what does a medium 'hear'?

[GoodDaysBadDays]

I'm a sceptic who'd quite like to be a believer.

What puzzles me most is why, if a medium can communicate with those who have died, can those spirits not just day "hi I'm john smith, I have a message for tracey smith"? Why all the cryptic clues and names that sound like others etc.

Is it hard to understand them? Do they not 'speak' as we do?

I'm not trying to start a debate about the rights and wrongs of mediumship, just curious as to what they hear and see.

It's a technique called 'cold reading'

Ok so what is 'cold reading' and how do people use it?

Look it up - but you are not going to like the answer if you want to believe.

What do they hear?

'Ker-ching!'

They don't hear anything. They are deluded at best and cold-hearted parasites at worst.

However, I predict that you will get at least one reply along the following lines:

Since the "psychic link" can be so tenuous, they don't necessarily hear whole sentences or phrases

Which is why they're more likely to say "I'm getting a C sound. Or it could be an E. Or it could be a D. Or he could be saying he used to like tea. Or that he was stung by a bee" than "I've got a man here who says he is your Uncle Eric and he lived at 44, Mumsnet Road with your Auntie Maureen".

However when it comes to confirming information that the sitter has already given, the spirits become positively chatty, and amazingly begin to get the hang of communicating in whole sentences. For instance:

Medium: I've got a man here, he's an older man and I'm getting the "P" sound... who is that?

Sitter: Oh, that must be Grandad Percy! He worked down a mine!

Medium: Yes, I know, because he just said "Tell her it was very dark down there and I used to hate being so dirty. The coal used to get really ingrained in my skin and I could never get rid of it from round my fingernails"

Sitter (tearfully): Oh my god that's AMAZING!! That's ALL TRUE!!

Ok, Ok! Fair enough and tbh I usually think the same. Always thought it was clever leading and prompting.

Just saw a friend hear some stuff last night and there really was no leading, she hardly uttered a word, and no emotional wreak afterwards.

Just got me thinking.

And I will have a Google when on the laptop tonight.

If you look in the spirituality/philosophy section of your library you'll probably find books by mediums describing what they experience. From what I understand it's different for different people - hence the terms clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient etc (respectively seeing, hearing or feeling)

Clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient etc - (respectively cheating, cheating and cheating)

Good days, you obviously haven't seen a medium
Who can get the kind of info you are looking for. I recently visited a spiritualist church (perfectly free) and witnessed many people receiving more conversational contact from their loved ones.
I have seen my fair share of cold readers but I have also visited a few people who were spot on, without asking me any questions. I see visions in my mind, I also hear spirit too. I don't advertise in RL that I can do it much for fear of being branded just as the previous responders have. I won't let this stop me developing my skills as it is such a rare gift to get a real message from loved ones on the other side, I hope to help people as much as I can.

Kerching!

Here's a link to $1,000,000 challenge.

Prove you're a psychic and win, it'd be silly not to

www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

Oh, I was going to say "Ker-Ching!" too!!! I wonder if a medium could have predicted that?

Indigobarbie I think we all see visions in our minds. It's called imagination.

I'm a clairsentient. I'm not a fucking cheat, and I don't make any kerching from this small ability.

I ahve had messages for myself from family members, and for 3 other people. So I am no Derek Acorah

I get: overshadowing - this is where the deceased 'tell' you how they passed over by recreating the feelings in your body. So if you get pains in your chest and a tingly left arm, it's a fair bet that is referring to a heart attack.
I, for instances, got the symptoms of a stroke down my right side, (complete with drooping face, thanks for that!) and a warm glow in my heart, emotionally speaking. I knew it was to do with a lady sat to my right. Not her mother, older than that, grandmother? I got the word 'support,' by that I mean I saw the word, in bold type, in my mind. I had a chat with the lady and she seemed to feel I was correct. Me? Buggered if I know, it felt very authentic and very physical to me, which I wasn't expecting.

A few points:

1. I think that there are some famous mediums who are chock full of shite, imo.
2. There are some bloody good ones too, I do know a few personally star fucker that I am
3. Derren Brown made some bloody good points. Some 'career' mediums do cold read, some deluded mediums geniunely have their head up their arse and believe that they have the gift and are ego driven to helping people, in a saintly fashion
4. What Derren Brown proved, to me, was that the medium he was studying was, most likely, not genuine. He did not disprove the theory of life after death, or debunk every medium in the world. Nor would he claim to, I think.

