FeedBlog Tour and Book Giveaway: Kids Who See Ghosts by Dr. Caron Goode
May 26, 2010 in Book Club Possibility, Elementary Educators, High School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Preschool to 1st grade teachers Tags: Author Interview, blog tour, Book giveaway, Dr. Caron Goode, Kids Who See Ghosts
Today, I am happy to host Dr. Caron Goode, author of Raising Intuitive Children: Guide Your Children to Know and Trust Their Gifts, who is discussing her new book: Kids Who See Ghosts: How to Guide Them Through Fear. Caron is going to answer some questions for us today about her book, and she is offering ONE FREE copy to someone who leaves a comment or question on this post either today or tomorrow. The winner will be chosen randomly from the comments on Friday. So, let’s get to the interview. . .
Margo: Thank you, Dr. Goode, for joining us today. In your opinion, who is the perfect audience for this book and why?
Dr. Goode: The audience who will love reading this book is the millions of parents whose children have had ghost experiences. While some parents are supportive; others are frightened with and for their children. Guiding children through fears of any kind, but especially fear of ghosts, is an empowering bonding experience for a parent and child.
Margo: What inspired you to write this book?
Dr. Goode: On my first blog that discusses raising the empathic, creative psychic child with intuitive intelligence, my first post happened to be a review of the debut of the television show, Psychic Children, on the A & E Channel. In the next several weeks, the blog was flooded with thousands of people seeking information about their child’s scary ghost experiences. Their children ranged in ages from preschoolers to teens. I thought compiling the answers and concerns into a book that also contained interviews from skeptics, psychics, parents and psychologists would be an excellent handbook for parents.
Margo: What a great idea and very helpful for parents! If children are telling their parents they are seeing ghosts but parents don’t believe in this, what positive steps can parents take to help their children, especially if children are scared?
Dr. Goode:
1. The book encourages parents to believe their children whether or not they believe in ghosts.
2. Listen to the story.
3. Connect with their child and soothe their fears.
4. Accept the event.
5. Continue to observe children who have consistent experiences over time.
Margo: Thank you for sharing those steps with us. They are very helpful. What is one of the most interesting cases you’ve seen of children seeing ghosts that you included in your book?
Dr. Goode: The most interesting case was shared by a mom, Doreen Fisher, who made some terrific adaptations to life when both of her children turned out to be conversant with the spirit realm from the early years. Most extraordinary was her story of her son Stone.
“My son, Stone, was born with a heart defect, a condition called supraven-tricular tachycardia (SVT). It was like an extra electrode in his heart that would jump up to three hundred beats a minute and get stuck. I started having trouble nursing and was getting signs that something was wrong. The doctors and midwife said he was fine. Only because my gut screamed, ‘No, we’ve got to get it checked out,’ did we get to the doctor at the right moment because his heart was starting to fail.
“When Stone was two weeks old, the doctors told me he might die. At that moment, everything stopped around me and became surreal. An internal voice said, ‘That isn’t true. Don’t listen to that and focus on what you want.’ The doctor continued explaining the different levels Stone’s health might take—possible heart transplant, death, being on medication throughout his entire life. One other possibility, that he might outgrow it, was the option that I chose. I looked at my son in the hospital, and I kept telling him that his heart was confused. Stone looked me directly in the eyes, and I knew that he understood what I was saying. ‘Tell your heart to heal, Stone. It knows how to do it.’
“The hospital staff laughed at me. I kicked the doctors out of ICU and focused on surrounding Stone in positive energy. What happened next? The doctors said they didn’t know why his heart healed. ‘He’s obviously not reading the medical journals. He’s healing rapidly, and we really don’t understand why.’ They released him, and we went home.
“As soon as Stone could talk, he told me long stories about his animal friends. They all had names, and he could describe in detail how they looked. There were a lot of them. He had them around him all the time; but one consistent companion, called Tiger, was around him all the time. He called Tiger his protector, the one who always helped him. If he started to fall, he felt that Tiger was there to stop him.
