Anyone here curious about psychics? Or even be one for that matter?

[lostforwords]

Who believes in psychics? or even premonitional dreams? anyone have an wierd things happen to them? anyone here perhaps psychic in thier own way? Im very curious about this.

[DerangedAngel]

I called Miss Cleo once. (No helpful info, sorry)

 

-Deranged

[dyermaker]

"Everything happens for a reason" - Ms. Cleo

 

I don't believe in Psychics, mysticism, Satan-- I believe in coincedences and active imaginations. Figures in the clouds.

[DerangedAngel]

Ever called a psychic hotline, D?

 

I have an aunt that claims to be psychic... the family doesn't buy it. I honestly think she believes it though. Scary stuff, in my opinion.

 

I was brought up in a home where fortune tellers/card readers/ms. cleo were "the devil". I read my horoscope on occasion, just because I was never allowed, but other than that... I'm not really into that scene.

 

-Deranged

[dyermaker]

Never called a psychic hotline. I can't dial 900 numbers from our house, but that's about as far as the repression goes. I was never trained that such things were evil, but I know for a fact that telephone psychics have a script to adhere to.

 

My fourth grade teacher had been a psychic, he would tell us stories of the BS they had to go through. I'm sure some people actually believe they are psychic, but I don't, and that's my perogative.

[DerangedAngel]

My fourth grade teacher had been a psychic, he would tell us stories of the BS they had to go through.

 

That must have been fun to hear about, no?

 

I'm sure some people actually believe they are psychic, but I don't

 

I agree. Maybe when all the other shackers wake up, you'll get more of what you're looking for LFW.

 

-Deranged

[HelplessMidwest]

I've never been one to believe in Horoscopes, or the psychic scene, but i have been reading my horoscope this month just because its my birthday today, and i've kinda got a situation on my hands with my best friends wife please read my other posts and get back to me,

 

 

heres the strange thing,.....my horoscope has actually been accurate in guiding me this week on everything. Its been so ironically accurate that i think they have to be Wrong In fact. Seems like they have it set up to give you the right answers all the time. but still also makes me wonder about Fate and all that good jazz

 

 

 

HOROSCOPES

[jenny]

i think a lot of time people operate on, and form impressions from, unarticulated logic. we pick up so much from the gestures and stance, from the words chosen by people, that it does become a sort of sixth sense.

 

i'm pretty intuitive, i think, selectively; but i just gather nonverbal and hidden verbal evidence; it's just what most sensitive people do normally.

 

i think mediums have made this into an industry; a harmless but expensive industry. finally, there is nothing that a psychic can do for me that a witty and intelligent friend could not do better.

 

as a general, non-inflammatory, question, what would you see as the difference between believing in god and believing in other non-empirically demonstrable ideas?

[TineeTam]

I don't believe the commercial psychics are anything but commercial, but I do think there is a sixth-sense that we all have. Some call it intuition.

 

I read about a study done a long time ago -- by some college students or newspapers or something -- where they fed the statistics of plane crashes into a computer. The result was that full planes rarely crashed. Most of the planes that crashed had a higher than normal number of cancellations just prior to take off. The "study" was done based on something they read in a novel and decided to try out the theory, or else the theory in the book was taken from the study the college students (or newspapers) did---I don't remember which way it went. But the fact remained that for 8 out of 10 (commercial planes) that crashed, the percentage of last-minute cancellations was double or more what it would normally have been.

 

When they tracked down and talked to the people who cancelled it was because of a stomache ache, or some other illness that came and went quickly -- or a last minute "emergency" by a family member. Could that be our bodies way of telling us the future?

 

We used to hear stories about how someone would wake up at night or have a feeling about a loved one who lived far away and the person would find out later (by wire or mail or phone) that the loved one died. Now that we can call around the world, have cell phones and pagers, etc., we can get the news instantly so maybe that "psychic" part of our brains/bodies is in atrophy for most of us -- we've replaced it with technology. If you are a believer in evolution you might compare the idea of tails -- Humans had prehensile tales, but when we came down from the trees and evolved we no longer needed the tail so we lost it.

