What do we think of psychics?

thesuninherhead

So I know that we discussed numerous ghost stories over the past week, but what opinions/scary stories do you guys have on psychics?

 

I ask after reading this clicky article about a psychic locating a body whilst apparently searching for a missing kid.

Nebb

There is a psycic on my radio station once a week - while she is goofy and fun on the air, she DOES make quite a lot of accurate predictions. Not all of them come true, but she does get a lot of them correct.

I think psychics are real.

betrothed123

I don't believe in them at all.

thesuninherhead

I wonder, though: if you make a lot of fairly sensible predictions, what do you suppose the likelihood of accuracy is (and is this likelihood any different to the accuracy of most psychics?). Sometimes it seems like psychics (eg. John Edward) give out so many vague hints that the likelihood of someone who they're doing a reading for (or in John Edward's case, in his audience) having a connection to what they're talking about would be pretty high by chance alone.

 

That said, the only way I can reconcile the news report is by believing that this was either a coincidence, or that this 'psychic' actually had something to do with the murder. I'm not sure how plausible those scenarios are (but I guess it depends on how long she's spent 'sensing a body in x area' and looking in obscure places for this kid).

betrothed123

All of that first paragraph right there is exactly why I don't believe in them.  I don't have time to read the story right now, so I can't comment on that particular case, but I find that often times psychics are right by coincidence only.

MarriedInAFever

One of my friends believes in psychics and has been trying to take me to one. A few years ago, he was a Spanish/Psych. major working with a lot of non-profits and wanted to teach in South America. A psychic told him he would work in international business. Today he works for a major liquor distributor in the Caribbean/Latin America market. They can also always tell he's gay, but I'm sure if that's through true, psychic abilities.

thesuninherhead

I have a friend who goes to psychics all the time... her psychic told her she'll be moving overseas soon, and suddenly she's planning a move. Her psychic also told her she'll reconnect with an old flame, and she started contacting a guy she'd been with previously not long after that... I can't help but wonder if the reason the psychic is 'right' is more to do with her making it so due to suggestion than anything else!

betrothed123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:d3feb8f6-52b4-427e-bde9-f30efa5aa665">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]I have a friend who goes to psychics all the time... her psychic told her she'll be moving overseas soon, and suddenly she's planning a move. Her psychic also told her she'll reconnect with an old flame, and she started contacting a guy she'd been with previously not long after that... I can't help but wonder if the reason the psychic is 'right' is more to do with her making it so due to suggestion than anything else!
Posted by thesuninherhead[/QUOTE]
More often than not I find this to be true, whether people are doing it consciously or subconsciously.

betrothed123

Okay, I'll share my one psychic experience:

When I was about 12 my cousin and I found a phone number for one of those telephone psychics.  We called them up and gave them a fake credit card number, and somehow they knew that 1) we were not at least 18 and 2) we did not have a valid credit card.

I guess I was wrong.  Psychics are good.

MarriedInAFever

Has anyone here been to a psychic?

Nebb

Well I think sometimes the prediction is obscure enough that it would take a massive coincidence to come true. The psychic I listen to on air predicted the earthquake that happened in quebec only a few weeks before hand. There was a situation where a tiger was stolen a few weeks ago, she predicted that. Lots of stuff that is rather obscure.

I think if some people have ability to use their brain to be geniuses, doesnt mean that they cant also use other senses that some people are incapable of. Seeing ghosts, being psycic, being able to solve large and intense math equations easily. Its all the same to me.

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:0807e613-e9d5-4462-a2c2-0643f26aa188">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]All of that first paragraph right there is exactly why I don't believe in them.  I don't have time to read the story right now, so I can't comment on that particular case, but I find that often times psychics are right by coincidence only.
<p>Posted by betrothed123[/QUOTE]</p><p> </p><p>The story is pretty brief. There's a six year old who has been missing for the past couple of weeks- this story has made national news here; her parents claim she was kidnapped but no one had seen her for a week or more before her 'kidnapping' and their family has had child protection issues in the past so it's all very suspicious... Anyway, psychic went looking for her and instead found a body of a woman. Psychic claims she was in the area because she 'felt there was a body' there. </p>

Nebb

I went to a psychic when I was in college and asked about my love life - I was told that the 3rd guy I date would endup marrying me. Here I am, married to the third guy. I cant force that to happen in any way but it happened none the less.

MarriedInAFever

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:cb9dbbe4-9571-484d-92a6-ae01b669b61e">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]Okay, I'll share my one psychic experience: When I was about 12 my cousin and I found a phone number for one of those telephone psychics.  We called them up and gave them a fake credit card number, and somehow they knew that 1) we were not at least 18 and 2) we did not have a valid credit card. I guess I was wrong.  Psychics are good.
Posted by betrothed123[/QUOTE]

Hah! I did this too. I was about 10 and at that point, they charged to your phone bill. We called Miss Cleo (remember her?!) I lied about my name and address, but they sure found me anyway and I had to do a bunch of chores to pay the bill.

betrothed123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:8fb0f5e7-64ac-4f0a-b7a0-14bf0007ae36">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do we think of psychics? : Hah! I did this too. I was about 10 and at that point, they charged to your phone bill. We called Miss Cleo (remember her?!) I lied about my name and address, but they sure found me anyway and I had to do a bunch of chores to pay the bill.
Posted by MarriedInAFever[/QUOTE]
I knew we were kindred spirits.  Of course I remember her.  That's where we got the idea.

