http://kuplramblings.blogspot.com/2011/10/ghosts-spirits-poltergeists.html
One area I didn't discuss in the previous post is the role psychics have in dealing with these various entities. Since it's Halloween season again, I've decided to tackle the subject now.
Some believe that all psychics are fake; while others believe the opposite. Then there are those, like me, that feel both beliefs are true. Since I can't speak for others on the subject, this post will be about what I think and how I feel about it.
First, I should state that I feel everyone has psychic abilities. Whether it's very little, or very strong, each of us most likely has had at least one experience when we just "knew" what was going to happen in a situation. I know with me, it's been mostly minor things, like something as simple as a song.
I can't count how many times I've been listening to the radio, heard a song, and thought, "wow, it's been a long time since I've heard that song", only to discover, "oh wait it's NOT the song I thought it was". Then three or four songs later, the song I thought I'd heard actually DOES come on the radio!
I realize most people brush these things off as coincidence. When it happens often enough though, I feel it has to be more than just a random happening..
There are other instances I've had, some bigger than just music on the radio; for now though, back to the main subject of this post.
It may seem contradictory for me to say I believe everyone has psychic abilities, yet also believe some are fake; so I'll try to explain.
I'll be the first to admit I'm not a trusting person; never have been. I guess my skepticism of some psychics is because there have been some that have been proven as fakes. By "fake", I mean that they present themselves as being more intuitive than they really are. These "psychics" rely more on what's known as "cold reading", than actual spiritual connections.
A "cold read" is when someone picks up on the body language of others, and directs their questions to the person accordingly. The questions usually start out fairly generic, then become more specific, as the read continues. From the body language, and the responses of the person being read, these "psychics" tell the person what they're hearing from the spirits around them.
Sometimes there aren't any spirits involved at all. These are the times when a "psychic" will focus on a person, ask the same questions, and answer accordingly. To me, these people are fakes, because they're charging others to basically tell them things they've learned from talking to the person. I've also experienced this first hand. Long story short on that, a friend of mine, (who gave more information to the "psychic" than necessary), had a great reading, and came away having heard everything she'd hoped to hear. Her sister wasn't so forthcoming with answers, but did give a few here and there. Her body language was also a bit tense and defensive. This person's reading wasn't quite as detailed as her sister's, and wasn't nearly as positive.
My skepticism got the better of me at that point, so I caved and let the "psychic" read me. Unlike my friends, I was very vague with my answers, and didn't volunteer any information beyond that. My reading took less than 5 minutes, and I was told I wasn't "readable"; that I had to believe to be read. To me, there's the proof this person was a fake. Just my opinion though.
Even well known psychics have been scrutinized, and accused of being fakes. One name that comes to mind is John Edward.
Edward is a psychic who became best known through his TV show, "Crossing Over".
I watched this show often, and loved hearing the positive messages John gave to those in the studio audience, and at other readings.
At the same time, I kept thinking that something was just "off" about how the readings happened. It wasn't that I disliked Edward, but for some reason I didn't have a good vibe about him. No matter how nice he seemed on the show, I just kept feeling like he might be a bit arrogant and insincere. I continued to watch "Crossing Over" though, because of the general positiveness of the show.
Whether my feeling about John Edward was true or not, I don't know. I do know that he was eventually called out publicly and accused of being fake; that he relied on cold reading to do his job. Again, whether it's true or not, I can't say; it did seem to hurt his reputation though. While he's still around, his popularity took a major dip after the accusations were made.
Another psychic who's gained celebrity status in the past few years is Kim Russo.
Russo is currently on the TV show, "The Haunting Of...", on the LMN Network. The show features Russo meeting up with celebrities who first appeared on "Celebrity Ghost Stories", telling of their personal encounters with ghosts.
Russo's job on "The Haunting Of...", is to meet up with one of these celebrities, at the site of the person's experience. From there, Russo and that week's celebrity go back through what happened to the person, with Russo picking up on, and feeling the energy of the place. Sometimes the energy is good, and sometimes it's not.
