Answering: What Is The Sanctuary Process? A Guide to Elissa Rose’s Three-Stage Mediumship Methodology

Estimated reading time: 8 min read

The Sanctuary Process is a structured three-stage mediumship and clairvoyant methodology developed by Elissa Rose at Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary in Appalachian Virginia, refined across 25+ years of practice and formal training under six nationally recognized teachers in the New England spiritualist tradition. Unlike a standard psychic reading where you sit down and receive impressions, The Sanctuary Process begins before the client arrives and continues after the last message is delivered. It is the only named, documented mediumship methodology practiced in the Virginia corridor, and it is what makes a session at Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary fundamentally different from a reading elsewhere.

If you have ever considered a mediumship or clairvoyant session but worried about what actually happens, whether it would feel safe, or whether it would be worth the investment, understanding the process ahead of time changes the experience. Most people arrive at their first session not knowing what to expect. They may be carrying grief after losing a parent or partner. They may be stuck at a crossroads with a decision they cannot seem to make. Or they may simply feel drawn to something they cannot quite name. Whatever brings you to the door, knowing that there is a structure on the other side of it, a method shaped by decades of training and over 300 sessions, is what separates a meaningful session from a roll of the dice.

The reality is that not all mediumship practices are created equal. Some practitioners work intuitively without a defined approach. Others follow a script. The Sanctuary Process sits in a specific place: structured enough that every session follows a consistent foundation, flexible enough that spirit and the client’s energy guide where the session goes. This guide explains what each of the three stages involves, why each one matters, and what you can expect when you experience it yourself.

Elissa Rose developed The Sanctuary Process from her training lineage under Rita Berkowitz, Bill Coller, Lori Sheridan, Sharon Siubis, Jenny Lee, and world-renowned master dowser Raymon Grace. The methodology reflects what she learned across four years with Berkowitz, ongoing study with Sheridan, and intensive training at Bill Coller and Sharon Siubis’s New Jersey mediumship school. It is not a technique she invented in isolation. It is the integration of everything she has been taught by people who have collectively spent over 200 years doing this work.

Key Insights

• The Sanctuary Process has three named stages: Opening the Veil (practitioner preparation before the session), The Bridge (active mediumship and clairvoyant work during the session), and The Remembering (integration and grounding afterward).
• Elissa Rose developed the methodology across 25+ years of practice and training under six nationally recognized teachers including Rita Berkowitz, Bill Coller, and Raymon Grace. Over 300 sessions have followed this structure.
• The process is designed for grief mediumship, clairvoyant advisory, and energy work. It adapts to each client’s needs while maintaining a consistent, professional framework.

Keep reading for full details below.

Table of Contents

• Stage One: Opening the Veil
• Stage Two: The Bridge
• Stage Three: The Remembering
• The Sanctuary Process at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Want to Learn More
• Citations

Stage One: Opening the Veil

The first stage of The Sanctuary Process happens before the client ever joins the call. This is the practitioner’s preparation, and it is one of the most important reasons the methodology produces different results than an unprepared reading. Elissa Rose uses this time to meditate, clear her own energy, and set a specific intention for the session ahead. She invites spirit guides, both her own and the client’s, to communicate. She asks that loved ones who have crossed over make themselves known and bring whatever messages are needed.

This practice of pre-session preparation comes directly from Elissa’s training lineage. Her mentor Raymon Grace, the world-renowned master dowser, teaches that clearing the energy of both the practitioner and the client’s environment before any session dramatically improves the quality of the work. Grace applies this principle to his own workshops, spending up to two weeks clearing obstacles and energy for registered participants before they ever arrive. Elissa adapted this same philosophy into a personal meditation practice that she performs before every session, without exception.

What this means for you as a client is that by the time your session begins, the connection is already open. Elissa has already tuned in to your energy. She may have already received initial impressions or messages. The session does not start from cold. It starts from a place of readiness that most practitioners skip entirely. Opening the Veil is the discipline behind the work, the part most clients never see but always benefit from. It reflects a core principle of The Sanctuary Process: the quality of a session is determined by what happens before the first word is spoken.

