A common symptom of dead person identification (spirit possession) is may appear to have psychic sensitivity. Although Carruthers seems to dismiss this as high sensitivity to body language, I have frequently observed people with DPI symptoms accurately describe secret past events, current events elsewhere, and accurately predict future events of previously unknown people.

Protection against Undead Spirits

Some people attempting to play games with ghosts or spirits of dead people later find themselves obsessed or disturbed in ways that psychotherapy does not recognize and cannot heal. Magical stories are full of warnings about entities that expect to be paid for their services. (An inexperienced therapist or healer may be wise to refer clients with DPI symptoms to people with experience.)

Never Strike a Happy Medium

Talk to self-proclaimed mediums at a psychic fair. Many mediums seem to have exactly the symptoms and sensitivity that Carruthers describes as typical of identified people. This haunted archetype seems common. I can guess that perhaps 5% of people may be emotionally entangled with dead people.

Many mediums not only show symptoms of dead person identification - they boast about spirit helpers - about dead people who aid or protect them. Perhaps it's wise to consider the consequences before entangling with dead people. These consequences seem to include identification (possession), early death, death of a child and dysfunctional relationships. Stories of magical powers include the payments expected by the entities enlisted. Carruthers says that the principle payment is happiness.

Which Witch is Which?

My studies into "Can the dead communicate?" brought me to spiritualism, parapsychology and psychic research. Most people were well-meaning with good intentions. For a few groups and cults, however, you are prey. (If you have difficulty leaving an occult group - read Exit Coaching.)

Shamans of many cultures claim to use the spirits of dead people to harm the living. Solving these attacks can be wild rides, mostly because of a client's fears and beliefs.

Cross Cultural Horror Show

All over this planet, people use similar ways to honor and communicate with the quiet dead - and have similar unpleasant stories about the unquiet dead - the undead. Central European vampires, werewolves and Egyptian mummies may reflect Hollywood films, but my talks with native Canadians and with immigrants from Cuba, Africa, Vietnam and Afghanistan included eerily similar stories.

While Carruthers says "Preoccupation with death and dying" is a common symptom of dead person identification, there are other, less scientific, explanations. What is the difference between a dead person and a ghost? Or between dead person identification and possession? Between dissociating a dead person and exorcism? Or between a systemic coach and an exorcist?

Here are a few of my cases ...

Haunted House . Curses . Black Magic . Ghosts . Demon

Death and Dying

As I investigated the lives and family histories of people with symptoms of dead person identification, a deep concern arose. These unpleasant symptoms provide doors between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Some of these doors can be easily opened, and not so easily closed.

The symptoms of dead person identification may predispose people towards unusual behavior and suicidal depression. I met people with these recognizable symptoms who tried psychiatry, spiritualism, psychotherapy and religion, but found long-term solutions in Carruthers' systemic coaching.

Ghosts, Ghosts & More Ghosts

Since I retired, I collect and research ghost stories. I have many first-hand descriptions of ghosts - and my memories of the people who told me the ghost stories. A "haunted person" archetype might include wide-open eyes, a fixed stare, dark skin under the eyes, slack facial skin, lowered shoulders and down-turned mouths. Interestingly, these are non-verbal signals that Carruthers associates with dead-person identification.

To go beyond second-hand stories into first hand experience, I needed a bridge; and I found it in lucid dreaming. With that I can do more than listen to ghost stories. Carruthers teaches ways to join people in their dreams that he learned while living in Hawaii (see Hawaiian Spirituality).

It seems that shared dreams can overlap onto objective reality! Changes made in the dreams seemed to cause, or at least be related to, rapid changes in the reality in which we live. My question became, "Where does a dream stop and reality begin?"

Entertaining Demons

Dead Person Identification concerns dead people. Yet our human world includes many never-living entities that were once worshipped by people. Can something die that was never born? How would a dead deity be different to a dead person? And how can we recognize a group or organization of people who are identified with a dead person or an undead entity?"

It is often said that man creates gods in his own image. If so, the gods of identified people might appear to demand, or at least request, that symptoms of dead person identification be perceived as normal. Could Carruthers' systemic symptoms (of DPI) be transformed into a recognizable belief system?

Your willingness to walk across a cemetery at night may expose how close you live to a world where not all dead people rest in peace. Trespass into other realities may be fun at first - but the consequences can be unpleasant. Entanglement with apparent visitors from a separate reality can upset your equilibrium and disturb your health - and that of your family. We offer telephone coaching.

Do you want solutions? We can teach you to safely access and use world-views in which you can explore and satisfactorily resolve the esoteric phenomena so well described by David Marsden.

Consult a physician about medical symptoms and any opinions concerning mental illness.