 

Thats just my opinion and I'm not married to the idea - it just makes the most sense to me.

[dyermaker]

Originally posted by HelplessMidwest

heres the strange thing,.....my horoscope has actually been accurate in guiding me this week on everything. Its been so ironically accurate that i think they have to be Wrong In fact. Seems like they have it set up to give you the right answers all the time. but still also makes me wonder about Fate and all that good jazz

 

The thing is, you have a situation and a desire to believe them--you're vulnerable. Horoscope writing is a science, an art--anyone who does it is following specific instructions so that EVERYONE who reads it will go "OMG THATS SO ME!!"

 

You have to wonder how everyone of the same birthday gets the same advice?

[lostforwords]

I also believe in intuition and I believe some people can hone it down more so than others. As far as psychic lines i knew someone who actually worked at one for 2 years.... she had "intense" training for 2 weeks. LOL. Ive also gone to a tea leaf reader a few times.... and I will say she has been quite accurate with certain events in my life. *skoff* if you will but its true LOL.... This has intrigued me for quite some time how she does it.

 

the difference between believing in god and believing in other non-empirically demonstrable ideas?

 

Jenny, I think each person requires this need or idea to have faith or put thier trust in something that there really is no difference..... however I am a person who believes in God..... but I also believe in sixth senses of which psychics can use as well for "helping" a person by providing them choices in thier life.... more so to do the right thing or follow the right road.... Miss Cleo is one such person who also picked everyones pocket while heading down such road.....

 

You have to wonder how everyone of the same birthday gets the same advice

 

Dang dyer... I really never thought of it that way..... or even horoscope compatability charts......

[lquidmetalspine]

Have you ever seen john edwards? its a sci fi show where he can talk to dead people. I believe that everyone has an ability, but not the same one. In the bible people prophesied, even those that werent prophets. So in that aspect I can say that people have abilities, most just use it to decieve or lead. when thats not what its about.

Yes I believe that people can do it. Look at Nostradomis. He was said to be a prophet, but who knows. He had the ability to see the future. So yes people can do it. But no they are not always right, or doing the right thing the right way.

[lostforwords]

I started watching John Edwards since they had him on South Park... and ever since I have been an avid watcher. I dont know what to think really... however I watch him for curiosity sake... just to see if hes actually sane or not.

[tattoomytoe]

i think esp runs in the women, at least, in my immediate family, especially my older sis, me and mother...my little sis too. my mother senses in her friends and relatives, some far away, whether they are sick...she just gets the need to call on them. my older sis and i...i will be singing this random song in my head, and then she will start humming it or vise-versa, and its not all the time, just sometimes. we also get the senses about friends.... it's like we just already know.

 

i have had dreams of going places that i have never been, only to travel there later...even the road construction was in the dream, and i swear things play out in my dreams then will in reality too..... every other day i have deja vu, well not that often...but yeah..i believe!

[xalysabethh]

i like john edwards also but not sure about it! i do read tarot cards

[Vivid_29]

John Edwards is full of s**t and has been exposed! He uses a technique called 'cold reading', where he throws out a bunch of statements and his clients just fill in the blanks. I heard that 'cold readings' are really easy to do.

 

I don't like the fact that he's toying with his clients emotions. I think his clients are so grief struck to where they become somewhat naive. It's like, they are missing their loved ones so bad, that they'll believe anything.

 

Ever see the reading he did for Coolio? John E. couldn't figure something out and tried to crack jokes to cover his tracks. At the end of the reading, Coolio basically told him that he was full of sh*t!

 

Maybe, this has been done or talked about, already, but I think this would be the ultimate test --

 

Have John E. do readings for families that have missing persons. If he gives these bulls**t readings (saying that they are dead and trying to communicate) and then the missing family member shows up 2 years later, then we'll really know that he is full of s**t!