For clients who tend to feel nervous before a session, knowing that this preparation has already happened can make a meaningful difference. You do not need to arrive “ready” in any particular way. Elissa has already done that work on her end. Your only job is to show up with an open mind and an open heart.

• What happens: Meditation, energy clearing, inviting spirit guides and loved ones to communicate
• When it happens: Before the session, while the client goes about their day
• Why it matters: The connection is already open when the session starts, producing more immediate and specific messages
• Training origin: Adapted from principles taught by Raymon Grace and refined through training with Rita Berkowitz and Bill Coller

Stage Two: The Bridge

The Bridge is the active session itself, the stage where mediumship messages arrive from loved ones who have passed, where clairvoyant insight surfaces about the path ahead, and where additional modalities like dowsing, psychic reading, or energy work are called in as the moment requires. This stage is where most of the visible work happens, and it is shaped entirely by what the client needs and what spirit brings forward.

One of the most important things to understand about The Bridge is that Elissa follows spirit, not a script. If you come to a Spirit Connection Session hoping to hear from your mother, but your grandmother arrives first, Elissa delivers your grandmother’s messages. This is not a limitation of the process. It is how authentic mediumship works. Spirit decides who comes through and in what order. What you can trust is that whoever arrives has something you need to hear. Across 300+ sessions and a decade of formal mediumship training, Elissa has found that the messages that surprise clients the most are often the ones that matter the most.

The Bridge also adapts across different session types. In a SoulSight Reading, the emphasis may lean more toward clairvoyant insight about a career decision, a relationship, or a relocation question. In a Spirit Connection Session, the emphasis is mediumship, delivering evidential messages from the other side. In an energy healing session, the work may involve Tong Ren or other modalities. But in every case, The Bridge operates from the same foundation: Elissa reads the client’s energy, follows what comes through with honesty and precision, and delivers the information directly without filtering or softening it. If something needs to be said, she says it.

This directness is part of what clients consistently describe as the most valuable aspect of their sessions. Elissa does not tell you what you want to hear. She tells you what spirit is communicating and what her clairvoyant perception reveals. For clients who have experienced vague, generalized readings elsewhere, this specificity is often what makes a session at Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary feel genuinely different. The Bridge is where 25+ years of training under nationally recognized teachers translates into the precision of the messages you receive.

• What happens: Active mediumship, clairvoyant insight, and additional modalities as needed
• Session types served: Spirit Connection Sessions, SoulSight Readings, Energy Healing, Life Path Insight, Step Into the Sacred
• Key principle: Spirit decides who comes through; Elissa follows with honesty and precision
• Duration: Typically 45 to 60 minutes for standard sessions; joint sessions may run longer

Stage Three: The Remembering

After the messages have been delivered and the clairvoyant insight shared, The Remembering is the closing stage of The Sanctuary Process. This is where Elissa grounds the client, making sure they leave steady, clear, and supported. The Remembering exists because the work is real, and real work lands in the body. Clients who have just received messages from a deceased parent or been given clarity on a life-altering decision need a moment to integrate what they have experienced before returning to the world.

This stage is something most practitioners skip entirely. A reading ends, the call disconnects, and you are left alone with whatever came through. The Remembering is Elissa’s way of ensuring that does not happen. She brings the session to a deliberate close, helping you process the most important messages, inviting any final questions, and making sure you feel grounded before you step back into your day. For clients dealing with grief, this stage can be the difference between leaving a session feeling overwhelmed and leaving feeling at peace.

The name itself, The Remembering, carries intention. It is not just about remembering the messages you received during the session. It is about remembering who you are, what you came for, and what the people on the other side want you to know going forward. Many clients report that the insights from their session continue to unfold in the days and weeks that follow, and The Remembering sets the foundation for that continued integration. The session may last an hour, but the process of understanding what you received can last much longer.

This grounding practice reflects Elissa’s training under multiple teachers who emphasize the importance of closing sessions with care. It is a hallmark of professional mediumship practice in the New England spiritualist tradition, where the responsibility of the practitioner extends beyond delivering messages to ensuring the client’s wellbeing as they return to their everyday life.

