27th Jan 2008
Study: Loneliness breeds supernatural belief
According to a recent University of Chicago study of loneliness and the effect it may have on people, as reported by LiveScience.com, loneliness may increase the likelihood of people believing in the supernatural. To quote the article;
“People who feel lonely are more likely to believe in the supernatural, whether that is God, angels or miracles, a new study finds.”
According to the article, Nicholas Epley the director of the study, tested the theory by introducing three groups of undergrads to thee separate movie scenes. Each group was asked to emotionally try to feel what the character was feeling as best they could.
The first group saw a scene from Cast Away, to expose that group to feelings of loneliness. The second group was introduced to a scene from Silence of the Lambs, to expose them to feelings of fear. The last group was introduced to a clip from Major League, to expose them to comedy. All three groups were then asked to describe a pet they owned or knew well with descriptions that included anthropomorphic traits as well as simple behavioral descriptions.
According to the article:
“Participants from the loneliness group were more likely to describe the pet using the anthropomorphic descriptions than those in the fear or control groups.
All three groups were also asked to rate their belief in ghosts, angels, the devil, miracles, curses, and God, and again, those in the loneliness group reported stronger belief in these supernatural agents.”
The explanation for this behavior of loneliness in belief of the supernatural as presented by Nicholas Epley via the article is;
“When people feel lonely, they may try to rekindle old friendships, seek out new ones or, as Epley’s study suggests, they may create social connections by anthropomorphizing nearby gadgets, such as computers or cars, pets, or by believing in supernatural events or religious figures.”
Can Loneliness Lead to Belief in Psychics?
The summary of this study indicates that it’s more likely lonely people may believe in religion, the supernatural or related types of anthropomorphic beliefs.
There are potential issues with the study, for example, which group was the Control group? Also, can we really assume that just because someone sees a movie clip that they will be able to emote with a wider group of people known as “lonely?” Perhaps a better method would be to actually find a group of lonely people, as defined by profiling tests, along with a group of fearful and light-hearted people.
Finally, what constitutes the definition of “lonely?” Is it simply being socially unable to connect with people, or is it a geographic means of separating an individual from a social group, or is it both (or perhaps neither)?
What do you think?
Do you think loneliness may lead to increased belief in the supernatural? Leave a comment below now and let us know what you think!
More Information on Psychics & Loneliness
www.arealpsychic.com - Learn about psychics and the paranormal
LiveScience.com News Story - Loneliness breeds belief in the supernatural
www.wikipedia.org Loneliness page - A definition with additional links and information about loneliness
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22nd Jan 2008
Are Pets Psychic?
Is your pet a psychic? In a recent column in the Herald-Review.com the author, Dr. Larry Baker, a vet and apparently animal lover, writes on the topic of pets and whether they possess psychic abilities or not. It’s an interesting question considering the recent interest in mainstream media concerning all things psychic. Dr. Baker writes:
“Are some pets psychic? I doubt it, in spite of many anecdotal stories, “pet psychics” on television and even incidences I have witnessed, which may seem inconceivable otherwise.”
Pets, amazing things or psychics?
Pets truly are amazing, they bring us unconditional love and attention. Sometimes they do things that seem completely incredible, and things that are just not easily explained. For example, finding their way home after being trapped in a train or truck, alerting strangers to save a owner who has a medical emergency or other amazing things. Although incredible, these feats themselves are not necessarily evidence of any psychic ability.
Wikipedia defines the term “psychic” as:
“Relating to or denoting mental abilities or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by known natural laws, since they seem to transcend the confines of the brain…”
The issue here is the term “natural laws,” which most would agree applies to our pet friends.
To summarize Dr. Baker: It is completely fitting for pets to use the natural abilities they are given. For example, consider dogs with their incredible smell, cats that seem able to seek in almost complete dark or birds that are able to fly south for the winter, and north again each year with unerring accuracy. Although incredible, all of these events can be explained by the natural abilities animals have. Thus, just because our pet friends can do seemingly incredible things, this does not “prove” they have psychic abilities.
