Truth be told, I was mesmerized by the title of Diana Palm’s book: Setting Spirits Free using the Theta Brain technique, when I first discovered it. Although I’m not a newbie to the spiritual world, I am a newbie to the paranormal world and frankly, have avoided it my entire life.
It’s not as if I haven’t been intrigued by the notion of ghosts or resistant that they may live among us, but I have always felt diving deeper into that world might somehow open things up I wasn’t quite ready to explore. To ignore that ghosts and spirits exist just because we can’t see them with the human eye, is a bit naive even if you’re a scientist. And yet, did I really want to go there?
Her book brought me closer to the world of paranormal encounters but not in ways that are alarming — see my short review of Setting Spirits Free in 3 Spiritual Reads for Summer. Spirits who haven’t crossed over fully into the Spiritual Realm and Healing Light, can linger and drain your energy. Diana recounts her own paranormal encounters, and work with what she refers to as “lost souls”, loved ones in spirit, possessed vehicles and objects, spirits in disguise and more.
When I was given the opportunity to do a couple of sessions with Diana (she does them in person if you want to head to Minnesota or she can also do them over the phone), my first reaction was “great, it sounds fascinating, but I’m pretty sure I don’t have any ghosts in our house, so what would we cover?”
The truth is that the paranormal realm was a by-product of her work and something she explored as a way to validate her spiritual work with the scientific community. She pegs herself first and foremost as a medium, spiritual healer and author, however some of the equipment she has used in her paranormal work allowed her to capture sounds in order to confirm spirit presence in the exact locations where she and other mediums had sensed their energy. In other words, it was a way to measure and record spirits as a way of proving that they exist.
I’d suggest reading her books prior to doing a session with her, even if spiritual healing is your primary or only purpose for connecting with her. Why? She teaches you the difference between lost souls, loved ones in spirit, spirits in disguise, ghosts, ghost imprints (essentially residual energy) and spirits from the highest possible light.
Using something she refers to as the Theta Brain, you can connect to spirits from the light, communicate with them and learn how to cross unwanted spirits in your life “over” to the other side. BTW, the most useful and practical use case here is a loved one who remains on earth as a “ghost“ because they haven’t yet crossed over to the “spirit world.” They could be confused, lost, or fear that if they cross over, they will no longer be able to stay close to living loved ones they’ve left behind.
She helps you discern the difference between all of these entities. Additionally, she provides techniques, tools and meditations to protect yourself and tips on getting into the Theta Brain, which is a state of mind she uses to access the “other side” in all of her spiritual healings.
You may have heard of the Alpha Brain wave, which is what you experience during some forms of healing (like Reiki), are day dreaming or simply relaxed (this is at a frequency of 7-14 cycles per second). The Theta Brain is even slower than alpha, and is achieved during hypnosis or a dreaming while asleep state (frequency of 4-7 cycles per second). It used to be only sages, Tibetan monks and shamans who know how to access this state through hours of meditation and/or fasting.
Most of us have a hard time meditating, or don’t have time to meditate daily — if you’re a mom raising children and also working, you’re resonating with me right now. Diana teaches you ways to access this state within seconds or minutes, not hours, days or weeks.
According to Diana, while we use all the brain waves, we can actually train ourselves to use certain ones more than others, redirecting our subsconscious mind using the Theta Brain wave, because this is where our subconscious programs are stored. Tibetan Buddhist chants transport monks into higher consciousness as they follow this rhythm.
“The theta brain wave allows you to journey into higher planes and realities.”
Even if you don’t believe in ghosts or have no interest in communicating with the spirit world, chances are if you’re reading this article, you’re at least curious. Her technique helps you reach a higher level of consciousness and relaxed state, so at a minimum, going into a Theta Brain state will help you become more relaxed and make it easier to meditate. Take it from a Type A personality who has a hard time sitting still and unwinding at the end of a long day.
While my own experience with accessing and staying in a theta brain wave is still evolving, I have been practicing it each week with improved results. I should add that visualization is an integral part of the process.
Imagine yourself connected to the earth and that beautiful supportive energy is emerging from the earth and encompassing your body, opening up each of your seven chakras on the way through your body, all the way out your crown.
She then suggests sending your consciousness and all that beautiful energy through your crown chakra, out into space until you have finally reached iridescent white light. In other words, keep going until you get to that pure white light.
Somewhere along the way, you may notice that your eyelids start to flutter, which is an indication that you’ve reached the theta brain wave — similar to the REM (rapid eye movement) you experience when you dream. When you’re in this state, you can make a clear intention “command” to the Creator‘s energy (whoever that creator is for you). The intention should be to enhance your own consciousness in a way that is positive and serving. In other words, it shouldn’t be a command that is self-serving and/or doesn’t contribute to the overall good.
Note that I use the word Creator because this is the word that Diana and many spiritual workers use. Her technique is not associated with a particular religion or faith; Creator in this context should be whatever Creator is for you — your God or Gods or Goddesses or Buddha or if you’re agnostic, then it may be a tree or the Universe. It is meant to refer to the highest possible consciousness and light that you can tap into through your intention and your visualization.
