JAMES VAN PRAAGH took the publishing world by storm in early 1998. His appearances on 48 Hours, Sally Jesse Raphael, and especially, Larry King Live sent Talking to Heaven skyrocketing to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Van Praagh's gift for communication with the dead clearly touched a chord in the American psyche, and has earned him a devoted following. 

Van Praagh has two gifts: clairvoyance and clairsentinence. Clairvoyance is the ability to "see clearly," meaning that he can see the dead around us. Clairsentinence means "clear feeling," and results in his "feeling the emotions and personalities of the deceased." These abilities have made him into a nationally recognized medium, who travels the country giving workshops and teaching classes in spiritual and psychic development. 

Van Praagh was born in Bayside, New York, and is the youngest of four children. Although he was raised a Roman Catholic and even entered a seminary at 14, he soon found that "spirituality" was more compelling than "religion." He graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in broadcasting and communication, then moved to Los Angeles, where at age 24 he met a medium, who told him that within two years, he himself would become clairvoyant. Van Praagh's psychic sensitivity increased, and he began to receive messages form the beyond. 

Van Praagh now travels throughout the country giving lecturing, giving demonstrations, and spreading the knowledge of life after death. In addition he conducts specialized tours of spiritual centers around the world, including Brazil, Egypt, and Mexico.