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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to ask if anyone has had a psychic reading that was extremely accurate?

646 replies

opheliaria · 09/05/2015 22:27

One that could not be down to cold reading. For example, giving out very specific details such as exact dates, unusual names, basically precise facts that cannot be fished for or guessed and are not vague?

OP posts:
ssd · 13/05/2015 16:08

thanks Lipsync. I can understand what you are saying about the fallibility of memory, but this wasnt a crucial detail to me, the crucial details had already been said to me.

if this was a few years ago and anyone had been posting what I've posted, I'd have been one of the sceptics, saying now come on, you dont really believe that do you, how is that ever possible...

but since mum died, way too many things have happened that made me question things..and the medium thing was the icing on the cake.

ComposHatComesBack · 13/05/2015 16:09

who knows what its all about, but it did bring me great comfort to think mum was out there somewhere, and not gone totally

And i think inadvertently you've hit the nail on the head as to why these charlatans prosper because they are telling people something they want to hear. People are willing to overlook some glaring misses, woeful inconsistencies and suspend their sense of disbelief because they want to believe the comforting lie.

I would like it if all the cats I had owned across my lifetime were frolicking together for all eternity in a landscape made of Whiskas and where it rains Dreamies for them, but however much I want it to be the case, it doesn't make it so.

TTWK · 13/05/2015 16:21

Evolution--accepted as true but couldn't be replicated in a lab as it would take too long.

Evolution has actually been replicated in a lab, using sealed flasks of bacteria. Bacteria are the only things you can use as you can get many thousands of generations over a relatively short space of time. By altering the conditions the bacteria have to live in, you can change the bacteria, when compared to a control flask where no changes in conditions are introduced.. There's a whole section about it in Dawkin's book "The Greatest Show on Earth."

And ComposHat, great post.

ssd · 13/05/2015 16:24

compos, I hear you, but in a 4 or 5 minute conversation, well one way conversation when someone tells you things she cant possibly know, and they are spot on for everything except 2 things, what am I meant to think? If it was half and half and there were glaring misses and woeful inconsistencies then I'd be the first one to question it, but out of say 4 minutes of telling me things only 2 things were wrong.....

ssd · 13/05/2015 16:26

anyway, I'm not here to convince anyone or make stuff up, I'm just telling my story.

If is sounds far fetched, thats fine.

TTWK · 13/05/2015 16:49

ssd, it doesn't sound far fetched. It sounds absolutely consistent with what people report. I have no doubt you'd pass a lie detector test. It just sounds misremembered.

You cannot know everything was spot on apart from 2 things, because it was very emotional and you wrote it down the next day. It would be no good writing it down straight after. Confirmation bias works immediately, in real time. Hits are recorded and misses are filtered out during the reading. The only way of knowing what was really said would have been for you to record the events.

Abraid2 · 13/05/2015 16:52

Fair enough, TTWK.

ssd · 13/05/2015 16:53

I'd love to have recorded it!

will google confirmation bias.

ComposHatComesBack · 13/05/2015 17:35

In fairness arent there quite a lot of things that can't be replicated in the lab

Interestingly the modern style of mediumship offering bland platitudes from the other side is a relatively modern trend. Yur Victorian and Edwardian mediums were rather more spectacular, with tables flying across the room and vomiting 'ectoplasm' thankfully infra-red cameras and toxicology have long since exposed them as fakes and most modern mediums can't rely on these spectacular props.

I'd love to have recorded it!

Yes, that would be instructive and just to be clear, I don't think you are trying to mislead anyone on this thread and that is genuinely how you remembered things, but I bet a pound to a penny that a recording would reveal a lot more fishing and leading questions.

It is telling that people are recalling visits from many years ago and the context is lost or misremembered. This is important as I doubt the psychic simply repeated fact after facts in a mechanical manner. ie. Your Dad's name is David, your have worked in a shoe shop, you have a mole on your left buttock, you own a pet budgie and so on for ten minutes or more. This suggests one of two things. Either they got a ton of 'misses' (confirmation bias- you remember the hits and forget the misses) or they managed to winkle the information out of the sitter (cold reading) or had done their homework beforehand (hot reading)

There's a world of difference between the medium outright saying 'your dead father was called David)'

and

'Does the name David mean anything to you?'

to which the sitter could respond.

i) 'Yes he was my Dad' to which the medium could say 'well he misses you, but is looking out for you.'

ii) 'He is my husband' to which the medium could say 'yes that's right, your dad is coming through, he wants to say that he's so happy that you found happiness with David.'

iii) 'I have a friend called David' to which the medium could respond I'm getting a message that you should look out for David, he has had a lot of sadness in his life, even though he tries to put a brave face on it.'

iv) 'David is my son' to which the medium could respond, 'yes I can sense you worry about him a lot and that you are anxious that will end up happy and fulfilled when he's older. Don't worry, he's very clever and I see a great future for him.'

Each of which would feel like a 'hit' to the sitter, even though they've supplied the medium with all the information.

Roseforarose · 13/05/2015 17:52

Hak why would I want that. I just said some people will be along to tell her that she ahouldnt be taken in by it all, meaning in some cases I don't believe they are taken in.

frankie80 · 13/05/2015 18:04

Right so I've contacted a tarot reader as I'm really keen to get a reading but a bit scared too. Worried it'll be all meditation and silly talk...

But would love to hear what the future may hold.

Hakluyt · 13/05/2015 18:08

"hak why would I want that. I just said some people will be along to tell her that she ahouldnt be taken in by it all, meaning in some cases I don't believe they are taken in."

With the greatest of respect, rose, you have shown on this thread that you are very easy to "take in". How do you think you (or anyone) can differentiate the genuine psychics from the deluded/fraudulent?

TTWK · 13/05/2015 21:24

will google confirmation bias.

Well worth doing. The wikipedia article on it is very good. If, when you've read it, you feel that perhaps it may have played a part in your recall of the events, don't beat yourself up about it. It's a human trait and we are all victims at different times. All football fans believe that the referees are anti their favourite team!

TTWK · 13/05/2015 21:27

But would love to hear what the future may hold.

Why? Just why? Even if it were possible, I can't think of anything worse.

Roseforarose · 13/05/2015 21:41

Well in my case I speak from personal experience. As far as me being easily taken in I admit the link I put up did make me look rather gullible. There really are a hell of a lot of fakes out there who prey on the vulnerable, that is true. But that shouldnt detract from the genuine ones. There are a few.

soverylucky · 13/05/2015 21:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TTWK · 13/05/2015 21:50

But that shouldnt detract from the genuine ones. There are a few.

There really aren't. There are none. Zero. Ziltch.

fackinell · 13/05/2015 22:07

I haven't been posting but take a look at Horizon on bbc4 just to see how some things exist but science can't make head nor tail of them.

Hakluyt · 13/05/2015 22:15

"I haven't been posting but take a look at Horizon on bbc4 just to see how some things exist but science can't make head nor tail of them"

Ou missed the vital word- yet.

Hakluyt · 13/05/2015 22:17

And everything they are talking about ( I'm watching it too) is testable and falsifiable and subject to the scientific method.

Hakluyt · 13/05/2015 22:20

And nobody is saying "we don't understand this so it must be un-understandable- let's not bother trying"

fackinell · 13/05/2015 22:38

You missed out a vital letter: Y

Hakluyt · 13/05/2015 22:40

That's just a bit silly, isn't it? Hmm

ComposHatComesBack · 13/05/2015 22:42

fack are you trying a game of scrabble on this thread?

fackinell · 13/05/2015 22:43

Significant I thought...Y meaning why? Grin

Scrabble? Y not.