Are Pets Psychic?
So what do you think? Are pet’s psychic? Send your comments in now and let us know what you think!
More Psychic Resources
arealpsychic.com - Information about psychics and the paranormal
wikipedia.org psychic page - Definition of psychic and overview of psychic topics
Psychic Medium page - Explanation of mediums and their psychic connections
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18th Jan 2008
Your Inner Psychic
A recent book excerpt on the MSNBC Today show site from psychic intuitive Char Margolis titled “Discover Your Inner Wisdom” teaches how to tap the intuition in each of us. Of special interest is Char’s message about combining logic, common sense and intuition to make choices:
“My students and clients say that they make better choices when they use their intuition. Intuition can take you places logic and common sense never will. And when you combine logic, common sense, and intuition, you’ll make even wiser choices.”
Your Intuition & Psychic Energy
According to Margolis, intuition is the universe giving us a message, it’s up to us to tune in the psychic message and apply it in our lives - something psychics do continually. She mentions that random intuition are those occasional pings from the universe that we receive, such as knowing in advance that the phone is going to ring or having a concern about walking down a certain street.
In my own life, my wife recently had a psychic intuition event. As she was driving our child to an after-school activity, she had a strong feeling to drive out of her way past a park in our neighborhood. Against her better logical judgement, she listened to this psychic directive and went out of her way. It was a good thing, because she saw a friend of our child with a strange man in the park. The hairs on her neck stood out and she knew there was something wrong.
After confronting the stranger, who promptly ran away, the story came out that the girl had met him online, and that she had agreed to meet this stranger to go for lunch. The stranger said he was 18, but actually he was in his late 3os! Clearly my wife’s intuition helped save a young teenage girl from a potentially very dangerous situation.
Your Psychic Intuition?
So what about you? Have you had a strong intuition event or had a psychic experience that you could not explain? Leave your comment below and share with us your story!
Intuition and Psychic Resources:
www.arealpsychic.com - Learn about psychics and the paranormal
Char Margolis Intuition Article - An interesting article about Char’s psychic abilities and your ability to tune in your intuition.
Wikipedia.org Intuition page - A page devoted to the various aspects of Intuition with links for further research.
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7th Jan 2008
Does ESP Exist?
In a recent news release (Neuroimaging Fails to Demonstrate ESP is Real) as reported by ScienceDaily.com, Psychologists at Harvard University used Neuroimaging to scan their subject’s brain to learn if extrasensory perception (ESP) stimuli had changed the subject’s brain patterns. Their summary was that it did not, and therefore there was no evidence of ESP.
Psychics & ESP
It has been reported for centuries that real psychics can use extrasensory perception to read people’s minds, or see events that are not visible, or know about events that will take place in the future. The US Government studied ESP with recruited psychics during the Cold War, but was unable to reproduce results or prove that ESP worked. Today psychics are commonly consulted by people who are looking for ESP readings to help them answer questions about events in the future. But there’s been no solid scientific prove, one way or the other, to say ESP is real, or not.
The Harvard ESP Study
The Harvard Study used brain scans to examine the subject’s brain when they received normal stimuli (for example, showing them a picture). They also conducted brain scans after exposing the subjects to extrasensory stimuli (for example, by showing the significant partner or other close person a stimuli while they were in another room, and recording the subject’s brain at that time).
The team’s theory was that a psychic with ESP should have different brain scans, showing a response to the stimuli received via ESP, just as if they had showed a response from stimuli they received normally. The team analyzed the results and found that there was no response demonstrated during the ESP stimuli events.
Does this then finally prove that ESP does not exist? According to the news story quote from the Harvard researcher it does not. However, the news story goes on to point out that this may be the best evidence yet that ESP does not exist.
Do Psychics Use ESP?
