Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is your reading style?  

For the clairvoyant readings, I primarily read using my 6th chakra, which is also sometimes called the third eye and is the seat of clairvoyance, or the ability to see.  I see and read energy, which I receive as pictures or images that are specific to you (i.e. they come from your energy field around you, your aura).  

I have other psychic skill sets that I tap into secondarily or for specific types of readings: Intuition, clairsentience/empathy (the ability to feel energy) and claircognizance (the ability to know information) and mediumship (the ability to connect with spirit).  

I do want to be clear that while I do see things that haven’t happened yet based on where energy is aligning, my reading is focused on what you’re working on in present time so that I can help you move through stuck energy and on to your next steps.  Meaning, I don’t set the reading at ‘predicting your future.’ I believe that everyone has free will and with that, the future is changeable.  That means I also don’t give advice or tell you what to do. On some level you really already know what you want, I just help you uncover it. 

Can you tell me a little more about your experience and background?

In order to harness and focus my abilities, I went to psychic school many years ago. Over the course of 5 years, I took all of the trainings offered. I kept taking the classes partly because it was so healing for me to be in the driver’s seat with my own psychic tools, partly because I loved it so much and partly because I started my own psychic and healing practice and I felt that the added skill sets only enhanced my practice. In all, I’ve had more than 2,000 hours of training in various modalities.  To date, I’ve given hundreds of readings and healings to clients all over the world.

On the teaching side, my passion is helping other people turn on and get safe with their own abilities, whether they’re a healer, an empath, a psychic, a medium or just want to learn more about how to work with their own energy.  I began as a teaching assistant and then teacher at the psychic school I attended. And now I've helped start Portland Psychic School. I can’t think of anything more important in this day and age than helping people get to know, understand and communicate with their own spirit.  It’s changed my life … it’s saved my life.  I’m eternally grateful to the teachers that have helped me connect with myself in profound and life-changing ways. 

What is your philosophy/mission about your practice?

My purpose is to provide spiritual guidance that empowers you to have more of your own truth and trust in yourself. I’m aware that it sounds a little counterintuitive because you’re paying someone to tell you what they see in you in a reading.  But it’s actually a big step that you’re willing to truly look at yourself in the first place. In a psychic reading, you can’t hide from yourself and that can be scary for people even if they’re actively seeking truth.

But I have found that in working with clients over time, they start to get an awareness of what their true voice is. They’ll hear validation in a reading of what they may know deep down inside. It’s the voice they sometimes avoid or don’t listen to because it may be scary, mean taking a risk, being uncomfortable or requiring change.  But once someone’s committed to opening up to this part of themselves, they do seem to heal and connect more deeply to themselves over time. In my experience, when someone sees the changes, that’s when they start to trust that voice inside of them as well as the process.  

What can I expect in a reading with you?

I have a fairly set structure for my readings that I've found works well after doing this for several years. But as in life, sometimes different situations and people require different approaches. So while what I've outlined below is the norm, I'm also flexible based on the situation. 

Pre-reading: I set the intention to have your core growth periods come forward.  Growth periods are the active areas where you’re looking to have growth in your life. A growth period doesn’t always mean things are moving (it’s more that it’s where you’re looking to grow or change), so I oftentimes will see where stuck energy or blocks are and then communicate your next steps to get you to where you’re wanting to go.  Prior to our reading (or my day of readings), I spend at least 60 minutes meditating. I do this to clear out any of my own life stuff out of the way so that my energy doesn’t get in the way of the communication.  This also helps me get into a space of non-judgement and neutrality, which is imperative for a clean reading. 

Setting up the reading: When you first sit down, I’ll ask you to say your full birth name, first-middle-last.  (Not to be confused with birth date.) Getting your birth name enables me to connect to the spirit of you. I’ll usually see your vibration as a color. Everyone has a frequency they’re vibrating at, so the color is simply a way to connect with your particular frequency in that moment. There are books about colors and vibrations, but all I’ll say here is that I’ve found that each color really does have its own meaning for each person. I can tell you what your color means in the questions section of the reading if you want.  But I’ve found in general that it usually comes out in the theme of the reading. Once I’ve set the reading color, I usually start getting a download of pictures and jump right into the reading.

