Now anyone who's used to reading my posts on this forum probably would not class me as a hard ass sceptic.I'd imagine that i'm considered one of the more open minded contributors here. BUT when it comes to Mediums/ Psychics i seem to have this inbuilt warning system that screams bull very loudly.
To be honest they make my skin crawl because they exploit the most vulnerable among us . I also believe that anyone (including some on here) who genuinely believe they are psychic...are deluding themselves..or are possibly "Ill".
Anyway if the Likes of Colin Fry ,Derek Acorah ,Van Praag, Dubois ...etc etc etc are your heroes...check this link out if you dare
http://badpsychics.com/thefraudfiles/modules/news/

Prepare to have you illusions shattered but at least you wont be helping to perpetuate the myth of the medium.
Now for any of you budding psychics out there that think i'm too negative or dont know what i'm talking about ...PUT UP OR SHUT UP ...I'm ready for you to change my mind by telling me anything relevant about any of my dead relatives.......any takers ?
Dont think so....

You have a dead reletive nick named Basco who use to be in the military. He died in a car crash.


Kidding. All jokes aside, I agree with you. I would really like to see some proof or evidence before these silly "psychics" run around getting mad at non-believers.

I tend to instantly doubt any "psychic" who charges money.

There's no problem with the link for me
Try again

http://badpsychics.com/thefraudfiles/modules/news/

I don't buy into the psychic thing either. However, I can't ignore some of the personal experiences I have had. I am by no means psychic and couldn't predict what is going to happen tomorrow let alone in the next 5 minutes, but I have had some psychic experiences that I cannot write off to coincidence. I wish expectancy theory or confirmation bias would explain away the experiences, but they don't. I am a rational person and take a scientific approach to things like this. Unfortunately, my experiences cannot be replicated or proven, so I would not expect a rational person to put much stock in them.

I've never had a personal experience where someone accurately predicted my future. One of the things that makes me doubt psychic abilities is the fact that when you watch animals that hunt in packs, it's obvious that they don't have any psychic connection with eachother. It seems like they would have evolved this if it were possible- it would be so advantageous to their survival.


I don't think all psychics are rip off artists or "ill". Some people are incredibly accurate at analyzing subtle body language. I suspect that psychics who work one on one with clients are in this category. They pick up on the fact that the client's pupils have dialated .01 mm in response to a statement, etc. They might not realize they're doing this, and might define it as psychic. And then, maybe clairvoyance really exists. WTF, Carl Jung believed in it and he was a lot smarter than me.

-------------------
FAMILY LEGEND:
Supposedly, my greatgrandfather, Robert, was attending a stage performance by a psychic who invited the audience to write down questions (along with their names). Robert was in the military and wondered where he was going to be deployed next. He sent up the question "Where will I go and when will I be there?" [note: this performance wasn't happening on a military base- it was in downtown Buffalo, New York] The psychic said "Robert Dwyer, in two months you will be sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco". Exactly two months later, he was sailing under the bridge.

Okay.... Statistically, with all the times four generations of people in my family have encountered psychics, it's not surprising that one of those times should be accurate. But still... it was REALLY accurate.

Thanks Siara ...There are loads of "family legends" but in this particular case i'm issuing a challenge on here to all those who claim to have psychic abilities (and lets face it there are lots of em here,just look at some of the thread titles here) ...to prove it . I'm going to act as guinea pig ....Now if i dont get any takers at all i'll be dissapointed and all those threads that claim to be about peoples personal psychic abilities can just be ignored from now on....Cant they ? Unless someone out there proves me wrong

P.S. If anyone is thinking of looking up my posts to glean personal info about me to put up as psychic abilities ....DONT , I'll be onto this in a flash

Would anything anyone said to you make the slightest difference though? If you are so unbelieving I don't reckon anything will convince you otherwise. Plus one other thing, a lot of things like ESP, psychic stuff, Mediumship etc etc are very unpredictable and 99% of the time can't be done to order.

