Are you psychic?

[Ask For More]

Maybe you should try this?

The James Randi Educational foundation

The Foundation is committed to providing reliable information about paranormal claims. It both supports and conducts original research into such claims.

At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to anyone who can show, under proper observing conditions, evidence of any paranormal, supernatural, or occult power or event. The prize is in the form of negotiable bonds held in a special investment account. The JREF does not involve itself in the testing procedure, other than helping to design the protocol and approving the conditions under which a test will take place. All tests are designed with the participation and approval of the applicant. In most cases, the applicant will be asked to perform a relatively simple preliminary test of the claim, which if successful, will be followed by the formal test. Preliminary tests are usually conducted by associates of the JREF at the site where the applicant lives. Upon success in the preliminary testing process, the "applicant" becomes a "claimant."

To date, no one has ever passed the preliminary tests.

 

[Siren]

I knew you were going to ask this question.

 

[Nobody Special's wife]

Thats because its a bullshit of a test

 

[Ask For More]

More info

The Art of "Cold Reading"

The currently-popular "psychics" like Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh, and John Edward, who are getting so much TV space on Montel Williams, Larry King, and other shows, employ a technique known as "cold reading." They tell the subjects nothing, but make guesses, put out suggestions, and ask questions. This is a very deceptive art, and the unwary observer may come away believing that unknown data was developed by some wondrous means. Not so.

Examples: "I get an older man here" is a question, a suggestion, and a guess by the "reader," who expects some reaction from the subject, and usually gets it. That reaction may just be a nod, the actual name of a person, or an identification (brother, husband, grandfather), but it is supplied BY THE SUBJECT, not by the reader. "They're saying, 'Bob,' or 'Robert.' Do you recognize this person?" is another question, suggestion, and guess. If there's a Bob or Robert, the subject will amplify the identification. But if there's no Bob or Robert immediately recognized, the reader passes right on, after commenting that Bob is there alright, but not recognized right now. If any Bob is remembered later, that is incorporated into the spiel. You should observe and listen to a video of a reading. In one such by Van Praagh, prepared by the "48 Hours" TV program, a reading that lasted 60 minutes, we found only TWO actual statements made, and 260 questions asked. Both actual statements--guesses--were wrong. Van Praagh was looking for the name of the woman's deceased husband, and he came up with it by asking, "Do you know anyone named, Jack?" The woman answered, "Yes! Jack, my husband!" But Van Praagh didn't identify "Jack" at all. He asked her if SHE would indentify him. By that time, Van Praagh had already tried on her 26 other men's names--all wrong. But, the woman--the subject--forgot about those failures, because they were not important to her. "Jack" was important.

The readers have a way of leading the subject to believe that they knew something they didn't. Example:


Reader: "Did your husband linger on in the hospital, or did he pass quickly?"
Subject: "Oh, he died almost immediately!"

Reader: "Yes, because he's saying to me, `I didn't suffer. I was spared any pain.'"

It's strange that the reader (Van Praagh, in this example) had to ask that question.....

And remember, these readers often go out and interview the audience members when they're on line waiting to get into the studio or auditorium. That technique was employed by the very successful reader Doris Stokes. She would feed back any data she got as if she were refreshing her memory of what had been told her. "Are you the lady who has a passed-on sister, dearie?" would of course receive assent from the victim, and ahhhs from the audience. Also, a person who approaches the reader before the TV show or auditorium meeeting and says she has a question about her deceased grandmother, can then later be selected out of the audience when they're on-camera or during the live encounter, and can then be asked, "Is your question about your grandmother?" and that appears--to everyone else--like a bang-on "hit." Or, and this is very subtle indeed, people in the studio or auditorium audience--usually seated up front for best visibility--are sometimes those who have already been to the "psychic" for a private reading, and have then been asked to show up later to occupy reserved seats at the public in-person gathering "to develop more information" using the "collective power of the assembled audience." The reader then repeats previously-gleaned data, and that appears miraculous both to the audience in the studio and at home, watching, or elsewhere in the auditorium audience.

We tested Sylvia Browne in 1989, on live TV, and she failed miserably. On that occasion, she was not allowed to speak to anyone in advance, or to be asked or told anything in advance. The audience was told to only answer "yes" or "no," when asked a DIRECT question, and Sylvia bombed out big-time. She blamed it all on bad vibrations.... Van Praagh and Edward have not responded to our offer to test them--for the million-dollar prize, even.

 

[Ask For More]

Re: I knew you were going to ask this question.

Does that mean I am psychic?

