Do you believe in Mediums?

[Snowballs138]

Some years ago I went (very sceptically) with a friend to see a well renowned Medium. I had waited almost 2 years to see her. I booked the appointment via telephone on a withheld number. I Gave only my first name which isn't unusual and no other information.
As I say, I was a very sceptical and pretty much a non- beleiver, but just went along with a friend to see what it was all about and a giggle. I had previously lost my husband quite young in a very unusual way. The woman seemed to know a lot about this and even specified that it was abroad, an accident and he was surrounded by water, which he was 🤯 she then went on to say he was with her and was trying to tell her a nickname he used to call me so that I would believe he was there. I was completely confused as I couldn't remember any nicknames that he had for me (non to my knowledge). So this is where I had her, or so I thought! I said no, there has never been a nickname. He never called me anything other than my Christian name. She then said she would give me the first letter of the nickname. I just looked at her blankly and said no. She then shot out the nickname and I was completely and utterly blindsided. It was a ridiculous name. I won't say it on here because it's embarrassing and silly 🤣 but it's something in humour that he used to call me when it was just the two of us (and very unusual/not guessable for her AT ALL). I had totally and utterly forgotten about it. So how could she have known this if even I had forgotten and absolutely nobody else knew? I've never to this day been able to understand how she could know. She also went on to say several other things were that were outstandingly accurate and things that nobody else could possibly have known, for example I was in the middle of a private dental claim which she said was legal (I was) and that I would receive a substantial payout very soon (I did). She told my friend she was pregnant (she was, 6 weeks, but had told nobody bar her DH) This one visit to this Medium changed my entire belief system regarding mediums and the spirit world which I never thought would be possible. Has anyone else had similar experiences?

It was never "this exact thing is going to happen in such a place at this exact time", it was more "oooh, I've got a funny feeling about such a place, keep your eye on the news" and low and behold, something unpredictable (to the average person, anyway) would go down in that particular place soon after

So she didn't actually predict anything, then?

What was the time range?

My prediction is 'something is going to happen in Indonesia soon'.

Also San Francisco is due an earthquake, so I'll predict that too.

I was happy to go to the event alone. No one would of noticed. I've been to the same thing many times alone, and accompanied. With a single friend or as a group. No one gives a shiny shit. A lone woman is nothing to bother about. There are plenty. Out of relationships I've travelled, been to gigs, festivals, bars and cinemas all on my lonesome. Never felt awkward, odd or judged.

Of course there is nothing wrong with being single.

But being part of a happy couple is held up as the ideal. To pretend you are not aware of this societal pressure is disingenuous. And there is not a single person zero percent affected by societal pressure.

I can’t believe people are talking about accurate tarot readings. Tarot is a game. It was only later used as parlour trick woo entertainment.

Its a bit like saying “I had a spookily accurate game of Monopoly”

See also ‘Ouija’

Some predictions and insights for one of you:

You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.
You have a great deal of unused capacity, which you have not turned to your advantage.
Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.
You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.
You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others statements without satisfactory proof.
You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.
At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.
At times you are extroverted, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.
While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.

Guess what. Those statements apply to anyone. But mediums use this kind of 'insight' to make you think it's specifically for you.

No, at best I think that they believe they are mediums and that they are genuinely possessed of this ability, misguidedly selling it others. At worst they are charlatans preying on the vulnerable.

I went with my mum and aunty a few times and seemed quite good although vague. Bit like horoscopes you can twist them to make them fit.
I booked another and she cancelled last minute saying she had been sexually assaulted by a ghost she had been in contact with. Needless to say I didn't rebook

Well...

@eandz13
"It was never "this exact thing is going to happen in such a place at this exact time", it was more "oooh, I've got a funny feeling about such a place, keep your eye on the news" and low and behold, something unpredictable (to the average person, anyway) would go down in that particular place soon after"

Except for all the times it didn't that you forgot about.

One I went too, huge well known one.
I paid in cash.
I was a last minute stand in for someone who dropped out on the day.
our names were not provided beforehand.
she guessed my mums name, dads name, grandads name, a relative who died recently a name plus exaclty what he died of. Told me exaclty his what death certificate says, but the deceased ‘says’ it was something similar but not the same.

everything else could have been ‘lucky’ con artist but not once did I give her my parents names! Or the other relative.

a slightly cheaper one explained my partner to the T who I wasnt with yet plus explained exactly when I’ll get pregnant. Either correct or incredibly luckily co incidence.

