Ok. Could Be Opening Up A Can O Worms. What Are Your Views On Pshycic Mediums.

[bountyboy]

I saw one the other day. The things she was telling me not even my mother knew at the time. Just curious to know what you guys think.

[jomifl]

LG, lets not forget that they also seem to plant 'reconstructed memories'.

[Hymie]

I can vouch for the fact that the following actually happened.

Some years ago, a group of girls in the office where I worked organised a girl’s night-out to visit a psychic medium. On the day of the visit, the psychic medium cancelled the event – because she was ill.

[naomi24]

As a general rule 'psychics' are frauds, and those who make a living from it are preying upon the vulnerable. However, I once met someone on the off-chance who told me something very specific and quite bizarre – it couldn’t possibly have been as a result of guesswork, or cold reading. It concerned someone else, and I was unaware of it until I met that man and later recounted my experience to the person in question who confirmed that it was absolutely right. Therefore I have good reason to believe that not all are charlatans.

[Canary42]

Wicked deceivers preying on the naive and vulnerable.

[mikey4444]

I am minded of the story about how the Astrologer was given the sack from the The Sun. She received a letter that began " As you are probably already aware, I am giving you notice.............."

[modeller]

As explained in a previous thread I had personal experience of psychic events over a period of 40 years . I know what was genuine and what was not in my experience. From that experience I found that Mediums were never genuine. Fortune telling is nonsense but knowing someone was terminally ill when they didn't know themselves was genuine.
Knowing someone hundreds of miles away was suddenly taken ill or in an accident was genuine. I am a skeptic, a scientist , and an atheist. I tried to find an explanation to the many events I experienced. I didn't find any but believe a sixth sense eg. like telepathy could be the answer.
It is not turned on , it just happens to some people, at infrequent intervals. No doubt psychics vary in their ability so I wont generalise. I can only say genuine psychics do not accept money and may not like their ability because their knowledge can make them sad. I do remember it caused a few problems in my family.

[jim360]

I think I made my views on the paranormal clear enough in the thread Ed linked to. For this thread it's enough to say that I agree with Naomi and others, albeit for different reasons. Few people can genuinely believe in psychics "on-demand", firstly because as soon as there's money involved you should already be suspicious. Secondly, it would be in a claimed professional psychic's interest to be able to advertise that they were the only "scientifically verified psychic". Imagine the publicity that would give! And it wouldn't be ignored, either, as even if the scientific community might remain sceptical (was the test done properly? etc.) the media would trumpet such a result.

At any rate, such a claim would be massive and, indeed, a money-spinner. However, no professional psychics can honestly make the claim, as all who have agreed to submit to such tests with agreed conditions have failed them. We can certainly say that psychic abilities cannot be called up on demand, if they exist at all. Be intensely sceptical of anyone who charges money for such a reading.

[chakka35]

The session in that video and others that people like Richard Dawkins have attended and broadcast make it so obvious that the 'medium' is cold reading that I am astonished that anyone can do anything but laugh out loud at her antics. And here's another give-away: the medium claims she is in contact with spirits, yet who does she spend all her time talking to? The audience. Why not ask the spirit for more specific information rather than merely offering the audience such vagaries that they are bound to make a hit somewhere?

But there you are. The world will always harbour crooks who exploit the gullible.

[LazyGun]

I would suggest that Psychics take note of this recent judgement in the US - a couple have been awarded a multimillion dollar settlement against a psychic who directed the police to raid their home, alleging a massacre had occurred at their farm....

http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/psychic-ordered-to-pay-7-million-for-false-claims-130617.htm

[T&S]

I'd recommend people have a look at the Derren Brown episode on it. Very enlightening.

All I would say is that years ago, my mum had a lady she worked with who claimed to be a medium. She told my mum that she could see me wearing a blue uniform but could also see me in green. At the time I wanted to be a Police Office so my mum thought nothing of it as she was sure she'd probably told the lady this. She never charged my mum a penny.
The upshot is when I was 19, I joined the RAF Police, and my uniform was either blue or combats. Self fulfilling prophecy? I don't know. But my mum often wondered....
Me personally, I think there are too many charlatans doing it. That Psychic Sally lady came a bit unstuck last year when she was accused of having an earpiece in when doing a show in Dublin.

[mibn2cweus]

//All I would say is that years ago, my mum had a lady she worked with who claimed to be a medium. She told my mum that she could see me wearing a blue uniform but could also see me in green.//

I'm not suggesting anything . . . I'm just reporting what I saw ~

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Science/Question1252840.html#answer-8114925

[emmie]

fakes the lot of them, prey on the gullible.

[jomifl]

Just because a rational explanation for a phenomenom hasn't been thought of doesn't mean the only explanation is paranormal. Brains misfunction just as much as the rest of the body except that the brain isn't aware of the misfunctions. Deja vu is a good example of an error in memory sequencing. It's very convincing ...but wrong.

[naomi24]

I don’t believe in the ‘paranormal’ or the 'supernatural' - and I don't believe that people like Sally whatever-her-name-is are genuine. I do, however, think it might be possible for a brain to transmit or to receive information. Back to the unanswerable question of ‘what is a thought?’

[jim360]

You could argue that the paranormal is just the normal that hasn't been discovered yet.

[jim360]

A surprising article here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22988215

Not sure if the DM decided to pay up to avoid a case, or if the judge ruled in her favour. Does this mean though that the court supports psychics?

[naomi24]

//You could argue that the paranormal is just the normal that hasn't been discovered yet. //

I'd argue that it hasn't been explained yet.

[jomifl]

She would have had to have been aware that she was operating a scam to be found guilty. Perhaps the judge just felt sorry for the daft bat.

[jim360]

That's what I meant, Naomi -- thanks for the correction.