The study assumes that a psychic’s brain will respond in the same manner to ESP stimuli as is done for normal stimuli. But is that truly the case, or is there perhaps other stimuli and responses that enable a psychic to interact with energy that causes what we call ESP? Also, to what extent were the subjects actually able to have or use ESP? There is no test to validate that a person who claims to have ESP actually does. What if all the subjects who thought they had some form of ESP actually had none? Or, what if their ESP abilities is not under their control, and only occurs at certain times or places? This study would not be able to determine if ESP were possible if there were limits that the subject and researcher were unaware of.
Is ESP Real?
So what do you think? Is ESP real? According to this study it may not be. But what do you think?
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25th Dec 2007
Psychic Medium & the Croc Hunter
Apparently Terri Irwin has asked arguably the most famous psychic medium, John Edwards, to try to reach Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The psychic news posted recently by news.com.au is that Terri Irwin has invited John Edwards, star of Crossing Over, to try to reach the spirit of her famous husband, Steve Irwin.
What is also interesting is the fact that Steve Irwin was apparently good friends with John Edwards. It’s nice to hear that a psychic can help provide a positive influence for us beyond doing psychic readings based on their ability to be a medium.
Steve’s Psychic Energy
According to a quote by Terri in the news story, Steve’s psychic energy is still apparently lingering:
“Mrs Irwin, 43, told The Sunday Mail yesterday she sensed Steve was still with her and had “great faith” that his spirit was still around.”
This is perhaps the best-known tragedy of modern-times, the loss of the legendary Croc Hunter, Steve Irwin, who was arguably one of the best known proponents for wildlife and support of the natural world. His death has been a cultural shock.
For such a famous psychic medium as John Edwards to try to reach his psychic energy is news indeed. This will bring world-wide attention to mediums in general, and Mr Edwards and his medium capabilities specifically.
Psychic Mediums
Psychic mediums are people who have the ability to tune in, or communicate with, energy from those who have passed on. This includes by the way animals, which is perhaps one reason why the bond was formed between John Edwards and Steve Irwin. The interesting thing about psychic mediums is that although there is no way to prove they are correct, there are many ways to prove they are incorrect.
Some people are confused or scared by a mediums ability to “read” the psychic energy of those who have passed on. Some psychics are able to hear or in other ways tune-in to the energy of those who have passed on. When this happens, the psychic is able to share information that simply would be impossible for anyone other than the dead person and the person who is receiving the reading to know.
Because it’s not possible to scientifically-validate in a repetitive manner, psychic mediums are often labeled as potential fakes or frauds. For more information about psychics and psychic energy visit www.arealpsychic.com.
Are Psychic Mediums Real?
So what do you think, are psychic mediums real? Will Mr. Edwards be able to connect to the psychic energy of Steve Irwin? Or, do you think John Edwards is simply using his knowledge of his friend Steve to appear to connect with his departed spirit?
Post your comments below now and let us know what you think!
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21st Dec 2007
Kiwi Psychic Challenges
Apparently our New Zealand friends have been enjoying a reality show called Sensing Murder, in which psychics are put through some reality TV psychic investigation for public entertainment. It’s interesting that there is a heightened interest in psychics and paranormal these days in the media. In the U.S., programs such as Medium and some cable TV shows seek to provide edu-tainment around psychics, haunted places, mediums or other paranormal events.
Psychics on TV
So why are there so many psychic shows on television these days? The answer may be the interest generated by the public and psychics themselves. The internet has certainly lead to interest in psychics and the paranormal, but long before the internet came about there were psychics, astrologers and mediums plying their trades.
This interest in psychics is not new to our culture. Psychics and interest in paranormal events was around during Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and the ages leading up to today. So why so much interest on TV? Perhaps just because it’s easier to produce reality TV shows that deal with more obscure topics than sports, news or drama.
