Phone Psyhics/Mediums?

[Pretty_Diamonds]

So I've been struggling with a loss for a couple years and have been playing with the idea of a psychic......

I was referred to a phone psychic/medium (she has a waiting list)... $144 for an hr.

It's extremely expensive. I don't know if I believe in it.

It's a reference from someone who's really into it (did her hw, etc); I DO need to heal; I NEED help..
BUT she also has referred me to someone who totally wasn't legit (totally inaccurate) and I just had an extremely traumatizing experience with.

What to do.. what to do.

ALSO, I'm afraid to provide my full name because the death shows up in a google search.. should I lie? Will it affect the reading? My friend says it sounds like I'm trying to sabotage the reading... but I just want validation that it's real.

 

[Maya]

Wow that's quite expensive IMO. Are there any other mediums in the area? If you lie it definitely affects the reading. There are pretty legit psychics IMO but you have to do a bit of research first before going in. Whereabouts are you located? There is this show I used to watched before "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_Medium" but I'm not sure whereabouts you are located so if you are close to this area maybe you can give her a try or maybe bump into her or something.

15 years ago one of my aunts died and the doctors told us that it was because of UTI infection. My uncle couldn't believe that she just died of that, he believed that there was someone who did witchcraft/sorcery on her (mind you Filipinos are into supernatural stuff so it was pretty common to seek a psychic/healer). So they went to a medium first and the medium said that she was killed by a witch who was paid for by one of the women that liked my uncle. I didn't believe in this as I was always skeptical, but months after my aunt died, this same woman showed up at my uncles place asking him to be with her and if she doesnt get what she wants she will tell a witch to curse our entire family. My uncle wasn't scared of her so he said "do it and I will make sure you never walk this earth ever again." I think she got scared I don't know.

 

[bunnymunro]

Several points I can think of.. -firstly, it seems to be a rule of thumb, that the more a psychic charges, the less genuine they seem to be...a genuine one will wish to help, if they choose and not need your credit card no.

Also, I would be examining the reason for the need to visit a medium. Do you have a message to pass on or need received? Unresolved guilt or other emotion? It could well be that the problem lays within you, and contacting a spirit (whether genuinely or not) could be the best thing whatever it costs, if it clears your emotional paths. It may well be that the spirit gives not a fuck about what it left behind, and has moved right along.

Diamonds, I am not sure where you are I suspect on a shaky island, but if you want to PM I have a friend in Mandurah (ex kiwi) who knows a bit about this sort of thing, she may be able to help you some more...

 

[Foreigner]

$144/hr is outrageously expensive and I would not trust that. Advice should not be THAT expensive. Just because someone has a waiting list does not necessarily make them good, it just makes them popular. For all you know the waiting list is not real and they're just making you wait to make it feel like the money is worth it.

I've only met one phone psychic who was good, and not long after I met her she quit and setup a private counselling service.

Seems that the psychics all sign up to work for a parent company who connects callers to their home phones. In order to get repeat callers they have to get good ratings, otherwise their name will not be at the top of the list; for this reason, phone psychics are more likely to tell you what you want to hear. But like with any psychic, your mileage may vary. I can imagine how one would tap into another person's life remotely, so it's possible. My preference is for psychic readings done in person because they are a lot more personal.

Keep in mind that the more someone pays for a psychic, the more likely they will be to try and convince themselves that the reading was true because they don't want to feel like they wasted their money. You're better off dealing with someone cheaper and in person, or at least someone with an impeccable reference that you could go to.

 

[rickolasnice]

Please watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZfzNQU6Tp0 (skip to 3 mins)

If you do go ahead with this or any other psychic.. Please refer them to:

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

Guaranteed they won't go and if they do.. they'll fail.

There are no such thing as psychics.

ALSO, I'm afraid to provide my full name because the death shows up in a google search.. should I lie? Will it affect the reading? My friend says it sounds like I'm trying to sabotage the reading... but I just want validation that it's real.

Do not give them your real name.. they will google you.

If they are really psychic, surely they'd know your lying about your name. (Keep in mind if you pay by card they will know your name)

 

[Jerry Atrick]

There are no such thing as psychics.

I'm glad someone spoke up ^

Pretty Diamonds, if you have unresolved guilt or emotions from the death of someone close to you, I would recommend a grief counselor. The counselor should be an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) who specializes in grieving. They do exist and I have been to one. Although sometimes the only thing that will heal you is time.

Why waste money on something that is not real? If they were truly psychic, they would have won all the lotteries and would not need to charge you $144/hour.

 

[BK Bonkey Kong]

Psychics have the potential to act as unlicensed psychologists. I'd say that there are probably some pretty insightful people in the psychic biz and if they give good advice and the customers are happy, what's not to support? I'd say that a psychic with good reviews paired with a person looking for direction has potential to work. I'd just try to find reviews on the psychic beforehand.

