Children with 'sixth sense' often misunderstood, psychologist says

Children with 'sixth sense' often misunderstood, psychologist says

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SALT LAKE CITY — When the nightmares that plagued 7-year-old Charley became daytime terrors as well, his parents realized they had to try something new. Charley’s father was a therapist, but he was unable to help his son overcome the problem that was a major disruption for his family. At the recommendation of a colleague, he appealed to Dr. Pam Blackwell.

Blackwell, whose home in Provo is adorned with Tibetan prayer flags, is director of the Morning Star Institute that offers online college-level instruction on meditation. She is a retired psychologist and heads the Sacred Hoop Healing Center and Western Sandplay Associates.

After meeting with Charley, she learned that his fear stemmed from an entity he perceived in the family’s basement. When she explained to the parents that spirits like to frequent lower, darker areas like basements, they were incredulous. Blackwell taught Charley a simple technique to vanquish the entity and just like that the problem was resolved.


One of the major challenges faced by spiritually sensitive children is that parents and teachers often misidentify the sensitivities of these children as weaknesses and defects instead of teaching them to harness and use their personal energy.

–Dr. Paula Wilkes, psychologist


While some call it a sixth sense, Blackwell said children like Charley are spiritually gifted or spiritually precocious. She said these children possess the ability to connect with an unseen world among other abilities. She explained that in many other cultures, people are more accepting of the idea that some people have unique gifts. Unfortunately, most people in the United States reject such possibilities, so children learn to repress their gifts: “We make it so nothing about the experience is positive.”

Neither psychological nor educational systems have a category for the spiritually gifted. Children who demonstrate these special abilities are taught to hide them. They can be misdiagnosed as having psychological problems and sometimes even unnecessarily medicated.

According to inspiremetoday.com, some of the indications that a child could be spiritually gifted include:

  • The child might sometimes say he has been someplace before, even though he has not.
  • A child might have imaginary playmates or might hear voices.
  • A child might report seeing ghosts.
  • Gifted children sometimes see auras.
  • Some of these children have an urge to put their hands on things to help or heal them.
  • These children can have especially vivid dreams.
Dr. Paula Wilkes, a former teacher with a master's degree in psychology, has also worked with extensively with spiritually sensitive children.

“One of the major challenges faced by spiritually sensitive children is that parents and teachers often misidentify the sensitivities of these children as weaknesses and defects instead of teaching them to harness and use their personal energy," she said. "Some spiritually sensitive children end up with depression, anxiety, and autoimmune issues from the stress of living with sensitivities they don’t understand and can’t contain.”

Alison Elsberry, a counselor for spiritually gifted children, offers tips and help for parents who believe they might have spiritually gifted children on her website.

“Having a spiritually gifted child stretches you beyond what you feel capable of supporting. It often brings you to your knees in frustration," Elsberry wrote. "You have to be willing to get out of your own way and break free of the limitations and patterns that are holding you both back from enjoying an easy relationship."


Flint Stephens has a master's degree in communications from Brigham Young University. He is author of "Mormon Parenting Secrets: Time-Tested Methods for Raising Exceptional Children." His blog is mormonparentingsecrets.com.

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