16 Psychic Programs
A simple search for the term “psychic” on TVguide.com reveals 16 programs that are about or have the word psychics as a topic, including 11 TV shows and 5 movies. It’s interesting to see that the popularity of psychics has seemingly increased, but it’s also interesting to think that perhaps the interest has been there all along, and that the media are simply tapping into this interest to produce new programming material.
For more about Psychics:
TVguide.com psychic TV programs list
New Zealand Reality TV Sensing Murder blog
arealpsychic.com home page
Google.com search for psychic television programs
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15th Dec 2007
Need a good psychic medium?
Psychic mediums, or Mediums, are psychics who have the ability to communicate with those who have passed on. If you are looking for a good psychic medium how do you go about finding one? Simply trusting in your luck in finding a medium is not enough. You should be able to identify a good psychic medium by asking a few questions about the medium before agreeing to use their services.
3 Questions to Ask a Medium
By asking your prospective medium these 3 questions, you’ll be in a better position to make a decision about whether to use that medium’s services, and whether they are a good psychic medium for you:
1. What types of services does the psychic medium provide?
Mediums can specialize in various elements of communication with those who have passed on. Some mediums use trances to help them communicate. Other mediums use objects such as a favorite piece of jewelry or glasses to help them communicate. Still other mediums communicate by going to a location where the person who passed was located at. Some mediums may specialize in communicating with pets. A good psychic medium will help explain what their specialty is. It is important to understand exactly what types of services your potential medium provides so that you can match their specialty to your needs.
2. Does the psychic medium have references?
Checking to see if your potential medium has references is critical to finding a medium you will be comfortable with. Why? Because if the medium has many references, it’s a sign that this medium has been in the business for a while and has built a base of satisfied clients. If the medium does not have references, or refuses to provide you with references, then you should be cautious. That medium may have something to hide!
3. What do the psychic medium’s references say about the medium?
Call the psychic medium’s references, more than one reference, and ask each reference the same questions. What questions? Well, think about your needs, why are you seeking a medium? What information do you hope to learn? Why does the reference like the medium? What about the medium does the reference wish could be made better or improved? Are there any concerns or other advice the reference has about the medium? Write down 4 or 5 questions you would like to ask the reference and then ask each reference the same question. You’ll soon learn whether this medium is a good psychic medium for you, or not.
By using the 3 questions to ask a medium, you’ll be able to find a good psychic medium for you.
For more information about psychic mediums:
arealpsychic.com psychic medium page
Wikipedia.org psychic medium page
Wikipedia.org seance page
arealpsychic.com home page
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5th Dec 2007
Do you want to be a psychic?
I just came across a blog about a fictional novel by Rayna Vause, who is the author of the book “Only In Her Dreams.” The story is about a woman who has pyschic visions which always come true. What’s the problem you may ask? Well, she’s having dreams of her own death. In the blog, Rayna Vause admits that she’s interested in psychics and wonders what it would be like to be one.
If you are a psychic, or at least feel you have strong psychic abilities, then you may be familiar with the old saying of “be careful, what you wish for may come true!” People with psychic abilities may find it a confusing “gift” to have. Often, people who believe they are mediums or have other types of psychic abilities are not sure what to do about them. They may not know where to go to learn how to use their psychic abilities, or educate themselves. Unlike many things in life, there are no do it yourself manuals or instruction books on how a psychic can practice and improve their skills. There are very few people with psychic abilities that use their gifts to become super-stars or world famous authorities. The vast number of people with psychic ability are the friends, family and neighbors that walk in and out of our lives every day.
Some of these psychics feel embarrassed to admit that they have a special gift. Others may feel it causes them religious or social issues with their family and friends. Although we may feel we are a much more educated bunch than those in Salem a few hundred years ago, society still treats those with psychic abilities as oddities or strange and unusual people who perhaps should be a cause of concern.
Psychics with little or no training may not feel entirely comfortable with their own abilities. They may feel like their experiences are something to be kept quiet about, and not talked about in front of casual friends. They may feel distressed that they cannot control their abilities, or use them when and how they wish. Some may even wish they had never been born with their abilities.
