Has anyone ever seen a medium? AIBU to now believe that some people have psychic ability?

[abitspooked]

I recently saw a psychic medium and I sound say about 80% of what she said was accurate. Some things were actually startling. She knew nothing about me before I went in, except for my first name. I can’t believe some if the things she could see inc. names and details about relatives on the ‘other side’ (even though these are from a different culture / language). Other very accurate details too. I couldn’t believe it.

Had anyone else had a similar encounter? I was open minded before I went but am now convinced that some people have psychic ability, based on my own direct experience. AIBU?

A few years back I went to a spiritualist church a few times with friends. These were definitely charlatans.

I was told something true or it could’ve been partly true but my two best friends weren’t told anything or it was based on looks like dancing in the case of one friend.

The spiritualists seemed to have “favourites” in the crowd who they’d pick out (planted?). There was one or two women there, one looked desperately unhappy and searching for some sign or comfort but they never came to these.

The last one I went to I asked afterwards, if they gave private readings and was fobbed off. They also disappeared quickly after the show, so if you did want to ask questions there was no chance of that.

Did you actually understand my post?

At present, we do not have the knowledge to fully understand many of the elements that go to make up the world in which we live. We lack the technology to devise experiments to investigate the true nature of the physical as well as the meta physical world. We all take electricity totally for granted and can't imagine a world without it but the true nature of an electron has still to be satisfactorily explained other than in the most general of terms.

Science evolves constantly and "the science" is constantly changing as more is discovered.

There are many scammers out there, including the bloke in the Derren Brown video and we know some people can cold read. But I've met one person who knew things about my past they couldn't possibly know and told me things about my future, which came to happen. Nothing I could remotely engineer in my subconscious to fit their words. A very quiet unassuming person who'd never present themselves as "a psychic". This was pre internet/mobile phone days.

I have psychic ability and when I was a child I thought everyone was like me. I don't try to cultivate it or encourage it because it scares me and I don't want to be different. People call it a gift but I don't see it that way. I would far rather be without it.

I do agree that many psychics who get paid are not genuine. The saddest part is that people usually turn to psychics or mediums when they are at their lowest ebb and seeking a connection with their dead loved ones.

Wouldn't it be comforting if there was an afterlife? Wouldn't it be reassuring to speak to loved ones that have died? Wouldn't it take all the pressure off to know that your future is pre ordained and there's really nothing you can do to change it?

The world is a scary and often sad place for humans, we crave comfort and predictability. Even bad news is better than no news at all, just so long as we can feel like a cog in a greater 'plan' of someone who knows better than us.

Once you're through the door, however sceptical you may believe yourself to be, the battle is half won for a 'medium'.

This is obviously one of those subjects where people either fall into one camp or the other.

I had a good experience, it was a one off. I didn't need it, it didn't change my life, I wouldn't go again, but it did seem there was something in it for me. I'm not a credulous fool. I'd describe myself as balanced, thoughtful, robust and down to earth and have reflected for years on what happened to me. None of the negative assumptions put forward in this thread apply to my experience - that doesn't mean I wasn't taken in - but I wasn't taken in by Derren Brown and can see clear difference between the act he performed in front of my eyes and what the woman I saw did. Chalk and cheese.

I can only think that those who are so insistently anti have had a negative experience or some such. My only experience was positive and that's enough for me and I quite get the counter argument, just not the insistence. The same happens on any type of woo thread. The absolute and often strident downplaying of the experiences of other people is disproportionate and I wonder where it comes from.

We do not lack the technology to devise experiments to investigate the claims of psychics and mediums; all that is needed for them to ‘prove’ their authenticity is to perform their deeds closely observed and under laboratory conditions. It would be so so easy, but surprise surprise it has never happened.

I was brought you t be sceptical and to trust no one.

I always ask, if a person has sight of the future why didn't they bet £1000 on Leicester to win the premier league at 5000/1? Why don't they live in a high house off of the investment they made in Amazon in 2005?

Plus we have a medium evening in the pub I part own, I was sat outside in the smoking area and one of the people running it came out and said "I didn't see this rain coming". I thought I would die laughing...to be fair she found it funny too as she doesn't have the "gift" but could see why it appears funny.

