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In the Presence of Spirits
Traumatized by vicious poltergeist attacks that lasted five years, Barbara Parks never imagined that her deep-rooted fear of ghosts would disappear. A momentous turning point occurs when, still mourning the sudden death of a beloved friend, she receives a miraculous visit from him. This joyous experience marks her first step toward healing--and opening up to spirit world.
In the Presence of Spirits chronicles Barbara's uplifting, personal journey of gradually accepting and embracing the clairvoyant gifts that allow her to see spirits. She shares dramatic and heartwarming stories of interacting with spirits who turn up everywhere: at home, on vacation, and accompanying her patients. From the departed uncle that protects Barbara's young children from grave injury to the child spirits who bring comfort to their parents, these amazing true tales are convincing reminders that our loved ones are never far away.
In the Presence of Spirits chronicles Barbara's uplifting, personal journey of gradually accepting and embracing the clairvoyant gifts that allow her to see spirits. She shares dramatic and heartwarming stories of interacting with spirits who turn up everywhere: at home, on vacation, and accompanying her patients. From the departed uncle that protects Barbara's young children from grave injury to the child spirits who bring comfort to their parents, these amazing true tales are convincing reminders that our loved ones are never far away.
- GenresParanormalNonfiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2012
49 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Parks
4 books11 followersBarbara Parks is a microbiologist and podiatrist; working in her own private practice for the last twenty years. Her paranormal experiences have often been at odds with her scientific background and it has been a circuitous journey towards the acceptance of her abilities.
Barbara's clairvoyance showed itself early in life and constitutes some of her earliest memories. She recalls countless faces which would gather at her bedside, a nightly ritual she found to be a comforting aspect of her day to day life. As time went on however, the ghostly manifestations became progressively more sinister. Innocent acceptance soon gave way to unadulterated fear.
In the Presence of Spirits documents Barbara's journey toward the embracing of her clairvoyance, and the ways in which it has enhanced her life. Although her early recollections bear all the hallmarks of a Hollywood horror movie, her story emerges as one of inspiration and insight.
Although Barbara continues to run her podiatry practice in the Perth Hills, her passions lie in investigating and writing about the paranormal. She is also a capable guest speaker and thrives on having an audience with which to share her passion! She is a married mother of three young children, all of whom have shown signs of inheriting their mother's sixth sense.
Barbara has recently completed her follow up to In the Presence of Spirits, which is due for publication on September 8th , 2013.
Barbara's clairvoyance showed itself early in life and constitutes some of her earliest memories. She recalls countless faces which would gather at her bedside, a nightly ritual she found to be a comforting aspect of her day to day life. As time went on however, the ghostly manifestations became progressively more sinister. Innocent acceptance soon gave way to unadulterated fear.
In the Presence of Spirits documents Barbara's journey toward the embracing of her clairvoyance, and the ways in which it has enhanced her life. Although her early recollections bear all the hallmarks of a Hollywood horror movie, her story emerges as one of inspiration and insight.
Although Barbara continues to run her podiatry practice in the Perth Hills, her passions lie in investigating and writing about the paranormal. She is also a capable guest speaker and thrives on having an audience with which to share her passion! She is a married mother of three young children, all of whom have shown signs of inheriting their mother's sixth sense.
Barbara has recently completed her follow up to In the Presence of Spirits, which is due for publication on September 8th , 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 27, 2013
Ugh, the writing in this is flat and dull. Not even bad enough to be entertaining. Just . . . bad.
The blurb reads, "Traumatized by vicious poltergeist attacks . . ." but the writing never communicates any sense of trauma or viciousness. It's like reading a description of someone doing the grocery shopping.
1.5 stars.
The blurb reads, "Traumatized by vicious poltergeist attacks . . ." but the writing never communicates any sense of trauma or viciousness. It's like reading a description of someone doing the grocery shopping.
1.5 stars.
November 12, 2017
I've always believed in ghosts and have had a couple experiences with them, but this was an awesome book, that confirmed most of my beliefs Absolutely loved it. heading back to Amazon to get more of her books.
August 29, 2012
A gripping story, this book had me hooked from page one!