In fact, although society still has difficulty coming to terms with people with special gifts, everyone should remember the fact that psychics are people too. As odd as that sounds. You might think about it like this: Psychics are ordinary people who just happen to be able to perceive information that most people are not able to perceive. Just as famous artists or composers have a gift that enables them to perceive and produce works of art, so too people with psychic ability have a gift that enables them to produce seemingly impossible information.
For more information about psychics visit www.arealpsychic.com.
For information about psychic mediums visit the Psychic Medium page.
You can read Rayna Vause’s Psychic blog, and some of her story at the Caridad Pineiro web site.
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2nd Dec 2007
On November 30th Forbes.com book reviewer Michael Maiello wrote a short review about Mary Browne’s book, The 5 Rules of Thought: How to Use the Power of your Mind to Get What You Want. It was an interesting review of a psychic book in that Mr. Maiello took the time to actually visit Mary Browne and have a cold reading done. As a psychic that has Wall Street clients who seek her advice, it seems logical for Mr Maiello to conduct such an interview and book review.
In his review, Mr. Maiello mentions that Mary Browne conducts positive psychic readings and helps people focus on the actions that can bring about a person’s wishes, even those with little to no psychic ability. She writes that for a person to succeed you must decide on what you want, see it happen in your mind, create an action plan and stick with it, believe in your plan and accomplish it with persistence and patience. Sounds like great advice to me!
As a psychic with clients willing to pay $400 per hour for a reading, you can bet that Mary Browne knows a thing or two about how to inspire Wall Street. It’s interesting to note that Mr. Maiello never really indicates whether the believes that Mary Browne may be a real psychic, or not. Although he does indicate that because of the speed with which Mary Browne conducted his reading, he had a tendency to remember the things that she got right, and not the things she didn’t.
In the end, Mr Maiello mentions that the Mary Browne’s book is a quick read and would be a great Holiday gift to anyone who needs peace of mind, and in these times that could just about be all of us.
For further information see Mr Maiello’s psychic book review at Forbes.com.
And, you can check out Mary Browne’s The Five Rules of Thought book at Amazon.com.
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27th Nov 2007
The Wall Street Journal Online books section just published a brief book review of The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations. The review itself is interesting in that it does give a nod toward an author (in this case a Mr. Stephen E. Braude) who tries to present real psychics as well as fake psychics in a fairly non-biased way.
The book reviewer, John Desio, does a good job explaining that the book itself presents five cases of claimed psychic abilities from five individuals, and attempts to either validate or disprove the psychic’s claims. As you might imagine, many of the claimed psychics are either proven to be fakes, or refuse to be tested and thus become suspects by default.
However, one case, a former Bell Boy in Chicago named Ted Serios, claimed in the mid 1960s to be able to use a piece of cardboard to channel psychic energy onto a piece of Polaroid film. Mr. Serios’ claims were put to the test by a photographer, a Mr. Nile Root, who determined that Mr. Serios was actually inserting an image into the cardboard, which then was reproduced by the Polaroid film. The interesting thing is Mr Braude interviewed a doctor who worked with Mr. Serios, and then had a session with Mr Serios after which Mr. Braude declared this an important case and not a psychic fake.
The book reviewer, Mr. Desio, concludes his review by mentioning that the biggest criticism he has of psychics is their inability to use their psychic abilities to generate a nice profit for themselves. His final sentence indicates that to prove psychic abilities a psychic should be willing to make a big bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl, and we can only assume that by winning the bet the psychic would then prove they are psychic.
You can read the full review of the book at the Wall Street Journal online, and you can purchase the book by searching at your favorite eBookseller for the title: The Gold Leaf Lady and Other Parapsychological Investigations by Stephen E. Braude.
For more about real psychics visit arealpsychic.com home page.
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