I've said this in another thread, that some people will not believe no matter what the circumstances and what is said. There will always be something they can debunk it with, hence why you will probably not get many takers on your offer

Hey Bogey...I'm not much of a medium. I do empathy readings for people a lot so I think that would probably be my best bet to try and prove the reality of these abilities. I agree with body language personally I use it when I am talking in person with someone to get in to their heads...I just naturally understand body language...lol. Anyway I don't talk to people live nor do I listen to their voice. Anyway I have AIM and MSN (both are HeyBBear@aol.com) Anyway come with a problem or concern. I'm not saying it will be awesome but it will be a semi-good attempt at proof. I would tell you about people's comments but I doubt you care.lol. Um anyway if you ever see me on just send me a hello and if my parents aren't home I'll see what I can do. lol. Oh yeah I really dount you'll take anything back from this but if you want to try I am willing.

Suppose I'm double posting but I figured this would probably be best. Hey Lotus yeah I totally agree a lot of skeptics won't believe you because a lot of the stuff that comes through is vague like I know a lot of times I have to relate emotions to other senses to even half way make sense on my end. I mean readings are really something that should done between a psychic and a person who understands how this stuff comes through and the language/jargon used to describe it. Yeah a lot of people can't do this stuff on que but for those of us who can its probably best that we try and leave the others to their practicing. Yeah I am actually kind of anticipating being debunked but at least I will have tried. Aren't you an intuitive with some clairvoyance? You should try as well, who knbows it could be fun.

Oh yeah and Bogey I totally agree that some psychics are just scam artist and are there to prey on people who don't know what to do. Thats where you can really start to draw lines in the psychic community (well if you could even call it a community lol). I mean I go in to chat rooms a lot and give people free readings though I tell them before hand that 1) I'm only 14 2) its only practice for me and that I very well could be wrong 3) not to take it too seriously and that if they make any major decisions based on my readings it is of their own idea and that I am not pressurng them in any way.

Not true
Look up some of my posts ...I am open minded and am not a hardass sceptic ...But i will be totally objective on this because there's already too much BS. It can be classed as a mini experiment...not scientific of course but if anyone hits the mark i'll be honest and tell them so...i wont deny for the sake of denying....okay ?
Before i confirm anything that someone may get right , i will go through all my own posts to make sure i havent given out that information in a thread somewhere...so if you're thinking of doing this dont bother. Also i'm not interested in anyone telling my future ...that cant prove anything.....Tell me some relatives that have passed ,what they were their traits etc names , places, dates , events, phrases ...are all good as evidence to my mind....Of course you all know i'm Irish so i dont want to hear "I've got a Pat or Paddy here" Okay ...unless of couse ...it's true

i heard that yvette person from most haunted said it was all fake or summit and derek akorah was mentally ill/acting i don't remember the last fact. although this is just was i heard personally i don't belive any of the tv psychic, and most haunted is a lode of naughty words, i watched one episode to see wat all the fuss was about ¬.¬ theys said that this silhuoette of a 'person' in the house grounds was the closest they've ever come to seeing a ghost, i thought it looked like tree to be honest, the only good thing about most haunted is to watch a load of people running around crying and screaming and wetting their pants lol

I don't really believe in fortune tellers. I do believe some people can predict events but I don't think any of the "professional" ones are genuine.

I don't consider myself psychic but I think I have good intuition. I find if I have a nightmare about someone I've met recently it means to stay away from them because they are not a good person. I find most vibes I get from people are generally quite accurate as well (good and bad). But that's definitely not psychic as much as it is just "listening to your gut".

Gary Schwartz is a top-notch academic who has tested mediums under strict laboratory conditions. The results are collected and discussed in The Afterlife Experiments, among other of his books. Anyone who's interested in this subject pretty much has to deal with Schwartz's work sooner or later.

And 99.9% unbelievable.

