'Long Island Medium' Theresa Caputo Reveals How the Dead Communicate with Her

Theresa Caputo has made a name for herself as "The Long Island Medium," and now she is revealing exactly what goes on when she communicates with the dead.

Ever since the world was introduced to Caputo on TLC's Long Island Medium, the mystery of how the 51-year-old channels the dead and gives accurate readings has baffled fans. Speaking to PAPER Magazine, Caputo opened up for the first time about her "gift," revealing that spirits do not communicate through words, but rather through symbols.

"I was born like this, so I don't know any different," Caputo told the publication. "To me, it is normal. I would always say, when I start channeling, spirit clears out my own personal thoughts, feelings and emotions. They replace them with signs and symbols for me to deliver messages."

She went on to explain that such symbols can include someone eating oatmeal, which implies routine, while "a vision of the East and West Coasts shows communication issues," and "a hat pulled over a face stands for shyness."

Caputo said that her "gift" made things complicated as a child.

"Sitting in the classroom was very hard for me because I would sense and feel things," she said. "All I wanted to do was get up and move around. You would be staring at the teacher and I would just see images. You have to understand at that time, I didn't really know what it was that was happening to me."

It was not until her 20s that Caputo fully comprehended her gift of channeling spirits after she attended a "spiritual awareness class," which she claimed was a "safe place for me to share my gift with strangers."

She has since gone on to channel that gift into a lucrative business, starting as a medium whose business depended on word of mouth to having a TLC series and appointments that are now nearly impossible to book due to their high demand and her popularity.

Currently, Caputo has thrown herself into her work in the midst of her split from husband Larry Caputo.

In December, the Long Island Medium star announced that the couple would be separating after more than three decades of being together, releasing a statement about their split to Us Weekly.

"After 28 years of marriage, we have decided to legally separate," the couple said. "We will always love each other and our two wonderful children. We are united in supporting each other and our family. Please respect our privacy during this time."

After the initial wave of shock wore off, Caputo addressed her friends and fans on Twitter.

"I'm overwhelmed by the love and support for me and my family while we're going through this difficult time," she said at the time. "One thing will never change and that is that we will always love and support each other, and be the best parents we can be to our children. Love you guys."

The two have two children, 24-year-old Larry Caputo Jr., and 23-year-old Victoria Caputo.