Why waste money on something that is not real? If they were truly psychic, they would have won all the lotteries and would not need to charge you $144/hour.

I don't think the belief is that psychics are literally wizards that know all and see all. I think in many cases people understand that they are being marketed to, but the perception is that the psychic maybe can give insight on a topic that they the customer are utterly unsure about. People in desperation will try anything and it is in the best interest of the psychic to give good advice. I'm sure that there are a lot of morons and crooks acting as psychics, but I have to believe that there are some out there who basically get paid to give people solid advice.

 

[rickolasnice]

They are liars.

Here ya go:

The deceased tell me they love you and are proud of you. There is no need to feel this way as they are happy with who you are and what you are about. They're telling me that they didn't have a chance to say goodbye.. i feel their warmth.. they wish you well and want to take this opportunity to say; goodbye.

If I had the opportunity to get some reactions and feedback i could go a lot more in depth..

These people prey on the vulnerable. They are scum.

 

[Foreigner]

No such thing as psychics? lol...

 

[-=SS=-]

So I've been struggling with a loss for a couple years and have been playing with the idea of a psychic......

In a nutshell.. let go and move on. Rather than sit here and debate the existence of psychics or not, the much more practical advice for you is, as I've just said, let go and move on. Loss strikes us all. It is an inherent part of life. I suggest you think about that instead and why you are so hung up on it. Then you might resolve what is troubling you.

Don't waste your time with "psychic's". The dead are dead, and any psychic who tells you they are communicating with the deceased is full of it. Something may well be speaking to them claiming to be a certain deceased person.. but what assurance would you (or they) have that it is indeed that person, and not some other spirit fucking about? Let go and move on.

 

[Thorns Have Roses]

Pretty Diamonds, if you have unresolved guilt or emotions from the death of someone close to you, I would recommend a grief counselor. The counselor should be an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) who specializes in grieving. They do exist and I have been to one. Although sometimes the only thing that will heal you is time.

Why waste money on something that is not real? If they were truly psychic, they would have won all the lotteries and would not need to charge you $144/hour.

^What this gentleman said.

If it's been messing with you a couple of years, it's time to stop playing around with the folk remedies and see a licensed professional. If you really don't like counselors, see a clergymen or something, at least they won't charge you obscene amounts of money.

 

[rickolasnice]

No such thing as psychics? lol...

As i said.. point anyone who thinks they may be psychic to the James Randi foundation.

Nobody is psychic. People that say they are are either a fraud or delusional.

 

[Foreigner]

As i said.. point anyone who thinks they may be psychic to the James Randi foundation.

Nobody is psychic. People that say they are are either a fraud or delusional.

The million dollar challenge is neither willing, capable, nor qualified to determine psychic potential. Here is an intelligent writeup that explains why. That site is also useful to explore for finding out other practical information about psychic phenomena, should you care.

I think it's unfortunate and somewhat misguided that people use James Randi as the gold standard for proving psychic ability when he isn't even a trained scientist. Furthermore, actual scientists have been doing paranormal research for decades now. The reason why the knowledge is not mainstream is because the investigations must necessarily depart slightly from material reductionism in order to yield practical values. This is because material reductionism by its very nature precludes variables of consciousness that take place outside of the mechanical brain.

As Terence McKenna and Rupert Sheldrake have already demonstrated, the psychic and "shamanic" classes of society are a global phenomenon that for some reason the western world seems to be in complete denial about. I blame Christianity for that one.

 

[rickolasnice]

Next you'll be telling me that homeopathy works and it isn't because of the placebo affect.

OK.. I challenge any psychic to give me a reading or better yet.. Go into a psychic reading knowing the tricks they use.. Don't give them any information or hints as to whether whether they get something right or wrong.. look out for barnum statements, be aware of lucky guesses and their bullshit excuses as to why they get a miss (your blocking the energy, well that is the case you just might not know), be aware of them saying one thing, getting a miss and then cleverly making it another thing and then acting like that was always what they meant, etc etc..

It isn't hard to test a psychics ability once you know the tricks they use.. It will only ever work on a clued up individual if their desire for it to be true clouds their rational, observant mind.

I'm pretty confident i could even give a seemingly impressive and accurate reading if i am face to face with a believer.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Derren Brown investigates: The man who contacts the dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhYSI5sWi8s

(Also - watch the interview with Richard Dawkings i posted earlier)

 

[Foreigner]

Next you'll be telling me that homeopathy works and it isn't because of the placebo affect.