 

My 2 cents!

 

~V

[Arabess]

I think some of the people who get involved in 'psychic readings' may actually BELEIVE they have a gift....so that wouldn't make them frauds. Some just may not be very good at it.

 

As for me, I do't know much about anything psychic. I don't do horoscopes either. As a teen once, I did have a meeting with this real old black woman who everyone said was a prophet of God. She even said her gift came from Jesus. What she saw....was me on 'war ships'. I thought it meant I was going to join the Navy. Now, some decades later....I actually work on them. So, I don't know......

 

She did it for any small donation to the church. I don't think I would actually pay someone a fee to read my palm though. I am WAY too skeptical!

[delia88]

What about positive affirmations? I know it's not the same thing but, I have been trying it lately. Making positive statements like when looking for a job you say..I am a x (job title wanted) and am very happy and successful now. The idea is that you send out a message of what you want as if you already have it in the here and now and you will receive it. It also work on your inner self esteem the same way. If you say I want x the specific job you will always be in a state of wanting. You are supposed to convince your subconscious that you already have what you want in order for it to come to you.

 

Has this worked for anyone?

[InmannRoshi]

What about positive affirmations? I know it's not the same thing but, I have been trying it lately. Making positive statements like when looking for a job you say..I am a x (job title wanted) and am very happy and successful now.

 

That's not so much psychic as cognitive programming.

 

Psychics mainly "cold read". Cold reading is a set of techniques used by professional manipulators their subject to behave in a certain way or to think that the cold reader has some sort of special ability that allows him to "mysteriously" know things about the subject. Salespersons, hypnotists, advertising pros, faith healers, con men and even some therapists rely on their subject's inclination to find more meaning in a situation than there actually is. The manipulator knows that his subject will try to make sense out of whatever they are told, no matter how farfetched. He also knows that people are generally self-centered, that we tend to have unrealistic views of ourselves and that we will generally accept claims about us that reflect not how we are or even how we really think we are but how we wish we were or think we should be. He also knows that for every several claims he makes about you which you reject as being inaccurate, he will make one that meets with your approval; and he knows that you will remember the hits and forget the misses.

 

For example,here's my psychic ability ... here's what I read from you....

 

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary and reserved. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. You pride yourself on being an independent thinker and do not accept others' opinions without satisfactory proof. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. Disciplined and controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. Your sexual adjustment has presented some problems for you. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a strong need for other people to like you and for them to admire you.

 

 

 

The selectivity of the human mind is always at work, so we choose what data we will remember and what we will give significance to. We do so because of what we already believe or want to believe. We want to make sense out of what we are experiencing. Even when the signs are clear and we are skeptical, we can still be manipulated. In fact, it may even be the case that particularly bright persons are more likely to be manipulated when the language is clear and they are thinking logically. To make the connections that the manipulator wants you to make, you must be thinking logically.

 

Some readings are done by astrologers, graphologists, tarot readers, and psychics who genuinely believe they have paranormal powers. They are as impressed by their correct predictions or "insights" as are their clients.

 

There are some skills involved in making these readings. One skill involves fishing for details. The psychic says something at once vague and suggestive, e.g., "I'm getting a strong feeling about January here." If the subject responds, positively or negatively, the psychic's next move is to play off the response. If the subject says, "I was born in January" or my mother died in January" then the psychic says something like "Yes, I can see that," anything to reinforce the idea that the psychic was more precise that he or she really was. If the subject responds negatively, "I can't think of anything particularly special about January," the psychic might reply, "Yes, I see that you've suppressed a memory about it. You don't want to be reminded of it. Something painful in January. Yes, I feel it. It's in the lower back [fishing]...oh, now it's in the heart [fishing]...umm, there seems to be a sharp pain in the head [fishing]...or the neck [fishing]." If the subject gives no response, the psychic can leave the area, having firmly implanted in everybody's mind that the psychic really did 'see' something but the subject's suppression of the event hinders both the psychic and the subject from realizing the specifics of it. If the subject gives a positive response to any of the fishing expeditions, the psychic follows up with more of "I see that very clearly, now. Yes, the feeling in the heart is getting stronger."

