Evidence of the Afterlife | Robert Lyon, Kerry McLeod + Philip Dykes - Part 1 (Episode 196)

Psychic Mediums

Oct 8

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Evidence of the Afterlife is a new documentary following mediums Kerry McLeod and Philip Dykes as they teach and demonstrate evidential mediumship. Its director, Robert Lyon, did not believe in an afterlife when he first sat in on their class.

About This Episode

Robert Lyon spent about ten years as a CBS photojournalist in Miami before turning to independent filmmaking. Kerry McLeod and Philip Dykes are UK-based mediums who teach evidential mediumship in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Together they discuss how the film was made, what separates evidential mediumship from psychic readings, and why they believe the practice is at risk.

How the Film Began

Robert left CBS news after burning out on "if it bleeds, it leads" stories
While filming a sports car racing team, he met author Sandra Champlain, who was catering the races, and read her book We Don't Die twice
He filmed Sandra's first We Don't Die conference in Orlando, attended by about 125 people
Sandra sent him, without his camera, into Kerry and Philip's class, where students pair up to practice readings
Paired with a stranger, he says he saw an image of Italy; she was traveling there that Monday
He then described a young woman he understood to be the stranger's adult daughter who had passed away, an experience he calls life changing

Kerry's and Philip's Early Experiences

Kerry says she first walked into a spiritualist church in Scotland intending to prove mediumship did not exist
As a child, she watched soft toys fall from a wardrobe in a windowless room; her parents blamed a draft
She describes a voice shouting "stop" seconds before a truck ran a red light at a roundabout
When her brakes failed at 70 miles per hour, she says a calm voice guided her onto the hard shoulder
Philip says that as a child in Lancashire, he saw deceased people as clearly as living ones
His stepfather overheard Philip's late night conversations, including with a grandfather Philip never met
His grandmother encouraged his abilities, while his Methodist family viewed them with suspicion

Making Evidence of the Afterlife

Filmed over three years in Vancouver, Troy, Ohio, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Blackpool, England
Robert spent a week and a half in Kerry and Philip's Blackpool home documenting their daily lives
Footage is unscripted, drawn from live demonstrations and private readings as they unfolded
Kerry and Philip agreed on the condition that the film focus on mediumship rather than on them
The film is subtitled Saving Evidential Mediumship
Kerry and Philip cite a principle from their training: "The messenger should never be bigger than the message"

Psychic Readings vs. Evidential Mediumship

Kerry stresses that psychic readings are not second best; each serves a different need
Psychic readings focus on the sitter's life, relationships, work and decisions
Evidential mediumship focuses on the deceased person and the evidence they provide
Her rule of thumb: several statements in a row about the sitter suggest the medium is working psychically
She compares psychic work to learning to drive before getting into a Formula One car
She says most people seeking readings want psychic readings unless they are grieving

What Counts as Evidence

Philip says names and dates are often generic; unique memories that cannot be researched carry more weight
In Robert's first reading with Philip, a deceased former CBS colleague came through with an image of a jail cell
Robert says the detail matched a night his colleague called him from jail, a story not found online
In one early reading, Philip says a sitter was unmoved by names and addresses until her dog came through
He told another sitter she kept her late husband's safety pin inside her blouse, a detail she confirmed
Kerry says a medium should establish verifiable evidence before relaying any message

Risks to Evidential Mediumship

Robert points to TikTok mediums and sensationalized ghost shows built for entertainment
Kerry says the biggest risk is people calling themselves mediums who are not doing mediumship
Some are opportunists, while others are well intentioned and "don't know what they don't know"
They see a shift from mediumship as a service and vocation to mediumship as a career
They note every medium has off days, and mediumship is not an exact science

About Robert Lyon, Kerry McLeod + Philip Dykes

Robert Lyon is a Miami-based filmmaker, former CBS photojournalist and director of Evidence of the Afterlife. Kerry McLeod and Philip Dykes are evidential mediums from Scotland and Lancashire, England, who teach and demonstrate mediumship internationally.

Connect

Kerry McLeod + Philip Dykes, Psychic Mediums + Tutors
Website: Philip Dykes + Kerry McLeod

Robert Lyon, Director
Website: We Don't Die Films

Watch: Evidence of the Afterlife
Website | Apple TV

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