During: In the first 60-minute session I have with you, I typically read without being directed by questions for the first half hour. Believe it or not, the less influences I have (dialogue, questions, etc) the easier it is to get clearer pictures. That’s because any kind of impression can affect the subconscious; I actually have to clear out those impressions so I can do a cleaner reading. But I do like to keep the sessions informal, so if you have questions or comments on what I'm reading, please feel free to jump in. It's easy for me to go in and out of the pictures, so it's not a problem. I then leave the last 30-minutes for questions if you have them.  If not, no problem, I just keep reading.  There’s plenty of information to communicate that your spirit wants you to have.

A couple of notes:

~ I may pause from time to time while I’m reading. Sometimes I see several pictures at once and I have to parse through them to either get the bigger picture or identify which image is the core image. I’ll usually communicate that this is happening. 

~ You may notice or hear me yawning during our session. I’m not bored or tired, I’m very simply clearing energy as I read you.  This is very common for healers of all sorts. I like to tell people this upfront so you know where it’s coming from. 

After: Once we’ve completed our session, I energetically ‘cut the cord’ so to speak so you can leave with all of your own energy. I like clients to know that while I do keep a client list (names, date of reading, email, phone number), I don’t keep notes on sessions. And while I do record each reading, I never go back to them to relisten before a follow up reading. So when you have follow up sessions, know that I don’t always remember each previous reading.  I personally think that’s better because it means we’re starting each session completely in the present time and not regurgitating previous growth periods.  

Follow ups: In follow up sessions, I’m happy to jump right into questions if you prefer.  

Should I prepare anything for the reading?  

You’re welcome to come with questions, record the session yourself or take notes. People often ask me how much info they should give me in the questions section of the reading. What I tell people is that it depends where you want me to go with the answer.  If you're looking for a very specific look at a situation, then more info is helpful.  If you want a general read on a situation, then less info if more helpful.  Simply put, the less information you give me, the higher, more macro level I start. As I read, I keep going deeper, but if you're wanting to get to the 'nuts and bolts' fast, then background information helps.  

One other thing I’ll point out is that sometimes clients experience intense emotions (anger, rage, grief, guilt) or physical symptoms (cold, flu, nausea) a few hours or a few days before a reading or healing. This is very common and something you should not let get in the way of the reading or healing time because the session will usually clear a big portion of it. What’s happening is that you’re already in the growth period of the reading ahead of time and you’re body is getting stimulated by the energy (whether it's conscious of it or not). 

Do you record readings?

Yes, I record readings and then send you the digital download via Dropbox, typically within 48 hours. If you haven’t received it in two or three days, please email me to let me know.  It means something probably happened with the email.  I will resend and double check with you to make sure you received it. Please note that I will never ever share or distribute your recording.  

How often should I come to you?

Once you've had a reading, I've found that it doesn’t do you any good to get another one until you’ve assimilated the communication from the last one.  Otherwise, I’m just reading the same stuck energy and same next steps.  

In general, most clients see me one to four times per year for readings. If they're in a major life crisis (divorce, loved one passes away, spiritual awakening), it may be more often for a short period of time. But I encourage my clients get their own answers about when to see me.  I am very clear in my practice that I am a guide, not a guru.  So while I'm there to help you on your path, my purpose is not to own it for you. So I try not to have rules about it, but rather encourage people to be empowered to have their own answer.

Is there a difference doing a reading over the phone versus in person?

When I started my practice 13 years ago, during the first year all of my readings were in person.  But I had clients start coming to me through word of mouth from out of town and I realized that I needed to be available to a much larger footprint so I started doing phone and online readings back in 2006. With energy, there’s no time and space, which means someone can be in Bali or Spain and it’s like they’re right in front of me (because energetically they are, even though they aren’t physically- it's how I can also communicate with spirits that have passed). Today I offer phone and online readings to anyone, anywhere in the world. But if you live in Portland and would like to see me in person, I hold office hours Monday through Thursday. 

General Questions: 

If you have additional questions, feel free to reach to set up time with me for Q&A. You can click on this link and select the 15-minute free consultation button. You can also email me at hello@shannonswallow.com.  Thanks so much. I look forward to working with you.