Dont think Derek acorah fooled anyone with possessions in every episode but he was a good laugh to watch.Yvette puts an act on and has said in interviews that the show is just for enetertainment.They have a new medium now but how can they garantee that he hasnt researched any of the well known castles they bring him to.I dont think its right to make a living from being psychic.I think we all have intuition and should listen to our own intuition instead of going to a stranger that refers to themself as psychic.

I think you have hit it spot on there!

Rather than going to any outsider take notice of our own inner voice. I guess what happens is that people are continually seeking reassurance and confirmation.

Being "psychic" is not a personal thing that you have all the time. If there's a need for it to use, it will be awaken anytime.

I think that is a fair challenge, however what if a "psychic" claims they need to be in your presence or have had some physical contact with you in order to perform their "psychic abilities". Not that I'm on the side of the psychics by any means, but I think that would be a valid argument.

Personally, I think most so called psychics do a "cold readiing". They pick up ques and go with them. I'm sure many are aware that is what they are doing, but there are probably some who don't and think they are truly psychic.

I worked as a therapist for a while (the psychologist kind), and after a year of doing that sort of one on one work with people I was pretty good at being able to infer a lot of information about an individual within a short period of time. The accuracy would have been good enough to have many people walking away thinking I was psychic and not realizing when you do that sort of thing day in and day out you become quit astute at picking up on the subtle things not to mention you have seen the same or similar things time and time again. To some extent I think psychics are like therapists, just without the psychology background, which unfortunately means they can do a great deal of harm.

I believe that people really can predict the future, but I don't think these people are special. Either lucky or very observant, but not special. I do however play with the idea that some people "tap into" the inner workings of the universe and the images they are seeking come to them from it.
------------------------------------------------------------
Just for fun, my own family legends!
Mine are more magic-related than psychic...
-
1. My mother supposedly used Witchcraft, in a spell of her own invention, to acquire one of the houses we lived in. The house she envisioned was exactly the same in appearance to the one we got, according to her. She wouldn't lie to me about something like that, but I can't say I completely trust her recollection of the event.
2. In one of my mother's various conversations with my grandpa(her dad,) gramps brought up the subject of a blood relative of his who could use magic. Something about being able to turn ropes into snakes and rocks into money. That's all I could gather in english from the conversation, as it was carried out mostly in spanish, and supposedly my mother didn't remember any more of it than what I gathered. :/

Well Razer.......If Garry Schwatrz is to be trusted ,the most gifted true psychics did not need to see the person ,did not need to know anything about them...because from my understanding the way it works is that someone belong to me will contact the psychic with info about me....taps fingers in anticipation.

Mad Machine......You are obviously a millionare then ? If a blood relative could turn rocks into money well then you're quids in right ? If not i wouldnt take that story too seriously

I don't know who Garry Schwartz is and I don't much care, I don't believe in psychics with abilities to tell you or me or my cat what is going to happen to us. I was just saying what an arguement might be to your challenge. Actually, I'm somewhat surprised by your scientific approach to this subject because in the UFO forum you don't seem to take the same approach, so don't get me wrong. I'm not arguing in favor of the so called "psychics", just was trying to "predict" hehe, the arguement against your challenge.

I would love to see someone on this forum take your challenge. Believe me, we would be placing our bets the same way.

Yes, I noticed that fallacy early on.
I did say they were legends...
*is broker than a bankrupt rapper*

A very valid question Razer although i disagree somewhat as to my reuirement of scientific proof on ufos. I wont believe in any old story or picture.Nevertheless your question is valid and here's my answer i hope it's enough for you.

If i had ever had a personal paranormal experience i would not have started this thread,wether it be through a psychic ,seeing a ghost ....whatever ...
The difference with my approach to UFOs is that i have personally seen them twice.....This has opened my eyes and my mind up to the possibilities of what they could be. Because at the end of the day the UFO sceptics can go on about swamp gas ,balloons ,UAVs etc etc until the cows come home, but i know / feel / believe that none of these can even come close to what i saw. I have resigned myself to the fact that this can never convince a sceptic and rightly so ...and here's the very proof of that because here i am looking for my own personal proof of "the paranormal" ..even though there are hundreds and thousands ..millions probably who have had their own personal experiences of same...I hope this answers your question ?. I suppose it's the sign of a true sceptic that only personal proof will do ,which is why i'm sceptical here but as much on UFOs.

