‘My sixth sense helps me see dead people and colourful auras – some say I’m a witch’

Cat Hamilton has always felt different because of her synaesthesia and embraces her special powers, which she uses to comfort others.

The 58-year-old also produces art featuring the auras she can see and has created works for stars including Holly Willoughby and Oprah Winfrey. Here, she tells her story…

Sitting on my grandma’s lap in our home in East Kilbride, Scotland, I giggled as we examined the dark tea leaves at the bottom of the cup.

“What can you see, Kooky?” I asked eagerly. She grinned and began to read the leaves. I had always called my grandmother, Dorothy, Kooky because she was eccentric and different – just like me. In fact, all the women in my family are 'different'.

My dad, Alastair, now 82, would call me, my mum Elspeth, now 80, and my sister Laura, now 55, 'the three witches'. We’re all very spiritual and have always felt like we had a sixth sense. It’s spooky.

I was never made to feel weird and my family were very supportive. When I was little and asked my mum to come and meet my “new friend” at the end of my bed, she wasn’t alarmed when she couldn’t see anyone there. She knew I had a gift.

As I grew up, my gift developed. I would lie on my bed listening to music and the songs would come alive. I could do more than just hear it – I could feel it and see it. It appeared colourful and sparkly to me. For example, the 80s song Hide And Seek by Howard Jones appears green, with a hint of blue, and it swirls around me in time to the music. I get enveloped by the sound, the colours and the way it feels.

The same thing started to happen with people. I learned to 'tune in' to a person and I could see their auras and personalities. When I see my friend Shama, 52, I see pinks and deep purple shades that embody her essence.

It’s not like I can see rainbows coming out of everyone I meet – I have to be tuned into their emotions and feelings. But bright, vibrant colours can surround a person and it’s like looking through a kaleidoscope.

Once I’m focused, I can see if they’re having a bad day without even speaking to them. The colours around them may appear dark or dull and I’ll know they’re feeling low.

A source of comfort

It’s never felt frightening. In fact, it’s given great comfort over the years. I’m more in tune with the world around me. I can see and feel things others can’t and I get a sense that something’s going to happen before it does.

In November 2018, I was a few days into a week-long meditation retreat in Hereford when I heard a voice whispering, “You’re going home tomorrow.”

I felt a sense of dread. I had a strong feeling that something bad was going to happen but shook my head and decided that I must be imagining things.

That night, I dreamt that a member of staff at the retreat had told me that my dad had called and something had happened to my son Lee, who was then aged 28. The next morning, I heard a knock on my door.

“Mrs Hamilton,” the receptionist from the retreat said. “We’ve had a call for you…”

“From my dad,” I interrupted.

“Yes, how did you know?” she asked, going on to say, “Your son, Lee, has had an accident on his motorbike. He’s stable but in hospital.”

I thought I was going to be sick.

“Could I have stopped it?” I wondered. But I didn’t have time to feel guilty – I had to get to Warwickshire Hospital to see my son.

He had fractured a vertebra in his spine and it was awful to see him in pain – luckily, he made a full recovery. When I told him about my premonition, he rolled his eyes.

He and his brother, Jack, 29, are used to my quirky ways. When they were ill, I’d turn to homoeopathic remedies before traditional medicines. My youngest would say, “I don’t want your witchcraft, I want Beechams!”

Distressed ghost

I can even see people after they’ve died. My cousin Beverly passed away in 2000, from a brain tumour. At her funeral, I saw her sitting in the church with her head in her hands. She looked distressed and confused. Through silent communication, I told her it was OK to let go and move on. And she did. It was as if she needed permission to pass over. My family found it comforting when I told them.

My ex’s grandfather once appeared while I was at a training course in Glastonbury. I hardly recognised him – I’d known him as an old, frail man in a wheelchair, but I saw him as a young, more able man. An hour later, my boyfriend rang me to say his grandfather had passed away. At the funeral, I saw him again, standing behind the vicar, sticking his tongue out and pulling his ears. When I told the family, they gasped. “He used to do that to us when we were little,” they said.

I’m proud of who I am and love my way of life. I feel more in tune with the world. I used to hide who I was for fear of what others would think but I’ve embraced my gift.

Now, I live authentically and tell people all about it when I meet them. The people I surround myself with are very accepting and tend to be quirky themselves. Some people expect me to prove myself but I’m not a performing monkey and I can’t just see things on cue! On the whole, though, most people are open and understanding and just want to learn more. I see it as a blessing and a gift, and believe my purpose is to use my sixth sense to help others, both mentally and spiritually.

What is Synaesthesia?

Professor Jamie Ward, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, explains, “Synaesthesia occurs in around 4% of the population. Singer Billie Eilish has a rarer kind in which sounds trigger vivid visual experiences of colour, shape and movement.

“A more common type is visualising the calendar or numbers in particular spatial patterns, such as 3D circles. It develops early in life and is a form of neurodiversity, linked to differences in the way the brain is wired. But it’s not a disability. We find synaesthetes gravitate towards the creative industries and do well on IQ-like tests of creative thinking.”

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