“At that point in motherhood, I wasn’t sure of the state of these different realities. While I had let go of my fear, my son was interacting with real presences, not unlike children in other cultures who have power animals for their protection. By the time Stone was born, I had accepted the fact that Mila and Stone could see presences in other realities, and I could feel them.”
Margo: What a wonderful and uplifting story! Do you have any more resources such as a website or blog that you can share with readers?
Dr. Goode: I welcome visitors to www.kidswhoseeghosts.com as well as www.raisingintuitivechildren.com. In fact, the third day of the blog tour is at http://intuitiveparenting.wordpress.com.
I hope you are feel inspired by the interview you read. Be sure to sign up for the book launch reminder, so you can buy Kids Who See Ghosts and receive free personal development gifts on June 8, 2010. To register, go to: http://www.kidswhoseeghosts.com (if you are reading this article after that date, you may buy the book directly from that page).
Margo: Thank you, Dr. Goode, for the time you took to answer my questions today. Readers, remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a free book!
May 26th, 2010 at 8:39 am
I have a question for Dr. Goode: What about children who see angels or see ancestors or hear voices of ancestors they never knew? Any insights?
I’d love to win this book. Thanks for sharing, Margo!
May 26th, 2010 at 8:55 am
If only I’d had this book back when my son was 8 or 9! He was (and still is) a very creative guy-teachers would say he had “an active imagination.” But he also had a ton of fears and anxiety! Sounds like a fascinating read.
May 26th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I’ll never forget my daughter about jumping out of her skin at my great grandmas funeral. She said grandma talked to her. That’s always made me wonder. This is interesting
May 26th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Margo and Dr. Goode: what a fascinating subject. I have heard/seen things all my life and was afraid to share them because I was raised Catholic and told there were no ghosts and anything like that was evil. When I was older I told a therapist about these experiences (thinking that I was losing my mind) and she told me that I was probably just more empathetic than most people. It was one of the greatest reliefs of my life when she didn’t immediately commit me to the looney bin! My daughter, who is four, has had experiences like mine and has told me about them. She often talks about Grandma Kitty (my husband’s mother who died two months before she was born) and also has a ‘special friend’ named Stella. She tells us all kinds of things and, although she does have a very active imagination, she also knows things about her grandmother that we have never spoken about. I have often wondered if this type of sensitivity was inherited and am beginning to think it is. Thanks for the insight.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Hey Clara
In the book, we talk about angels, ghosts, spirits, spirit walkers, loved ones in the same context because what children see seems to depend upon family experiences and cultural adaptation. The term ghost in the title stems from the popular TV series…helps sell books I guess. I think you would find it a valuable resource.
Hey Cathy – have to chuckle at what kids are called. In the 80s those children “prone to fantasy” were almost expected to have emotional issues and learning problems since they were mostly right brain learners in left brain classroom. I keep thinking we are progressing as books like this might be acceptable to mainstream, but a friend just told me that her granddaughter, age 5 and in kindergarten, is a left-hander. They make her sit in a right hand desk, criticize her for holding her paper the wrong way and a lot more. And they will not accommodate the left-handed space needed. Is that sad or what?
And Hey Karen – just a note to say my grandson stared into a corner one night when he was nursing – not a big talker yet- and he pointed and said, “Gamma.” My daughter thought it was her grandmother who died before my daughter’s wedding, and my grandson didn’t call anyone else gamma in his life. Just that one incident, and it didn’t happen again. Make us wonder, eh?
