(Monroe Institute Blog – March 10, 2020) Metamorphosis at Monroe: A Psychologist's Opening to Channeling and Spirit Guides by Candice Sanderson Psychologist and author, Monroe program grad, Local Chapter Network member Candice Sanderson has been involved with Monroe Institute’s Local Chapter Network since its inception, and leads one of the two local chapters in Naples, Florida. She began receiving other-worldly messages after returning from Monroe Institute’s Lifeline program in 2013. As a trained psychologist, she had a dilemma: ignore these communications as her clinical training suggested or follow her heart’s advice to embrace them. Read about her experiences in her international bestseller, "The Reluctant Messenger: Tales from Beyond Belief," or follow her on YouTube and other social media platforms. My life changed in August 2013 when doors to a mysterious world burst open, flooding my awareness with messages and visions from an unseen universe. My background as a psychologist failed to explain these events, but I faithfully adhered to my professional training by documenting my interactions. I followed these breadcrumbs, albeit initially with reluctance, down a path into the unknown. Time and time again, subsequent research supported enough of the events that I’ve now become so comfortable with the uncomfortable that the abnormal has become my new normal. Most of my channeling is spontaneous, and it happens when I least expect it: in the shower, driving to work, taking a walk. The messages often arrive in dictation form, and I’m told when to start new paragraphs, what punctuation to use, and even how to pronounce unfamiliar words. Over time, more visions arrived. Perhaps they were always there, but I’ve become a better receiver. The images are dynamic and fluid. I can pause, rewind, or fast forward them like a movie. I can even pan back and see activities and events outside the original frames of the vision. I receive downloads of data, what Bob Monroe referred to as ROTEs. These collections of information come at once, whole and complete, like a computer download. Messages also arrive through an elusive, subtle, and indirect method of knowing. Often, we push these knowings aside or disregard them as our imaginations, but it’s one of the most potent forms of communication with the nonphysical. Because I’ve never aspired to be a channeler, I’ve searched for answers to the “why me” question with vim and vigor. There’s certainly nothing special about me, and I’ve often said if I can channel, anyone could. I’ve developed a few theories that might explain my unsought candidacy to receive these subtle, other-worldly communications. First and foremost, my formal training as a psychologist taught me to be a skilled and objective observer. I push aside all emotion, and I simply observe and record the events. I’m not concerned about the outcome; I wait and see what happens. I never leave home without my phone or a notepad for documenting these mystical encounters. Many messages arrive during my early morning commute. Turning on my phone’s recorder seems to offer a silent invitation for information to flow. Because I am concentrating on my driving, my conscious mind doesn’t block the communications. It also helps that there is little or no traffic that early in the morning. I listen to music while walking, and if a message arrives, I switch to my phone’s recorder and speak the words of wisdom through my earbud’s microphone. As I pass others during my walk, they assume I’m deep in a phone conversation—if they only knew! I prefer to make a recording of the messages as they arrive, but sometimes that’s not practical. During meditations or even waiting in the dentist’s office, I rely on my journal to jot the communications or sketch the visions. An added step of transcribing my journal and recordings to a word document serves a couple of purposes. First, it’s a few keystrokes away to search for older communications that messengers sometimes reference. But more important, listening to or reading my notes returns me to the messenger’s energy field, thus strengthening the connection. If I need clarification, transcribing provides the opportunity to reconnect. The key to channeling is to be in the now. Living near the Gulf of Mexico offers me numerous opportunities to practice. I step on the warm sand and feel the gentle waters lap at my feet. With each footstep, the incoming waves wash away any traces of my path. The tide removes my history, leaving me firmly grounded in the now. My only footprints are those in my present moment, and I live within that instant, step by step. As I place one foot in front of the other, with no thoughts of my destination, I drift into a space of magic. Existing in the moment, disconnected from the past or future, opens an unseen world. As thoughts sail away like dry leaves on an autumn’s wind, I step into the mystical cosmos of the nonphysical. My human form melts away as my true essence blends with the world of spirit, yet I’m still here. My heart sings with the higher vibrations, allowing me to peek into realms of the unknown. I expand, becoming part of everything, existing within a timeless void of stillness and silence. I notice movement as a thread of energy approaches me, and I open to receive. I don’t judge what I see or hear; there’ll be plenty of time for that later. Allowing the energy to flow keeps the doors open, so I observe, document, and trust. I have no concerns about the outcome; I only exist. Within a meditative breath of acceptance, I connect to the higher vibrations of spirit, and my energy body aligns with these divine frequencies. The longer I stay in this energy field, the easier it is to access information. I step into long-forgotten paths of knowledge, and I’m granted access to wisdom that’s not available with my five physical senses. Channeling has enriched my life beyond measure, yet this was something I had not desired nor sought. My friend Mark recently said the more we listen to guidance, the more we remain present, and the more we tend to reside in the field of love. How profound and true. When we open to guidance, love and gratitude surround us. Entrainment occurs as we align with these frequencies, and our energy fields change. We start trusting the intuitive nature we’ve had since birth. We step into a field of compassion for ourselves and others, and we recognize beauty in new and meaningful ways. Although I may never know the answers to why my channeling skills developed, my life has been enriched by glimpses into the nonphysical realms, and I am forever thankful. We dip our toes into these mystical realms, and a sense of homecoming swells in our hearts. We soon discover the parts we play in this marvelous, elaborate universal plan and how powerful and capable we are. We taste the surrounding beauty of love and compassion, and with each visit to the nonphysical, these cosmic frequencies change us, widening our views of three-dimensional reality. Our perspectives change with each discovery about the universe. We humans are an essential part of this intricate design, but we are not alone in this endeavor. We have never been, of course, but now we know the world of the unseen watches over us and guides us toward an awakening of all humanity.