Carnoustie-based Karen Docherty has launched a mentorship scheme for psychic mediums.
Gayle Ritchie finds out more about her mission to make the industry more transparent and morally responsible.
Karen Docherty actively encourages people to be sceptical about the psychic industry.
“Really, you want to be in charge of your own life,” says the Carnoustie-based spirit medium and psychic.
“Some TV shows about psychics are complete nonsense and for mediums working ethically and trying to do good, it’s demeaning.
“I want to get the truth about mediumship out there.
“Some people see it as entertainment, a bit of fun, or all crystal balls and fortune telling where you’ll meet the man or woman of your dreams. It’s nothing to do with that.
“It’s about your loved ones, desperate to communicate with you, desperate to help you with your life.”
Karen has launched a mentoring scheme for new and upcoming psychics, healers, mediums and those seeking spiritual progression.
In her mind, it’s her way of helping those who feel doubtful about their ability and psychic gifts; it’s about supporting them on their journey to bring healing and clarity to those who need it.
It’s also a means of making the industry – which can sometimes be full of charlatans – more transparent, trustworthy and morally responsible.
If psychics are trained, or mentored, by the likes of Karen, then the hope is that the standards of service being offered will be tightened.
One of Karen’s earliest memories is seeing ‘spirit people’, without realising what they were.
Her gran read tea leaves and used premonition, talking often of her links to the spirit world.
“I’d always trusted there was another world, and while I wasn’t scared, it became a bit overwhelming,” says Karen.
“I’d go to bed and it would be as if there was a radio tuning in and out. I’d hear voices.
“It got to a point where I wasn’t sure if I was OK with it, so I spoke to a medium, and she said I should develop that because I’m a medium.
“I went along to her circle and felt the penny had dropped. From then on I went out and did the work.”
Karen says spirits communicate with her in different ways, as feelings, thoughts or images.
She believes her work, as a medium, is to help, uplift and heal, whether by offering evidence that loved ones are “still here”, or by giving guidance through a psychic link.
While she’s aware of the presence of spirits much of the time, she won’t foist a connection, or offer guidance, unless someone asks.
“I’ve been with people, maybe in a shop or busy place, and felt spirit come in. But I’d not share that unless asked.
“And I’ll always tell people who come to me that it’s not about prediction. While I can give guidance, it’s about the past, present and potential for things to come.
“If someone’s going through a bad relationship, I’ll tune in to that, but I won’t tell them to leave that person. I wouldn’t see it as ethical to change their decisions.
“But I can predict things like babies and moving house. I can pick up things that are definitely coming, and that can give people a little lift.”
So what essentially is spirit, for Karen? She doesn’t hesitate: “It’s everything. We come from the spirit world and, while we live here in this physical essence, we’re linked to spirit.
“There’s nothing physical about spirit. It’s about connection – the force of your loved ones. They want you to have evidence so you know they’re there.”
Be wary, says Carnoustie psychic medium
Karen is aware there are unscrupulous fraudsters out there, waiting to rip off vulnerable people via fake readings.
She says: “People going to mediums are vulnerable and desperate – they’re looking for something.
“There can be a lot of scammers so I’d urge people to be sceptical unless mediums can prove they’re genuine.
“But as much as there are charlatans out there, there are many genuine workers for spirit.”
When she encounters cynics keen to debunk psychic abilities, Karen doesn’t take it personally.
“There was a man at an event whose wife had clearly made him come along,” she recalls.
“His father came in (in spirit form) to talk, and the man kept trying to deny it. But he gave so many specific details, as if he was trying desperately to prove he was there, that ultimately the man changed his mind.”
Connecting with loved ones
While she offers mainly Zoom, or phone, readings, Karen also does big events.
She reckons, in a large audience, there could be three or four times as many spirit people there (compared with earthly beings), waiting to communicate with her.
It’s about your loved ones, desperate to communicate with you, desperate to help you with your life.”
Another aspect of Karen’s work is connecting with loved ones with dementia and Alzheimer’s, offering huge comfort to families.
“While someone with such an illness can’t communicate physically, it’s about showing they’re still very much alive in their spirit.
“The amount of people who’ve taken peace from connecting with loved ones with dementia is amazing.
“Recently, I told this lady to go to her father’s care home and look for a purple blanket on the floor and a barometer taken off the wall. It gave her amazing evidence. I could tell her – he does know you’re coming to see him, he wants to tell you he’s OK.”
Courses
Karen’s mentorship courses are designed to equip students with a range of knowledge, and all the tools needed to develop their gift.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for beginner and intermediate spirit workers to benefit from years of experience,” she says.
“Over a six-month period, participants receive the very best in teaching, one-to-one mentoring and a wealth of content to help their psychic and personal development.”
Karen says her “connection to spirit” and the development of her gift started much earlier than she realised.
“I always experienced signs or signals from spirit but I did not understand them enough to act,” she reflects.
“This is a shared experience among the students who enrol on the mentorship course.
“It offers answers to questions that can’t be found elsewhere in the spiritual industry and come from 25 years of experience.
“As well as focusing on the development or mechanics of spirit work, we also look at the moral responsibility of spirit work.
“Students are typically healers, psychics, aspiring mediums, coaches or individuals seeking guidance in their development, but applications are open to all.”
Community of spirit workers
Karen says that among all who join, there are two common objectives: understanding and strengthening the connection to the higher self; and to create a community of spirit workers who are confident in their knowledge and ability.
“There is so much information out there and some of it conflicting,” she laments.
“The teaching material on this mentorship encourages students to think about spirit work through different lenses while giving everyone genuine, balanced information.
“Through one-to-one mentoring, a comprehensive online course and interactive group sessions, students build a foundation for confidence, clarity and understanding.
“The online space offers a community of like-minded people who are striving for personal growth and development in a number of ways.
“For some more than others, this experience will also bring them closer to the people they have lost and for many students, the mentorship leads to communication with their spirit guides and teams.”
- Applications are open for the Karen’s next mentorship course which starts on May 1. For details see karenpsychic.com/mentorship.
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