Podcast Summary: Strangers on a Bench – EPISODE 77: I See Dead People

Date: March 2, 2026
Host: Tom Rosenthal
Guest: "Claire" (anonymous, self-identified psychic medium & psychotherapist)

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode of "Strangers on a Bench," Tom Rosenthal sits down with Claire on a sun-drenched bench in a UK cemetery that doubles as a park. What first appears to be a casual conversation about ideal Fridays and cheat meals unfolds into an open, far-ranging discussion on life, death, spirituality, psychic abilities, and being "weird" from a young age. Claire shares deep personal stories about her experience as a psychic medium, her spiritual practices, her work as a psychotherapist, and how her relationships with both the living and the dead shape her outlook on life and loss.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. An Ideal Friday (00:51–03:22)

• Claire's perfect Friday: No work, no plans, a “cheat meal” (usually fish and chips, never Pringles), gym in the morning, and sunbathing surrounded by trees, birds, and “mad squirrels.”
• Preference for solitude: As a professional who talks to many people during the week, Friday is her retreat—“no talking, just relaxing.”
• Memorable quote:

  “Friday is my real no talking, just relaxing day.” — Claire (02:22)

2. On Cemeteries, the Dead, and Spiritual Beliefs (03:22–07:36)

• Fascination with cemeteries: Drawn to them since childhood, influenced by “The Addams Family” and a penchant for the eccentric; finds them peaceful rather than creepy.
• Spiritual perspective: The dead don’t linger in cemeteries; graves serve the living’s need for connection. Spirits can visit the living at graves but then move on.
• Memorialization preference: Celebrating lives at memorials, not mourning in black.
• Memorable quote:

  “Graves are what the living do to feel some kind of connection... The minute you leave, [the spirit's] not just going to sit by the grave, you know, they've got better things to do.” — Claire (04:23)

3. Honouring the Dead & Personal Loss (05:12–07:36)

• Mentor’s death: Claire reflects on her late supervisor of 22 years, celebrating her life through a creative, music-filled memorial rather than a somber occasion.
• Death as a “springboard”: Memorials can form new connections and encourage the living.

4. Being a Psychic Medium (07:59–16:47)

• “I see dead people”: Claire reveals lifelong psychic and mediumistic talents. Claims to see spirits; as a child, thought this was normal.

• Boarding school & early connections: Fascination with neglected school cemetery; a notorious seance led to a real-life exorcism at the school.

• Spirit communication: Receiving physical sensations from spirits as a form of validation (“I felt as if I was shorter...a bit dumpy...two heavy weights on my chest…a woman”; “I became really tall and quite rigid...a guy who used to be in the military.”)

• Mediumship at parties: Unfiltered messages sometimes created “chaos,” e.g. outing relationship secrets.

  “One way I describe it to people: it’s like a door opens somewhere, and then spirit can come through.” — Claire (15:40)

5. Journey into Shamanism & Professional Work (20:18–23:43)

• Not a professional medium: Chooses not to monetize psychic gifts, finding standard mediumship “boring.”

• Discovering shamanism: After repeated spiritual nudges, trained in shamanic journeying, connecting with guides, and higher beings.

• Current practice: Balances psychotherapy with shamanic and spiritual work; teaches others to connect to guides.

  “When we’re preparing to die, more of our spirits gather around us... a welcoming committee.” — Claire (22:13)

6. Spirt Guides and Family Connections (23:43–35:34)

• Guides include: Her Dutch mother (offers homewares shopping tips from the beyond), father (offers advice/warnings), a partner who died of AIDS in the 1990s, and a nephew who died young.
• Grandmothers as enforcers: Describes grandmothers as “like the Mafia,” claiming they exact “spiritual revenge” on foolish people in her life (e.g., causing an interviewer’s diarrhea).
• Memorable moment:

  “Apparently my grandmother went and gave her very explosive diarrhea for a couple of days for what she did. They’re like the Mafia, my grandmothers.” — Claire (35:40)

7. Early Experience with Death and Near-Death (36:24–40:33)

• Childhood near-drowning: At age 10, nearly died in a pool, experienced “incredible sensation of bliss, absolute bliss...Everything just went white. ...I was furious that [my sister] brought me back.” (38:03)
• Reincarnation belief: Holds that life is an educational mission, with reincarnation as a recurring option; not scared of dying, views it as transition.