And I went to one last minute in a different city, paid cash. They knew the name of all seven of my siblings and knew where my grandad was buried when we had been searching records for the grave.

I just made that up. People make up all sorts of anecdotes online. Who knows why. Who knows how many of the 'true stories' here actually happened.

I went to a private medium reading last night as part of a group of 8. There were readings for each person . Of those 3 people’s were very in depth and with personal information. The other 5 were relatively vague & I felt she was reading the person. Up until the end I was very on the fence about her credibility. The
resding she did for a Mum & daughter who lost their sister/ daughter was uncanny. the lady who had passed was a vet and the information in the reading clearly was very accurate.
She started to do a reading with my recently passed Mum. She mentioned things that were so different to phrases used for others. She told me I was brilliant which is what Mum used to say about my work. The medium told me Mum was worried about me & I needed to delegate more. She told me Mum said she has won awards. She also told me half a dozen others things which were unusual to pick but things my Mum would have said. She told me to spend money, said hi with the right name to my husband. Said she was so excited for a party. Son is planning a destination wedding reception. As we started she asked us to breathe and think of light & colours. As I opened my eyes I felt I saw a light outline of Mum with our passed dog. When I had the reading I felt a warmth. I am a scientist. I can not rationalise this other than she was talking to Mum. I felt it.

To quote the wonderful Tim Minchin - "these people aren't plying a skill, they're either lying or mentally ill"

I don't think people are necessarily making evidence up. I think the Medium says something really vague like "I'm seeing someone who's name begins with J holding a pen." and people write on MN: "The medium knew all about my second cousin John".

People just don't realize how general these predictions are, we can all fit them to our lives. Uniform was mentioned up the thread. In the four or five days since then three separate memorable events have happened to me involving uniforms. I'd have said my contact with people in uniform was rare. In fact it happens all the time, we just don't notice it.

@NCForSexFrm, I just think @LylaLee meant that this is an anonymous internet forum, and that any of us can claim anything here as true without even the minimal in-person 'verification' offered by a usually level-headed friend telling us something strange that happened to her.

You may say 'Well, why would someone make this stuff up?' But it happens all the time on here. There's a current thread (which has stayed up because people are having fun with it) where the OP started a thread about being on holiday with her family in a grubby cottage in the Landes in south-west France, and everyone being grumpy and exhausted, so she'd retreated to her bedroom with a cocktail -- lots of perfectly credible detail. Only weirdly, her photo 'supporting' this was of an obviously un-French room, complete with UK plug socket and twin beds and decor familiar to many posters from some holiday park chain.

I mean, why?

So someone saying 'The psychic told me the exact names and dates of birth of all my five children, plus the exact words my grandfather whispered in my ear on his deathbed, and pinpointed the exact location of the lost family heirloom to within three inches' doesn't have any more credibility than 'She said my house number has a 7 in it and that there was an elderly man coming through whose initial was J and who might have died from something heart-related'.

Any more than the Mn-famous Savernake Forest demons story, or the angry blonde man seen looking the same age in a nightclub twenty years apart has any. (But fun!)

Yes. I'm sure many people will be making it up. I still think the majority are doing the "7, J, Heart related" thing.

Incidently "7, J, Heart related" are all hits for me which shows how effective vague statements are, and even when you know they feel "special".

I do wonder if its psychics put out annecdotes on sm to legitimise themselves and tout for business.

@HolySkirts

Yes, that's what I meant.

Exactly. Confirmation bias. You remember the stuff that reinforces the belief you already hold and forget the stuff that contradicts it.

@KimberleyClark Oh yeah, for sure this will be an element - like I say, I've never been a believer and as a PP said, Derren Brown explains cold reading/'psychics' really well. I've said above that I believe there will be a logical explanation. It's just naturally a bit 'wtf' when the 'predictions' were pretty accurate and frequent. I'm sure there will be many times that she was incorrect that I've forgotten or people have failed to mention to me as they weren't worth mentioning if she was wrong.
I think it's still ok to be just as wowed by somebody's intuition as opposed to a psychic ability.