Five Tips for Assessing Psychics/Mediums

Five Tips for Assessing Psychics/Mediums
Courtesy New Zealand Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Inc. (NZ Skeptics)

(1) Don't judge them by their demeanour;

The vast majority of people in this business are sincere, well-meaning individuals, and they are almost impossible to distinguish from the con artists. Don't rely on character references or gut intuition in assessing if they are honest or not - they might well be, but this doesn't mean they can do what they think they are doing.

(2) Record, rewind, review;

It's very easy to interpret something as far more accurate or amazing than it actually is (ie to remember more "hits" than "misses"), particularly if you're not familiar with the psychology or the standard routines involved. Record your interview and listen carefully to the actual words used, how much information is given to the psychic/medium, and how often they reflect that back in a positive way to make it sound as if they knew it all along. If you can, transcribe audio to paper, as this can make what is happening much more obvious.

After rewinding the video, an audience member could clearly be heard calling out "this lady's husband had a brother called John who died when he was little"; this was just before the medium mentioned it.

(3) Listen for open-ended questions or ones asking for agreement.

These phrases are designed to encourage you to hunt for a connection, even highly obscure ones, and to respond positively. They are usually followed by an extended pause to give you time to think of something meaningful or to provide information - it's very difficult for most people to disagree or even clam up. These phrases are common throughout the industry sometimes deliberately taught) as they boost the chances of a positive response and give the impression that the performer is doing well.

• Example: asking (of a male subject) "I see a needle. [pause] Understand? [pause] Did your mother do embroidery?"
• After extended discussion, the subject's wife decided this referred to an aunt of hers who was diabetic!
  Note: needles are a commonly used image, as they can be interpreted by the subject to mean embroidery, sewing, knitting, medical procedures, drugs, hospitals, nursing etc, which makes it easier to score a hit.

(4) Think about the statistics

Many psychics/mediums use, deliberately or sub-consciously, basic statistics to improve their "hit" rate. People live similar lives and have many things in common. Listen for questions which make use of that and understand the likelihood of getting a positive response.

• Example: "Is the name John familiar?"
  Many people know at least one John, and even apparently rare names can readily occur. Count the names in your family (grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, children, cousins) and you're likely to have 30-60 names; add a partner's family and you've probably got over 100 names which have some meaning for you. Add friends, colleagues, nicknames and diminutives (eg Elizabeth, Betty, Bess, Liz), and it would be surprising if the medium actually missed getting one right, particularly when they will commonly mention five to ten names per reading!
• Example: "I see a father figure near you."
  Note the vagueness; usually accompanied by a pause so you can identify the "father figure". If you don't, the next question is usually "Has your father passed on?". This is almost always asked of an older person, so the odds are good that the father has. If not, the next question is usually "Has your grandfather passed on?", which is almost certain, given the age bracket involved. And most people would love to know their deceased parent or grandparent is watching over them, even if the relationship in life was a bad one!

(5) What information is coming through?

If mediums and psychics were really doing what they claim, there should be no unsolved murders, no missing children, no arguments over inheritance. Instead, most of the information they provide is generalised and designed to be comforting, such as the deceased spirit wishing their relative/friend well, or forgiving them for not being present when they passed on (it's increasingly rare to be with a parent or grandparent when they die, often causing people guilt). Look for information that is specific, unusual, detailed and, even then, be cautious, as the more unscrupulous people in this industry are not above researching their subjects (the UK psychic scene circulates a database which contains personal details of keen, rich clients!).

Why worry about these people?

The NZ Skeptics have no issue with Granny reading the tea leaves, but when vulnerable people are being exploited, it would be ethically wrong not to be cautious about such extraordinary claims without seeing extraordinary proof. That exploitation can take many forms, whether causing unnecessary heartbreak for distraught parents of missing children, fleecing little old ladies out of their retirement savings, or breaking up relationships through inappropriate advice – all of which we have seen occur here and overseas.

Most reports on the latest medium or psychic doing the rounds are treated very lightly, but they can have dangerous consequences. You will serve your readers/viewers well if you take the time to think critically about what you see - and you may find it makes for a more interesting story too, instead of just another run-of-the-mill medium story with the same old cliches.

The NZ Skeptics sincerely hope that one day we'll find someone who actually can speak to the dead - we'd all like the comfort of knowing that death is just a transition to another life. But if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably just another duck...

New Zealand Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal Inc.
(NZ Skeptics) http://www.skeptics.org.nz