Page 86 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - Febrary/March 2020 Edition

86 Tricks of the Psychic Trade

Tricks of the Psychic

Trade

by Karen Stollznow Ph.D.

Psychic mediums perform one-on-one sessions
for sitters. Stage mediums typically offer
personal readings, but they also perform short
psychic readings to an audience. Unless the
stage medium performs a hot reading, otherwise
known as cheating, the main tool is cold reading.
This involves observation, psychology and
elicitation to provide the appearance of psychic
powers. Let's look at the typical formula used by
stage mediums, and explore some commonly
used linguistic and psychological techniques.
Naming is a fundamental part of any
psychic medium reading. The medium mentions
a common name, in order to find willing
subjects for readings. Additional names or
everyone with a thyroid disorder and Sylvia (and her spirit guide Francine) only
initials may be added, to narrow down the
recommending everyone take a lecithin answers one question per person. Doubtlessly,
contenders to a single subject. I recently
supplement. she had heard them all before, and she has a
witnessed a different technique used by up-and-
This is followed by more validation in stock reply for every question and situation.
coming medium Rebecca Rosen at her Denver
the form of a psychic reading of the deceased, She provided earthly advice, "I'm in a
show. She began her performance by reading a
and usually the subject too. Mediums give bad living situation," complained a woman.
list of names of spirits that had "lined up all day
horoscope-like personality readings that use "Move!" Sylvia commanded simply. She made
to leave messages for the audience." This way,
Barnum statements. These involve vague, ‘explicit' non-verifiable predictions,
the audience was already drawing connections
generalizations about character that can apply to "Will I find another lady?" "Yes. Within the next
to the names and preparing for a reading. Her list
many people. two years. Her name is Meredith." She
included:
For example, dispensed pat diagnoses for common, non-
Joe, Robert or Bob, Dan, Jerry, Nick,
You can be a very considerate person, specific health complaints, "I have a strange
Chris, Ben, Jesse, Corey, Katherine, Jim, Betty,
very quick to provide for others, but there are health issue," a woman reported. "I know,"
David, Bill, Dale, Kevin, Julie, Carol, Seymour,
times, if you are honest, when you recognize a replied Sylvia, "Get your thyroid checked."
Tyler, Taylor, Sherri, Rose, Abe, Ozzy, Joan,
selfish streak in yourself. I would say that on the Some readings exploited popular sympathy,
Doris, Dorothy, Shirley, Helen, Bernie, Pete,
whole you can be rather quiet, self-effacing "There isn't one 9/11 soul who didn't make it."
Don, Tom, Ed, John, Al, Scott and Pauline.
type, but when the circumstances are right, you But stock readings were her staple, "Your
This catalog of common names would
can be quite the life of the party if the mood father's here with me now. He's proud of you." If
resonate with any English-speaking audience.
strikes you. someone queried her reading, she'd reply
But as Ian Rowland, author of the Full Facts
Then they list a number of objects and indignantly, "That's what I said!" This
Book of Cold Reading once said to me, in a
occurrences that could be meaningful to most ‘clarification', and the audience's laughter,
large audience "The hard part would be to be
people: Rebecca Rosen mentioned a ring with a would confuse and embarrass the dissident into
find a name that wouldn't work." To safeguard
reset stone, a necklace with a broken clasp, a silence.Audiences are receptive to these tricks
against this slim possibility, Rosen also resorted
broken zipper, a rainbow, a broken phone, and because they are there to believe.
to the generic "Mom", "Dad", "Grandma" and
carrying spare change. These are non-specific The medium may make specific claims
"Grandpa." Merely hearing familiar names
items that give the illusion of specificity. that cannot be disproven at that time. On the
personalizes the performance for those who
Mediums often claim the spirits Montel Williams Show, Sylvia Browne made
don't receive an individual reading.
communicate via sights, sounds, and even the bold claim that an audience member was the
I call the listing of names the "Magic
smells. This frames the spirit world in a way the love child of an affair, "Your father is not your
Mirror Effect," after the former children's
living can understand, as an extension of the father." The woman was shocked at first, but
television show Romper Room. At the end of
natural world. John Edward claims most of his soon started to relate to the claim; admitting that
each episode the host pretended that she could
messages are visual; the spirits point to parts of she never felt like she "belonged in the family."
see the viewers through her "Magic Mirror." She
their bodies to reveal their cause of death, or I saw Sylvia perform live in Salt Lake
would recite a list of random names, to give the
show him something to communicate to the City. She gives a lecture to her audience and
impression that her farewell is personalized.
subject. Edward then uses a common trick, then does some select individual readings,
After a few episodes, even kids realize that the
posing who-what-where-why questions as choosing her subjects via a raffle ticket system.
host can't actually "see" them. This stage act
statements to elicit information from the subject. Sylvia (and her spirit guide Francine) only
works on adults too, if our vulnerability and
For example, "He's showing me a book. What answers one question per person. Doubtlessly,
grief permit us to believe.
does this mean?" she had heard them all before, and she has a
Once a subject has been chosen, the
These strategies tailor the reading to fit stock reply for every question and situation.
medium attempts to validate the reading by
the subject, meanwhile making the subject do
supplying detail. Firstly, they guess the cause of
the work by making the connections. This is a (Continued on Page 87)
death. Some mediums claim to be medical
process known as subjective validation, when
intuitives or empathetic; that is, able to feel the
the subject finds personal meaning in the
physical pain and symptoms of a living or
reading. As Ian Rowland says," In the course of
deceased subject's illness, enabling diagnosis, or
a successful reading, the psychic may provide
identification of the cause of death. But no one
most of the words, but it is the client that
is ever diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease;
provides most of the meaning and all of the
mediums cite statistically common illnesses and
significance."
causes of death. Cancer and heart disease are
I saw Sylvia perform live in Salt Lake
perennial favorites, but most mediums have
City. She gives a lecture to her audience and
their failsafe diagnoses and cures. For example,
then does some select individual readings,
Sylvia Browne is known for diagnosing
choosing her subjects via a raffle ticket system.