Theresa Caputo was inspired to use her gift as a psychic medium after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And now Long Island Medium is a hit TV series, writes Debashine Thangevelo
THERESA Caputo has become a reality TV star with Long Island Medium. Globally, people are captivated by her ability to see dead people and communicate with them.
Of course, success breeds disbelief, and this is something she has experienced.
Tonight met Caputo in a Mexican restaurant in New York City. Her arrival triggered a flurry of excitement from the staff. And her boisterous personality made her all the more endearing.
Caputo was accompanied by her husband Larry and her small entourage, among them her make-up artist and manager.
Despite being full of beans, Caputo needed a cup of coffee “to get her energy levels up”.
Just a quick background on the mother of two – Larry jr, 23, and Victoria, 19. She knew she had the gift from the age 4. However, understanding and learning to cope with it wasn’t easy at first. It brought on years of anxiety until, spurred on by her mum’s suggestion, she sought out a spiritual healer/ teacher to help her come to terms with it.
However, it wasn’t until the 9/11 attacks that she decided to use her gift to help people.
She explains: “I struggled for a long time. I have seen spirits since I was 4. That is how I grew up. I am a practicing Catholic, although they might not agree with what I do. But when 9/11 happened, I had an experience from a higher power and was told to share my gift and trust in him. And here I am.”
That leap of faith, so to speak, has manifested in seven TV seasons and two books (There’s More to Life Than This: Healing Messages, Remarkable Stories, and Insight About the Other Side and You Can’t Make This Stuff Up).
On channelling spirits, she says they just come to her.
“There’s no planning,” she points out. “Right now, I picked up a brother energy and a mother energy that came into the room. There’s no process to this.”
As for dealing with souls that have suffered horrible deaths, she says: “With people who were murdered, we feel they are not at peace. So it’s them coming through to validate that they are okay to their loved ones.”
When probed about naming the perpetrators who ended their life, she says that she doesn’t do that: “This isn’t about bringing people to justice. You don’t want to open that can of worms.”
With there being a serious possibility of inconsolable loved ones using the crossover sessions as a crutch to hang on instead of let go, she reveals: “I have a rule. I only meet with them once a year. These sessions are for healing. I don’t want to be a crutch. Also, this is a lot to take in. With some clients, I would see them every six months. What I would find is the more and more people would come, the more light-hearted the sessions would become.”
As for whether she ever finds herself dealing with residual emotions after a reading, she says: “You know, there is a special place in my heart for my clients. But I don’t hold on to the emotions because they are not my own. What happens is that there is a part of me that moves aside and my physical body becomes the vessel to sense and feel the souls of the departed and the person I am reading.”
While she can do readings for loved ones and those close to her, she finds it easier doing so for strangers.
Reflecting on some of her readings in the past, and her celebrity encounters, she offers: “There was one time when I was doing a reading and Abraham Lincoln was there. Another time, Michael Jackson was there, having me say something to a fan. I didn’t even know she was a fan. It’s crazy.”
Aside from being a conduit to departed loved ones, Caputo says she is always mindful of how she conveys their messages.
“The problem is when the spirit has to talk about something sensitive and I know this can be life-changing for the person. I want to make sure it is handled with respect and that they are able to embrace the message as something positive. A person could be in therapy for years and they come in and hear one line and go: ‘I don’t know what happened, but that burden just lifted from me’. And it has nothing to do with me. It is the healing from their loved ones – they are doing all the work.”
Aside from watching Caputo at work, viewers get to see her juggle her family life. And this season was difficult as she was dealing with empty nest syndrome with her son leaving.
She laughs: “I’m getting over it very easily, by the way. You know, you hate to see them go, but they always seem to be at the house.”
And that’s how she keeps her sanity, too – she has a great sense of humour.
Love her or eye her with suspicion, but there is no denying she does make for spellbinding TV.
Long Island Medium airs on Tuesdays on TLC (DStv channel 172) at 8pm. A new season is schedule for some time in April.