Can Psychics Read Minds?

Are psychics mind readers?

No, psychics can’t read your mind. 

Science would claim that psychic mediums engage in a practice called “cold reading.” This practice is defined cynically by people that don’t believe in spirituality or have been scammed by unethical people claiming psychic powers. 

The official description of “cold reading” is “creating the impression that they (the psychic) know significant information about a person, even though they have no prior knowledge.” As a medium, I disagree with this definition; despite acknowledging the existence of bad actors that steal people’s money.

As a medium, I am perceiving something regarding the question via two methods: Tarot cards and the querent’s disposition. When I read a person, I am using the cards as a guide for our conversation. The symbols of the cards provide a language or code that can be used to relay a message to the querent regarding their question. Intuition helps with interpreting the symbols in a way that provides an answer to the querent’s question.

From a strictly materialist perspective, mediums are communicating a message drawn from various sources: tone of voice, body language (if the reading is via Zoom), probability, and knowledge of Tarot symbols. Trained mediums are sensitive to all of these things and collect this information in a live reading. Perception plays a critical role in what mediums do, and there’s no use in denying it. 

A lot of mediums resist the characterization of what they do as “cold reading.” I don’t take offense, mainly because I don’t deny that I am collecting sense perceptions, symbols, and communication cues to deliver a message. Where I disagree with the scientific consensus is the charge of unethical conduct and the denial of the existence of spirits.

Why do scientists think mediums are unethical?

Some people claiming to be mediums use techniques that mislead people. Here are a few of them:

• Barnum statements - these are statements that can apply to almost anyone. If I say to a person, “You really want people to like you,” it sounds true, but that’s a general statement. This can’t be used to argue that a medium has information from a supernatural source.

• Shotgunning - this is when a medium tells you that they have information from a spirit, but it’s something general. They might say something like, “This spirit has a ‘J-name,’ it could be their first or last name. Do you have any family members that fit that description?” This is super broad and will apply to more people, so it makes the medium look more effective. 

• Rainbow ruse - this is using a personality trait to describe a person, but also crediting them with the opposite. As humans, we are complex creatures, so we experience a full range of emotions that can sometimes be contradictory. Acknowledging this is not proof of extrasensory perception.

• Ignoring the misses - some mediums will ignore when they say something that isn’t true. Because their statement turned out not to land, they will rephrase or change the meaning of what they already said so that it matches reality. 

• Playing the odds - some mediums will use what they know about statistics to make it look like they know more about clients than they can know. Knowing the likelihood of something doesn’t automatically make someone psychic.

• Hot readings - some mediums will research a person and gather personal information about them to create the illusion of psychic powers. Sometimes they’ll combine this with cold reading to sound even more convincing.

Look out for these when speaking to mediums. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams in the spiritual community. Ethical mediums counsel clients based on what the cards reveal and what they can sense about the situations being asked about. They never pretend to have abilities they don’t have. Instead, mediums can acknowledge that they use their logic and reasoning when reading clients as well as receive guidance from spirit guides in the process.