Accessing this state using this method gets easier over time — I’ve been practicing mostly at home, sometimes holding a Vajra and/or etheric weaver, sometimes holding one of my favorite crystals (I love Amethyst and Blue Lapis), although I always have some Apothyllite nearby (and pyrite, hematite and black tourmaline for protection). Apothyllite is known to stimulate your pineal gland and help to open you up to spiritual awakening, by infusing your light-body with high vibration energy.
Does all of this sound too crazy for you? If it does but you’re still intrigued, then here’s why you’re likely still reading. The “spirit world” exists and so do spirits – they’re around us all the time, but we just can’t see them or feel them. I am close to a few people who have the gift of direct spirit access (one can see and the other two can feel them). There are many people who do and in fact, there may be one or two in your own close community — we all have the “ability.”
I have had powerful experiences with mediums, psychics and healers over the years. In one case, I asked a medium who was channeling my mother one evening — “what song lit up my world as a child?” — as a way to verify whether the experience was “real” — it was too emotional for me not to know if it truly was my mother communicating through him –– or not.
He began to hum two songs, one after another that my mother used to play on the piano when she was alive, both of which brought tears to my eyes. They were two songs I have been learning how to perfect on a keyboard myself (and still haven’t) as a way to think of her. We also sang them and sometimes played these tunes on an old fashioned record player on Sunday mornings.
Natural mediums have the ability to sense and feel their energy because spirits come through them to communicate a message, either directly or intuitively and often use objects that the deceased used or wore, photos and other things that still carry their energy. While it is something that can be learned by anyone, some people just naturally have this gift. And, it is very real.
So, whether you’re a believer in the paranormal world or not (neither this article or her book are attempting to convince you), what further exploration will do, is uncover some important answers in your own life. We all have questions and unusual incidents over the course of our lives, some more than others. It could be a strange occurence that you’ve never been able to logically explain, an uncomfortable feeling you had in old house, a deja vu experience that was so surreal you can’t dismiss it or a strong sense that a deceased love one shared something with you at a pivotal time in your life and you wondered if it was “real” or not.
Regardless of what unanswered questions or curiosities lay buried in your sub-conscious or conscious mind, accessing the Theta Brain wave to increase your ability to access the “spirit world” directly, dedicating some time in your week to meditation, or simply getting out in nature more, I encourage you to explore, discover and reach out to the spiritual voices on our site and through other resources. Ask questions and don’t be afraid of how strange they sound.
Diana and others’ attempts are merely to teach you about this world and to diffuse some of the fear we all have about the “other side” and even access it. Nearly every author, healer, spiritual guide and teacher I have read recommends protection techniques on your journey so you dive in gently with as much knowledge, support and love as possible.
During my sessions with Diana, she asked what issues or concerns I had, a bit like a therapist would, except that her work is centered around clearing blocked energy and can even be done remotely.
There are certainly people who tout these gifts and aren’t the “real deal,” but there are plenty of people who truly have the gift to serve, heal and help people. In my journey in interviewing and directly engaging in sessions with spiritual healers (many refer to them as “protectors of light”), I can only speak from my own personal experience.
With Diana, we focused on changing old thought patterns that no longer serve me in the second phase of my life (she uses muscle testing techniques as well) and on unblocking a chakra that has likely been clogged for years. Her energy is loving and authentic and it is about your journey and intention as much as it is about her guiding you through it (and out of it), especially if that “it” is a negative state of mind you need to leave behind. It’s amazing how powerful “thought” is and how shifting a belief system you’ve had for decades, can literally transform your life when you’re open to letting go.
I’d suggest doing any spiritual work when you’re feeling healthy, not sick, tired or under the weather. You’ll also want to hydrate often before, during and after the process.
I’d argue that our spiritual health is as important as our physical health, so find out where you’re blocked and create a spiritual road map that helps to support and nurture you on this fascinating path we call our life.
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Note: I am not a health practitioner and am not recommending that Diana’s work can heal or cure any diseases, illness or emotional conditions. I am merely writing about my experience with her directly and my opinions on her books. As with any healing decisions, get advice and do what’s write for you based on your situation. The Spiritual Voices section of the site is about my experiences with certain spiritual practitioners and in some cases, insights in their own voice.
A Few Useful Articles for Further Reading
- Purchase Diana Palm’s Book: Setting Spirits Free (on paperback and on Kindle)
- Purchase Diana Palm’s Book: Mediumship (on paperback and on Kindle)
- WBTW’s Spirituality Section
- WBTW’s Spiritual Books
- WBTW’s Spiritual Voices
- WBTW’s Spiritual Events (a new section, so we’ll be adding a lot more content soon)
- WBTW’s Wellness Section
- Heal Through a Spiritual Sangoma
- Connecting to Spirit Medicine Connects us to Ourselves
- On a Rooftop in North India: Silence is our True Nature
- The SAND Conference (on nonduality)
- SAND 2016 – Why We Are Not Our Thoughts
- Why Consciousness?
- On Sufi Intellectualism and Philosophy
- Serenity Feng Sui Reads for the Summer
- What Humans Can Learn from the Moon