This week I am talking to the medium Traci Bray.

Bio

Traci Bray was born and raised in Clinton, Iowa. She was 5 years old when the first known deceased person appeared to her. Although recognition of life beyond a physical existence was real for Traci, it wasn’t until the mid-1990's that she began offering public readings at the urging of friends. Via word-of-mouth, accolades of her skills widened. Her clientele has expanded across the US, and to all continents save the poles!

Traci's professional background and enhanced communications skills lend themselves to her readings. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Family Services and a Master's in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration. For over two decades prior to reading publicly she assisted individuals, families and systems toward change for improvement in the fields of domestic violence, sexual assault, corrections and public transportation. She served as a curriculum writer and trainer for two state-level law enforcement agencies in the Midwest. It is a natural that in addition to families, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have requested and received her confidential input.

In late 2022, Traci published an oracle card deck, "The Soul Lives On - Life-Affirming Channeled Messages from Spirit", and an accompanying Journaling Workbook, both with Stacy A. Macy, JD.

More recently, a number of thoughts and quotes of Traci's appear in Dr. Julie Beischel's oracle card deck, "Guidance for Grief: Wisdom to Help You Stay Connected to Your Loved One After Loss", and her book From the Mouths of Mediums, which provides interviews with other Windbridge Certified Research Mediums which Beischel directs. In 2000, Traci was filmed by the BBC for a documentary, produced by Justine Picardie, on mediums. That experience later materializes in Picardie’s book, If the Spirit Moves You: Love and Life Beyond Death. Additionally she appears in the book Truth About Medium, by Dr. Gary Schwartz, former Director of the University of Arizona’s coveted VERITAS program, where she served as a “Research Medium”. Other research mediums with VERITAS have included John Edward, George Anderson and Allison DuBois, the latter on whom the NBC series "Medium" is based. Windbridge Certified Research Mediums include Laura Lynne Jackson, Debra Martin and Kim Russo. Key media pieces include:

Kansas City NBC affiliate KSHB produced a feature story on Traci's work;

Quoted in CNN online article

Contributor to Dr. Julie Beischel's (Director of Research, Windbridge) award winning essay for the (Robert) Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies

Contributor to e.books published by Windbridge including Among Mediums: a Scientists Quest for Answers

Presenter, The Compassionate Friends regional conference

Presenter, The Vail Symposium (see photo at left of Traci, Dr. Julie Beischel, and Eliza Rey, another WCRM

Guest on "Kansas City Live"

Feature article in the "Kansas City Star"

Numerous articles about her work have materialized in a number of newspapers and magazines across the Midwest including the "Kearney Press," "Kansas City Wellness," and "Evolving."

Today Traci is a Level #5 Certified Research Medium with The Windbridge Research Center (see http://windbridge.org) in Tucson, AZ. Previously she served as a Certified Medium with the Forever Family Foundation in New York.

Traci is a relaxed, dynamic, and engaging public speaker and reader. She can be hilarious! A passion for writing finds her working on several projects from her home which is on the National Historic Register in Kansas City, Missouri.

Traci's readings come from Spirit in the 'spirit-of' personal enlightenment. To some recipients, they also provide entertainment and certainly, enjoyment. Every beneficiary of a reading has free will to choose as they see fit for their own life. Individuals are responsible for their interpretation of the reading as well as how or if they incorporate it into their own life via thought, word and deed.

https://tracibray.com/

My Book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

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This week I am talking to Dr Gregory Shushan about his book 'Near-Death Experience in Indigenous Religions'.

Near-death experiences are known around the world and throughout human history. They are sometimes reported by individuals who have revived from a period of clinical death or near-death and they typically feature sensations of leaving the body, entering and emerging from darkness, meeting deceased friends and relatives, encountering beings of light, judgment of one's earthly life, feelings of oneness, and reaching barriers, only to return to the body. Those who have NDEs almost invariably understand them as having profound spiritual or religious significance.

In this book, Gregory Shushan explores the relationships between near-death experiences, shamanism, and beliefs about the afterlife in traditional indigenous societies in Africa, North America, and Oceania. Drawing on historical accounts of the earliest encounters with explorers, missionaries, and ethnologists, this study addresses questions such as: Do ideas about the afterlife commonly originate in NDEs? What role does culture play in how people experience and interpret NDEs? How can we account for cross-cultural similarities and differences between afterlife beliefs?

