Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Mediumship
What is Impostor Syndrome in Mediumship?
Impostor syndrome in mediumship can impact anyone practicing due to the nature of meduimship and our own tendencies as humans. Mediumship can bring up situations that are uncomfortable, particularly as you continue to grow and develop your skills. Understanding that our readings are provided through the lens of our life prioritizes working through barriers to ensure our readings are as genuine and compassionate as Spirit intends. We need to make sure when we're practicing that our self-worth is not attached to the outcome of what's happening and the information received while we're giving the readings, otherwise we can go down a slippery slope of self-doubt.
Some of us can get to a place in which we feel like a complete fraud. There’s a term for that called Imposter Syndrome. In this impostor syndrome in mediumship scenario, you're giving amazing readings, but you're not willing to accept that you're doing it and doing it well. Another example of impostor syndrome is when you compliment someone, but they're not hearing what you're saying because it is not their own truth. Everyone is in different places with this, and it can come and go not just in your mediumship but also in other areas of your life. I want to bring this to your awareness; if this self-doubt is present for you, it may cause an inability to accept your excellence, your achievements, and your mediumship. Some people don't realize that this is what's happening when they're experiencing it. It can get to the point that it can stop you from reaching your true potential or growth.
Through readings, always be sure that you're coming from a genuine place on your own journey, and in acknowledgement of your emotions and energy as well as your sitter’s. Be sure that you’re showing up and giving the best of yourself and exhibiting your best effort in consideration of environment, your sitter, and where you are in your day to day. It's about showing up. It's about practice.
In each reading, you are doing your best in that moment. Take a big deep breath and let go of what might be holding you back when it comes to judging yourself or giving too much consideration to other people's opinions. Don’t let impostor syndrome in mediumship win. You will have situations at times that aren’t perfect. Understand that you are not your work; you have a soul with the soul’s purpose, and areas of your life that are showing up in your mediumship work that will be lessons for you. Mediumship, for me, has been probably one of the most intense times of growth and rapid change. I'm also receiving the nudges from Spirit to do things that are very uncomfortable at times, especially like quitting my day job. Being in the position that you are as a medium can create a sense of discomfort but notice these patterns in your mediumship play into your day-to-day life. And the struggles that you have in your day-to-day life will also show up in your mediumship. Work on it in all the ways that are coming up for you, and it will absolutely work itself out. If you have issues with boundaries in your personal life, you'll notice that you may have issues with boundaries in your mediumship and vice versa. It’s just something to be aware of.
Continue to strive for more, be actively satisfied in what you're giving, and where you are, and how far you've come. Impostor syndrome in mediumship can be overcome. Really work on staying present when it comes to where you're at today. Wherever you are right now, even if it feels like it's not good enough for you, it's still much further along than where you started. You've heard of attracting in more of what you want and starving off what you don't want; I encourage you to work with developing this as a belief for yourself. When it comes to spinning the thoughts and the energy that we put into the thought patterns that we have, embracing this belief will really shift the tone of your life and approach to your work, and support creating a life of abundance, love, peace, and harmony.
As an exercise, this week I want you to perform an activity to assist you in measuring your growth. Create a journal and as you go through your week, write down the conflicting thoughts that you have about your mediumship, and then with those thoughts write what the opposite of that conflicting thought is. The purpose of this exercise is to retrain your brain from the impostor syndrome in mediumship feedback you are giving yourself to think the opposite. You’re training your brain to think in new ways. Consciously sit with Spirit and ask them to help you to let go of the things about which you’re producing negative feedback. Be consciously aware of the direction that you want to go in and recognize if you're putting too much pressure on yourself to read at a certain speed with accuracy and/or to have your business grow at a certain level. I put a lot of pressure on myself at times and I can be highly critical and have high expectations of myself and high expectations of Spirit too. These are things that I have experienced that I'm sharing with you, so you can move through them even quicker than I did. It truly shows you how limitless you are when these impeding thoughts come in and you can flip the switch, knowing that it's just something that's holding you back from staying in the flow and the growth mindset of mediumship. I really want you to feel the momentum and the power that you're gaining so that you're feeling like you're well on your way.
I can't change your mind regarding how you process your doubt and your ability, but I can share my personal experiences with you of how I overcome my own challenges. It's important to honor exactly how and when you receive the information from Spirit, and it's completely normal to feel like you don't have all the answers. Your sitter may have high expectations of you, and you may have high expectations of yourself, but when you receive undesired or seemingly unhelpful responses during readings here are a couple tips to keep yourself on track and to keep moving: The first tip is to have compassion for yourself. I find that there are times where I'm harder on myself than I would be on another individual. Give yourself the compassion, love, and support that you truly need to succeed.
Be flexible in your expectations of environment but also a strong communicator of what you need. Be clear about needing space away from sitters before readings, or your needs regarding seating, lighting, and even fragrances in the room. I was really committed to the same exact setup in a group or if I worked out of somebody's office, and if they changed it that really threw me off. I learned to better communicate what I need as well as breathing through challenges I can’t change.
As you perform readings, learn from what you respond well to and what negatively impacts your ability. You must have good communication within the space (and with who is in charge) as well as your audience. When people show up and have paid for a reading, at times when you’re introducing yourself, you’ll see and feel that your audience is anxious to start. But if they don't know how you work, then it's not going to be an ideal situation because they won’t understand the space you need and the pauses you’ll take to listen and feel within the reading. I've had distractions or people who want to have conversations in the middle of readings. Don't be afraid to explain what you need and the risk they’re taking interrupting your process. If a subject comes up that is difficult, you can also ask permission with the person in front of you whether that's the direction that they want to go in. You don't want it to be a difficult read and you don't want to get to a place in which your sitter doesn't want to communicate with you. You want to bring through as many happy moments as you can without directing Spirit to bring through evidence that you want to use, while also making sure that the flow of the reading continues in a good way and you're mindful of the person in front of you and what they can handle.
This process will strengthen and become more fluid through repeated practice, finding comfort in your own process, using discernment with your client, and trusting that Spirit will always guide you for the overall highest good for all.
Meditations from my podcast may help you in your quest to overcome impostor syndrome in mediumship. To listen to my Energetic Cord Cutting Meditation visit my podcast Finding Hope and The Journey to Mediumship. Get in Energetic Alignment with Your Soul’s purpose is also a favorite meditation from the podcast!
