Catherine Kennedy filmed herself in the Scottish guest house she shares with her husband, Antonio, to show people how she communicates with the dead.
Holding a pen lightly, she claims spirits who are present at the time take control of it and share messages for loved ones they’ve left behind.
“Whenever the spirits take the pen, my writing completely changes and my hand guides across the page,” Catherine explains.
“I just sit back and let them finish. It’s an incredible gift.”
From the age of eight, Catherine experienced premonitions but said she was too young to understand what they meant.”
“I was only young and my neighbour suddenly popped into my head while I was playing in the garden,” Catherine says.
“Days later, my mum told me he’d passed away. After that, it kept happening. I’d have visions of people I knew, then hear terrible news. It didn’t scare me, I’d always believed there was more to life than what we could see.”
It wasn’t until Catherine was older that she realised the extent of her supernatural skills.
“I was at home relaxing when I got a powerful urge to pick up a pen and paper,” Catherine says.
“I asked if anyone was there and my hand started tingling. Then I watched in amazement as my wrist was guided across the paper.”
Catherine didn’t stop until she’d written four pages.
“I speak a bit because Antonio is Italian but I don’t write in it,” Catherine says.
“At first he didn’t believe me, but when he read the letters he said it was obvious it wasn’t me. He was amazed at my flawless translation.”
Signed ‘Ivo’ at the end of the letter, Antonio knew exactly who’d come to say hello.
“Ivo was one of his friends from Italy, who had died 10 years earlier,” Catherine says.
She urged Antonio to try to speak to him too, and picking up the pen, Antonio felt the same force.
“Ivo shared his experience of the afterlife but he swore us to secrecy,” Catherine says.
“He also reminisced with Antonio about tearing around in their teens and Antonio riding on the back of his scooter.”
For the next 12 years, Ivo communicated on and off.
“Antonio once saw him on the stairs and it nearly frightened the life out of him,” Catherine says.
“After that we came up with a system. Ivo would let us know when he wanted to talk by moving a hat from one side of the wardrobe to the other.”
In time, Catherine felt comfortable confessing their secret to those closest to them.
Friends and family were fascinated and starting asking if she could contact their loved ones who had passed.
“One pal asked me to see who would come through for her. I started writing and couldn’t believe what I read on the page,” Catherine laughed.
“It said ‘Yes we have no bananas.’ I thought I can’t show her that, it’s nonsense. But her jaw dropped. It was her dad’s writing and he always used to sing the silly song with that name.
“With those few words, she knew her dad was watching over her.”
Using her gift, Catherine has helped hundreds of people receive messages from the other side.
This year, she published a book filled with their stories.
“I know some people won’t believe me, but I’m helping these spirits stay alive on the page,” she says.