Lisa Miller predicts: Show will help psychic kids

[Richard]

Written by Patricia Gay    
Wednesday, 25 June 2008 11:09 

If your child, like the character in the movie The Sixth Sense, came to you and said, “I see dead people,” what would you do with that information?

Some parents might be startled by such a statement, but not Lisa Miller of Weston.

Dr. Miller is a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Columbia University, and is also the co-host of a new television show called Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal, which is being aired on the A&E cable channel.

The show is billed as a real-life drama, and in each one-hour episode, three children with psychic abilities are brought together by Dr. Miller and co-host Chip Coffey, a medium, to share their experiences.

Over the course of the show, Dr. Miller tries to help the kids learn how to deal with their psychic abilities, and realize they are not alone.
“The goal is to bring families with psychic kids closer together and help them understand their experiences have meaning,” Dr. Miller said.

Although the show just started airing Monday, June 16, the message boards on A&E’s Web site are already filled with comments, questions and a healthy dose of skepticism.

The show is an offshoot of the popular series Paranormal State, which follows the real-life adventures of students at Penn State University as they explore and connect with spirits in reportedly haunted homes.

Dr. Miller’s background made her a perfect choice for Psychic Kids. She is an eminent scholar in the field of psychology and spirituality and is extensively published in mainstream academic journals.

A graduate of Yale, with a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Miller is currently the president of the Division of Psychology of Religion of the American Psychological Association. For 10 years she has researched spirituality in children and their mothers.

The call

Dr. Miller’s thrust into the national spotlight began last fall. “One day while I was working at Columbia, I got a call from someone asking me if I was interested in going on a retreat with children who had vivid psychic experiences,” she said.

She was asked if she would lend her counseling expertise to the children and mothers participating. Dr. Miller went to the retreat, which was held in Massachusetts. “I was honored and eager to help these families,” she said.

The retreat was filmed as a documentary for Biography and its sister cable channel A&E. “It was beyond uplifting to work with these moms and their psychic children,” Dr. Miller said.

Based on the strength of the documentary, A&E decided to develop a series about psychic children. So far, six episodes of Psychic Kids have been produced by the Four Seasons Production Co. for A&E. The episodes air initially on Monday nights at 10, but are repeated frequently throughout the week at different times.

To publicize the show, Dr. Miller will be making an appearance with three of the children who appear on the series this Friday, June 27, on the Larry King Live show at 9 p.m. on CNN. “I feel the kids are the stars of the show,” Dr. Miller said.

Psychic gifts

Psychics possess extrasensory abilities, referred to as “gifts,” and can see into the future or communicate with spirits, Dr. Miller said.

She believes everyone is born with psychic gifts, though many are socialized away from them. “Even those who push it out sometimes have gut instincts, intuition, or sixth sense,” she said.

As for those who are skeptical about psychics, that’s fine with Dr. Miller. “Skeptics drive inquiry. I welcome them because they help us probe more deeply for what is true,” she said.

She would like to see psychic phenomena brought more to the center of our culture. “It is whispered between people, but should be discussed more openly. The areas of the unseen are instructive and guiding,” she said.

Admitting to psychic abilities is especially difficult for children, who often find themselves ostracized and discriminated against for embracing their psychic gifts, she said.

Dr. Miller said she once met an elementary school boy from Texas who felt the spirit of his deceased grandmother and shared the experience with his classmates.

“He was pulled out of class and forced to sit with a teacher and an aide and was not allowed to have any contact with the other children,” Dr. Miller said. His mother grew despondent.

After working a few days with the mother and the boy, she helped them understand the boy’s attunement and how he could use his gift in a way to help people. “After a few days, both of them were doing better. That experience told me I wanted to help these families,” she said.

Dr. Miller was impressed with the children featured on Psychic Kids. “The kids we worked with were quite authentic,” Dr. Miller said.

One girl, Morgan, 9, is classified as a healer, and using her mind, she helped clear pain from a woman’s head and knee. Morgan also correctly predicted an upcoming earthquake and tsunami.

In another episode, Dr. Miller met a 16-year-old girl who had a close relationship with her uncle before he was murdered. The girl continued the relationship with his spirit.

“The girl felt it was the right time for her uncle to move on, and she decided to help his spirit cross over. During the crossing over, there was a palpable physical sensation felt by the people in the room. Even the sound and production crew felt it. It was similar to what I felt when I conceived my children, a warping of worlds being crossed,” Dr. Miller said.

Dr. Miller said she and her co-host help the families of these psychic children learn to cope and let them know they are not alone.

Epicenter

With all six episodes filmed, Dr. Miller, 41, has more time these days to relax in her bucolic Weston home with her husband and three children.

“I love Weston because it is an epicenter for imaginative and creative people. The town attracts spiritual people,” she said.

She moved to Weston in 1997, and said she feels sustained by the ducks, geese, deer, and trees that surround her home. “The Saugatuck River is my healer and guide. My life has blossomed because of my roots in Weston. The greatest gift is to raise children with birds right outside the window,” she said.

Dr. Miller said people should not feel uncomfortable discussing psychic experiences.

“Just honor your natural and inner wisdom. It’s always right,” she said.
 
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