For the most part I think Russo does her job well, though, again, my skepticism has me questioning some things.
For instance, Russo claims to not know anymore than basic details about each guest, yet some of these people, (though maybe not as popular now as in the past), are well known enough, one would have to be living under a rock not to know the details of their lives.
Also, during the shows, Russo will caution the celebrity to not give too many details on a situation. Yet at the same time, she'll ask questions, and let the person give a detailed explanation.
Of course, I'm not even close to being a professional in the field of psychics, so maybe there's something I'm not aware of that would explain this. Also, it is television, so some of the perception could be in the editing of the show.
Currently the most popular psychic on TV is Theresa Caputo, "The Long Island Medium", who's show airs on TLC.
While I still cling defiantly to a shred of skepticism about psychics, if I had to say real or fake, I would say Theresa Caputo is the real deal.
Caputo just seems to be herself, regardless of the situation she may be in. She can be loud, funny, apprehensive, adamant, you name it, that's Theresa. She's not just a person on TV doing her job as a psychic; she lets viewers see into her personal life, which includes her family, friends, pets, etc. Or as Caputo herself once said, (to paraphrase), there's more to her than just her nails and hair.
"Long Island Medium" is different also in how episodes are done. While most shows, especially in this genre, are taped, produced and aired, Caputo's show has, a couple times, been aired live; has gone behind the scenes; and has aired special episodes showing reads that didn't make original airings of the show. Combined, it makes for a fun, entertaining program.
For some, I suppose, this would be a reason to think "Long Island Medium" isn't real. That's okay, because, to paraphrase Caputo again, she doesn't try to make believers out of anyone. She's there simply to relay messages from our loved ones that have passed on.
Like Kim Russo's "The Haunting Of...", the vibe of Caputo's show may be in the editing. Even if that is the case though, "Long Island Medium" still seems more believable over all. And like John Edward's "Crossing Over", Caputo always has positive messages for those she reads; messages that viewers can relate to and embrace as well.
So, there you have my take on the psychic world. I'm no expert, though I've had my own experiences over the years. And I have my doubts about some who profess to being true psychics. Over all though, I'm entertained by what I've seen so far, and I often find comfort in the messages that are given.
Some believe that all psychics are fake; while others believe the opposite. Then there are those, like me, that feel both beliefs are true. Since I can't speak for others on the subject, this post will be about what I think and how I feel about it.
First, I should state that I feel everyone has psychic abilities. Whether it's very little, or very strong, each of us most likely has had at least one experience when we just "knew" what was going to happen in a situation. I know with me, it's been mostly minor things, like something as simple as a song.
I can't count how many times I've been listening to the radio, heard a song, and thought, "wow, it's been a long time since I've heard that song", only to discover, "oh wait it's NOT the song I thought it was". Then three or four songs later, the song I thought I'd heard actually DOES come on the radio!
I realize most people brush these things off as coincidence. When it happens often enough though, I feel it has to be more than just a random happening..
There are other instances I've had, some bigger than just music on the radio; for now though, back to the main subject of this post.
It may seem contradictory for me to say I believe everyone has psychic abilities, yet also believe some are fake; so I'll try to explain.
I'll be the first to admit I'm not a trusting person; never have been. I guess my skepticism of some psychics is because there have been some that have been proven as fakes. By "fake", I mean that they present themselves as being more intuitive than they really are. These "psychics" rely more on what's known as "cold reading", than actual spiritual connections.
A "cold read" is when someone picks up on the body language of others, and directs their questions to the person accordingly. The questions usually start out fairly generic, then become more specific, as the read continues. From the body language, and the responses of the person being read, these "psychics" tell the person what they're hearing from the spirits around them.
