Varsity Investigation: Psychics
written by essa on 20 Jun 2006
I used to be a closet romantic. I believed in one true soul mate, happily ever after, everything happening for a reason, the supernatural, seeing the future, blah blah blah. I wasn?t by any means alone - six out of ten people in Britain believe in the possibility of psychic abilities, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and telekinesis. The survey was carried out by Reader?s Digest and also revealed that women were more likely to believe in the paranormal than men, and nearly a quarter of the female population had consulted a psychic. What?s odd is that 10 percent of those surveyed believed themselves to be psychic. Some said they often knew who was on the phone before it rang, or predicted events in the future.
There are no set standards for psychics. Anyone can call him or herself one and begin practicing professionally. But there are some ways to determine the good from the bad. A professional psychic relies on reputation. If you are considering paying a psychic, ask for references and testimonials. Obviously if they?re reluctant to do so, go elsewhere. A psychic with confidence in their abilities will have no problem with providing this information.
What is it that brings us to consult mediums? We look for advice in our lives, whether it be in finance, love, or health. We want to know what?s in store for our future. We want to contact people we know who have passed away. Or, if you're like me, you're just damn curious and want to know: can self-proclaimed psychics actually tell the future? Are they for real? With this question in mind I decided to test a few psychics myself.
I ventured out for my very own personal reading with Kay from Crystal Connections. She and her husband also own and operate Avalon in Victoria Park Market ? they sell crystals, stones, rocks, books and cards, etc. Getting to this point was no mean feat, as all the so called psychics I consulted quoted me outrageously exorbitant prices ? such up to $100+ for an hour, or $80 per half hour. Maybe that?s why so many people turn to the 0900 lines; Grace?s Psychic Circle anyone? (Those of you who read trashy women?s mags will know what I?m talking about.) $2.99 per minute suddenly begins to look reasonable.
Kay seemed respectable and reputable. An ex teacher with a BA, she is also a ?Master of Crystology? trained by a scientist/world authority on crystals and healing. Kay has 20 years experience in both reading and teaching tarot. Straight away she told me she was not a ?fortune teller?, but used the cards to "interpret patterns in my past" and present which would point towards my most likely future. Overall, she tended to repeat herself, and at times I was reminded of the stuff you hear in self-help books or from your guidance counselor.
It turned out my main recurring theme from the cards was to concentrate on my studies as this is a vital year (which is true), but all common sense really. She firmly told me to follow my dreams (the cliches are true!) ? for some reason she got the idea that those around me opposed my career choice. A card relating to someone returning (my boyfriend leaving the army and coming back to Auckland) was relevant, and one about financial standstills. She advised me to look into jobs in hospitality to ease the load, which incidentally I do work in (but then don't most students?). Although all these were accurate, and with each new card that applied to me I had the inclination to think, ?wow! She?s right!?, I couldn?t help but wonder how many other people would be in very similar situations.
One big miss was her reading of a negative situation in the past. ?Something petty? Rumours, gossip, quarrels?? she asked, seemingly trying to cover all her bases. I told her I had moved out of home which was more of a large-scale conflict than a petty issue. She immediately twisted that around. ?Oh yes, I was trying to downplay it, but that?s right?? Slightly worrying was one card relating to work and study, but also showing a pregnant woman!
My second time around was with clairvoyant Helia, who operated in a more dodgy gypsy/market type stall. Outside were handwritten letters and gushing testimonials. Right away I was inclined to write her off, as the whole place was clearly an attempt to look mystical and colourful, as was her manner. Not only that, she asked me to pay her before the reading began.
I opted for palmistry combined with tarot, this time with the Romany rather than Celtic cards. I?d tried reading my own palm before using a book, but immediately got lost. I?ve got one of those tiny delicate hands with so many fine lines that I can?t personally distinguish between lines and wrinkles. She told me straight off from looking at my fingers I was musical, creative, compassionate, artistic, which is all true in my opinion. Then she mentioned medicine and nursing as careers. MISS. She also firmly told me I would travel to Europe within the next year, have a wonderful relaxing holiday, and Europe would become a vital part of my future, for work. I wish.
She told me I had fallen in love at age 16 (yep), but had two other relationships since then (just one) and had stressful teen years (I think so). The next year will be much easier, but will involve some big decisions. One of these will be choosing between a current ?troublemaker? in my life and a new, more secure, stable and reliable man. Again, the mad success and riches came up for me ? plus marriage (but not for years yet) and three children (if I want them, apparently). Once she found out I wanted to be a journalist, she linked everything possible back to my suitability for the field.
She also did a brief love compatibility check using birthdates (me and partner), combining the birth number, star signs, and Chinese astrology (different zodiac years). This is basic stuff you can do online, which is all quite lighthearted fun if you have a spare hour to kill. Just Google ?numerology? or something similar.
