The thought above is by our interviewee, Dr Décio Iandoli Jr (photo). He is a doctor, a surgeon, a university lecturer and a very well-known Spiritist writer, researcher and speaker.

He is the author of many books, including “A Reencarnação como Lei Biológica” (Reincarnation as a Biological Law).

He lives in the Brazilian city of Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul state, where he works as a volunteer at the Spiritist Federation and at the Dona Maria Modesto Cravo Spiritist Centre. He is also the current vice-president of the International Medical Spiritist Association and president of the Mato Grosso do Sul Medical Spiritist Association.

In the following interview, he speaks about mediumship, with all its nuances.

What is mediumship?

It is the capacity to connect, at any level, with the spirit world.

How do people develop their mediumship?

Mediumship is a physical skill and as such it is linked to the person’s physical constitution and genetic inheritance. Like any other physical activity, however, it can be worked on and improved through practice. We must also pay special attention to our sensations and perceptions.

We need to bear in mind that even if we practice regularly, we will only be able to improve the capacities that we were born with. We won’t be able to create new skills or to go very far from those capabilities that we already have.

There are cases when mediumship erupts in an abrupt manner. I believe those are mediums who for years hid or ignored their perceptions until they were faced with a specific event or fact that then made it impossible for them to continue ignoring their mediunimic powers.  

Are there people who are naturally more apt to work with their mediumship?

Yes, as I said above, some people have the innate capacity to connect with the spiritual world. How much each medium will be able to understand, however, will depend on the type of thoughts they have. And that explains why it is so important for mediums to keep high moral standards.

The more acute the medium’s sensibility, the more exposed he or she will be to the influence of discarnate intelligences. And the nature of those intelligences, of those Spirits, will match the moral development of the medium.

In the question 221 of the chapter XVIII of The Mediums Book the Spirits say that the practice of mediumship may cause fatigue. How can you identify whether the physical effects are caused by physical illnesses or by the work with the Spirits?

There isn’t a simple way of doing that. That’s why it’s so important for those seeking spiritual treatment, after feeling physical symptoms, to continue seeing a doctor regularly.

If a medium has recurring thoughts about a particular issue, can that interfere in any way with the practice of mediumship?

Yes, because that medium will establish a vibration pattern that will attract Spirits who have similar thoughts in their minds.

It must be said that very often the Spirits are the ones who inflict and induce those recurrent thoughts into the minds of the mediums. That shows how important it is for mediums to have the theoretical knowledge of mediumship and to be able to exercise self-control.  

Is it important for a medium to have his corporeal functions balanced in order to be able to practice mediumship properly?

Yes, physical illnesses do damage the medium’s organic constitution and their health can be worsened as a result of their mediunimic work. Physical illnesses, on the other hand, may also affect their mediunimic skills.

Would you like to make a final comment?

We are entering a very important phase in the search for more knowledge regarding mediumship. Serious research is being carried out to try to understand the alterations and consequences mediunimic work has on the physical bodies of mediums.

Medical Spiritist Associations across Brazil have played an active role in this research work. I think that in the next few years we will achieve remarkable progress and will unveil amazing new information on that matter.