Visits from the Afterlife: The Truth About Hauntings, Spirits, and Reunions with Lost Loved Ones

by Sylvia Browne, Lindsey Harrison

Sylvia Browne showed us how to get in touch with departed loved ones in The Other Side and Back and Life on The Other Side, her classic books on the afterlife. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author opens another portal to the world filled with ghosts and spirits in an astonishing and inspirational book that will resonate with readers everywhere.

In Visits from the Afterlife, Browne journeys even deeper into The Other Side. With her trademark sixth sense, detailing stirring true encounters, she describes visitations with ghosts, in-transition spirits, and other troubled souls seeking peace and closure. She travels to locations as diverse as haunted homes and ships possessed by the otherworldly forces who walk their deserted decks. Through these spiritual visits, she explains the reasons behind many of the world's most bizarre and mysterious hauntings. And she shares her own personal, face-to-face experiences with these inexplicable phenomena.

Informed by Browne's authentic insider's view, this is an unprecedented glimpse into these other dimensions. From surprising revelations about the spirit world to moving reunions with those who have moved on, Visits from the Afterlife once again illustrates their profound and eternal influence on our earthly lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paranormal, Ghosts, Religion, New Age, Audiobook

269 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Sylvia Browne was an American author and self-proclaimed psychic who built a lucrative career through books, television appearances, and psychic readings. Known for her frequent guest spots on The Montel Williams Show and Larry King Live, she claimed to communicate with angels, spirit guides, and the deceased, and said she had psychic visions from the age of three. In 1986, she founded the Society of Novus Spiritus, a Gnostic Christian church, and ran a variety of businesses, reportedly earning millions annually.
Browne wrote over 40 books, many of which were bestsellers, and maintained a dedicated fanbase throughout her life. However, her career was marked by controversy. She made numerous high-profile predictions about missing persons and criminal cases that were later proven false—errors that drew widespread criticism and scrutiny from skeptics and media outlets. A 2010 study by the Skeptical Inquirer concluded she had not been accurate in any verifiable case. Her reputation suffered further after her 1992 conviction for securities fraud.
Despite criticism from figures like James Randi and John Oliver, Browne retained a devoted following. Her vague prediction about a “pneumonia-like illness” spreading around 2020 drew renewed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. She remained a polarizing figure—revered by some, discredited by others—until her death in 2013 at the age of 77.

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As of May 30th, 2008, I became an orphan. My dad died. I miss him so much. The ache, the longing is indescribable. Just as people stop asking about it, it gets worse. It's always with me. I am checking out SB's books to see what I can find. They were recommended by a compassionate friend, after a friend close to my heart (first boyfriend) died last year.

The book starts out fairly well. I like how Browne explains the differences between variant phenomena. Some references spoke to me. She says that spirits at (H)ome live in their space just three feet above where we are. Could this explain the fact that, after my dad's death, I felt as if I was walking on air? Browne states we have memories of being Home and miss it dearly. Is this why I had a feeling of negotiating space, trying to find out where I fit in the world without my dad here? Was part of me remembering Home, where dad is now living? Who knows.

In later chapters, Browne tells stories. That's fine, the idea of the book. Unfortunately, she digresses into self-indulgent repetitive reporting. Browne is inclined toward telling us about her apathy, lack of self-knowledge and cynicism when is seems unnecessary. It's as if she is trying was too hard to let us know she is not a touchy-feely psychic. Browne also uses a defensive tone at times, too defensive for readers who would choose to pick up this book in the first place.

Here's the main thing I don't get: It seems that according to Sylvia Browne, God brings us Home. You don't have to believe in God, he (yes, he) will still bring you Home. Why does this God have a definitive place in this process, a white male Christian God, in order to go to this Home?

I am an atheist. I don't believe in an afterlife, yet I am open to reading about it. If it does exist, this life everlasting -- if our spirits never are born or never die - just always are - why does it all have to be intertwined with this particular God? Perhaps our guide is simply, and miraculously, an energy field, or some other force we cannot define.