Popular readings that can be done include astrology, numerology, tarot and palmistry. Numerology and astrology rely on birth dates, star signs and names to predict the future and give insights into personality. Tarot involves a deck of 78 cards, and each card has a symbolic meaning that readers will interpret to the relevant areas in your life. Palmistry is a system of divination used by interpreting the lines on your hand, the main ones being your life line, fate line, and head line.
But experts and skeptics alike say that so called psychics use the technique of cold reading rather than any true paranormal ability. The use skill to subtly extract information from the reader and feed it back to them. Quick thinking, perception, insight and a dose of charm all helps. The secret is understanding human nature ? knowing what people want and telling them what they want to hear. With practice, some say, anyone can become a psychic.
Cold readings are carried out without having met a person before. But even without prior knowledge of a person, a cold reader can quickly and carefully analyse their clothing, hairstyle, gender, race, voice, accent etc. The way a person carries themselves, and their mannerisms, say a lot ? how often have you correctly guessed things about someone?s personality simply by looking at them and observing? First impressions may not be totally accurate, but they give a good indication. Cold readers use things that apply to anyone, and usually know things about the general population makeup through statistics, polls and surveys. This is called profiling.
Psychics can also look up information on people online, if they are doing readings over the phone or email. TV psychics can pick up cues from what people say on the studio microphones, particularly things they may say before the show starts rolling.
Too often cold readers are typically vague and ambiguous and discuss situations that could apply to anyone. Usually they will give the basics and then let the subject fill in the blanks. They may say something like ?I see someone whose name starts with J? Jane? James?? at which point the eager subject jumps in with a name appropriate to that letter, ?Oooh, yes - that must be Jason?. Effectively the psychic?s client has conjured the link themselves ? nothing psychic or about it. Even very subtle cues like changes in body language or expression can indicate if the current line is effective or not. Clues and feedback from the subject help to move the questioning along. The subject usually reveals information with their replies, and the cold reader then follows up promising lines of questioning and ditching the misses. On one particular TV show, the psychic in ?contact? with one boy?s dead mother began,
?I sense your mother, and she?s nervous.?
Blank face ? no response from him.
She quickly changed tack, visibly. ?Which is unlike her? as she was very vivacious and out going??
The boy smiled and nodded, and the reading carried on.
While some of the information comes from the reader, most of the facts and statements come from the subject, and are refined and paraphrased by the reader. Fortunately for cold readers, people tend to remember their ?successes? and forget the misses. They?ll often use key words like ?but? and ?and? to cancel out any misses, yet jump at anything you remotely affirm with a ?yes? ?maybe? or ?sorta?. Remember the old adage ?tall dark and handsome?? Cold readers may describe general features without ever really going into detail.
Readings usually fall under the categories of wealth or relationships. Money, careers, etc fit the wealth part, while love, family and friendships go along with relationships. These are the main things people ask about and are interested in. When you think about it though, everything can be related back, or twisted to fit these categories. Let?s say you?re told you have a lot of wealth in your life. If you?re dirt poor and struggling to pay the rent, the wealth could be taken as the wealth of knowledge you have (for all us stellar students), or your ?greatest asset? (which could be anything, physical, or personality wise) or, even a rich personal life.
Have you ever read your horoscope and thought, ?hmm, that does sum up my day today?? Try reading all the other star signs, and you?ll notice they can all apply to you too. People tend to believe that generalities specifically apply to their situation ? this is called personal validation. The Barnum experiment back in the 1940s proved this. American ?circus impresario and skilled psychological manipulator? P T Barnum and psychologist B R Forer conducted a personality test, and gave the resulting analysis back to all the subjects. They were then asked to rate the accuracy of the reading from 1-5. The average rating was 4.26 it was then revealed that each person had received exactly the same personality reading.
Try the test yourself:
"You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic."
Now ask yourself, how closely does that resemble you?
Skeptic Derren Brown?s TV show Mind Control has made him famous for his ?mind reading? act. He says he has no psychic ability and gets results by the power of suggestion and psychological insights. In his own words, ?'magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship?. In the episode ?Messiah?, using a fake name and a different ?ability? each time, he succeeded in convincing four of the five "experts" that he had powers. The fifth expert, the Christian evangelist, did ask to meet him again before giving an endorsement. Brown specified during each experiment that if any of the subjects questioned or accused him, he would come clean. He concluded that people tend to hear only things that support their ideas and ignore contradictions ? the ultimate in selective hearing. He also pointed out that James Randi has offered one million dollars to anyone who can definitively prove their psychic talent. Nobody has claimed this yet.
The reaction of the psychics to Brown, and their eagerness to endorse him, kind of reminded me of that story about the Emperor?s New Clothes. (That?s the one where the emperor goes naked, but tells everyone he is wearing new clothes of the finest material ? so fine you can?t see them). Everyone jumped on the wagon and went along with it, as not to appear ignorant or left out of it.
So really, there's nothing wrong in being open-minded about psychic phenomena, as long as you're prepared to test them. If not, you could find yourself being conned.
By Esther Goh
[Printed from varsity.co.nz : The ultimate resource for NZ students]
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