 

Fishing is a real art and a good mentalist carries a variety of bait in his memory. For example, professional mentalist and author of one of the best books on cold reading, Ian Rowland (2002), says that he has committed to memory such things as the most common male and female names and a list of items likely to be laying about the house such as an old calendar, a photo album, newspaper clippings, and so on. Rowland also works on certain themes that are likely to resonate with most people who consult psychics: love, money, career, health, and travel. Since cold reading can occur in many contexts, there are several tactics Rowland covers. But whether one is working with astrology, graphology, palmistry, psychometry, or Tarot cards, or whether one is channeling messages from the dead à la James Van Praagh, there are specific techniques one can use to impress clients with one’s ability to know things that seem to require paranormal powers.

 

Another skill of these readings is that many claims are put in either vague statement form ("I'm getting a warm feeling in the crotch area") or in the form of a question ("I sense that you have strong feelings about someone in this room. Am I right?") Most of the specific claims are provided by the subject himself.

 

Some experts on cold reading emphasize paying attention to body language and such things as the dress of the client.

 

This same phenomenon of suppression of contrary evidence and selective thinking is so predominant in every form of psychic demonstration that it seems to be related to the old psychological principle: a man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest.

[InmannRoshi]

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary and reserved. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. You pride yourself on being an independent thinker and do not accept others' opinions without satisfactory proof. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety, and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. Disciplined and controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. Your sexual adjustment has presented some problems for you. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a strong need for other people to like you and for them to admire you.

 

I forgot to add that this is taken from "The Frorer Effect" named after the psychologist who came up with this. Forer gave this personality test to his students, ignored their answers, and gave each student the above evaluation. He asked them to evaluate the evaluation from 0 to 5, with "5" meaning the recipient felt the evaluation was an "excellent" assessment of their personality, and "4" meaning the assessment was "good.", so on and so on all the way down to 0. The class average evaluation was 4.26. That was in 1948. The test has been repeated hundreds of time with psychology students and the average is still around 4.2.

 

Forer convinced people he could successfully read their character. His accuracy amazed his subjects, though his personality analysis was taken from a newsstand astrology column and was presented to people without regard to their sun sign. Its also referred to as the "Barnem Effect", named after master manipulator P.T. Barnem.

[Thinkalot]

OK, well at the risk of being laughed at on here, I will say, I DO believe some people have psychic abilities, and am friends with one such person, who I do not believe to be a fraud at all. There is a spiritual world which exists outside the one we are all living and breathing in, and some people know how to get in touch with it. I also have tarot cards, and books on spirituality and the like.

 

Affirmations can work, because the power of the mind is strong, and we also emit energy fields, or an aura, and there is also universal energy forces at work. Crystals can also help positively effect our energy fields.

 

I'm not going to get too into it, because I am obviously speaking to a lot of sceptics on here! But that's what I think.

[moimeme]

I don't do affirmations well. I always feel as though it's presumptuous of me...

[delia88]

Thanks.. What I meant was that when you think positive thoughts it can have an impact on the outcome. The power of that is suppose to be strong. I think athletes use this to help them as well.

 

I was wondering if anyone has tried this and saw a change. Especially since most of us have been hurt I just thought it might be helpful for others to turn it around and put your thoughts in the positive regarding finding love again and say to yourself, it will happen.

[dyermaker]

The trouble with John Edwards is he never claims to be fact, he's just a "medium" (Proper quotations, I'm quoting him, in a sarcastic way )

 

So if he's right, it's just because he effectively relayed the message of the spirit world. If he's wrong, don't blame him, blame the stiff.