8. Living with “Weirdness” & Finding Understanding (42:01–46:28)

• Social reactions: Grew up being called weird, saw strangeness as a badge of honor, drawing inspiration from “The Addams Family.”

• Finding acceptance: First real understanding came from a nurse at boarding school, who identified as a witch.

  “She was the coolest person I’ve ever met in my life, to this day. She was incredible.” — Claire (46:15)

9. Guilt, Loss, and Mediumship Validation (46:40–49:29)

• Curse and guilt: Tells the story of cursing a school matron who soon died, then being reassured decades later by a medium that it wasn’t her fault — providing “irrefutable” validation of mediumship.

10. Therapeutic Practice and Spirituality (43:00–45:07)

• As a therapist: Sees all clients as spiritually “referred” in some sense, though the spiritual aspect may only emerge gradually.
• Clients’ journeys: Some who are initially skeptical become spiritual over time; “it’s the unknown, it seems a bit scary.”

11. Integration, Purpose, and Message (50:29–54:32)

• The value of sharing: Sees synchronicity and serendipity in the conversation; hopes her story may reach someone who needs to hear it.

• On difference: Accepts there will always be doubters and those who understand — “That’s just life.”

  “There’s a million different approaches and ways of living life. …There are going to be people that understand you. There are going to be people that don’t, and that’s just life, isn’t it?... There’s always something you can tap into and extract from that.” — Tom (53:31)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On dealing with death:

  “I'm really not a big thing of the. Everyone wearing black and crying. It's like it's not going to bring them back.” — Claire (05:02)

• On childhood mediumship:

  “I thought everyone could see [dead people]. And then I went through that thing...I'll stop talking about Granny sitting on the sofa over there when no one else can see her, because it's freaking everyone out.” — Claire (08:52)

• On spirit guidance in everyday life:

  “Every thought that we have is an intention and it's picked up by spirit… My mum hears that and then she goes off looking for a duvet.” — Claire (24:02)

• On near-death experience:

  “At some point, this incredible calm just came over me... I had this incredible sensation of bliss. Absolute bliss... I was furious that she brought me back.” — Claire (38:03)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:51–03:22 — Claire describes her ideal Friday routine
• 03:22–07:36 — Cemetery as a setting; spiritual beliefs about the dead
• 07:59–16:47 — Psychic medium abilities; early school experiences; seance and aftermath
• 16:47–20:18 — Party mediumship incidents; moving toward formal study
• 20:18–23:43 — Shamanic journeying and spiritual work
• 23:43–35:34 — Discussion of personal spirit guides and family, including humorous “revenge” stories
• 36:24–40:33 — Childhood near-death experience and implications for her views on life/death
• 42:01–46:28 — Finding acceptance in youth; formative relationship with “the nurse”
• 46:40–49:29 — Story of guilt & validation from medium
• 50:29–54:32 — Integrative reflections, purpose, and the meaning of sharing these stories
• 51:46–53:24 — Claire’s evocative memory of peace in a childhood forest, a sense of deep “oneness”

Closing Reflection

The episode gently closes with Claire sharing a memory from her childhood — alone in a German forest, feeling total peace and unity with nature. This ties together the themes of belonging, spiritual connection, and the search for understanding in worlds both seen and unseen.

Final Note

Amid a sunlit cemetery, this unusually candid guest—anonymous and chatty—offers a blend of wit, vulnerability, and otherworldly tales. Whether you’re a skeptic or believer, Claire’s conversation with Tom is an illuminating glimpse into how very differently strangers on benches can see and interpret the world.