MarriedInAFever

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:f66c2745-fb24-4356-b2b0-7a5e6a727537">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do we think of psychics? : I knew we were kindred spirits.  Of course I remember her.  That's where we got the idea.
Posted by betrothed123[/QUOTE]

That Jamaican fraud cost me $24! It took me forever to pay that debt!

betrothed123

That hoar!

We called from a payphone, which is probably part of the reason they were so suspicious.

[Deleted User]

I went to a psychic when I was in my early twenties. She told me that I would move away and meet a foreign man and that's who I would have children with.

I ended up being transferred to Asheville for a 6 month assignment about a year later and then a few months after that, I met Ben's dad. He was from Egypt.

vegasgroom

I don't think it's coincidence that you always find psychic's at carnivals.

MarriedInAFever

Payphone. Genius! Oh, slumber party memories. I can picture it now, "My credit card number... is... uh.... 11111111111119."

Nebb

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:b8ac6886-697a-4b18-9a16-28bc69c6e46e">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't think it's coincidence that you always find psychic's at carnivals.
Posted by vegasgroom[/QUOTE]
I dont know what kind of carnivals you go to but ive never seen one at a carnival.

MarriedInAFever

I'm humming the Twillight theme right now, Cew.

betrothed123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:ddf76204-4348-41ab-8ae6-1f36751245c8">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]Payphone. Genius! Oh, slumber party memories. I can picture it now, "My credit card number... is... uh.... 11111111111119."
Posted by MarriedInAFever[/QUOTE]
We found a magazine with a credit card ad in it and read the number off the ad.  We had written up a list of questions that were "grown up" sounding and we tried to deepen our voices.  They probably laughed at us for a while after that call ended.

betrothed123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:21b1e2d8-2fe5-4c3c-95c3-414c1024c790">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do we think of psychics? : I dont know what kind of carnivals you go to but ive never seen one at a carnival.
Posted by Nebb[/QUOTE]
Most of the carnivals in my area have palm readers and crystal ball readers, both of which claim to be psychics.

MarriedInAFever

We did the deep voice thing too. It was pretty ridiculous. I remember the first two or three minutes were free and you would hear a faint beep after the minutes were up. I could barely hear it and asked the "psychic" if that was the beep. She said no. What a terrible psychic. She couldn't even tell two minutes had passed.

betrothed123

HA!  Awesome, MIAF.

Mine actually asked me how old I was.  I told her if she was psychic she'd know.  Thats' when she told us to stop playing with the phones.

MarriedInAFever

Hahahah, B. Miss Cleo never answered the phone either.

JennandJoel2010

My ex's mother was big into psychics, went to these little conventions every year and usually asked about her children. She came back once all freaked out because she asked about Tyler and the psychic went on to say that he is in a relationship with a girl who likes to speak and is comfortable speaking in front of people (I was a PR major at the time) and that I treat him so well and we'd be together forever as long as he got over his fears of falling in love. It was pretty accurate, and he obviously didn't get over his fears, hence the ex.

There was a fundraiser about a year ago that I went to that featured a psychic. She kind of got up and explained her history and the feelings that she gets. She did a little walk through of the audience and pointed certain people about and told them stuff about their lives. She actually talked to one woman and said she had a feeling of loss from an accident and so on. It turned out that the woman lost her son in a drowning. It was a tad eerie.

betrothed123

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:913deea4-b571-4fe6-b668-b0142e075fda">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE] She actually talked to one woman and said she had a feeling of loss from an accident and so on. It turned out that the woman lost her son in a drowning. It was a tad eerie.
Posted by JennandJoel2010[/QUOTE]
This is a perfect example of the vague things they say.  Who hasn't experienced some sort of loss from some sort of accident?

Nebb

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_think-of-psychics?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:3487a517-01a9-493f-9ec3-1b71421e4462Post:67974914-3114-4b94-b8a8-39d6d6f60460">Re: What do we think of psychics?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What do we think of psychics? : This is a perfect example of the vague things they say.  Who hasn't experienced some sort of loss from some sort of accident?
Posted by betrothed123[/QUOTE]

I havnt.

betrothed123

But Nebb, do you honestly think that the vast majority of people haven't?  Most people have experienced a loss at some point due to an accident (not even necessarily the loss of a person, but some sort of loss).  The woman could have just as easily said "My dog was hit by a car 5 years ago."  That's still a loss due to an accident.