Talk to Me
Talk to Me
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Allison Dubois became aware of her ability to communicate with departed souls when she was six. After a BA in political science from Arizona State University, she worked as an intern at the district attorney's office in Phoenix. This got her interested in using her skills to help solve crimes. Allison now devotes her life to connecting deceased loved ones to help the living, and also to help law enforcement agencies. She's the inspiration for the internationally popular TV series
Medium
, and author of three
New York Times
best-selling books:
Don't Kiss Them
Good-Bye
,
We Are Their Heaven
, and
Secrets of the Monarch
.
Allison
DuBois
Talk to Me
What the dead
whisper in your ear
First published in Australia and New Zealand by Allen & Unwin in 2012
First published in the United States in 2011 by STTT, Inc.
Copyright © Allison DuBois 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian
Copyright Act 1968
(the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
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Allen & Unwin
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ISBN 978 1 74331 294 0
Internal design by Squirt Creative
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Printed and bound in Australia by Griffin Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedication
T
his book is dedicated to my grandmother, Jenee (Genevieve) Parrack, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 93. She had the most beautiful blue eyes and a sweet tooth like no other. She always said, âAllison, heaven won't have me and hell don't want me!' She was one of a kind. We love you, Grandma. I'll miss your cackle.
Our prayers go out to the lovely people of New Zealand and Australia. Many of you have been challenged by Mother Nature recently and you persevered.
Also, to the people of Japan, who have endured such great devastation due to the tsunami and earthquakes that have shaken your foundation. Joe and I have many friends in Japan, and they are truly some of the kindest, funniest people we've ever encountered. Our hearts go out to all of you. Please know that we care deeply.
Contents
4
Living with life and dealing with death
â
W
hat's it like to be married to the Medium?'
Those are often the first words I hear when I am introduced to someone new. I hear it enough that I figure the chances are good that you have the same question, too. Before I get to the answer, let me tell you a little about this book, because the two topics are entwined. To read this book is to get to know Allison better, for she shares her personality in her own words, her own thoughts, her experiences with the living and, yes, the dead too.
In this book, Allison recalls some of the many people she has met during the course of her seminar tours and personal readings. Each time Allison conducts a reading she accepts some of the living person's grief. To do this, she must connect with the deceased and die a little herself. Allison takes these experiences and connects them with a greater theme that everyone can relate to. Some are inspirational; others help with personal growth or self-awareness. Allison has a unique perspective because she is a medium. Not only does she assume the perspective of the person who has died, she also has the perspective of the healer who has seen v many ways to move through grief and see a bigger picture. By sharing these stories, Allison tries to process what she has experienced. She must do this to let the energy go; otherwise, it continues to take a toll on her, as each reading has permanently changed her.
Allison gives her perspective on each reading, yet there is another version, too. There is also the story of the living people left behind to pick up the pieces. Allison has invited some of the people whom she has read to include their experiences in their own words. She also shares the words of the deceased. The family members have spent a lifetime with the deceased, so they are able to apply the specific message to the full story of the decedent's life and validate Allison's information.
I feel that I can provide yet another facet by answering the question, âWhat's it like being married to the Medium?'
As Allison's husband, I have a unique viewpoint. I am her closest confidant. I am there for it all. I see her like no one else does. I see the depth of many readings and the common arc of the story that they tell. I see how Allison is affected and grows and changes after each reading. I see how she needs to be brought back to the land of the living and work through all of the grief she has absorbed. It's quite a process she goes throughâvery emotionally taxing.
The first time I was asked this question was in 2005, just before
Medium
was to premiere. Allison was scheduled to attend a press junket in Los Angeles to support the new show. Our life had changed quite a bit in a short time, so there was a real chance that we would get overwhelmed. Up until that point, our life fit snugly in the suburbs. I went to work from 9 to 5, and Allison interned at the district attorney's office. Our three school-age kids were involved in cheerleading, volleyball, etc. We had barbecues on the weekend with our friends.
Oh, yeah, there was that other thingâthe way my wife had this uncanny ability to pick winning juries and detect motives and know who had committed a violent crime and when a suspect would âturn over' to open up a case. Like in the Natalee Holloway case, when Allison went on CNN and said that she âsensed' that Joran van der Sloot, a suspect in the disappearance of Holloway, would start bragging and sharing details of the crime in two years. That's exactly what happened. It unleashed a media storm of strange press interviews with van der Sloot where he continued to provide details around a âmurder', and then ended up retracting what he had stated. Van der Sloot had also told an acquaintance of his a version of what happened that fateful night in Aruba, who then went to the authorities with the details.
There were also many instances among even the little DuBois females in our family, like the way my daughter would talk to my deceased father or scare her friends by telling them about the little girl ghost hanging around their house. But for the most part, we maintained a typical suburban lifestyle.
Then, seemingly all of a sudden, we were f lying to Los Angeles for publicity. It was so surreal.
To deal with the added stress, we tackled this together as a couple. Allison had a job to do to promote the show. She was thrust into the spotlight for all to see, with her abilities sometimes drawing unfounded controversy. I would like to go on about some of the less reputable press and their lack of intelligence and impartiality, but that would just be for my own gratification. My point is merely that there was a lot of pressure on Allison. Of course, I took her side and travelled to Los Angeles to provide her with both physical and emotional support. I have since found that this type of support is a recurring theme. Being a public figure isn't as easy as some think.
