A VOICE From HEAVEN by Alexander V. Girman & Cynthia J. Girman – Spirituality, Overcoming Grief, Addiction/Recovery

Cynthia J. Girman shares transcendental conversations with A Voice from Heaven – her son Alec, who had tragically passed away a few months before.

During his life, Alec struggled with ADHD & Asperger’s (his preferred term). Social awkwardness made it difficult for him to connect with other people – a heavy emotional weight from which he fled through substance abuse. Though he supported himself with work as a programmer, fitting his special interests in computers and mathematics, he lived alone in DC and tried to hide his addiction from his family.

Cindy and Tom tried tirelessly to help their son. Through rehab centers and sobriety coaches, Alec began making gradual improvements, even as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed him into deeper feelings of isolation. But treating addiction isn’t a fair fight, especially with the ability of opioids to rewire the brain; Cindy and Tom’s greatest fear was realized when Alec used kratom without understanding the toxicity of its alkaloid components.

In the depths of grief after Alec’s passing, Cindy and Tom found hope in meetings with three mediums. These mediums channeled Alec and other lost loved ones, promising that Alec was at peace. Beyond that awakened hope, though, Cindy began to experience her own connections to the other side, until Alec’s spirit reached out directly to tell her of what he’d learned since his physical death.

Cindy allowed Alec’s spirit to work through her hands as she wrote this book, revealing the nature of the human soul.

Mortal life is a lesson that the soul wants to learn. One sliver of a full human spirit inhabits a body on Earth, unaware of its true self, so that the difficulties and choices of this life will teach it an important lesson. Each soul seeks to understand the same thing: how to become a being of love.

But the afterlife offers much learning of its own. Alec delves deeply into the mysteries of the universe, in a way that mortal humans never could, and even takes on the role of a teacher to other spirits. These roles and details of the afterlife are explained in great detail, and while the book repeats these details more often than it should, they’re nevertheless interesting to consider.

Between these explanations of the world beyond death, A Voice from Heaven threads wondrous imagery and comforting possibilities.

There is beauty that no mortal eye has seen, colors beyond physical vision, the playful music of other spirits, and even great cosmic wonders. Author Cynthia translates these otherworldly senses into evocative prose, giving readers a glimpse of the other side.

All this joy and bliss of the spiritual realm is shared with loved ones and friends – both from one’s latest life and those before. Alec connects with the family he knew and ancestors he never could have, even finding dear pets waiting for him. But as wonderful as this realm is, Alec insists that mortal life has purpose and beauty as well and that one should embrace it entirely.

Pursuing her own purpose, Cynthia J. Girman researches the development of treatments for Substance Use Disorder.

She explains promising technology to the reader – transcranial magnetic stimulation (TEMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) – which could become invaluable in undoing the brain chemistry alterations of addiction. Her drive to make a difference for people who struggle as Alec did is inspiring, and grounds this book’s ideas of prioritizing love in one’s life.

Though a spiritual guide, Alec maintains a sense of humanity throughout these conversations.

Alec’s mortal struggles are easy to empathize with, especially for neurodivergent people. For such readers, and any who have faced addiction in themselves or their loved ones, Alec’s words offer a sense of resilience and understanding. On the other side, he recognizes his mistakes but also works to forgive himself for them, as all souls must do. This personal connection gives a real emotional weight to A Voice from Heaven’s image of the afterlife.

This book seeks to give peace to those readers reeling from loss, hope that such loss is not forever, and the message that one should embrace their passion and let go of their fears.