Do Mediums really believe they have psychic abilities?

[colgirl1965]

This question may have been asked before, but I've always wondered whether the vast amount of psychics out there actually DO believe they have a genuine 'gift'? Because it seems to me that they must fall in to two categories: those who know that they don't have any ability and realise they're conning people, and those who actually believe they do possess some kind of psychic ability and therefore would deny they're ripping people off because in their eyes they are 'genuine'. But that leads to the question - what kind of person believes they have psychic ability if it doesn't exist?

[tinkertoo]

I have a friend who is a medium and genuinely believes in what she is doing, she thinks her abilities are psychic. I believe it is cold reading. What I have observed is that in the psychic development circles (I attended one for a few months out of interest), all the trainee's tend to hero worship the lead medium leading the circle and believe everything they come out with. So for instance, when looking at your reflection in low level red lighting (which attracts spirit - not), when your mind starts playing tricks on you and filling in the blanks of your obscured vision while you gaze at yourself in the mirror, the incorrect explanation given is that this is a spirit taking over your body/face that you can see in the mirror. As the attendees want to believe these things they accept the given explanation and will truly believe it and pass it on to other people. If you dare to offer a different explanation (ie a rational one), you are accused of spreading negative energy and banned from the group. It is almost like a cult in the way it works.

[tinkertoo]

I guess the answer to "what kind of person believes they have psychic ability if it doesn't exist" - is someone who wants to believe that it exists and that they possess it. Often it is people who want to feel special or part of a group - at least from what I've observed.

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Dec 5, 2016 16:00:39 GMT colgirl1965 said:

This question may have been asked before, but I've always wondered whether the vast amount of psychics out there actually DO believe they have a genuine 'gift'?

The problem is there is no real way to find out, as if you conducted a survey the ones that know its fake would lie!
Personally i believe any medium who charges money, must know they are fake, or at least that they have to help along the reading some of the time, so they could be deluded but also aware that its not all real.

People who believe they have psychic powers but dont charge, dont try to make a business out of it, are usually just deluded and do believe.

Because it seems to me that they must fall in to two categories: those who know that they don't have any ability and realise they're conning people, and those who actually believe they do possess some kind of psychic ability and therefore would deny they're ripping people off because in their eyes they are 'genuine'.

In the business this is known as "eyes open" (know they are fake) and "eyes closed" (fully deluded).
Again I dont believe a single medium in the UK who charges people 100% believes they are psychic, its just not possible, since the hit rate is just too low for deluded people, which means they have to help it along.

But that leads to the question - what kind of person believes they have psychic ability if it doesn't exist?

Person of low intelligence, in every single mass IQ test whereby they have groups of people from different carreers/sections of society etc, Psychics/Mediums ALWAYS come out last with the lowest intelligence. Go watch any of those Carol Vorderman National IQ TV shows, whereby they have a group of psychics on as an example.
The irony of psychics being the thickest in IQ tests is hilarious.

Skeptics/Rational thinkers always come out on top.

So basically low intelligence explains why people believe they have psychic abilities.
Also people who have low self esteem, have been bullied as a child etc, that is why most male psychics are gay, it is a way for them to feel superior and "beat" the bullies of their childhood.
Pretty much every "eyes closed" female medium I have met have had some form of mental illness earlier in life, depression and so on.
Many have been abused, have had addictions etc. The more you see it, the more you realise there is a connection, and that believing they have magic powers is a way for them to deal with their own insecurities and issues

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Dec 6, 2016 11:52:54 GMT tinkertoo said:

I have a friend who is a medium and genuinely believes in what she is doing, she thinks her abilities are psychic. I believe it is cold reading. What I have observed is that in the psychic development circles (I attended one for a few months out of interest), all the trainee's tend to hero worship the lead medium leading the circle and believe everything they come out with. So for instance, when looking at your reflection in low level red lighting (which attracts spirit - not), when your mind starts playing tricks on you and filling in the blanks of your obscured vision while you gaze at yourself in the mirror, the incorrect explanation given is that this is a spirit taking over your body/face that you can see in the mirror. As the attendees want to believe these things they accept the given explanation and will truly believe it and pass it on to other people. If you dare to offer a different explanation (ie a rational one), you are accused of spreading negative energy and banned from the group. It is almost like a cult in the way it works.

It is 100% like a cult, it IS a cult! Spiritualism works on very cult like methods.
I know people who have been in circles with semi famous fake mediums like Tony Stockwell and Gordon Smith, Now I have catagorically exposed both, yet these people still believe, I have challenged them to give me a reading by either one that they are 100% convinced is real, and I have bet this entire site on the fact I guarantee I can show how it is done, they never follow through.

This is whats known as True Believer Syndrome, even when a medium (cult leader) has been exposed as a fraud, the followers still find a way to believe in them, they concoct ridiculous conspiracies to explain how the skeptic must have manipulated things and so on.

And even if they do finally accept the medium they love is fake, they just move onto another one and make the same mistakes over and over, which tells you a lot about the mental state of the believer

[immy]

I'm learning so much here... very interesting about the psychology of mediums out there, i.e. mental issue that lead to it all...