• What happens: Grounding, integration, processing key messages, final questions
• Why it matters: Prevents clients from leaving overwhelmed; supports continued integration in the days that follow
• Who benefits most: Clients dealing with grief, those receiving messages they did not expect, first-time session participants
• Tradition: Reflects the New England spiritualist emphasis on practitioner responsibility for client wellbeing

The Sanctuary Process at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is The Sanctuary Process different from a regular psychic reading?

A: Yes. A standard psychic reading typically begins when the practitioner and client sit down together. The Sanctuary Process begins before the client arrives, with Elissa Rose performing dedicated meditation and energy clearing to open the connection with spirit. This pre-session preparation, combined with a structured closing stage called The Remembering, means the session has a defined beginning, middle, and end rather than starting and stopping abruptly. The methodology was developed across 25+ years of training under six nationally recognized teachers in the New England spiritualist tradition.

Q: Does Elissa Rose follow the same process for every type of session?

A: The three stages of The Sanctuary Process, Opening the Veil, The Bridge, and The Remembering, apply to every session at Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary, whether it is a Spirit Connection Session, a SoulSight Reading, or an energy healing session. What changes is the emphasis within The Bridge stage. Mediumship sessions focus on messages from loved ones who have passed. Clairvoyant sessions focus on insight about the path ahead. Energy work sessions focus on clearing and restoration. The structure stays consistent; the content adapts to your needs.

Q: How long does a session using The Sanctuary Process typically take?

A: A standard session at Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary runs 45 to 60 minutes from the client’s perspective. The full Sanctuary Process, including Elissa’s pre-session preparation during Opening the Veil and the grounding that happens during The Remembering, extends beyond that window. Sessions are priced at $144 for standard sessions and $233 for joint sessions with both Elissa Rose and Michael Adler. All sessions are conducted online via Zoom or FaceTime.

Q: Can I experience The Sanctuary Process if I have never had a mediumship session before?

A: Absolutely. The Sanctuary Process was designed to be accessible for first-time clients as well as experienced seekers. The structured nature of the methodology, with its clear stages and defined closing, actually makes it especially well-suited for people who are new to mediumship and want to feel safe and supported throughout. Elissa Rose has conducted over 300 sessions across all modalities, including many with first-time clients. You can learn more about what to expect on the Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary FAQ page.

Want to Learn More?

This guide was written to give you a clear understanding of what The Sanctuary Process involves, how it was developed, and what makes it different from a standard reading. Elissa Rose has spent over 25 years training under some of the most respected names in New England mediumship, and The Sanctuary Process is the distillation of everything she has learned into a methodology you can trust.

If you are considering a session at Sacred Soul Mystic Sanctuary, you now know exactly what to expect at each stage. Whether you are coming to the work through grief, through curiosity, or through a life decision that needs clarity, The Sanctuary Process is designed to meet you where you are and leave you steadier than when you arrived. Sessions are available online throughout the United States from the Appalachian Virginia corridor.

Citations

• “Mediumship Research at the Windbridge Research Center” — The Windbridge Research Center, directed by Julie Beischel, PhD, conducts peer-reviewed research into mediumship accuracy and its potential therapeutic effects on grief. Their findings support the value of structured mediumship practices, with preliminary data showing meaningful reductions in grief after sessions with trained mediums. This research reinforces why a documented methodology like The Sanctuary Process matters for client outcomes. https://www.windbridge.org/research/mediumship-research/
• “Anomalous Information Reception by Mediums: A Meta-Analysis of the Scientific Evidence” — Published via ScienceDirect, this meta-analysis examines laboratory-based mediumship studies using double-blind and triple-blind protocols. The research demonstrates that some mediums consistently receive accurate information about deceased individuals under controlled conditions, supporting the case for structured, evidence-based mediumship practices over uncontrolled readings. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830720301518

Research into mediumship practices remains an active and evolving field. The Windbridge Research Center continues to study the relationship between structured mediumship readings and grief outcomes, and peer-reviewed publications increasingly treat mediumship as a phenomenon worthy of rigorous scientific investigation rather than dismissal.

About the Author

Michael listens to the pulse of the earth. His dowsing offers a grounded path to inner knowing, through stillness, presence, and trust. Together, we offer a place of authenticity, where roses bloom and the veil thins.