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The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah: Star of TV’s Most Haunted
The UK’s number one TV psychic Derek Acorah tells of his experiences with the spirit world, from his one-to-one readings and consultations to international performances and renowned investigations for Living TV’s Most Haunted.
253 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
6 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Derek Acorah
19 books12 followersDerek Acorah was a professional Spirit Medium. He captivated audiences by communicating with dead people with the aid of his Ethiopian spirit guide, Sam. He was one of Britain's most respected paranormal investigators.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 11, 2017
Derek Acorah is one of Britain's most famous psychic mediums and is well known as a result of his TV shows. This book is a must for anyone interested in parapsychology or the world of spirit. Acorah here traces his career as a clairvoyant and medium and the many contacts he has had with those in the spirit world.
When Derek was a child he was frightened a man on the stairs of his home, and told his mother and grandmother who showed him a picture of his late grandfather who died before Derek was born. Derek identified the photograph as being that of the man he met on the stairs and his grandmother affirmed that "He's the next. Derek will be the next person in the family to work for the spirit"
The author describes his 'people friendly' spiritualism' , and his work in spiritualist churches, as well as his famous TV shows such as 'Most Haunted', his connection with people who have passed to the spirit side and have wanted to communicate with the loved ones they have left behind. As Acorah explains nobody really dies, but simply passes from the physical ream to the world of sprit. In many cases people's lives have been changed for the better on advice of their departed loved ones when they have been summoned by Acorah and have told their living relatives what they needed to know. This makes for some very moving anecdotes. Acorah describes his relationships with his invaluable spirit guide, Sam, who he had known in a life two thousand years before in Ethiopia.
Acorah describes his meetings with Jack the Ripper's victims, and his revelations of who The ripper may have been, definitely someone from a genteel background, and that there ware copycat murders at the time based on his actions.
He decribes his encounters with King Charles I and Mary , queen of Scots, and others who had played parts in their lives such as the malignant Amyas Paulet, whose name was announced to Acorah by Sam, and other nasty spirits such as Edmund, Earl of Lancaster.
Acorah predicted that Mary , queen of Scots would soon reappear on the ramparts of Tutbury Castle, which was confirmed by Lesley Smith, curator of the Castle a few months later. The spirit of Mary did return and was seen by a number of people.
Acorah has described how the spirits enter the physical ream through a 'spiritual doorway' or vortex, and has had to close these vortex doorways from time to time to give peace to people being disturbed. Acorah has also helped many trapped spirits ascend to the light, from being trapped in the physical realm, such as the heart wrenching story of the spirit of twelve year old girl Derek came across at Auld Reekie Castle at Edinburgh , who had been cruelly treated by her master, and had succumbed to death from the plague. He helped her sad should to ascend to the realm of light.
Fans of Coronation Street will be delighted to read who Derek spoke to the ghosts of Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker .
But this digest is not only a book of anecdotes-it is also a valuable guide-Acorah Cora in the digest how: " The most difficult part of our lives here on this earthly plane is when the time comes for us to part physical company with people who have meant so much to us. At the time of their passing into the world of spirit, many of us are left feeling as though we are unable to come to terms with the fact that our loved one have passed on.
In fact they have moved on physically but but they have not gone away from us, they have merely progressed into another realm-the spirit realm. They have shed their earthly garb but still remain with us, unseen to the physical eye".
He also details how he has dealt with various poltergeists including a difficult one at Penny Lane.
Definitely a fascinating read, and a definite must for anyone interested in the subject matter.
When Derek was a child he was frightened a man on the stairs of his home, and told his mother and grandmother who showed him a picture of his late grandfather who died before Derek was born. Derek identified the photograph as being that of the man he met on the stairs and his grandmother affirmed that "He's the next. Derek will be the next person in the family to work for the spirit"
The author describes his 'people friendly' spiritualism' , and his work in spiritualist churches, as well as his famous TV shows such as 'Most Haunted', his connection with people who have passed to the spirit side and have wanted to communicate with the loved ones they have left behind. As Acorah explains nobody really dies, but simply passes from the physical ream to the world of sprit. In many cases people's lives have been changed for the better on advice of their departed loved ones when they have been summoned by Acorah and have told their living relatives what they needed to know. This makes for some very moving anecdotes. Acorah describes his relationships with his invaluable spirit guide, Sam, who he had known in a life two thousand years before in Ethiopia.
Acorah describes his meetings with Jack the Ripper's victims, and his revelations of who The ripper may have been, definitely someone from a genteel background, and that there ware copycat murders at the time based on his actions.
He decribes his encounters with King Charles I and Mary , queen of Scots, and others who had played parts in their lives such as the malignant Amyas Paulet, whose name was announced to Acorah by Sam, and other nasty spirits such as Edmund, Earl of Lancaster.