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Jan 4, 2017 10:11:04 GMT immy said:

I'm learning so much here... very interesting about the psychology of mediums out there, i.e. mental issue that lead to it all...

That is one of the things that fascinates me. Ok we all get why the out and out fakes do what they do, its all about the money, but the small time ones really do fascinate me

[immy]

Loved that you highlighted my quote, I feel included Can I ask for an example/s of a real case/s like this?? If you can. To get an idea of the psychological aspect?? If that makes sense...

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Jan 7, 2017 10:46:03 GMT immy said:

Loved that you highlighted my quote, I feel included Can I ask for an example/s of a real case/s like this?? If you can. To get an idea of the psychological aspect?? If that makes sense...

Sorry i dont follow you here?

[immy]

Eek... I'm shocking at articulating myself in groups..
Can you give a couple examples of what psychological issues lead a person to this kind of life, we're they are so convinced of their supposed abilities?? I don't know what the proper term is, "psycho-social"(??) part is what I want to learn just a little. what leads them to such delusions.

Is the word delusions appropriate in this context?

just a question I'm throwing out there, not necessarily expecting a response I have serious scatterbrain so if I'm still not making sense, please don't worry about it 😊

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Ok have you noticed how the vast majority of male mediums are gay?
This is nothing to do with being sensitive or any of that nonsense.
I believe it is due to the fact they most likely would have grown up being bullied, being told they were wrong, bad and so on.
So when they grow up they suddenly have a way to prove they are special, that they are better than those who put them down growing up.
So they find spiriuality, they often get groomed by older mediums, who convince them they are special.
I have seen hundreds of mediums over the years and every single one has told me that I might have psychic powers!
SO now imagine you are a vulnarable young gay man, and you are told be someone you might have special powers.
Of course you will jump on it. And the delusion has begun.

Of course these days being gay doesn't have the same kind of stigma it did in say the 70's or 80's.
But there will still be insecurities, and issues of self worth, so the jump to believing in spirits and so on is still quite a small jump for such a person.

Of course there are exceptions, and this is by no means a blanket idea.


You will often find that many mediums regardless of sex and sexuality will have been abused earlier in their lives too, whether physical or mental. And the idea of mediumship is often an escape for them.

So I hope that can answer your questions a bit.

[isitreal]

Interesting point about about gay male mediums..! Same here in Switzerland and Germany: more and more of them appear and almost all are
obviously and even demonstratively gay.
Then what about girls/women ?
Is it their allegedly stronger "Intuition"/"Spiritual Tendency" (whatever that means)...or is this a Myth anyway ?

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

I think with women it comes down to 2 factors, one being they have that motherly instinct the natural empathy that women clearly have more than a lot of men. Not exclusively, but many, this would be easy to delude yourself, and help further your spiritual asperations.

The other thing is and this is for men and women, you will find the vast vast majority of mediums have low IQs. Low IQ people are more likely to jump to the paranormal explanation, and easier to delude themselves

[isitreal]

I hope You are right and would LOVE to see Your "lowIQ"-explanation scientifically confirmed !
Would give those scam artists kind of an excuse...only KIND OF !
But of course they don't want to be tested in any rigorous way...

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

I remember once on the BBC or Ch4 they used to do a yearly TV show the great big IQ test or something like that.

They had groups of people from different sections of society. Maybe 50 people per group, Builders, Doctors and so on.
They had Mediums on once, and they came last out of everyone, with a below average IQ score!

Show was hosted by Carol Vorderman if I recall

[isitreal]

What do You think : might super-"Douche" John Edward be the exception to the "IQ-rule" ?
Can't help but think this dick is not dumb...and not self deluded at all...or maybe he is partly..? Really don't know...

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

I am talking about "eyed closed" mediums, those who believe in their own powers, these have low IQs, I would suggest that every famous medium is "eyes open" and that many do have a higher IQ as needed to perform their scam

[marie93]

I think many of these people who are just members of the public who set up free readings,usually as a lure to charge later on are either low in intelligence or just want to feel special. They genuinely think they've got special powers when it's just guesswork and cold reading. They delude themselves. It's not due to abuse I think it's just they are not very intelligent and it makes them feel special.

[Deleted]

If there was one psychic who genuinely believed they could speak to the dead it was Colin Fry. I'm sure he was convinced he had special powers. Delusional of course.

[Mr. Jon Donnis]

Jun 12, 2017 20:16:18 GMT hilary said:

If there was one psychic who genuinely believed they could speak to the dead it was Colin Fry. I'm sure he was convinced he had special powers. Delusional of course.

I disagree, I knew Colin on a personal level, I knew the person behind the persona.
He did not believe for one minute he really spoke to the dead.
Dont forget he was caught blatantly faking early in his career when he was known as Lincoln, in the legendary Trumpet Incident.

Remember I called on him to die a hero and not a villain in the months leading up to his death, there was very good reason I said what I did to him then.