You might recognize Theresa Caputo because of her big personality and bigger hair, but you’re most likely to recognize her for her ability to communicate with the dead with a sixth sense she calls Spirit. She is, after all, the Long Island Medium, star of the eponymous TLC series and now the star of her new Lifetime series Raising Spirits. While most of us have interacted with Caputo via our screens, Memphians will now get a chance to see her live and maybe have their own reading done at “Theresa Caputo Live: The Experience.”
Ahead of the show, the Flyer asked Caputo about her work and about the live show. See some of her answers below.
Memphis Flyer: Why did you decide to bring your work to a live audience?
Theresa Caputo: The live experience is amazing and why I do them is because there’s something about being in a room with thousands of people and witnessing healing — it’s something truly special.
How is “Live: The Experience” different from private readings, or even your TV show?
The live experience sometimes I think is more intense because you have thousands of people in a theater, and you’re listening to these healing messages and a lot of them you’ll be able to relate to and people will say all the time, … ‘I personally didn’t get read but what I witnessed was life-changing, and then I realized that there were so many other people in that theater that night that truly needed to hear from their loved ones more than I did.’ That just shows how powerful the experience truly is.
How would you describe what you do? How does Spirit work in this experience?
I have the ability to communicate with people that have died, to be able to deliver messages of faith, hope, and peace. What happens is, I give a little speech on how I read and communicate with the souls of the departed, and once I start sensing and feeling signs and symbols from Spirit, I allow them to guide me around the space and I will just randomly stop in front of someone and start saying things that mean absolutely nothing to me but life-changing to the person I’m standing in front of. I never know who’s gonna get read or what Spirit is going to have me say. I think that’s the most amazing thing about the experience.
What do you hope people will gain from the show, especially those who might not get a reading?
I want people to know that there truly is an afterlife, that our departed loved ones are still with us, just in a different way. I want people to know that all those things that go on around them that they might think are odd or weird or might just remind them of their loved one that has died, to know that that it is their soul reminding them that they are still with them just in a different way, and living life through their eyes, this is a soul bond that can never and will never be broken.
What made you want to be a medium? I’m sure there are critics and skeptics out there, so what keeps you going?
I use my gift for healing purposes. When I found out that I had this ability to connect with everyone’s loved ones, not only mine, and that unfortunately people are left with burdens and guilts that do not give them the ability to heal, I put my gift in God’s hands and said if this is my soul journey, then I want to be able to deliver messages to help people heal and move on with their life with as much happiness and joy as they possibly can after the loss of their loved one and that is why I do what I do.
Is Spirit stronger in some places than others, like from city to city?
Honestly, you know there are stronger souls in some places than others. I think it has to do with the history of the city that I might be in but mostly it has to do with how well the soul can communicate and also how open we are to receiving these messages from our departed loved ones.
Is there any moment, so far, from the “Live: The Experience” tour that has stood out to you?
Every moment in a live experience stands out because it’s changing someone’s life in a positive way, but the things that really stick with me are when family members aren’t speaking to one another and they didn’t even know that they were going to be at the show and they’re seated rows apart from each other, and then the families are reunited. Those are the moments that really stand out because it really shows that what I do is so much more than communicating with people that have died. It restores people’s faith in themselves, relationships, and really gives them the gift and permission to embrace life.