If a person has a genuine ability to 'see' the future... why not use it? Even it it wasn't possible to foresee winning lottery numbers, surely knowing that the Grand National is going to be won by a jockey wearing red and white would be grounds for beating the published odds.

Nope, show me proof.

Do you understand what you're posting?

We have many experiments that investigate the true nature of the physical world, ALL scientific experiments do as it's the only world we know of! Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy, it's not something science would deal with. What about the electron is unsatisfactorily explained to you? I really don't understand you point.

Yes, I did.

It was utter nonsense.

We fully and completely understand how psychics work. They fake it.

I saw a psychic once who was incredibly accurate. He told me the contents of a letter that I received a week later. I didn’t know what the letter would say so I couldn’t have given him any hints. Lots of other stuff too.

Met a lady regularly out dog walking. She offered to read my palm and told me two things about my future that I didn’t think were even possible but both eventuated years later at the stage she predicted.

i think there are some scammers out there and some genuinely gifted people too

Met a lady regularly out dog walking. She offered to read my palm and told me two things about my future that I didn’t think were even possible but both eventuated years later at the stage she predicted

Did she only tell you two things? Or are you excluding other things she told you that didn't happen?

I've had a similar experience Op and it gave me great comfort in a difficult part of my life. I cane out of her house actually believing that I will see my lost loved ones again one day. My DH is not a believer but even he was supposed by some of the things she said.

*surprised

I have never believed them! Except I went to one and they had a two year waiting list as she was meant to be amazing.
She told me my mums name. How she died and she even told me what she said before she died. Only I knew.
She then mentioned my father in law and how he died in a car crash and he should not have been driving that day. Also true as he got called in to work on his day off!
This was before social media and she only had my first name.

I don't ever want to visit one again as the accuracy scared me!

I had a work colleague who claimed to be a psychic. Also told me most are fake, they read body language, reactions to certain words, etc. or some can just see your aura.

She was, of course, 'genuine'. Except she wrote out a whole prediction for DH & I 15 years ago. We'd have 3 children. He'd get injured riding his bike to work. Also, said DH would leave his job & go solo, I'd join him & we'd be well off, even drive a particular model of fancy car.

Well, none of it happened. We have 2 DC, no bike accident (thankfully) and, the one that pisses me off - we both still work making someone else rich, and our cars are old & desperately need replacing.

It's all BS.

I think I know my friend better than you.

Yes. She only told me two very specific things. She told me when - mid 40s. I was in my early 30s at the time. Both things had happened between 40 and 46. It was truly uncanny. One of the things I had medical reasons to believe could never ever happen.

Im a medium, just to prove it im going to do a reading for some of you on MN right now. As there are alot of spirits in my room that know im on MN and they can reach out to you.

Im getting a dear old man talking to me his name starts with a b or e its all abit confused with so many talking. they want you to know they are sorry for upsetting you when you were younger. They said you will know what this means you just have to think back.

Im also getting them saying the number 2 it might be 2 sisters, two sons, 2 uncles, 2 parents. But there is definatly a 2 in your past that means some thing.

They also say dont worry there will be sadness in your futher at some point with a close relative getting ill and going into hospital, but dont worry youll get through.

They are also telling me you lost something recently, they say its not really lost you just need to look under? what ever that means.

They also tell me at some point you or some one you know will travel and meet people you will form a friendship, it may not be now but it will at some point in your future.

Your all welcome now send me my £5 😂

What about people who have a psychic ability but don't use it 'commercially'?

Are they liars /scammers / idiots?

They don't have a psychic ability, they are just deluded.

How did you hear about her?

Most are charlatans, the others are deluded.
Cold reading is surprisingly easy. If I were slightly more of a wanker, that might have been a lucrative career for me.
I often contemplate if I should go into psychic cat reading as there’s less of a moral issue for me there.
Annoyingly though, there still is a moral issue for me, so I’m not spending my days chatting to cats.
Watch some Derren Brown, specifically the psychic medium episode, and he’ll explain it all. Spoiler: it’s all bollocks.