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Long Island Medium: 'I'm afraid of the dark. I'm not afraid of dead people'

Theresa Caputo says that relaying messages from the dead is "my soul's journey." She has been doing it professionally for about 15 years. TLC has broadcast her life on and off the job for the last nine seasons on Long Island Medium.

"Long Island Medium" Theresa Caputo.
"Long Island Medium" Theresa Caputo.Read moreMSG Photos

Theresa Caputo says that relaying messages from the dead is "my soul's journey." She has been doing it professionally for about 15 years. TLC has broadcast her life on and off the job for the last nine seasons on Long Island Medium.

Fans of the show know how Caputo works: She is paid for group and private readings, but "Spirit" doesn't hesitate to call anytime - when she takes her car in for repairs, when she's at the gym, and when she's at the beauty salon, which happens regularly as she needs to maintain her distinctive blond coif and unmissable nails, which measure exactly one-inch from cuticle to tip and are painted in the French manicure style. (Every person Caputo channels is referred to as Spirit. Cats and dogs have come through as well.)

When Spirit strikes at random, Caputo usually starts her spiel with, "I don't know if you know what I do, but I'm a medium, which means I'm able to connect with people who have crossed over." This, despite millions of people having now seen her show and that a camera crew follows her around.

In a subtle nod to skeptics, the show often includes a follow-up face-to-face interview with the person whose loved one Caputo has allegedly channeled, saying things like, "There's no way she could have known that." Caputo has been known to joke, "You can't make this stuff up." That's also the title of her second book, an instant New York Times best seller.

Is she for real? That depends on whom you ask. On screen, she comes across as friendly and funny. Her fans - and they are legion - are incredibly loyal. (Caputo jokes that the question she gets the most from people is "Where's Larry?", a reference to her husband, who is ever-present on the show.) Her detractors, too, are diehards, creating web pages and YouTube videos they claim prove Caputo's a fake.

To find out for yourself, consider buying a ticket for her appearance Sunday at the Liacouras Center, during which she'll provide live audience readings and share personal stories. In our Q&A, Caputo talked about the living, the dead, and her life in between.

Do mediums ever get days off?

No. Spirit's always there, willing to communicate. Whether Spirit pushes me enough to say something, that's a different story. When I'm working, I'm working. When I'm not working, I sense and feel things, but Spirit usually has to push me, and that's when I blurt things out. . . . I'm never really off. I could simply be in a store and all of a sudden I want to say to someone, "Oh, I love your perfume," and I don't really smell anything. And they'll turn to me and say, "Oh, that's so funny you say that. I just put on my mother's perfume, and today's the anniversary of her death."

You often say your job is a gift. Is it ever a burden?

I consider it an honor and a privilege to deliver messages from the departed. . . . Talking to dead people feels normal to me, but it's not easy. I make what I do look easy. It's not.

But when I see that weight being lifted and someone's burdens are all gone and they're smiling at me for the first time since the death of their loved one . . . that makes it a little easier.

How do you handle negative messages?

I really don't get anything negative. I want messages that are going to help someone. It might be a very sensitive or bad situation, and we might have to talk about something negative in someone's life, but that doesn't mean it's a negative message. The message is going to be positive.

On your show, you're a worrier, worrying about your kids and your husband, Larry. Does your work provide you any comfort about death and parting?

Absolutely. I'm not afraid to die. Look, I don't want to die, but I know when that time comes, I will be greeted by my loved ones who have passed before me.

Do you ever get scared by Spirit?

I don't.

But I read you have a night light.

I do. I'm afraid of the dark. I'm not afraid of the dead people. It's the living I'm afraid of.

I like the idea of my lost loved ones being with me, but I don't think I want them with me all the time. I don't want Grandma to see everything I do.

She doesn't. Don't worry. They're not in the shower. They're not in the bedroom with you. Everyone wants to know that.

CHANNEL THIS

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Theresa Caputo Live!: The Experience 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Liacouras Center, 1776 N. Broad St., $39.75-$89.75, 215-204-2400, liacourascenter.com.EndText