Barbara takes her reader on a journey detailing her real life encounters with the paranormal world, through the course of her childhood fears to her eventual acceptance and understanding of her extraordinary gifts. Wonderfully written by a talented author, this is a book NOT to be missed!
Barbara takes her reader on a journey detailing her real life encounters with the paranormal world, through the course of her childhood fears to her eventual acceptance and understanding of her extraordinary gifts. Wonderfully written by a talented author, this is a book NOT to be missed!
June 8, 2015
Book Review originally posted here: http://www.iheartreading.net/reviews/...
In The Presence of Spirits was an enjoyable read about the paranormal in daily life. The author, Barbara Parks, has been confronted with spirits ever since she was a little girl. The house she grew up in was haunted by both friendly and angry spirits. She spent most of her youth trying to get over the traumas related to her house, and only grew to accept her paranormal gift when she became older.
I wasn’t always sure if the author wasn’t embellishing the truth here and there, but I chose to put my worries aside and give her the benefits of the doubt. The simplicity of this novel, in that it choses to recall both small events as larger ones, shows the truthfullness of most, if not all, events, in my humble opinion. The author writes well, although at some times I found the pace a tad too slow and the narrative a bit too descriptive. There was a large gap between the childhood events and when the author truly embraced her clairvoyant gifts at a later age, and everything between that gap progressed slowly.
I’m a big fan of these true haunting novels that relate to the author’s life in particular, and I found that, when compared with other similar books, In The Presence of Spirits ranks quite highly. There’s genuine emotion, sometimes good, sometimes bad, behind these pages. The line-up of ghosts is ever-changing, unique and interesting. I was surprised by how well the author dealt with her abilities later on in life when she seemed to have so much trouble coping at first, and I’m very happy with this change in feelings towards her clairvoyance. It would be a shame to throw such gifts away, or to fear them.
For fans of true hauntings, check out In The Presence of Spirits. It’s a genuine-sounding account that steers away from things one would only encounter in horror movies, with raw emotions dripping off the pages and offering a mix of intriguing, soothing encounters on the one hand and creepy, hair-rising on the other hand.
In The Presence of Spirits was an enjoyable read about the paranormal in daily life. The author, Barbara Parks, has been confronted with spirits ever since she was a little girl. The house she grew up in was haunted by both friendly and angry spirits. She spent most of her youth trying to get over the traumas related to her house, and only grew to accept her paranormal gift when she became older.
I wasn’t always sure if the author wasn’t embellishing the truth here and there, but I chose to put my worries aside and give her the benefits of the doubt. The simplicity of this novel, in that it choses to recall both small events as larger ones, shows the truthfullness of most, if not all, events, in my humble opinion. The author writes well, although at some times I found the pace a tad too slow and the narrative a bit too descriptive. There was a large gap between the childhood events and when the author truly embraced her clairvoyant gifts at a later age, and everything between that gap progressed slowly.
I’m a big fan of these true haunting novels that relate to the author’s life in particular, and I found that, when compared with other similar books, In The Presence of Spirits ranks quite highly. There’s genuine emotion, sometimes good, sometimes bad, behind these pages. The line-up of ghosts is ever-changing, unique and interesting. I was surprised by how well the author dealt with her abilities later on in life when she seemed to have so much trouble coping at first, and I’m very happy with this change in feelings towards her clairvoyance. It would be a shame to throw such gifts away, or to fear them.
For fans of true hauntings, check out In The Presence of Spirits. It’s a genuine-sounding account that steers away from things one would only encounter in horror movies, with raw emotions dripping off the pages and offering a mix of intriguing, soothing encounters on the one hand and creepy, hair-rising on the other hand.
September 29, 2014
In the Presence of Spirits by Barbara Parks is a firsthand account of the author's experiences as a clairvoyant and her journey in becoming more comfortable with seeing the presence of the dead. If you're not a person who believes in the paranormal, particularly in ghosts/spirits, I would say that you will definitely not like this book. If you're expecting a sensationalistic ghost story or a book befitting of the horror genre, you will be disappointed. It's written in a simplistic, straightforward way that may seem bland if you're not really interested in the author's message...
But I most definitely was interested.