I am sceptical about everything, but on this I have to say... despite seeing spirits from a young age, despite it being in my family to have 'the sight,' until relatively recently I have been at mediumship - until it started happening to me. And yes I have had my eyes, and indeed my sanity, tested by doctors and I'm fine, thanks.

I don't expect people to 'believe' if they have not had personal experience, that, for them, confirms it.

But I promise that I am not a liar, and I really resent being called one so don't go there! I'm not a cheat, apparently not insane, not deluded, and I'm not stupid enough to confuse dreams or my imagination with reality.

If you asked me if there is 'life' after death I would say yes - I think so.

People are often very desparate to say that it has been disproved already, as it is, let's face it, a very disturbing concept. Which is why few mediums will come and defend themselves, they know they won't change anybodys' mind.

According to my sister who is a medium they don't per say hear anything. They see something in their minds eye and 'hear' things that are not really being said out loud. They also 'sense' what some-one is trying to say, but do not hear the words spoken out loud.

I believe she believes she believes in what she is saying. She has no reason to lie to me. I also believe there are a lot of con artists out there. Whether I believe you contact or talk with the dead, I don't know. My sister is scarily accurate and does know things she cannot possibly know.

Anyone remember Doris Stokes? Her books were all fascinating and very convincing. She had no reason to fake things. However, being a claraudient sp? she had a spirit guide, who happened to be a red indian The only aspect that didn't ring true. Also, after she died she didn't contact anybody

How do we know?

If you were contacted by Doris Stokes, would you tell anyone? I wouldn't.

My nan loved Doris Stokes

Thanks for posting Bertie, Indigo,nemo, dooin and Mary.

nemo and dooin, that is what I was wondering, so it's not communication in the traditional sense but feelings and senses.

I agree that I think there are many people out there cashing in on vulnerable people and 'cold reading' was what I always felt explained any of this.

But I've also heard normal, down to earth people talk of experiences that have made me question my skepticism. Friday night backed up my very sane friends' experiences and made me curious.

Off to google Doris Stokes

oh, bit of a name change going on there!

Doris Stokes was a well practised fraud. If you watch recordings of her performances there are two things going on.

First there is general cold-reading, where she throws out vague suggestions and gets audience members to make connections. Anybody can learn to do that if they have little enough respect for fellow human beings' feelings.

Second there are the occasional revelations where Doris seems to know incredible amounts of detail about that person's background. These people are plants, albeit often unwitting ones. Either they would have already spoken to Doris's staff about their background and what they hope to hear, or they had sent letters to Doris and she had then sent them tickets for her show. Doris then just reeled back all the information she'd already been supplied with to the "amazement" of the rest of the audience.

She also claimed to have solved some murders but such claims were, given the circumstances, extremely tasteless lies.

To believe that Doris Stokes had no motivation to fake it is more than a bit naive. She made a lot of money from her shows and books.

Doris Stokes was a big fake.

What Derren Brown proved, to me, was that the medium he was studying was, most likely, not genuine. He did not disprove the theory of life after death, or debunk every medium in the world. Nor would he claim to, I think.

It's impossible to debunk every medium in the world. It's impossible to prove a negative.

All it takes is for ONE medium - just one - to be able to do what they claim to be able to do WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF CHEATING TAKEN AWAY.

It's never happened. Never. Not ONE "medium", when tested PROPERLY, has ever given anyone any reason to believe that mediums can do what they claim to be able to do.

However, people like Derren Brown, who fully admit that they don't have a psychic bone in their body, can recreate EVERYTHING a "medium" can do - except they are open about how they are doing it.

I'm sure some "mediums" have good intentions (the ones who do it for free in spiritualist churches for example - although one could argue that just because their "reward" isn't monetary doesn't mean they aren't getting something out of it; everyone likes to feel special) but that's pretty irrelevant. Until one of them - just ONE would do, remember - can give any reason to think that what they do is genuine, it's a bit silly to get cross when people offer alternative explanations.

CalamityKate - exactly!

I think they have proved it though.

Over and over again.

Who has proved what over and over again?