Though NDEs are universal, Shushan shows that how they are actually experienced and interpreted varies by region and culture. As the historical documents reveal, in North America, they were commonly valorized, and attempts were made to replicate them through shamanic rituals. In Africa, however, they were largely considered aberrational events with links to possession or sorcery. In Oceania, Micronesia corresponded more to the African model, while Australia had a greater focus on afterlife journey shamanism. Polynesia and Melanesia showed an almost casual acceptance of the phenomenon as reflected in numerous myths, legends, and historical accounts.

This study examines the continuum of similarities and differences between NDEs, shamanism, and afterlife beliefs in dozens of cultures throughout these regions. In the process, it makes a valuable contribution to our knowledge about the origins of afterlife beliefs around the world and the significance of related experiences in human history.

Gregory Shushan explores the relationship between NDEs and beliefs about the afterlife in traditional indigenous societies.

Bio

He was Grawemeyer Award-nominated for his book Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations.

He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Religious Experience Research Centre, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and was previously Perrott-Warrick Researcher at University of Oxford's Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion; and Scholar-in Residence at the Centro Incontri Umani (The Cross Cultural Centre), Ascona, Switzerland.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0197685439

My Book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

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In this episode I'm talking to Claire Broad about her book 'Answers from Heaven: Incredible True Stories of Heavenly Encounters and the Afterlife'

Answers from Heaven is for anyone who has ever wondered if there is an afterlife and if it is truly possible to contact the spirit world.

In this compelling book, Sunday Times bestselling author Theresa Cheung and medium Claire Broad share the fascinating true stories of ordinary people who have experienced direct communication from the spirit world, and those who have received proof of survival through a reading with Claire.

Answers from Heaven outlines the many different ways that heaven may answer our prayers, offer us comfort and provide proof of survival, and includes:

- The top ten afterlife signs

- What near-death experiences can tell us

- The meaning of visions and dreams

- The importance of intuition and coincidence

- Advice on visiting a medium

As well as examining the ways in which messages can come to us from the other side, Answers from Heaven outlines the latest scientific research on the afterlife and mediumship, and helps shed light on one of the most important questions about human experience - what happens after we die? It also shares the practical steps we can all take to become more attuned to the medium that lies within us and recognise the signs that heaven is calling.

Bio

From an early age, Claire became aware of non-ordinary states of consciousness and the continuity of awareness beyond physical death. These early experiences shaped a lifelong inquiry into the nature of consciousness, the soul, and what it means to live well as a human being. Rather than framing this as belief, Claire has spent nearly three decades exploring consciousness through direct practice, disciplined training, and grounded application.

Originally known for her work in mediumship and spirit communication, Claire’s practice naturally evolved as her understanding deepened. Today, her work sits at the intersection of soul awareness, consciousness studies, emotional safety, and lived human experience. She supports people in moving beyond fear-based spirituality, identity confusion, and spiritual overwhelm, and into a stable, embodied relationship with their own soul — one that supports clarity, regulation, purpose, and meaningful connection.

Claire is widely respected for her down-to-earth, honest approach. She is often described as someone who brings spiritual understanding into practical life — without bypassing grief, trauma, or the realities of being human. Her work does not offer quick fixes or heightened states, but a deeper capacity to live with steadiness, meaning, and integrity.

Alongside her private work, Claire teaches internationally and is regularly invited to lecture at established institutions, including the College of Psychic Studies in London. She has addressed sold-out audiences, led workshops and professional trainings, and facilitated immersive retreats focused on embodied soul awareness and conscious living. Through this work, she has supported thousands of people navigating loss, awakening, change, and personal transformation.

Claire is the author of three bestselling books exploring the nature of the soul, consciousness, and life beyond death. Her writing is known for balancing spiritual insight with emotional honesty and psychological grounding, contributing to contemporary conversations around consciousness, meaning, and human potential.

At the heart of Claire’s work is a simple truth:

• You are not broken.

• You are not lost.

• And you are not separate from your soul.

Learning to live from that place changes how you think, relate, and live.

https://www.clairebroad.com/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0714B4RQ9

My Book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP

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