be harder for you to trust the unseen. As a result, you downplay, doubt or dismiss your medium skills.

Because your mediumship feels more factual, you can get discouraged when you don’t see what others see. You might wonder why you don’t experience the same emotional pull during readings as mediums who are more “touchy/feely” — and assume that it makes you a less competent medium. Not at all!

Your analytical mind is a gift to your mediumship, just as it is here in the physical realm. You’re probably really good at picking up concrete information from those on the Other Side. And you know how to ask the most amazing questions of the Spirit world. The seriously hard questions that allow you to understand the complex nature of interconnectedness. Questions that the touchy/feely mediums might not think to ask.

Developing Your Mediumship

How can you use your analytical thinking as a starting point, and grow your mediumship from there?

  • Your thinking and communication styles transcend realms. The way you typically interact with and interpret the physical realm is the way you’ll interact with and interpret the Other Side. Recognize your strongest senses — and work with them first. If you’re really strong in claircognizance (the sense of knowing), that’s great! Start there, and begin to build on your other senses.

  • Keep in mind that you’re communicating with people, even though they’re on the Other Side. Be interested in their lives and their stories. Take advantage of your analytical mind and ask questions — lots of questions! Listen to their answers, and ask more questions, just as if you were having a conversation with someone you’re meeting for the first time here in the physical realm.

  • Try not to put limits on the way the information comes through to you. Tune in to all of your senses to pick up on personality and character traits. Do the people you’re communicating with on the Other Side seem happy … sad … distracted … restless? How do you feel in their presence; do they have a calming or comforting way about them?

  • Resist the urge to label yourself in a rigid way. While your style might be more analytical than touchy/feely, think of it in terms of tendencies — not absolutes. You tend to approach things in a more concrete way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tap into your emotions or other senses.

  • Understand that there is no “right” or “wrong” thinking style in mediumship.

So what happened to Mary, the analytical-minded student who was doubting her ability to be a good medium?

As a science teacher, she was able to appreciate that mediumship, like science, is a practice. It takes time, patience and a willingness to explore possibilities.

Mary learned to cultivate her touchy/feely side while honoring her intuition. She learned how to use her analytical mind to ask deep questions of those on the Other Side and their guides. Over time, she developed the ability to trust the unseen.

Like Mary, hopefully you, too can appreciate your analytical thinking style as a gift. As you develop in your mediumship, you’ll find a balance that not only feels right, but also allows you to be in service to the Spirit world.