OK.. I challenge any psychic to give me a reading or better yet.. Go into a psychic reading knowing the tricks they use.. Don't give them any information or hints as to whether whether they get something right or wrong.. look out for barnum statements, be aware of lucky guesses and their bullshit excuses as to why they get a miss (your blocking the energy, well that is the case you just might not know), be aware of them saying one thing, getting a miss and then cleverly making it another thing and then acting like that was always what they meant, etc etc..

It isn't hard to test a psychics ability once you know the tricks they use.. It will only ever work on a clued up individual if their desire for it to be true clouds their rational, observant mind.

I'm pretty confident i could even give a seemingly impressive and accurate reading if i am face to face with a believer.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Derren Brown investigates: The man who contacts the dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhYSI5sWi8s

(Also - watch the interview with Richard Dawkings i posted earlier)

You obviously didn't even read the link I posted.

Psychic is just a catch all phrase for people with extremely heightened sensitivity. These scientists are applying arbitrary definititions of psychicness to people, such as definitions they have learned from popular media. They also use these misunderstandings to form the basis of experiments. i.e. psychics can tell the future 100% of the time so they should know when you are lying, when there is deception, when anything is going to happen, etc.

It doesn't work that way. To use the analogy at the link I sent you, it's like saying setting the bar really high and then expecting a high jumper to get over it every single time, when really being able to do it statistically more than the average person would be significant enough. Psychic people just have higher odds, they are not perfect prophets, but statistically it is still important. That would be the scientific definition of a psychic. In my experience it goes way beyond that, but when dealing with empiricists there's not much point in talking liberally.

If you let real psychic people design the tests and the interview process alongside the scientists, and then get the scientists to implement the test, you will probably get results. But material reductionism claims that being psychic is impossible from the get go, so confirmation bias is impossible to eliminate.

I don't deal in Richard Dawkins and James Randi. They are pseudoskeptics who don't even care about looking for the phenomenon. They demand proof yet have already declared it's impossible.

You yourself are a pseudoskeptic. I provided you with a link for why the James Randi test is incredibly flawed and you didn't even look at it, yet continued to declare that there is no evidence. All it takes is a simple google search into paranormal institutions to see what research is being done. But something tells me that you don't really want to look for evidence because it would challenge your world view too much.

 

[rickolasnice]

I did look at it.. I never claimed it be 100% foolproof and 100% scientific, i know it's not. But there are very simple tests that can be put in place to test a psychics abilities. One i can think of is asking the psychic (if this is part of their claimed ability) to tell you what card you are holding up.. they will never get it right with an accuracy of anything significantly higher than chance. Another is to ask a medium to get in touch with a dead relative while looking out for the tricks they use and not giving an indication to any hits or misses. It becomes painfully obvious what they're about. Go and see a medium and pretend they are getting hits when they are not.. surely the dead will tell them you are lying. They won't have a fcking clue. Repeat these test thousands of times and sure- sometimes they'll seem to be right a lot more (and other times wrong) but this will all fall into the probability of getting lucky

And the writer of the "intelligent writeup" is biased himself..

So psychics can't get it right 100% of the time. Is there evidence to suggest they get it right higher than anyone else?

Show me a psychic or medium or tarot reader or horoscope writer that don't use the techniques i listed.

 

[Foreigner]

Sorry if this is tl;dr, I just really need to get this off my chest right now.

The whole card test is just another example of how psychics are not understood. They can't predict on command, the information comes to them at random. It's not like in hollywood where the beautiful blonde psychic detective shows up at the police station and tells them the whole story. They often don't have a choice over what they receive. Reading people, objects, or situations brings a flood of various details, some of it succinct and comprehensible and other times it's just wtf. "Psychic" just means extremely sensitive. They are likely picking up on things beyond the normal threshold of human senses. When it comes to the future, they are often given images or messages that don't make complete sense until the event itself has transpired. Saying that psychics can't exist because of a card game is so incredibly short sighted.

I guess the only way to shed more light on this is to divulge some personal details. I realize I'm opening myself to all kinds of heckling here but sometimes it just has to be done.


You're talking about psychics who are in it for the money, which is ignoring the entire other realm of special abilities that exist in every day mundane people. I didn't even know that seeing auras is uncommon until I happened to be talking about it in front of someone else who could also see them, and then we compared notes. I grew up in a haunted house with a Catholic family who was constantly trying to deny that there was a creepy old dead man walking the halls at night, slamming doors, clawing the walls, etc. I don't do dead people - I'm aware that they're there and sometimes they have things to say but they are pretty much uninvited into my life. Some sensitives are into that shit but I just don't do it. Life is for the living and dead people can just deal with it. If I'm about to enter a building that feels like it's crawling with restlessness or creepy, clingy dead people, I will simply not enter it.