Sometimes there aren't any spirits involved at all. These are the times when a "psychic" will focus on a person, ask the same questions, and answer accordingly. To me, these people are fakes, because they're charging others to basically tell them things they've learned from talking to the person. I've also experienced this first hand. Long story short on that, a friend of mine, (who gave more information to the "psychic" than necessary), had a great reading, and came away having heard everything she'd hoped to hear. Her sister wasn't so forthcoming with answers, but did give a few here and there. Her body language was also a bit tense and defensive. This person's reading wasn't quite as detailed as her sister's, and wasn't nearly as positive.
My skepticism got the better of me at that point, so I caved and let the "psychic" read me. Unlike my friends, I was very vague with my answers, and didn't volunteer any information beyond that. My reading took less than 5 minutes, and I was told I wasn't "readable"; that I had to believe to be read. To me, there's the proof this person was a fake. Just my opinion though.
Edward is a psychic who became best known through his TV show, "Crossing Over".
I watched this show often, and loved hearing the positive messages John gave to those in the studio audience, and at other readings.
At the same time, I kept thinking that something was just "off" about how the readings happened. It wasn't that I disliked Edward, but for some reason I didn't have a good vibe about him. No matter how nice he seemed on the show, I just kept feeling like he might be a bit arrogant and insincere. I continued to watch "Crossing Over" though, because of the general positiveness of the show.
Whether my feeling about John Edward was true or not, I don't know. I do know that he was eventually called out publicly and accused of being fake; that he relied on cold reading to do his job. Again, whether it's true or not, I can't say; it did seem to hurt his reputation though. While he's still around, his popularity took a major dip after the accusations were made.
Russo is currently on the TV show, "The Haunting Of...", on the LMN Network. The show features Russo meeting up with celebrities who first appeared on "Celebrity Ghost Stories", telling of their personal encounters with ghosts.
Russo's job on "The Haunting Of...", is to meet up with one of these celebrities, at the site of the person's experience. From there, Russo and that week's celebrity go back through what happened to the person, with Russo picking up on, and feeling the energy of the place. Sometimes the energy is good, and sometimes it's not.
For the most part I think Russo does her job well, though, again, my skepticism has me questioning some things.
For instance, Russo claims to not know anymore than basic details about each guest, yet some of these people, (though maybe not as popular now as in the past), are well known enough, one would have to be living under a rock not to know the details of their lives.
Also, during the shows, Russo will caution the celebrity to not give too many details on a situation. Yet at the same time, she'll ask questions, and let the person give a detailed explanation.
Of course, I'm not even close to being a professional in the field of psychics, so maybe there's something I'm not aware of that would explain this. Also, it is television, so some of the perception could be in the editing of the show.
While I still cling defiantly to a shred of skepticism about psychics, if I had to say real or fake, I would say Theresa Caputo is the real deal.
Caputo just seems to be herself, regardless of the situation she may be in. She can be loud, funny, apprehensive, adamant, you name it, that's Theresa. She's not just a person on TV doing her job as a psychic; she lets viewers see into her personal life, which includes her family, friends, pets, etc. Or as Caputo herself once said, (to paraphrase), there's more to her than just her nails and hair.
"Long Island Medium" is different also in how episodes are done. While most shows, especially in this genre, are taped, produced and aired, Caputo's show has, a couple times, been aired live; has gone behind the scenes; and has aired special episodes showing reads that didn't make original airings of the show. Combined, it makes for a fun, entertaining program.
For some, I suppose, this would be a reason to think "Long Island Medium" isn't real. That's okay, because, to paraphrase Caputo again, she doesn't try to make believers out of anyone. She's there simply to relay messages from our loved ones that have passed on.
Like Kim Russo's "The Haunting Of...", the vibe of Caputo's show may be in the editing. Even if that is the case though, "Long Island Medium" still seems more believable over all. And like John Edward's "Crossing Over", Caputo always has positive messages for those she reads; messages that viewers can relate to and embrace as well.
So, there you have my take on the psychic world. I'm no expert, though I've had my own experiences over the years. And I have my doubts about some who profess to being true psychics. Over all though, I'm entertained by what I've seen so far, and I often find comfort in the messages that are given.
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