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70 10 Tricks of the Psychics You Don’t Know

Ten Tricks of the Psychics

I Bet You Didn’t Know

(You Won’t Believe #6!)

Susan Gerbic

1. These people are very good, slick,
practiced, and fast.
Hollywood Medium’s Tyler Henry
claims he has already given over a thousand
readings, and he is only twenty-two years old.
When you look at people who have been in the
psychic business for ten or more years, those
people are on auto-pilot; the questions and
statements flow out of them naturally. To an
audience member who is watching them for the
first time, they appear to be making statements
that seem specific, but if you watch enough of
these readings you will see some of the same
“specific” statements come up over and over
again. Old photographs in a box, the sound of tears. Mark explained to the show’s producer income to spend. If you are one of the few that
keys or coins in a pocket, a fire in the house, that there was something not right with that; you gets called on, you are more likely to search for
someone fell off a horse, a bird came into the don’t want to say suicide unless you are very meaning and make the connections than to say,
house, a garden with roses—all are generalities sure. The producer interviewed the parents, and “They were horrible. What a waste of my
that seem specific. sure enough, they said that Althea had done money!”
readings for them before and the couple was Also, why would you be there if you
2. They use stooges, and sometimes it’s friends with Althea’s publisher who brought didn’t think communication with the dead was
you. them to this show. possible?
At another psychic show Mark and I
I’ve attended several psychic group
attended in 2017, after the event was over I 4. You were hot-read before the event.
readings, and it is pretty typical to arrive early
chatted with a woman who was so excited that If the psychic can get your name before
and find that the first couple rows are saved for
friends and the best fans. I purchase the VIP the psychic had given her a reading. She told me the event, then with a little Internet searching he
that this time her grandmother had come or she can discover a lot. When you sign up for
passes to these events and never get to sit in the
through, but last time she didn’t. Did you catch events, you give your email and some personal
very front row. When I chat up these front row
that? “This time… last time.” This was a woman information. I’ve had two psychics contact me
women (yes, they are usually women) I discover
who had already been read by the psychic; she after the event to thank me for attending. One
that they attend multiple shows in different
was a stooge and didn’t know it. I bet she gets
cities. They talk comfortably and with found me on Twitter, which was odd because the
read each time she is in the audience, as the
statements such as “he usually does this in his only way he could have done that was if he
psychic already knows her family. And as the
shows” or “in his show a couple days ago, he looked at the name on the credit card when I
woman was in her late sixties it is probably not purchased my ticket through Eventbrite. At no
said/did this….” Chip Coffey reserves a
much of a reach that at least one of her time did I use my real name other than the credit
segment of his show for something called
grandmothers is dead and most likely both. Even card. Hmmm…
“Coffey Talk,” which is where he chats with the
if she didn’t know her grandmothers, she did Mark Edward did a cold-reading
audience and answers questions. It was clear
have them. demonstration event at CSICon in 2017; the
from the questions that several of his fans knew
During the same show, a woman in green workshop was all skeptics, and you needed a
a lot about the TV shows Coffey had been on
a couple seats from us was getting a very
years ago. Some were fairly obscure questions separate ticket to attend. We obtained a list with
specific reading. She was dabbing at her eyes
only a true fan would know to ask. Later on, about fifty names of people who would be at the
with a tissue and was very convincing. But Mark
during the psychic part of the evening, he “read” workshop. All the list had was the name, city,
Edward had a better view and leaned over and and state. I spent about an hour going through all
one of these women with some specific
told me that there were no tears; she was the names using Facebook as my guide. I had no
statements. I guess you would call these people
pretending. We went to the after-party where problem finding about ten people who matched
psychic groupies; they are unaware that they are
everyone was given a copy of the psychic’s with the locations. By scrolling through their
being used as stooges and are honored that their
book, and when the psychic took the book from Facebook account, it was pretty obvious I had
dead family members always seem to come
the woman in green to autograph it, she said the right person.
through at each show. The regular audience who
“This time spell my name right. It has an I not an
is seeing Coffey for the first time think he is Almost all the accounts were “friends
E.” Hmmm…. Then later in this meet and greet
really accurate and don’t realize what is going only,” but that didn’t matter to me; enough of the
I asked the psychic if he had other psychics who
on. posts were visible, and sometimes photos,
he respected, and he said that he had several favorite books, movies, and favorite groups
Also, in that same event Coffey said that
students who were very promising, and he put were mentioned. If you scroll back far enough
he was getting a message about a psychic
his hand on the woman in green’s shoulder and people will always start wishing you a happy
business one of the audience women was
said “This is one.” birthday, congratulations, or condolences. All
thinking of opening. He made it sound like he
had received this information from the spirit gold to a psychic that plans to hot-read you.
3. We really want to believe. Photos are also ripe with information. Are you at
world, but I knew he had been chatting with the
woman during the break. These events aren’t cheap. Private a wedding, prom, anniversary party? Are you on
For Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! Show readings can be in the $250 to $900 range for vacation, skiing somewhere or maybe at the
“Talking to the Dead,” Mark Edward examined thirty minutes. Group shows are $40 to $180 a Olympics? Who are you with? Young children,
the incident of psychic Rosemary Althea seat, and VIP is right up front where they want grandparents, work buddies? They can also click
connecting with a couple’s daughter who had you. The farther back you sit, the less likely you on your friends’ accounts and get information
committed suicide. Althea snapped her fingers are going to get a reading. Remember the goal is about you from there.
and said, “She was gone like that,” and the to hook you into getting a private reading, so the
parents nodded their heads and wiped away psychic is looking for people with disposable (Continued on Page 71)