The teen who talks to the dead

But while most people her age may find that frightening, the 16- year-old has no fear because she doesn’t believe people die.

Natalie is a spiritualist – she has a gift which allows her to see and speak to deceased friends, family and strangers in the ‘spirit world’ whenever she wants, which has changed her life and even helped her overcome bullies.

“I get a lot of comfort from knowing that death is not final, and that one day we will all be reunited in the spirit world.

“Spiritualism to me is not just a religion, it’s a way of life.

“Just last week, my Nan Thomason came to me in my bedroom and told me that I needed to go and comfort my mum,” says Natalie, who went downstairs to find her mum crying. “I wouldn’t have known mum needed me without her.”

Natalie’s Nan, Maureen, died before Christmas last year, but now frequently visits Natalie and her family, providing them with messages of support.

“The other day, Mum, my sister and I were watching a film when Nan came in, I knew she was there as I went all tingly and then we all saw her.

“She appears like a shimmering silhouette of colours to me, and I hear her thoughts in my mind. She told us all to keep our eyes and ears open and that things will become easier in life as long as we do the right thing, and that no mistakes are bad as long as we learn from them.

Natalie says all four of her siblings see or sense spirits and the family believe that 15-year-old Ashley – who is blind and totally reliant on others for his care as he cannot walk, talk or feed himself – is touched by the spirits of relatives as he can go from crying to laughing in a few seconds.

“It is such a remarkable thing to see my little disabled brother go from crying to laughing in the blink of an eye,” she says. “The whole family are convinced it’s because one of my loved ones is tickling him to make him laugh.”

The Richard Taunton Sixth Form College pupil comes from a long line of spiritualists, her mother Lynsey, 38, is the president of Shirley Spiritual Church, her father Guy, 32, is the medium secretary and one of the healers at the church, and her great grandmother, Rose Osborn, was vice president of Totton Spiritualist Church and a healing leader.

Natalie with her mum, Lynsey, and dad, Guy

Natalie became aware of her unusual ability when she was a child.

“I was about four years old when I first had contact with the spirit of Great Nanny Thomason,” she explains. “I could feel her presence around me and it made me feel very calm to know that she was watching over me.

“At school, I always felt like I never really fitted in – like I was a bit different to everyone else.

“I just wanted to be accepted by my peers, but I learned not to mention my spiritualism very early on as it wasn’t really accepted.

“It made me angry that I didn’t feel that I could be myself and for a while I started to hang around with people who were getting into trouble in the hope that I would feel that I belonged.

“There were times when I thought I would never fit in.

“Then the spirit of my Nan would visit me and tell me that it was going to be alright. She would say ‘Don’t be afraid of them Nat, hold your head high – you can get through this and things will be better when you leave school’.

“She was right. I have lots of friends now and they all accept me for who I am – the spirits always help you if you ask them to.

“Now, I get many more visits from them, especially my Nan Thomason. We had an incredible bond and she comes through very strongly to me, she always manages to make me smile.

“It is an amazing feeling to still be able to speak to her and I feel incredibly lucky that I have this gift that enables me to do so.”

Natalie who now studies criminology, health and social care and media studies, says she can contact spirits most of the time but in order to see them, she has to meditate.

And although she is not yet sure what she wants to do with her life, she is hoping to pursue a career in the caring professions.

“I always want to help people, especially those less fortunate than myself as there are so many of them in the world.

“I no longer feel that I have to fit in – I know I am just a normal teenager who is still finding my way in life. Like everyone else, I love music, clothes, shopping and having a good time.

“Spiritualism has taught me that it is OK for me to make mistakes along my pathway through life, as long as I learn from them.

“I love it. I can be myself, not someone else or what others want me to be and I understand that whatever happens in my life, good or bad, I will always learn from it and come out the other side.

“I know that as long as I am true to myself and spirit – I can’t go wrong.”

Natalie is in regular contact with the spirit world

What is spiritualism?

The movement began in the USA in the middle of the 19th century. It is said to be the eighth largest religion in Britain and has a network of groups across the country.

Those who follow it are united in believing that communication with spirits is possible.

Key ideas of Spiritualism

Spiritualists generally believe the following:

Souls survive bodily death and live in a spirit world – Spiritualists say that every human soul survives the death of the body and enters a spirit-world that surrounds and interpenetrates the material world.

These souls can communicate with the material world – Spiritualists say that communication is possible between the material world and the spirit-world under the right conditions – usually through a medium.

Spirit beings are little changed from their earlier selves – Spiritualists say that those in the spirit-world are much the same as they were in the material world.

Spirit beings are interested in people in the material world – Spiritualists say that those in the spirit world are aware of and interested in the lives of those they have temporarily left behind in the material world.

To find out more about Spiritualism, please visit the Spiritualist National Union website at www.snu.org.uk.