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28 Douglas James Cottrell 28 Douglas James Cottrell Douglas James Cottrell Douglas James Cottrell www. www. douglasjamescottrell. douglasjamescottrell. com com Douglas is best known as a trance clairvoyant (or psychic). He is also an intuitive healer, teacher and published author. His Deep Trance Meditation (DTM) style is often compared to that of Edgar Cayce. In 2003 Douglas dictated a book from the trance state, which was published the following year as Secrets of Life. He has been variously called a mystic, seer, prophet, "The Man With the X-ray Eyes," and "Canada's Edgar Cayce." He and his wife, Karen, live in London, Ontario, Canada. They have four children: Cheri-Anne, Douglas, Louise, and Jason. Cheri-Anne passed away January 27, 2006 at the age of 38. Douglas's Early Years hope for Cheri-Anne, however, and they Peterson was able to discuss her condition as if continued to pray to God that their daughter's reading her medical chart. For the first time in On the surface, Douglas James Cottrell life could be saved. Little did they know that seven years, someone was able to intelligently appears to be an ordinary, uncomplicated, good- their prayers were about to be answered, but in articulate how Cheri-Anne came to develop in natured and friendly family man. He enjoys the a most unusual way. In 1975, a co-worker at the the way that she did. Moreover, Peterson was simple things of life: driving in the countryside, Toronto Star daily newspaper, where Douglas able to explain what steps could be taken in grooming horses, walking the dogs or playing worked as a pressman, gave Douglas a book order to bring Cheri-Anne back to health. The hockey with his friends. He and his wife, Karen, about Edgar Cayce, an American deep trance accuracy and amount of detail he provided was have been happily married since 1968. They psychic from the 1930s, known mainly for his mind-blowing. Peterson recommended natural live in an average, quiet, suburban so-called health "readings". Douglas was a treatments that were foreign to Douglas and neighborhood in Canada. To the casual skeptic, and although he was highly critical of Karen, such as chiropractic and massage. He observer, he is an unremarkable man. But as the tea-cup readers, palmists, and tarot card readers, also suggested various foods and herbs to be saying goes, still waters run deep. For beneath he found Cayce's ability to be credible. given to Cheri-Anne that would act as medicine the plain and ordinary surface lies an intuitive Fascinated with the information contained in the for her traumatized body. Peterson's ability so powerful and accurate that it staggers Cayce material, Douglas began to wonder what recommendations saved Cheri-Anne's life and the imagination and challenges our very notion information could be revealed about his opened Douglas and Karen's minds to a larger of what it is to be human. daughter, were Cayce still alive. world. He had revealed to Douglas that he had Douglas was born in Toronto, Canada in While he was working in his basement, an aptitude for deep meditation as well, and he December 1949 to Thomas and Elinor Cottrell, Douglas had a strong urging to leave what he encouraged him to explore his own intuitive an average, not overly religious working-class was doing, go upstairs and turn on the abilities. couple who struggled to make ends meet. The television. As he did, the screen filled with the "I have to find out if I can do this too," eldest of four children, Douglas split his youth image of a man who appeared to be talking in Douglas said. "If only one child is helped, it will between work at the family wood-yard and his sleep. He was describing in great detail the be worth it!" football games at Central Technical High health problems of someone else, and - more School. In 1965 he fell in love with Karen importantly - he was explaining what was to be HOW DOUGLAS DEVELOPED HIS Paquet, and they were married in February of done to remedy them. The program in progress INTUITION 1968. Douglas had taken a job as an apprentice, was "World of the Unexplained" with Allen and was soon working as a full-fledged Spraggett, a paranormal researcher. Spraggett's Inspired by what he had experienced pressman for the nation's largest daily guest was Ross Peterson, a medical intuitive first-hand with a genuine intuitive, a young newspaper, the Toronto Star. In July of 1968, from the United States who demonstrated Douglas began to study everything he could on Douglas and Karen became parents and their Cayce-like clairvoyant abilities in trance. the subject. He felt as if the blinders had been lives were forever changed. The birth of a child, At that moment, Douglas knew there removed and wanted to know as much as he especially the first child, should be a blessed was hope for his daughter, and he and Karen could about the unseen spiritual world. He event. But for the young couple, the arrival of determined that they had to see this man. Now, began to learn in earnest about the chakras, the daughter Cheri-Anne was little short of Douglas, being a pragmatic, down-to-earth, aura, energy healing, and, of course, meditation. traumatic. Delivered weeks overdue, Cheri- "blue-collar" type of man, had always been The more he investigated this unseen world, Anne collapsed shortly after being born. She skeptical and dismissive of psychics. Karen's more and more teachers, guides, and gurus was resuscitated by medical staff several times. staunch Catholic upbringing had taught her that came into his life to assist him in his Over the weeks and months that followed, fortune telling was sinister and false. Needless development. Douglas began to study religious Cheri-Anne was in and out of hospitals. She to say, their optimism was tempered with fear texts from the world's major traditions. His was prone to convulsions. Doctors put her on about meeting Peterson. The young couple quest took him to places all over the world, medications to sedate her. By age two and a eventually arranged to meet with Peterson in including Ross Peterson's school in Michigan. half, Cheri-Anne was diagnosed as severely Toronto. As they approached his hotel room, mentally and physically retarded. Douglas and they did not know what to expect, and they were Continued on Page 29 Karen finally acquiesced to the medical advice extremely anxious and apprehensive. to place her into an institution, resigned to the Their fears were soon laid to rest, Visit Douglas James Cottrell on line medical opinion that she had only a few months however. Even though Cheri-Anne was at to live and that nothing could be done. hundreds of kilometers away in the Plainfield Douglas and Karen refused to give up Children's Home in Belleville, Ontario, www.douglasjamescottrell.com