Spirited

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 4 GEN 2010

Psychic medium Rosen, in this part memoir, part self-help work, helps readers to tune into their own intuitive abilities. Self-described as just a regular gal who works out in the gym, drops her kids at school, and then talks to the dead for a living, the author reveals that binge eating and depression in college led to her plea for help and consequent discovery of messages from her deceased grandmother relayed through automatic writing. In time, Rosen who lectures, offers workshops, and has advised such Hollywood stars as Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox Arquette realized that her gift enabled her to receive messages from spirits hoping to reconnect with loved ones (quite often, she asserts, their mission is to advise their family members to do what they didn't do in life or avoid mistakes the spirits made). According to the author, each individual is born with lessons that must be learned in order to grow spiritually; those who fail to progress, she reveals, must deal with their baggage in the afterlife. Though her story in itself is fascinating, Rosen's goal is to help readers hone their psychic powers: she includes meditation exercises (a primary way of connecting with spirit energy) as well as other techniques. Rosen's conversational tone and easygoing sense of humor lend warmth and accessibility to her otherworldly journey.