There are other people in my family who have similar abilities to me so my assumption is that there is a genetic basis for these heightened perceptions / different filtering systems, etc. Science takes a lot for granted in assuming that everyone shares the same basic perceptions when in reality it's always going to be a spectrum. Most of the population falls in a predictable range while a slim percentage fall outside of it, and an even smaller percentage (like Edgar Cayce) fall in the extreme subtle range.

I'm a psychic and I have nothing to prove to you. I'm not trying to make money or self-aggrandize, and this is generally something I keep 100% to myself because the majority of the population at large is either indifferent or hostile. And it's North America and Western Europe that seem to have the biggest beef with it. Everywhere I've been in the world, people are not only open to it but they encourage me to share my insights with them.

You can really believe whatever you want, it has no relevance to my life. If we hung out in person you would just see how weird and inexplicable my life is, but trying to teach you these things over the internet is like trying to tell a person who has been blind their whole life what colour might look like. If you don't have the sense then there's no point in trying to convince you it's real. My issue here is you showing up in this thread to bulldog it with pseudoskepticism. The OP is not asking about whether or not psychics are real but if the price they are being asked to pay for psychic services is too high.

You're asking me to prove something scientifically which, according to material reductionism - the foundation of modern science - can't possibly exist. I don't perform on command and I can't force you to step outside of your mental confines to be open to something that truly operates outside of your model. Of the real psychics I've met, none of them would subject themselves to hostile testing because a) they have experienced alienation from the world their entire lives due to not being able to relate their experiences to 99% of the human population, b) the experimenters are likely going to treat them like they are frauds, liars, delusional, potential psych patients, or just unbelieveable right from square one before testing even happens (even if it's not said, we can FEEL your disgust, and that will affect the testing process), c) many are incredibly sensitive introverts and the lens of scrutiny would be intolerable, and d) most of us just have nothing to prove to you.

I'm not going to go to science. Science can come to me. For us it's like looking at a dog trying to understand how to drive a car. You're not going to get it through your intellectual mind. You'll have to delve into a lot of ancient texts and move beyond your narrow epistemology in order to be able to start grasping just how this works. When material reductionists in the west open their square little left-brains to the world of non-materialism I will be more than happy to go over the fine details of my unusual existence with them. Until then, they can keep dealing with people who wish they were psychic but aren't, and believing that we're all just quacks. They are never going to attract the real deal because the real deal wants nothing to do with them.

James Randi... lol. I would never want to be in the same room as the guy, or Richard Dawkins. They reek of stagnant, closed minded, old man energy. Their field of rejection is so high that they won't even see results if they are staring them square in the face. I would much rather deal with people whose creativity and spiritual faculties are at least remotely in tact.

 

[noone1]

You would be better off taking that money and seeing a licensed therapist, which is basically the same thing a "good psychic" is really doing.

 

[Thorns Have Roses]

Ghosts

Settled.

If we hung out in person you would just see how weird and inexplicable my life is

Wouldn't our disbelief ruin everything and make your life normal? According to what you said, anyway.

images or messages that don't make complete sense until the event itself has transpired.

Like Nostradamus and the bible code? Predictions that are only comprehensible in hindsight are no predictions at all, but an instance of the human mind's ability/drive to recognize and search for patterns.

Sorry for poking at your beliefs man, but these minor/New Age-y superstitions put in a bee in my bonnet. I'm generally pro-religion as you know, but that has a lot to do with the fact that organized religion has obvious utility, with ghosts and ESP I cannot comprehend how this is helpful to anyone. Maybe you can tell me.

What I'm saying is, my metric for determining how far from the empirical I'll tolerate folks going is based on the personal/human benefit of their particular path of departure, and how much danger they place themselves and others in (e.g. Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories are to be vigorously opposed, but kundalini yoga is cool by me). While psychics are generally harmless, I think in the OPs particular case it's time to put down the esoteric and use the best tools available (i.e. the ones using techniques devised from verifiable observation and experimentation).

BUT she also has referred me to someone who totally wasn't legit (totally inaccurate) and I just had an extremely traumatizing experience with.

And you're considering blowing off a bunch more money and putting yourself at further risk from these charlatans. Give us ONE reason why you think it's a better idea to see a phone psychic than an accredited professional trained to handle the exact issues that you're having problems with? And if you just want good advice in a nonformal context, flip the I Ching. Seriously, it'll cost you like 15 bucks tops.

 

[Foreigner]

Settled.

I don't get it. Are you asking for a photograph?

Wouldn't our disbelief ruin everything and make your life normal? According to what you said, anyway.

How would rejecting my experience make my life normal? It would just be annoying.

There's a difference between being guarded and completely disbelieving. If you believe something can't possibly happen then that will impose selection bias unto your experiences. I'm totally willing to try showing people who are open to it, at least in terms of the things I am capable of showing. Other stuff just happens to me and I can't control the universe. Though that would be cool.

You can lead a horse to water...