As a board certified internist, I was reticent to tell anyone about my paranormal experiences after the death of my young son, Erik, in 2009, for fear of ostracism by my peers. After all, before those experiences, when someone spoke to me about psychics or mediums, it would conjure up the mental image of a Gypsy hunched over a crystal ball.

The last thing I wanted was for my peers to think that I was crazy or woo-woo.

But I know that I'm not alone in my desire to understand the afterlife and connect with my son. According to a 2014 CBS News poll, three out of four people believe there is something after death and countless speak of “sensing” or even receiving signs from their loved ones after their passing.

When this happens, we often think our grief is obscuring our judgment.

If you’ve had signs from a loved one, have faith that you’re not going crazy. Your loved ones are probably communicating with you.

Books on consciousness survival, near-death experiences, alternate dimensions, and mediumship — particularly those with a scientific perspective — can be extremely informative. They'll help you learn that death is not the end as much as a transition into another dimension.

We feel that since we can’t see spirits, they must not exist. Consider this, though: We can’t see radio waves, but we know they exist. Spirits just vibrate at a frequency well above the visible range — that tiny sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum of energy that defines our reality.

These can include certain smells like perfumes or colognes, objects like dimes or feathers, meaningful songs playing on the radio, objects moving or disappearing then reappearing and other “paranormal” experiences. Try to raise the frequency of your own vibration by thinking of happy memories. This makes it easier for your loved one to meet you halfway.

Although I’ve heard Erik’s voice live, on recordings and even on the telephone, nothing compares to those times when I’ve actually seen him, physically.

That relationship might be different — it may even be richer than the one you had when they were alive. You can communicate through mediums, but you can also learn to channel them yourself. One of the simplest ways is through what I refer to as The Hand Game.

Designate one hand as your “yes” and the other as your “no,” then ask your loved one a yes or no question. “Are you okay?” Then, hands apart, palms up, wait for a change in sensation in one. It might be a change in temperature or pressure. It might be a tingling, a burning, or a numbing sensation. If you don’t get anything, ask them to make it stronger until you’re satisfied that you feel a change.

You can also simply start a conversation with them. I like routine and visuals, so I set out a cup of coffee for my son, Erik, and I start talking. Then, I wait to hear a reply in my head, which could be in his voice or my own.

You can better your chances of a successful communication if you surround yourself with static, like that from a radio tuned between stations. You can also record messages from your loved one by setting a digital recorder on voice activation in a quiet room for several hours.

Regular communication with your loved one has the power to heal. It could help you go from grieving over them to simply missing them as a parent would when their child is away on a trip but will eventually come home with their dirty laundry.

In the end, you will discover that love knows no boundaries, even death.