I hope we are not taking your thread off topic with this, because I would love to see someone take your challenge. I think it is a valid challenge if there is a taker, although as I pointed out ealier there is an escape clause.

I have read lots of your posts as I'm sure you have read lots of mine. I don't recall however reading about your UFO experiences, not that I didn't read them I just don't recall. I won't take this thread off topic because I really want a "psychic" to take you up on your offer. So PM me your UFO experiences if you want, I would be more than happy to respond with a non judgemental review that doesn't involve swamp gas...

No problem...we wont go off topic but i'll link you into my account here
http://www.book-of-thoth.com/ftopict-3522.html
What it doesn't say there is that when we were in the house a few months my aunt and uncle came out to visit ...when they were going home we saw the very same objects again,,,at night...My 85 yr old aunt and 92 yr old uncle spotted them first and asked what are those hanging over the house.....True...make of it what you will.
Back on Topic now ...


Still tapping fingers.....any psychics willing to take up the challenge yet ?

Where is the psychic to answer this mans challenge?

O.k. kept my post on topic. Just to let you know, a few weeks ago I saw the brightest object in the sky I have ever seen outside the sun and the moon. My friend and I saw it at the same time and I posted about it. As it turns out a Russian rocket that had left over fuel burned up around the the same time frame we saw the bright light in the sky (I'm still not all that convinced that is what we saw). So not to discredit your experiences at all, but there maybe the possiblity for a very natural if not "human" explanation for some strange things in our sky.

So back to the thread..... are there no psychics on the UM forums that want to step up???

I have been watching this thread and find it very interesting. This is the first clue you have given us reguarding your underlying intent behind this challenge. Each of us has our particular set of various experiences in life. Your proof about something may not match another's view because an experience with something is different than a concept about it.

It is my thinking that anyone who has made up their mind about the paranormal as you and Razer have indicated, has actually entrenched themself with their thinking. It would be disrespful to think someone could or should change your mind about those points of view. Now all of a sudden you are saying things that make me think you actually might wish to know more about this subject. In many ways it does not matter what any of us think about anything. In my view, all truth is relative. Science is used to explain conventional understanding about how things work. I think it was Jesus who said "there are more things in heaven and earth that dreamt of by the minds of man". I suspect this comment goes well past the paranormal we get exposed to from time to time. To me that comment suggest an open mind with an open heart and a desire to truly understand a bit more than we are told through consensus thinking.

I have no desire to play ming games reguarding various points of view. However I now get a feeling there may be a desire on your part to understand more about an experience you have had that bordered on the paranormal. Other than that, I can not imagine why you would wish to make fun of another person's feelings about their paranormal experiences.

So I will continue to watch this thread and see how it goes from here.

John

I'm sorry for breaking your post down to this one sentence... but are you saying that I have "made up my mind" about the paranormal and I am entrenched in my thinking?

Thanks John

I honestly don't want to give that impression. As i stated at the outset i am not a hardass sceptic and i am willing to acknowledge genuine results here....as a matter of fact i'll be delighted to. To anyone in doubt ...i am seeking personal evidence that psychics can be genuine ..this is why i'm inviting anyone who claims to have the gift to come here and attempt to show those of us who have never experienced it firsthand. If the rest of the members will trust me to be honest and fortright in my answers ..well maybe some of them can be swayed also !. I am not here to humiliate anyone that fails to give an accurate reading or contact. I am an open minded searcher who would only be too glad to have some kind of evidence presented personally to me.
Bogey

One more point i have not made up my mind about the paranormal ...i have made up my mind that the TV Psychics are coining it from vulnerable people. This is a different thing.

Yes that is the impression I get.

That is also why I liked what you shared about your ufo expeience. However in my view an open minded searcher does not challenge another, they help support the other in their desire to see things in a particular way. The evidence you require is something you can only give yourself through soul searching your own experiences. Another's experience is relative to their feelings about their experience. I can see no way it would help construct a proof for someone else.

My conclusion is my opinion. I can not justify it. It is that feeling I get when I read all the comments you have shared with us. Then naturally when I got that comment about the ufo, I was not so sure as I was before. So I said what I thought. How sure are any of us about anything.

John

Then you don't care about the evidence of whether or not mediums can do what they say they can do.

you find the Emma Peel Avengers character attractive

you own or used to own a bushnell voyager telescope

you wear a St Christopher originally given to you by your wife

you enjoy Pink Floyd and Bob Marley

happy birthday to your daughter whose birthday was on 21 feb.

Interesting, and what would your impression be? Please elaborate.

Urr, alright then I will google the guy and see what he is about.

-----

O.k. just googled him and he seems to have some credentials but the wikipedia mentions John Edwards, who I think is a complete fake. However, I will read more on this guy and see what he has to say.

O.k. I'm done, the guy is a crackpot.

You're obviously not interested in the evidence.

That's a major understatement. Gary Schwartz's academic pedigree is immaculate.

"Googling" somebody's name is not the same as dealing with his work, BTW.



You could get his name right before you go calling him a fake. Then you could see what kind of results he gets under laboratory conditions. Or you could just slander him. Whatever.

First off ...What red blooded male doesn't find Emma Peel attractive Although i dont remember saying that anywhere ...and she wouldn't be in my top 10 or anything like that

Yes i own a Bushnell Voyager telescope which i've spoken about on the Astronomy forum many times....I still can't use it properly.

Yes i wear a Saint Christopher which i've posted about in My other favourite forum whick anyone can link into from my sig.

Yes again i've posted many times that i like Pink Floyd and Bob Marley....deduce what you will from this

I dont remember posting my daughters birthday anywhere but i will check my BOT Posts as well.....

Bogeyman, I'm gonna drift off the topic a bit again, and what I'm gonna say is gonna sound real stupid. So I apologize in advance.

I believe that some people are born being adherents of specific philosophical or religious systems. They can't deviate from this hardwired philosophy and can be very confused before they sort it out. I spent YEARS of my life asking for proof, the same way that you're asking for proof now. I read the Bible, Koran, Tao te Ching, Vedas, etc, etc. I travelled around South America, Africa, and Asia looking for PROOF (okay, idle wanderlust was also a big factor in my travels). It was a question I had to answer, and the search could get desperate and depressing.

When I FINALLY got my proof it was by watching a field of grass (not that kind of grass...). Everything slid into place. I didn't have to look for some weird anomaly that could "only be true if...". Maybe this is the sad story of a woman sliding into psychotic delusion. It's not like I'm a bastion of mental health. But life's been distinctly better since then.

So stay alert for intuitive "proof" as well as intellectual "proof".

Yup, sure enough. That did sound stupid. I better hit the "add reply" key fast.

Wow, BM...........
(edited way down to not feed this negativity)

Why would any psychic want to prove anything to your ego?

Your brother killed himself.

No ..my brother died of a brain haemorage a few years back....but you've got my attention

The fact that you haven't found the evidence you seek doesn't justify speaking about the other threads here in such a derogatory manner.

I'm making a challenge ...which i think is valid.I haven't mentioned anyone specifically and don't intend to.Also it's not derogatory to challenge some of these guys to prove what they say they can do...or at least provide us with some evidence.

That was Bogeys' exact quote last night just before he punched yet another hole in the pub wall......B






John Edwards is a fraud...and a jerk
hav'nt "considered" that van frog guy yet...

I would like to give this a shot but I dont consider myself a psychic. Ill see if anything comes to me and ill report back and see if im even close.