NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — When it comes to grieving, experts say we all mourn differently. One East Nashville woman is helping the bereavement process through one-way communication with loved ones who have passed away.

When you drive by the home in East Nashville, you may find it quirky, strange, or even creepy. “I was very iffy but figured East Nashville was a good place to try out something like this,” Allison Young, owner of the Wind Telephone, said.

At first glance, it’s a telephone booth from the 1940s. However, the rotary phone has been disconnected and allows Nashvillians to reconnect with loved ones. “It is a place that people can go and have one-sided conversations with people who have passed away,” Young said.

Young studies thanatology. It is the study of death, dying, and bereavement. After graduating with her master’s, the Wind Telephone was her way of giving back. 

“Listening to the conversations people have just had a chance to reconnect,” Young said.

So far, over 100 Nashvillians have visited with the wind telephone which sits right outside Young’s house.

“I don’t have to worry about a permit from the city or anything like that! I just put it in my front yard,” Young said.

When you visit, it’s simple: you shut the curtain, dial your loved one, and maybe even leave a note that Young can read later. “One person drew a little picture of a little crane which I thought was really nice.”

Young dedicated her wind telephone to her grandparents who have passed on.

“I really want the wind telephone to get out to as many people as possible because you never know what is going to be the key to helping somebody with their grief,” Young said. 

Young told News 2 that wind telephones originated in Japan and there are two others here in Tennessee.