The though above is from Doctor Maria Paula Silva (photo), a doctor who works at an Oncology Care Centre. She is very well known for her active work in the Spiritist Movement, especially in Portugal. She is a public speaker and works as a volunteer at the Fernando Lacerda Spiritist Association, in the Oporto region, as well as the Northern Medical Spiritist Association, Portugal.

In the following interview, she talks about a number issues, including suicide, abortion and her initiation in Spiritism:

How did Spiritism come into your life? 

It was 21 years ago. I know the precise date because I found Spiritism through pain, the pain of a mother who managed to overcome obstacles and move mountains. Looking back, I see clearly now that I had already ignored many calls. Only the pain I went through was strong enough to break my pseudoscientific pride, enabling me to find “The Pathway”.

Has Spiritism changed your life?

It has changed my life a lot. Until I found Spiritism, I was guided by the materialistic paradigm and demanded concrete evidence from those who said that they believed in life after death. I was always ready to argue against it, saying there was no scientific proof. My father insisted for so long and I finally accepted to go to a Spiritist Centre, to look for help for my daughter. I went because I would do anything for her. When I did, I could no longer close that door. I was attended by an elderly, humble man. I was surrounded by an emotion that I had never experienced before and it was like, all of sudden, a bright light enabled me to see everything that had always been there in my life, but covered by a dark night of pride. From that day on, I never stopped reading and studying Spiritist books and continued to attend and collaborate with different activities.

Antes desse atendimento que marcou o início da mudança da minha vida, era dominada pela ansiedade que tocava o pânico e pelo medo da morte, o que tinha um importante reflexo negativo na minha vida quer pessoal quer profissional. Com o conhecimento progressivo da Doutrina Espírita fui serenando interiormente e vencendo esse medo, acabando por me dedicar aos cuidados paliativos.

Before that event that marked the beginning of change in my life, I was dominated by anxiety, which had become almost panic, and by the fear of death, which had a negative impact on my personal as well as my professional life. As I amassed more knowledge about Spiritism, I began to calm down internally and ended up overcoming that fear. I eventually specialised in palliative care.

Working in that field of Medicine has made me deal closely with death. But I know now that death only affects the physical body, not the Spirit, which survives and keeps its identity.

How do you think Spiritism could help bring down suicide and abortion rates in the area where you live?

Through the dissemination of Spiritism! Understanding the concept of immortality of the soul, the law of cause and effect and reincarnation helps us realise that suicide is a pointless attempt to cease existing and stop suffering. That also helps understand the responsibility with have with abortion, when we prevent the reincarnation of a Spirit. The way we disseminate Spiritism may change according to the times we are living in, but the content of the message has to remain the same, faithful to the principles of Spiritism.  

Talking more specifically about my activity in the Medical Spiritist Association, we understand that we have a responsibility to work with these matters and to express openly and clearly our views as health practitioners.

Is there a particular case that we have witnessed that proved to you the immortality of the Spirit?

Yes, many. But I prefer to highlight events that have happened in my daily work, as in my contact with terminal patients it is frequent to hear accounts of visions that have become known as “deathbed visions”. There was a particularly interesting case, of a young patient who was in her early 20s and suffered from a brain tumour. She had been in a deep coma for more than three weeks when, after being washed and cared for by a nurse in her bed, she came out of the coma, unexpectedly. She opened her eyes, looked around until she saw her mother, who was in the room and said: “Mum, my brother has arrived here to take me. I’m leaving!” She closed her eyes and had her final sigh. That Sunday was the sixth anniversary of her brother’s death. He’d died in a work related accident.

That is one of countless cases that I find regularly and that are evidence of the survival of the soul.

Why do you think Spiritism is practically ignored in France and in Europe in general?

Because of the pride in the Old Continent. This question has been the object of many studies and reflection. The important thing is for Spiritism to have been born in the right place. And that was not a decision taken by men. It was important that Spiritism began in Europe, for its historic and cultural role in the world. The fact that it eventually fell in relative obscurity is, however, the result of human free will. But regardless of where Spiritism was born, it continues to grow and spread, disseminating gradually its comforting message.

What would you say to world leaders if you could speak to them about Spiritism?

Based on the lessons and teachings contained in Spiritism, I would “only” talk to them about the Sermon of the Mountain, as it teaches all that we need to know to change ourselves and change the world.