Acorah predicted that Mary , queen of Scots would soon reappear on the ramparts of Tutbury Castle, which was confirmed by Lesley Smith, curator of the Castle a few months later. The spirit of Mary did return and was seen by a number of people.
Acorah has described how the spirits enter the physical ream through a 'spiritual doorway' or vortex, and has had to close these vortex doorways from time to time to give peace to people being disturbed. Acorah has also helped many trapped spirits ascend to the light, from being trapped in the physical realm, such as the heart wrenching story of the spirit of twelve year old girl Derek came across at Auld Reekie Castle at Edinburgh , who had been cruelly treated by her master, and had succumbed to death from the plague. He helped her sad should to ascend to the realm of light.
Fans of Coronation Street will be delighted to read who Derek spoke to the ghosts of Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker .
But this digest is not only a book of anecdotes-it is also a valuable guide-Acorah Cora in the digest how: " The most difficult part of our lives here on this earthly plane is when the time comes for us to part physical company with people who have meant so much to us. At the time of their passing into the world of spirit, many of us are left feeling as though we are unable to come to terms with the fact that our loved one have passed on.
In fact they have moved on physically but but they have not gone away from us, they have merely progressed into another realm-the spirit realm. They have shed their earthly garb but still remain with us, unseen to the physical eye".
He also details how he has dealt with various poltergeists including a difficult one at Penny Lane.
Definitely a fascinating read, and a definite must for anyone interested in the subject matter.
April 25, 2024
As a believer in the supernatural but sceptical of Derek's efforts, even before that infamous debunk incident, I thought it only fair to hear events in his own words. To hopefully get more of an insight in his life as a medium.
Unfortunately this, whilst certainly readable, didn't do much to change that. A lot of events just felt too glossed over as quick anecdotes, making for an easy read but struggling with any sense of authenticity. Whilst also making for slightly lacking stories. I could tell you that he went to the set of Coronation Street for example, but even having only just finished, I'd struggle to tell you much of what happened there!
Hard to recommend to any but the most devout of fans of the subject / the man himself.
Unfortunately this, whilst certainly readable, didn't do much to change that. A lot of events just felt too glossed over as quick anecdotes, making for an easy read but struggling with any sense of authenticity. Whilst also making for slightly lacking stories. I could tell you that he went to the set of Coronation Street for example, but even having only just finished, I'd struggle to tell you much of what happened there!
Hard to recommend to any but the most devout of fans of the subject / the man himself.
January 5, 2017
I know Derek Acorah from clips of his show, Most Haunted that used to appear on a TV show I used to enjoy, Harry Hill's TV Burp. I don't believe in ghosts or the afterlife, and I certainly don't believe mediums are genuine. That isn't to say I don't believe some medium's don't believe they are genuine, but that's not the same thing. The way I see it, a medium must surely be either a shyster or a crackpot.
In spite of this, everyone knows someone who believes in the afterlife and spirits and possibly even someone who visits a medium for readings. My own mother claims to have seen spirits, communicated with them and even had premonitions. I can hardly doubt her now, can I? Nevertheless, I put that down to something psychological rather than to something spiritual. I'm not saying she's mad, either. It's clearly a fairly common thing, so there's no need to suggest it is representative of mental illness.
Some people though decide to make a living out of being a medium. They do readings for people, visit sites and claim to be in contact with spirits, and even claim to have become possessed by them. Derek Acorah, as you may have guessed, is one of those.
So what's his book like?
Well, from the pleasant photo on the front cover, through the anecdotes concerning various haunted sites, and tales of receiving messages from the dead, doing readings for the bereaved, to being possessed by spirits, as you can imagine, Acorah presents himself in an endlessly positive light. He actually seems very likeable, even selfless - but not that credible.
I actually wanted to like him, even at times allowing myself to be taken in by tales of instances in which he'd provided accurate information to his clients, thinking, these might even be genuine. By the end I was thinking, I hope he's a crackpot, because when the only other option is being a shyster, the crackpot is the lesser of two evils. At least in that instance he would be deluded and not cynically and cruelly exploiting peoples grief.
The image portayed in the book though, is at odds with Acorah's on-screen image. I had to watch some videos of him on Youtube just to reacquaint myself with this creepy, abrasive, overbearing individual. Videos of him clearly making up all kinds of ridiculous bullshit and reveling in the attention he's receiving from audiences, tv presenters and tv crews, several of whom I can't actually believe are taking him seriously.
Anyway, this isn't about the videos, it's about the book. What more can I say about that? Well, the first thing is that it is very vague. You would think Derek would have a lot to say about how it feels to be possessed - but, no. In one sense, he was a footballer before he was a medium, so I can understand if writing isn't his forte. This is so vague though, that at one point I said to Mrs Cake, if you can't write better than this, you shouldn't be allowed to write a book. I think that's something publishers should take note of.