Cheers
May 26th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
I don’t think my daughter (she is 7 now) sees ghosts or talks to them but she seems to have an insight on our family health conditions. A couple of times since she was about 3 has said “Mom, have you talked to Grandma lately?” and I would respond “well not a few days, why?” and she would say “I think you need to call her.” (my family lives in Indiana and we live in St. Louis). So I would call her grandmother, she was either admitted to the hospital or really really sick everytime she would ask. When I would ask her why did she tell me to call; she would say “I dont know, I just thought Grandma needed us.” The last time it has happend was 2 1/2 years ago. We went to go see her Great-grandfather in Indiana for Thanksgiving. We were on way back home and she said, “Mom, I gave grandpa an extra big hug this time because that will be the last time I get to hug him.” she was 5 at the time. I asked her what she meant and she said I dont know, he just needed an extra hug. That January her great grandpa passed away. My daughter has a very “old soul” as they say and I never question her anymore. I listen to her and follow her suggestions.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Margo and Dr. Goode,
Thank you for this wonderful book and the open minded interview! I wish this book had been around when I was little; my parents were open minded but did not have the answers to my questions or the ability to guide me as a “sensitive”.
This interview comes at a perfect time. My sister, her daughter and daughters family all live in Virginia in a “haunted house”. I’ve been trying to find someone to help them usher “the others” out of the house but so far I have not found a solution. The main problem is with the 9yr old who actually sees the teenager who hung himself. Apparently the ghost is rather gruesome and a prankster at that; he enjoys doing things like barricading the childs bedroom door with furniture. The poor kid is so freaked out he wither sleeps downstairs on the couch or will leave every possible light source on in his room.
I am forwarding this interview to her right now.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Dear Jeanne, I also grew up as a Catholic, and I often get emails from other women who laughed as I wrote in KWSG, thatI thought it was normal. Didn’t everyone see saints and angels?
You are right that there is an inherited component to it. In my mother line, it was my grandmother. Other people whom I interviewed for the book also believe they inherited the intuitive traits. I think you’ll enjoy their stories.
Also being empathic and teaching many children labelled as “special needs,” I wrote the book, Raising Intuitive Children as a primer for parents whose talents lie in the intuitive, feeler, empathic, creative temperament. I hope you’ll visit http://www.raisingintuitivechildren.com and purchase a book.
Kids WHo See Ghosts was a result of the thousands of questions on the ghost topic from parents of intuitive kids. Hope you will sign up for the book launch on June 8th and help more parents who have not had your experience help their own children.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Missy, thank you for sharing about your daughter’s experiences. What a gift she has!
May 26th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Dr. Caron,
I’m really excited to read this one!! Both of my boys have the gift of seeing other dimensions, sometimes this can feel scarey. As they have aged, it has become more normal and less stressful. I think this book will be a great help to parents and children like us. Thank you for taking on some of these hard topics and blessing us all with your gift.
Lots of Love!!!
Stevi
May 26th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Thank you so much to everyone who has left a comment or question or story today. This is a really interesting discussion!
Thanks, Margo
May 26th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Thank you for this enlightening interview. When my son was young, he would pull thoughts from my head and say what I was thinking before I spoke it. We still have a connection. He’s a sensitive, thrity-six year old, intuitive daddy of two.
May 28th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
From Donna Volkenannt:
Hi Margo and Caron,
Great interview –both questions and answers.
Caron, Thanks for writing such an intriguing book; your topic is fascinating.
I have an unusual question, but I imagine you’re used to those.
First some background: When my daughter Julie was about two-and-a-half she started talking to and playing with an invisible playmate she called Katherine. At first my husband and I thought it was cute, but then Julie would have long conversations and blame Katherine when something got broke or when she got into trouble. Shortly before Julie turned three and her new brother Walter was born Julie stopped talking about Katherine. A few weeks after Walter was born Julie also had a grand mal seizure She diagnosed with viral encephalitis and was hospitalized for five days. She fully recovered, although she needed to take medication for several years to prevent any more seizures. My question is this: Do you think Julie’s imaginary friend Katherine was created because Julie was lonely or bored, was somehow related to her brain disease, or might have been a restless spirit?
Thanks,
Donna Volkenannt
http://donnasbookpub.blogspot.com/