Wanna share the million dollars?

 

[Siren]

Sure .....as long as

 

[Mistress]

Actually I am... Now if you want to know if something/someone is near such as a spirit, I can tell ya. Oh and lets not forget the all time favorite of mine (Not really) knowing when something bad is going to happen such as death. Spirits can be so annoying at times too.

 

[Ask For More]

Re: Sure .....as long as

I dont have to sit in a chair opposite Regis or
live with 16 annoying people trying to out wit
out play and out last any of them, do I?

You are....the pyschic link!

Are there 16 annoying people from the board willing to live with Siren? I would

 

[Siren]

You mispelled psychic

 

[Ask For More]

Doh!

I never wanted to play this stupid game anyway

 

[Pyper]

John Edward makes me furious. It's one thing to be a fortuneteller and make vague predictions about someone's future, but he manipulates these poor people's emotions, pretending to be talking with their dead relatives. Every time I see him, I want to punch the TV. Of course, then I would have no TV, so I restrain myself.

 

[scylis]

ok, so maybe i'm not psychic.. but i AM another big "P" word!

i'm pathetic!

 

[TinaG13]

Yes...

Oh, you said psychic? Not psycho? Hmmmmm, well then I'm not....

 

[Siren]

I totally agree with you Pyper

 

[Ask For More]

In one such by Van Praagh, prepared by the "48 Hours" TV program, a reading that lasted 60 minutes, we found only TWO actual statements made, and 260 questions asked. Both actual statements--guesses--were wrong.

This is what I find the most astonishing! How can some people actually fall for this?

 

[Pyper]

They are very clever in the way they do it. John Edward, especially, talks a mile a minute, so you barely even notice when he makes a mistake.

Another thing he does on his show on the SciFi channel is move from person to person. If he makes a mistake with one woman, he'll suddenly switch gears and ask the same vague question of the woman sitting next to her, who many times says, "Yes, there was a Jim in my family."

Also, when he makes a statement, it is incredibly general, even if it seems specific. One time he made me really mad when he recounted this woman's mother's death. "Remember the stairs?" he said, "How hard it was going up and down the stairs?" The woman burst into tears at the memory. But think about it. How many of us have had a dying relative that in the end couldn't get up and down the stairs anymore? I would bet a lot.

 

[Siren]

Van Bragh that is the name of that other con man

 

[Ask For More]

This would never happen in England....they'd be hounded out of the country in a second!

 

[Pyper]

Speaking of career changes (warning, warning, drastic change of subject) I should go into the notary business. I had to get a document notarized the other day, so I went to a Mailboxes Etc. I signed the document, the guy signed the document, the guy wrote down in his little book that he had signed the document and then said:

"Ten bucks please."

Ten bucks?! To put your freakin signature on something? I'm on the wrong career track!

 

[*bratcat*]

Re: Re: Sure .....as long as

 

[bluntforcemama]

Believe it or not, I'm only psychic with certain people. Is that possible?

 

[Ask For More]

Take the test

That's 3...only 13 left to go

 

[TygerEyez]

Re: Yes...

Oh, you said psychic? Not psycho? Hmmmmm, well then I'm not....

You must be psychic... You just stole my answer.

*shakes head sadly* I could have warned you... Reading my mind is bad news, baby... There's some scary shit in there, and a chance you'd be dellusional like me.

Ah, well. Welcome to the Asylum. Pull up a soft, non-harmful cushion, don the straight-jacket of your choice, and grab yourself some meds. It's a Psycho Party.

Honestly, though. I may not be psychic, but... well, somethings "touch" me more than they do other people. *grins* It's my Zodiac. Pisces are more suseptable to aura and things of the spiritual nature.

I don't think I spelled that right....

 

[TinaG13]

Re: Re: Yes...

Oh, you said psychic? Not psycho? Hmmmmm, well then I'm not....

You must be psychic... You just stole my answer.

*shakes head sadly* I could have warned you... Reading my mind is bad news, baby... There's some scary shit in there, and a chance you'd be dellusional like me.

Ah, well. Welcome to the Asylum. Pull up a soft, non-harmful cushion, don the straight-jacket of your choice, and grab yourself some meds. It's a Psycho Party.

Honestly, though. I may not be psychic, but... well, somethings "touch" me more than they do other people. *grins* It's my Zodiac. Pisces are more suseptable to aura and things of the spiritual nature.

LOL! Sorry, Nicci.... I'm in for it now, huh?

I know what you mean about Pisces. My brother is one and he always seems to sense certain things....