Nevertheless, as I've said before, you might think footballers can give you some deep insight into their abilities, but I've concluded after reading a few of their books that they just can't. It comes natural to them and they never question where it comes from. So it could be the same with a medium. I still think Acorah should be able to provide more detail, both about his abilities and about the anecdotes and situations he is relating.
Some of the things included here are simply preposterous. First he claims to visit a spiritual church where legendary Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly appears and communicates with him. Later he keeps experiencing Mary Queen of Scots and confidently informs us that she "traveled extensively and although the residual energy of her occupation of various buildings will always remain, her spirit body can only be in one place at any particular time." Presumably his spirit guide Sam clued him in on that particular factoid.
Then he visits the set of Coronation Street and it starts to read like a parody article from Viz as Acorah keeps running into spirits and saying, "it was none other than Ena Sharples!" Apparently the dead cast members were upset about the way the current cast was being treated by the producers.
This might not be ridiculous if you believe in this kind of thing - and I ain't saying nothing, but the kind of person who believes in mediums would seem to me to be the kind of person who might also be into Coronation Street - this reeks of pure fantasy.
Later Derek predicts the end of Gerard Houllier's reign as manager of Liverpool FC, and gives us a future prediction that we can use to verify or debunk Acorah's work. He says the new manager will be from a team known for wearing stripes. And this is where mediums always get you. You see, Rafa Benitez followed Gerard Houllier, and he made his name at Valencia. They don't wear stripes - but... there are some stripes in the club badge - oooooh! Among other teams he managed were Extremadura and Real Valladolid, both of whom may have worn stripes, but when you think about it, every professional player or manager in the world is likely to have some connection with a team that wore stripes - with a few notable exceptions of course - but 7 out of the 20 Premier League clubs currently wear stripes, so when you consider how many clubs a professional would tend to have links with, this isn't much of a prediction.
Is Derek Acorah a crackpot then? Well, it's worse than that. I think he's both a crackpot and a shyster.
In spite of this, everyone knows someone who believes in the afterlife and spirits and possibly even someone who visits a medium for readings. My own mother claims to have seen spirits, communicated with them and even had premonitions. I can hardly doubt her now, can I? Nevertheless, I put that down to something psychological rather than to something spiritual. I'm not saying she's mad, either. It's clearly a fairly common thing, so there's no need to suggest it is representative of mental illness.
Some people though decide to make a living out of being a medium. They do readings for people, visit sites and claim to be in contact with spirits, and even claim to have become possessed by them. Derek Acorah, as you may have guessed, is one of those.
So what's his book like?
Well, from the pleasant photo on the front cover, through the anecdotes concerning various haunted sites, and tales of receiving messages from the dead, doing readings for the bereaved, to being possessed by spirits, as you can imagine, Acorah presents himself in an endlessly positive light. He actually seems very likeable, even selfless - but not that credible.
I actually wanted to like him, even at times allowing myself to be taken in by tales of instances in which he'd provided accurate information to his clients, thinking, these might even be genuine. By the end I was thinking, I hope he's a crackpot, because when the only other option is being a shyster, the crackpot is the lesser of two evils. At least in that instance he would be deluded and not cynically and cruelly exploiting peoples grief.
The image portayed in the book though, is at odds with Acorah's on-screen image. I had to watch some videos of him on Youtube just to reacquaint myself with this creepy, abrasive, overbearing individual. Videos of him clearly making up all kinds of ridiculous bullshit and reveling in the attention he's receiving from audiences, tv presenters and tv crews, several of whom I can't actually believe are taking him seriously.
Anyway, this isn't about the videos, it's about the book. What more can I say about that? Well, the first thing is that it is very vague. You would think Derek would have a lot to say about how it feels to be possessed - but, no. In one sense, he was a footballer before he was a medium, so I can understand if writing isn't his forte. This is so vague though, that at one point I said to Mrs Cake, if you can't write better than this, you shouldn't be allowed to write a book. I think that's something publishers should take note of.
Nevertheless, as I've said before, you might think footballers can give you some deep insight into their abilities, but I've concluded after reading a few of their books that they just can't. It comes natural to them and they never question where it comes from. So it could be the same with a medium. I still think Acorah should be able to provide more detail, both about his abilities and about the anecdotes and situations he is relating.
Some of the things included here are simply preposterous. First he claims to visit a spiritual church where legendary Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly appears and communicates with him. Later he keeps experiencing Mary Queen of Scots and confidently informs us that she "traveled extensively and although the residual energy of her occupation of various buildings will always remain, her spirit body can only be in one place at any particular time." Presumably his spirit guide Sam clued him in on that particular factoid.
