What is the deal with mediums/Clairvoyants?

Question

I am an open minded skeptic. I have had things happen to me that I can't explain that eludes rational thought. I have known a lot of people who have been told things that no amount of guess work or cold reading could conclude in such a short sitting or the coincidence of the answer to be too on the nose. I am also well aware of people who do this only to charge unsupecting and desperate people out of their hard earned cash.

Am I fooling myself with being open minded or is all of this just bull***t?

Answer 1

There have been numerous studies done to establish if these supposed abilities are real of fraud over the past 100 years, often by well known universities. The findings support the claims that there are multiple frauds in the field. However, it also produces inexplicable accurate readings. These accurate readings have even been achieved under "double blind" situations, which are the gold standard for scientific testing.



As for the work of the Amazing Randi, would you, or anyone else, accept as credible the challenge to pick up an object that was too large for you to pick up? The challenge that is issued is of hte same nature. Produce an effect which can be observed/measured that science cannot duplicate. Unfortunately if it can be observed/measured it can be duplicated via some means. Thus any so-called proof will fail, just as picking up an object to large to be picked up disproves that it was too large to be picked up.

Answer 2

There are seven billion people in the world according to the last official survey a couple of years ago; but we don't know-- and probably could never know-- exactly how many of those are psychically or "psi" gifted but according to one researcher it would be in the hundred of millions of people.



Unfortunately, most of the people who claim to be mediums and seers are fakes and frauds, just out to get money from the gullible. And because of these people, real people with wild talents get the fallout. but there *are* some truly psychic folks who are known to help police in difficult cases, ar used by military and intelligence agencies to gather information, and other exotic . I once knew a lady who taught a community college class called Altered States Consciousnesses; she was an amazing clairvoyant who could tell you where you were, what you were wearing, how you were seated, and so much more from two cities away! These are the real psychics, though we really hate that term: "psychics" are usually the fakes you find in the Yellow Pages.

Answer 3

I worked as a psychic and healer most of my life. Many points can be made but I will tell you that when you have a gift, it has to be developed. I had years of training by professionals before I worked. In the beginning, a person comes out with many talents and a major gift, but over those first few years the person has to practice on someone. Their ability can move from one to the other. So, it depends who you are talking to and where that person is at in their development. The top in the world do not work in the public. They work for the government or larger agencies, they may become overwhelmed and block it out, they may be a dark person who is hired to do, things. If you see this as a personality talking to you as opposed to someone lying or just being novice, then you can empathize. There are imposters/liars/frauds out there in the public. There are more of them than people who are developing or have developed. Working for the public is draining so there is a huge burn out factor if you are doing it for money. So you will see the real ones come and go. Tarot is not a psychic reading. It reads what is on your mind the minute you pull the cards and you look at that against what you want your future to be. That fact just cut out a huge amount of who you thought were psychic, right? I do not believe in palm reading. James Randi does not have a clue about this subject and therefore should not have an opinion. He just wants to be famous.

Deep down you already know the truth or you are required to make a decision to develop. Another person, psychic or not, is there to support you, not tell you what to do. Most people can feel a liar as soon as you sit down because your aura's touch, and everyone reads everyone else naturally. This is how you will know who you are dealing with. Reading books will give you more information than paying for readings.

Answer 4

Most of the time you can tell when someone is fake when they start asking a lot of personal questions (vs answers to your questions), wanting you to pay for a candle to help them read you (such as the larger the candle the more they can tell you), and when they charge an enormous amount for a reading but have nothing to back up that up (actual facts not generalization).



Although I am gifted, I have not ventured out in reading people other than in a class. I've been told that I should use my gifts and have in the past not realizing I had.



Because of my many gifts, I am a healthy skeptic which really helps me know what I have is truly special and I should be sharing my gift with others.

Answer 5

The only reason I became interested in the paranormal was bcuz my mom visited a psychic, many years ago. She told my mother many things, but her prediction about my mother "getting a new car soon" was the one that made an impact on me. I remember shortly after that I was in the car crash that completely destroyed the car and forced my mother to get another one. Fortunately none of us in the car ( my family ) was hurt ( incredibly ). I remember on that day a sweet old lady saw the whole thing and bought packets of crisps for me and my brother as we stood traumatized next to the car wreck. I told my mother "Isn't amazing that we got a new car just like the psychic said we would?" My mother said "Hmmm...whatever" or something like that, she never quite shares my enthusiasm for things. It's not like the other predictions didn't come true.

Answer 6

There are mediums and there are mediums......mediums communicate with the dead.

Answer 7

Do you have a recording of these people being told the amazing things, or is that just what they told you?



Also how do you know that the medium didn't get their information though more ordinary means, such as Facebook, obituaries, eavesdropping etc..?



edit

Can't comment on your experince since I don't know the details and you already know about Randi and the skeptic challenges which no one has ever won. But don't you think if psychics could really see the past or read minds or whatever it is that they claim that they would be doing something a bit more useful than charging you fifty bucks to tell you that your dead grandpa is happy in heaven, or I see a tall dark stranger in your future? Lots of them claim that they are doing things like solving murders or finding lost children but none of them actually do that. They wait until the kid is found and then say "oh yes I helped the police, I gave them information, blah blah".



I think if there were psychics that could do even half of what they claim to it would be glaringly obvious to everyone.

Answer 8

Its all very cleaver rubbish , a skilled reader will pick up clues you tell them , and generalise , its just a con trick to get your money.

Desperate people who miss loved ones are easy targets.