I have had many people close to me die: mom, grandma, grandpa, my friend Rob, my dad. I was with my grandma, grandpa and my dad when they died. I was with Rob the day before he died. Why was I present, near or during death, with all of these people I love so much?

Soon before my Grandpa died, he kept saying, "I want to go home." I told him he could go home. I know what he meant. He believed in Sylvia's God.

I have had some experiences that make me think spirits/souls live on. The dreams I had about my mom might have been astral travel, per Sylvia Browne, visits with mom at Home. Through dreams, we thoroughly processed our life together, and bridged the gap between earthly existence and another plane. I felt my mom's spirit seep into my body, during a seemingly normal every day moment, bringing completion to our old relationship and a beginning to the new.

My daughter saw Rob in our room the morning, an hour or so after, he died. She looked toward the light coming from our bedroom windows and said, "I can see Rob." A complete clearly spoken sentence. She was less than 3 years old at the time. I had a dream about Rob that might have been astral travel.

If I acknowledge these happenings does that mean they are linked to God? Can't I have these experiences and still be an atheist? Do I need to acknowledge this God when I die to go Home? I think not.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting stories but I will not read anymore of her stories. There is a lot about "I" and "Me" in this book, I felt she was tooting her own whistle too much in the book and I wanted to read more about the stories themselves than to read her explain how she is "real" and not "fake" and so forth. Just write what you know, it doesn't matter who believes it or not.

[Lara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Visits from the Afterlife = Christian propaganda + narcissistic exercise + bad-behavior apologism + grief thievery + (sometimes hilariously) fake "hauntings".

[Ronnie Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Idea I find Most Provocative was that everyone pass over to the outside sprint and then sometimes the spirit gets stuck here on earth even though this might not be real to some people it is still cool that something that is not seen by most people so your soul can live on forever in an afterlife on the outside I believe that your spirit is stronger than your body and in this book she talks about how the spirit is the part of you that takes the beating your physical body shows scare but your spirit conveys them In the book the author Sylvia says that the spirit that get trapped in the reality world case everyday people like us to see them as ghost or spirit and sometimes they are there for a reason to protect or warn us or possibly hurt us to send a message.

I find it interesting that Sylvia writes about how spirit commute with her and when and how they do it that shes states in the book that it does not matter where she at they find her and talk to her and tell their stories of how they died some very tragic others died naturally and just wish to tell a loved one something I wonder how she is able to do all that and not go crazy she really has a special gift that life has given her and she uses it to teach others which is inspiring to me.

Lastly this book is relevant to my life because I have always believed that spirits are real and are here to tell us that we need something or to protect us or bring us luck or just to teach us a lesson that no one alive could do I feel that Sylvia is one of the physic out there and perhaps one day I will meet her and I can ask her about who might be following me around and hope the spirit is a good one and that I one day become a spirit that protects to.

[Virginiamichelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I consider myself as an open-minded skeptic, where I know everything is a possibility but at the same time I don't want to be agreeing to anyone so easily just because they have a strong fan-base. That said I did found this book very interesting. It also started to make me question my doubts I had in my religion that I had been battling with. The number one thing I got out of this book was that she reminded me of how easy it was to innocently put your trust in God when you feel you need some protection. There were many times throughout the book that made me question her, and you do have to just take her word for it,but it became a much easier read going in it when you realize, 'These are just stories, whether true or not, that are interesting, fun and make you think about life and death (obviously). I like to think everything in the book is true but I'm not a psychic myself to go find out. With the concept it has About Life after Death, it really makes it a lot easier to face death and all the fears at hand.

[Janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was completely kooky and out there. I read this book while working as an editorial assistant for a small publication after receiving a press release about an upcoming appearance by Syliva Browne. I breezed through this book pretty quickly. While there were some interesting bits of information, it wasn't particularly memorable and the impression that I got was that Syliva Browne is just a bit nuts.

[Tibbara's Den · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had the potential to be something I enjoyed. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The only thing that got me through was the testimony/encounters themselves. They were overshadowed by heavily religious, very preachy writing. The religion and focus on God itself wasn't a problem for me personally, especially because (regardless of what I do or don't believe) that is part of her beliefs, but the way it was presented was very off-putting. The other thing that got under my skin was how both defensive the writing was and how boastful she came across. Constantly assuring the reader that she wasn't a fraud because of x, y, z, and if you don't believe that too bad. To me, as a believer, I wouldn't have thought she's making this up. If I didn't believe her, her constantly defending herself against being a fraud wouldn't do a thing to change my mind and would just make me more skeptical. The proof is in the testimonies, and people will either believe or not. As far as her boastfulness, we don't need to hear how you turned down lucrative deals and how that, in turn, just proves you aren't a fraud. We also don't need a self advertisement throughout this book of your other books and television shows you were a part of. Include a page at the front or back with that information for easy access. If I had enjoyed this book, even without that info, I would have gladly looked for it myself. As it was, it was just one more thing that was off-putting, and it makes me less likely to pick up other works. Also, dont say you are going to keep celebrities out of it and then proceed to have a whole chapter on them. Then, say you are going to be professional about a certain person you didn't like, then call them names after stating they were an atheist. Definitely no professionalism in that. Overall, it wasn't the content of the book, but the tone of it that I had a hard time with. The best chapter, by far, was the one where fans sent in experiences that they had and her feedback on them.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of the many books written by psychic Sylvia Browne, Visits From the Afterlife: The Truth About Hauntings, Spirits, and Reunions With Lost Loved Ones, is entertaining and certainly thought-provoking. After having read a few of her other books I was ready for (curious about) more of her spirit-guided insights about the Other Side. Whether you believe it or not, it does make you think about what lies beyond our current lives. This one is focused, as the title implies, on more details about the Other Side. Whether you read this and other books by this author as a believer or primarily as entertainment and an escape from everything else happening today, you will most likely find it worth your time.

[Sally Kilpatrick]

Research.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of this book or of Sylvia Browne.

Okay, hold up. After posting this review, I discovered that Browne had passed, or, as she would put it, gone Home. Now I feel weird about not knowing what to make of this book. If I astral travel in my dreams tonight and visit with her, I'll be sure to come back and add that to this review.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sylvia Brown shares stories of her own experiences as well as those of letters sent to her. She explains the different types of ghosts and there difficulties.

I found this book to be informative even if you don't believe in ghosts. Everyone wants to know what's on the other side. It's nice to another view from my own with so many similarities.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about Sylivia Browne. I have really thought some of her books were, well, stupid. However I really liked this one. I suppose because it mirrors many of my own beliefs and thoughts about the afterlife.

[Laura Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating perspective of the afterlife. This is a must read for those who have a curiosity or inkling to know more about the afterlife. Especially love the Marilyn Monroe part!

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluffy, fluffy, fluff. After sticking with a novel that took much longer to read than I wanted, I was looking for something quick and easy. Enter Sylvia.

[Ginger Petrick]

I always enjoy Sylvia Browne.

[Lolita · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me it was some more additional information about the ghosts and spirits to what I know from other Sylvia Browne books. She is a very good story teller.

[Stefanie Dettmers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this was my last book by Sylvia Browne. We're not on the same page.

[Eleonora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lo mejor es que se lee fácil
No lo terminé. Es…. No para mi

[Davidd]

Interesting stories. An enjoyable change of pace read.

[Eleonora · Rating 1 out of 5]

A menos que seas extremadamente creyente, no leas este libro

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read several of Sylvia Browne's books, this is another one that is an easy to read, entertaining account of Sylvia's experiences. She again gives readers her interpretations of hauntings, spirit visitation , imprints, and all kinds of stuff in between. This is territory that is revisited by Browne, but is presented in a way that is review rather than redundant. What was especially good, were the numerous accounts sent in by readers who share their unique experiences both good, bad and mysterious. Our life is so much more than we can perceive with our limited senses and it is a pleasure to read about these aspects beyond ordinary sight. According to Sylvia Browne, visits from the afterlife, in whatever form are absolutely normal in her world as well as in many others as evidenced from her letters. I appreciate her straightforward, honest and humorous style. She is not trying to prove something but rather deliver her experiences to the reader in an interesting and insightful manner. Some stories are chilling, some sad and some joyful. We all have had sometime in our life when we have questioned life after death and Sylvia delivers convincing truth through her words and the many stories of people who contributed to the book. A thought provoking account

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one of Sylvia Browne's books. It's primarily a book about ghosts, along with some information on what happens to recently deceased people, and how they can be trapped or voluntarily stay in this realm, move on to a higher realm, or go through a left-hand door and reenter this realm by being born in the body of a new baby.

Skeptics, of course, would have a field day with this book. They would claim everything was lies, delusions, etc. What they fail to understand is that the only way to personally validate claims and events such as Sylvia Browne relates is to go through them personally, do all the research oneself, and even then the skeptics would say the person had made mistakes, been misled or was delusional.

There are various instances in the book when Sylvia Browne picks up information from ghosts that was not known previously by her or others working with her, but was able to be verified by searching through newspaper and other archives.

Still, skeptics will continue to disbelieve everything she says. For those who have faith that, even a part of what she writes about is true, the book will come as yet another substantiation of the continued existence of the human spirit after death.

[Kathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

"psychic attacks: depressions that are those flat feelings that nothing matters much, that there's nothing to look forward to, that we're in a rut we don't have the energy, the motivation, or the inspiration to get out of, and that we can't remember what it's like to be excited about something, or even just to laugh and really mean it. those depressions aren't fun, but they come and go through life in varying degrees, and we either learn to rely on the fact that they'll pass or we get professional help for what can sometimes turn out to be a chemical imbalance that's easily treated and controlled."

[Christina Vetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Sylvia Browne book I've read. I really liked it! Obviously she talks about ghosts and the spirit world going into thorough detail about what each is and also her own experiences over the years as a psychic. She talks about other people's experiences that have written to her regarding their own spiritual happenings, deceased celebrities, and haunted places in the U.S. So it's a nice mix of everything in one book. I am a believer of the spirit world, so this book was definitely informative and entertaining. I wouldn't recommend it to the skeptics though.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that proves there is an afterlife and those whom we lost here on earth, are always with us. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who believes in ghosts & spirits (Yes there IS a difference). It will also make you see that some of the little things in life, like "misplacing" our keys, that we overlook is really a loved one or spirit guide from the other side trying to tell you that they are there for you and always will be.

[Ms BooksAholic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book a five star. Since being interested in the whole ghost and spirits. I really enjoyed it. I learned alot more and stuff I never knew. Spirits are the people whose lives have made it to the other side, ghosts are the ones who didn't go to the white light and stayed behind. Also I am very interested in Sylvia Browne and the work she does. She talks about famous people who have passed away. It was really neat to read about what happen to them and where they are now! :)

[Ericka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've mentioned elsewhere that I'm partial to Sylvia Browne and I enjoyed this book as well. I have developed my beliefs without Ms. Browne's assistance and I've come to many of the same conclusions. I believe her concept of a loving God is accurate and it makes hauntings a more positive experience. I've had very good experiences with ghosts and spirits and they're very similar to what she describes.

[Anja the Haunted Doll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book several times and it's one of my favorite books about ghosts! I love Sylvia Browne and miss her. I've read most of her books and this one is definitely one of my favorite of hers. I would recommend any of her books if you are curious about life, death, the afterlife, etc. Even if you don't believe her it will still be fascinating if you have an open mind! Like she always says "take what you want and leave the rest."

[Bebe Burnside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Sylvia Browne's books this one provides a lot of information so you can decide if you believe in ghosts or not. The second to last ghost story in the book really hit a nerve with me. I don't want to give it away, but now I want to do some more research and learn more about this murder.

[Natalie Lozano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very good read. I enjoyed it. It was a longer read than usual for me because some of the stories were so emotional. I learned a lot, and I liked how Sylvia Brown is adamant about being honest. I think anyone interested in paranormal events and experiences should read it.

[SimsationalSimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very informative and insightful to my experiences I had. it helped me better understand the things I had saw as a teenager and taught me the difference between ghost and spirits. a good recommendation for anyone just getting into the spiritual realm. when no one else believed what I had saw, this book did.