Then he visits the set of Coronation Street and it starts to read like a parody article from Viz as Acorah keeps running into spirits and saying, "it was none other than Ena Sharples!" Apparently the dead cast members were upset about the way the current cast was being treated by the producers.
This might not be ridiculous if you believe in this kind of thing - and I ain't saying nothing, but the kind of person who believes in mediums would seem to me to be the kind of person who might also be into Coronation Street - this reeks of pure fantasy.
Later Derek predicts the end of Gerard Houllier's reign as manager of Liverpool FC, and gives us a future prediction that we can use to verify or debunk Acorah's work. He says the new manager will be from a team known for wearing stripes. And this is where mediums always get you. You see, Rafa Benitez followed Gerard Houllier, and he made his name at Valencia. They don't wear stripes - but... there are some stripes in the club badge - oooooh! Among other teams he managed were Extremadura and Real Valladolid, both of whom may have worn stripes, but when you think about it, every professional player or manager in the world is likely to have some connection with a team that wore stripes - with a few notable exceptions of course - but 7 out of the 20 Premier League clubs currently wear stripes, so when you consider how many clubs a professional would tend to have links with, this isn't much of a prediction.
Is Derek Acorah a crackpot then? Well, it's worse than that. I think he's both a crackpot and a shyster.
December 4, 2023
Read ghost hunting so decided to read this for a day. Good once again if you can leave the controversies on the back seat. Passed the time well.
January 9, 2013
I stumbled across this book in a Second Hand store and thought that, at 99 Pence, it was worth the gamble!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I read through it at a record pace. The book was brimming with insights into Derek's spriritual awakening; his past life, and the story of the incredibly successful Most Haunted TV series. The book also provided a very welcome account of how Derek engages and disengages from contact with the Spirit World. This was a question that nobody had been able to answer previously.
In addition to the above, the book finally solved the mystery surrounding the identity of Sam; Derek's Spirit Guide, and details how they met, and the bond between them. The Author also provides an insight into the qualities, and characteristics of the Sprit World, and also contemplates the Afterlife in general.
An enjoyable, and intriguing insight into the life of Britain's most promient Spiritualist Medium.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I read through it at a record pace. The book was brimming with insights into Derek's spriritual awakening; his past life, and the story of the incredibly successful Most Haunted TV series. The book also provided a very welcome account of how Derek engages and disengages from contact with the Spirit World. This was a question that nobody had been able to answer previously.
In addition to the above, the book finally solved the mystery surrounding the identity of Sam; Derek's Spirit Guide, and details how they met, and the bond between them. The Author also provides an insight into the qualities, and characteristics of the Sprit World, and also contemplates the Afterlife in general.
An enjoyable, and intriguing insight into the life of Britain's most promient Spiritualist Medium.
July 13, 2012
Yes I'm one of 'those' people who believe in ghosts (not to be confused with a religious person). I picked this book of Derek's up at a Homebase (no that's not a typo - the one near me has a table full of old books with a charity donation box).
Derek's writing is easily accessible and a page turner making this a good quick read. I particularly liked reading his experiences at specific haunted locations - it was like going back to the days of telling ghost stories around a campfire!
For the most part it was a feel good read and if you are a believer then you should enjoy this.
Derek's writing is easily accessible and a page turner making this a good quick read. I particularly liked reading his experiences at specific haunted locations - it was like going back to the days of telling ghost stories around a campfire!
For the most part it was a feel good read and if you are a believer then you should enjoy this.
January 10, 2010
I read this back to back with Ghost Hunting by the same author, not a good idea. I began to tire of the material and style although that may be due to my reading habits rather than issues with the book. i suppose that it gave me some food for thought.
August 15, 2016
This guy is a total fraud. I didn't believe a thing he said, though I did find the book enjoyable if read as fiction. I wasn't surprised to go online and discover this guy has been completely debunked.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/sp...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/sp...
March 17, 2008
I love the show 'Most Haunted' and so had to read this book. I actually really enjoyed it, but then anything about the paranormal fascinates me...
April 16, 2013
Read this late at night, little bit freaked out. An entertaining read!
August 8, 2011
A sort of 'spirits I have met' book. A quick and enjoyable read.
May 6, 2012
What can I say - I love Derek!!
June 10, 2012
I do love psychics & am a believer. Fascinating to read Derek's story, how do they know this stuff?
March 15, 2016
Pleasant little read about Derek Acorah and his psychic abilities.
Not the best in the genre, by far, but a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, if this area interests you.
Not the best in the genre, by far, but a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, if this area interests you.
January 5, 2023
Great to read about how Derek went from doing private readings to giving demonstrations of his work, to doing work with tv shows.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews