The Psychic Hunt

On Monday, May 6, 2013 the world celebrated when three missing girls were found alive in Cleveland, Ohio after missing for a decade. The story gave new hope to the families of thousands of other missing person cases. In the midst of the celebration, it was discovered that in 2004 famed psychic Sylvia Browne had informed Amanda Berry’s mother that her daughter was dead on Montel Williams, a nationally syndicated television show.

“She’s not alive, honey,” Sylvia Browne told her matter-of-factly. “Your daughter’s not the kind who wouldn’t call.”

Two years later, Amanda Berry’s mother passed away from a heart failure. Or maybe it was just plain heart break as Browne informed her that she wouldn’t see her daughter again until she got to Heaven.

Browne isn’t any stranger to controversy. In 2003, she claimed that missing eleven-year-old Shawn Hornbeck had been abducted by a very tall man with long black dreadlocks and a blue sedan, and that his body could be found near two large, jagged boulders in a wooded area about 20 miles southwest of Richwoods. Hornbeck was found alive four years later, abducted by a white man with short brown hair who drove a small white Nissan pickup.

Because of one very outspoken and blunt psychic, this most recent story has once again has spurred several people to light and raise their torches and go on a Psychic Hunt. But is it fair to others within the industry? Should they also be branded as frauds? Many claim because psychic or mediumship abilities cannot be scientifically proven that anyone who identifies themselves as a reader is a user and a fake. But take a physician who gives a misdiagnosis, something that happens thousands of times a week, if not a day, and they aren’t given a Scarlet Letter on national television. Or the attorney who supports a murderer or rapist in their trial and their client is found guilty. Does that make that lawyer and every lawyer a fraud for defending a guilty person? If a day trader invests a client’s money on a hunch only to lose everything, does that make every investor a fraud?

In October of 2012, Lori Weiss, writer for Marlo Thomas’ site, ‘What’s Next’, interviewed me on the many police cases I worked on – After Years Of Secrecy, A Psychic Begins Solving Crimes. To say that I was afraid of exposing myself would be an understatement, but I wanted to show another side of those who do psychic detective work.

After speaking and working with law enforcement for years, I say and will always say that it is law enforcement that does all the work on these cases – yet psychics and/or mediums can work as a tool, but just as you have to carefully choose your tool, you have to carefully choose your psychic/medium. The sad fact, however, is that many psychic and/or mediums, whether legit or fake, often act as ambulance chasers. The headlines read of a missing person and the police receive hundreds to thousands of calls and tips from amateur sleuths, along with psychics/mediums. Each tip has to be checked out, and frustrated and overworked (most of the time underpaid) police exhaust manpower into what I call a wild goose chase. “She’s in water” just doesn’t cut it.

Just recently I had a client in my office who said that after her father passed away she received three so-called mediums on her doorstep at different times wanting to offer information from her father who was a well-known and wealthy individual. I highly doubt those same mediums would have made the effort for someone less publicized. . I once knew a funeral director who would listen to the police radar and run to the hospital or morgue with his business card. Yes, there are leaches in every industry – ambulance chasers or vampire suckers in every single profession.

So if you haven’t raised your torch on the psychic hunt and are still interested, but haven’t a clue how to find a reputable psychic and or medium, I have put together a list of what to look for (and not look for).

First, what is the difference between a psychic and a medium? A psychic often uses earthly tools (tarot, pendulum, crystal ball, etc) to look into your past, present and predict your future. A medium is someone who can connect to the Other Side and offer you messages from those who have crossed, along with guides, guardians and sometimes angels. A psychic is not a medium, but a medium is most always psychic.

A reading is a spiritual session where the reader receives information about you in the form of messages, symbols, or images that come from the spiritual plane. A reading is a communication of what your guides want you to be aware of and the best direction that is best for you at that time.

A good reading gives you a new sense of direction. You should be able to relate to parts of the reading, and be able to feel that it is individualized and not just a generic reading. It should confirm what you already know on a conscious level. It should just feel right.
A good reader will not ask a lot of questions or offer generic information in order to get a background story from you – this is called a cold reading.
A good reader will not tell you that you that you are “cursed” and offers to break a curse for money. They are merely playing on your fears and taking your money.
A good reader will not tell you to buy crystals and candles and tell you that they will pray over them for you.
Beware of those who offer ‘money back’ guarantees or say that they are 100% accurate. Not even the best psychic/medium is 100% (plus there is free will that can change your path).
A good reader will have tact. Sometimes we see difficult things that may happen in the future, but the information should be given with love and tact, along with a way to help prevent it from happening.
A good reader will not tell you to keep coming back. In fact, I tell my clients to wait 6 months to one year before coming back, if they even need to come back! Everybody has the gift within and I would much rather teach and inspire others to embrace their own intuition.
Their website should not be vague, and their fees should be noted up front. Many con artists will start at a very small rate and throughout the reading tell the client they can offer more information, or remove negative energy, if more money is put out. Run!
Ask how long they have been at their current location. Many fraudulent readers will skip from building to building, or fair to fair. Look to see that they have established roots.
Be aware that every Reader is different, has different approaches and uses different tools (and sometimes no tools at all).

Here are some handy Do and Don’ts to keep in mind when seeking a Psychic Medium reading:

Do prepare yourself
Do have a purpose for your reading
Do clear your mind
Do clear your heart
Do give some feedback – If you feel that the reader is on wrong track, speak up.
Do take a few deep, cleansing breathes before the reading
Do try to generate loving peaceful energy around you
Do be realistic
Do be open. If trying to connect to someone on the Other Side – invite them in beforehand.
Do take the reading seriously
Do have a positive attitude
Do be a good listener
Do find a reader that you have a connection with
DO have FUN!

DON’T

Don’t expect a psychic or medium to make decisions for you.
Psychic and Mediums can provide good insights, guidance and second opinions, but they can’t run your life and won’t run your life. Use a reading as an additional source of information.
Don’t think that a reading will fix your life.
Don’t assume that a psychic can predict lottery numbers. (The numbers that are chosen are not touched by human hands, thus have no energy within them)
Don’t play games. Playing “Stump the Psychic” is a waste of valuable time and of your own money. It also will make the psychic and/or medium lose their enthusiasm and interest in reading for you. Being skeptical is one thing that is and should be welcome, but it is a waste of time to change your name or withhold information.
Don’t have a reading if you have just taken drugs or used alcohol. Even the best readers will have a difficult time to see through the fog of those substances.
Don’t have a negative attitude. You may just get a reading that focuses on the negativity in your life.
Don’t assume that what a reader tells you is gospel. Even the best psychic is never ever 100% correct. And, we all have free will and free choice to change our paths in life.

I once had a reader tell me that my husband wasn’t my true love and we really needed to divorce (and probably would within the year) so that I could live my life and find my true partner. Nobody should ever (EVER) tell you something like that. I knew that she was wrong, but then I began to doubt myself. No reader should make you second guess your own intuition. My husband and I are still going strong six years after her heart wrenching message.

If you encountered a reader who you felt was unethical and fraudulent don’t hesitate to call the Chamber of Commerce, the authorities and the Better Business Bureau.

The future is not set in stone and even the best of the best readers can only tell you what is likely to happen, not what WILL happen beyond a shadow of a doubt. Everybody has free choice and free will. The ability to choose our own thoughts, choose our own actions and choose who we spend time with.

A good reading encourages you with hope and inspiration for the future, and encourages self-examination of yourself and the direction that you are headed. Skepticism is healthy. Use your own intuition and gut instinct when choosing a psychic and/or medium, or when deciding if that is something that is right for you at that time.

Believe,

Kristy Robinett