I don't have the abilities that Barbara has (I don't see auras or spirits hovering around the living), but I have had a plethora of paranormal experiences and consider myself to be "sensitive" to spirits. In the book, Barbara talks about how at first she was afraid of her abilities and had a lot of scary experiences as ghosts tried to get her attention, especially when she was really sad or stressed. These accounts from her childhood and early adult years really resonated with me and were extremely similar to things I've experienced. Another thing that resonated with me was her discussion of people who are in professions that find them on "the battleground between life and death". As a nurse, I totally get it.
I'm glad Barbara Parks decided to share her story. It brought me goosebumps at times and tears at others and was just very interesting to me.
But I most definitely was interested.
I don't have the abilities that Barbara has (I don't see auras or spirits hovering around the living), but I have had a plethora of paranormal experiences and consider myself to be "sensitive" to spirits. In the book, Barbara talks about how at first she was afraid of her abilities and had a lot of scary experiences as ghosts tried to get her attention, especially when she was really sad or stressed. These accounts from her childhood and early adult years really resonated with me and were extremely similar to things I've experienced. Another thing that resonated with me was her discussion of people who are in professions that find them on "the battleground between life and death". As a nurse, I totally get it.
I'm glad Barbara Parks decided to share her story. It brought me goosebumps at times and tears at others and was just very interesting to me.
March 24, 2013
I really liked this book. Wish I had her abilities.
February 3, 2018
Great read,lovely author
September 19, 2012
This book was not as scary as I expected to it to be and even though I had made sure to read it during daylight hours, I found that I kept on reading well into the night without any fear :) The paranormal has always fascinated me, for many reasons including the comfort it provides for those of us who have lost a loved one, but it also has the ability to give me the real creeps!
Barbara explains her understanding of the differences between ghosts and spirits right at the beginning of the book, and though there are still many things I don't understand, this book provides much insight through one woman’s real life experiences. And what experiences they are!
After an intriguing account of her childhood ghostly hauntings, Barbara Parks goes on to explain her re-acquaintance with spirits as an adult in a very different light. In the second half of the book, she shares many fascinating stories of her clairvoyant encounters with spirit beings. Though there are sure to be many skeptics out there, I wish to thank the author for sharing her incredible story, for I found it reassuring as well as a gripping read.
Barbara explains her understanding of the differences between ghosts and spirits right at the beginning of the book, and though there are still many things I don't understand, this book provides much insight through one woman’s real life experiences. And what experiences they are!
After an intriguing account of her childhood ghostly hauntings, Barbara Parks goes on to explain her re-acquaintance with spirits as an adult in a very different light. In the second half of the book, she shares many fascinating stories of her clairvoyant encounters with spirit beings. Though there are sure to be many skeptics out there, I wish to thank the author for sharing her incredible story, for I found it reassuring as well as a gripping read.
May 26, 2013
I read about half of this book before I realized it was a work of non-fiction. The stories that Mrs. Parks tells of her early years as a frightened clairvoyant were interesting; later stories tended to be the typical stories written about in many books concerning purported clairvoyant experiences. Admittedly, I'm a hard sell when it comes to believing in anything I can't see, but I did enjoy the insights into what a life of seeing spirits might be like.
November 2, 2014
I'm going through my Kindle, reading all the haunting-esque books in preparation for the season, but also because I am doing a wide-net research on a manuscript. The writing here is flat, the chapters organized like one of my former high school students may have done--very much so in chunks with clumsy transitions. However, the content has some interest.
April 11, 2013
Really challenged some of my long-held suppositions about "ghosts" but corresponds with beliefs a local clairvoyant holds. Helped explain some of my own personal experiences better than I could! Interesting read.
April 21, 2013
A somewhat interesting exploration of spirit communication. She lost me towards the end when she started going off on tangents about people she knew who knew someone who had a paranormal experience, etc.
August 26, 2014
I enjoyed this book. I believe in ghosts and spirits, so this was not new to me. It's well written and doesn't force you to believe or not believe in ghosts / spirits. It just explains the author's own experiences.
April 22, 2013
I am still a skeptic and have a difficult time believing that the author encountered so many people that were also clairvoyant.
June 12, 2013
fabulous read...what amazing experiences...thanks Barbara
October 24, 2013
The subject was pretty interesting, but the writing was dull. This would have made a much better tv special on lifetime.
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February 25, 2016kindle 240 (metaphysical)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews