I used to be professional psychic. I was a fraud; there is clearly no such thing. AMaA!

Can I have a fake psychic reading?

Specific stuff for you -

You're caring and you want to look after something that you call your own (maybe a child), but you don't want it because you don't have enough trust in yourself that you'll be able to care for it properly. You have bigger hurdles to overcome before you'll be properly confident in yourself to make such a commitment.

In that respect though, you know your own weaknesses and what's 'going wrong' and you're actively working to change that; it takes a big person to know when to need help and support. Your fiancee has been amazingly supportive, even though you've taken a lot of things out on her, she's tolerated it and she's helped you through it. Saying that, she can be just as awkward as you are; you both know it.

You should probably work on your diet; but don't worry, because I'm a hypocrit for saying it. You have an almost pretentious preference to the original book, rather than the film version, regardless of how the good the film actually was. You have no idea what you want to do with your life, so you take great interest in learning about other peoples and their journeys, because you're trying to figure out your own route to somewhere.

You've just not yet realised, that there is no route. Nobody has a path, shit just happens and people adjust; so perhaps too much of your energy is being spent on worry about where you are in comparison to other people, instead of looking back on the personal development and strides you've made in overcoming your own issues that are superb; you don't appreciate how much you've grown as a person and you need to.

Edit: 08/03/2013- Sorry guys, I really can't give everybody a psychic reading, because they just take too long. However, if you you donate some money ($5 will do it) to JREF (of which I am not associated), then I'm sure I'll spend some time coming up with something for you.

I thought you said psychics weren't real...

It's odd, because it's all probably mostly true for you, but readings in general are either bullshit because -

a. it's claimed to come from a higher source of power (i.e., a god, spirit)

b. its true for so many people that it has no value

What I just did for you; that was more a hot-reading, where I spent some time reading your post history and deducing and making an observation based on what you'd said. It was specific to you; references to your partner, panic attacks and an bit of analysis on them (whilst allowing room for error), but it's not impressive.

Anybody can do that; it would be impressive if your great-great uncle appeared to me and told me that information, but he didn't. He never does, to anybody. Nobody does, to anybody. Regardless, if it was an accurate interpretation, maybe you found it interesting; because I really wasn't just taking shots in the dark.

As a person who interprets other people for a living, historically and currently, those were my impressions of you; they just weren't based on any spiritual conversation; maybe with a bit of flair thrown in for dramatic effect.

A) I'm glad you told me how you did that (effectively saving my sanity). B) I like the reading a lot more now. It's nice to have an outside perspective on oneself.

You really do have a gift, not a super natural one mind you, but a gift none the less.

He can bullshit pretty good.

I was referring to his deductive reasoning, but he certainly does have a knack for bullshitting.

The two traits must be correlated, at least.

Wow. I know that what you just said is probably standard fare for a psychic to say, but when you dropped that nugget of philosphic wisdom pertaining to there being no path, you made my jaw drop. Shit, I am a proud atheist, hate astrology, psychics, all of that shit because of the fraud they represent, yet after reading your post, I would pay to receive "advice" like that. I've never heard something like that before... that there is no path. Your observation is just wonderful.

A lot of what I write, although much is general and under a guise of spiritualism, it does have my own views and belief; have a search for the question about death and my example reponse; death isn't important, it doesn't matter and even though it sucks, that person will live on forever in minds and hearts, and their whole body and essence is broken down into the world, the thought that some day, I will be part of a tree, I find quite poetic. I don't need a religion or a god to reassure me .

Everything I've written in the threads is really my own work, thoughts and interpretation, there has been no duplication, copy pasting etc. Like I've said, everything in it is true, it's just not come from a wizard in the sky. A similar service that's just advice would probably be good, but it doesn't come as neatly packaged as spiritualism.

Right here. I wrote it before you even showed up. Don't worry about the other comments, you can skip them.

Damnit! I fit into that cookie cutter answer hahaha!

Don't worry, I did a specific one for you.

Would you/ Have you considered fighting the good fight in helping the JREF expose other frauds?

That's an interesting question. In what way would I be able to help them? Other than confirm what they already know, I don't know if they'd be able to put me to any use or I'd be able to give them anything. It's hardly ground-breaking stuff and I wasn't famous enough for it to be earth shattering.

The BBC contacted me after my last AMA and asked me to do an interview as part of an exposé, I was going to, but unfortunately, life got in the way and I ended up forgetting and nothing came of it.

Your knowledge (and apparently extensive skill) in hot and cold readings would be helpful in identifying when/how somebody is using such tactics.

I.e. some fraud comes along claiming psychic powers and stumps a panel of people attempting to debunk said fraud. You spot what tactic the fraud is using, and bingo bango, bob's your uncle.

I'd probably enjoy the irony of exploiting psychics for money.

Why did you it, whats in it for you, besides money, in tricking people in the way you did

I needed a job, I was supporting myself and my (now ex) partner. It was a vague listing for creative writing on a job website. They gave me the job on the spot and given my financial circumstance, at the time it was my only option. It was literally money and there was no other enjoyment or reason for doing it.

You should prove your ability to be a fake psychic by answer questions before they come.

Haha, nicely done.

1. Why did you do it?
2. How did you get into it?
3. How can you live with yourself?
4. You're a disgrace to humanity
5. Who are the famous-fakes?
6. What do you think of people who still do it?
7. How do I learn to cold read?
8. Did you get much psychic poontang?
9. What did you do before / what do you do now?
10. How much did you personally make doing readings?

Those are my guesses.

Edit: I can't even believe I didn't get this one. That was a basic.

Edit: I can't even believe I didn't get this one. That was a basic.

So I guess we can confirm you're a fake psychic.

Ha, I saw it and kicked myself. I was honestly really tempted to change my list to reflect it, but I'm a changed man.

Do you remember a certain person or reading that stood out to you?

Ooph, that's a tough question. There are certainly a lot of people that come to mind. I think the main person, that just blew my mind, was a woman who would use the SMS service and would ask -

Does [Steve] love me? Does he want to be with me? Will we be together?

She sent her first text at 07:00 when she woke up and would send it every 20 minutes until 23:00 when she went to sleep. At first, because everything has to be positive, a lot of the replies went like this -

I feel a love of love and energy around you and [Steve], it is only a matter of time before this energy blah blah

And that's all she ever said. She never replied in a conversation, she'd just send that.

At $7 per SMS, it was a lot, for months.

Then, one day the message changed. She sent the following -

Why does nobody at [place of work] talk to me? Were they laughing at me before?

That a fairly big moment, at the time, because she had become well known in the company, given we had to come up with a unique response every time; we hated getting her text messages and would bounce her around from person to person just to give ourselves a break.

It turns out, over a period of months, that she's never even spoken to [Steve], he's just a guy that works in her office and that in her office, she isn't liked. Nobody spoke to her, they'd laugh at her and make fun of her because she owned a lot of cats. It was horrible.

After this came to light, there was a heavy change from the lovey-dovey stuff, to a more progressive -

I feel that there are other things in your life that you should focus on blah blah

I always wonder what happened to her.

For some reason reading this story really broke my heart. I guess I just can't fathom how lonely she must have felt :( I hope she is okay.

Edit: autocorrect

Unfortunately, a lonely person is a charlatans gold mine. She must have spent thousands over a period of months.

This is absolutely true. Here in México there are many advertisings like

$uccesful but alon€?

1234 5678

That's shocking, that's not even subtle.

Oh gosh this made me incredibly sad...

It's bad enough that she's a lonely cat lady, and her office mates are mean to her...

But the fact that she paid so much of her hard earned money and looked towards your "fake" psychic company as a means for an answer from her sad life just kills me :(

I understand, I hated her for it. I wanted to grab her and shake her, but obviously couldn't.

have you ever watched the mentalist? and if so is your reason for leaving the psychic thing behind similar?

Honestly? It sounds ridiculous but I swear it's true. The company was 'invested' by a group of rich folk, who wanted to experiment selling their products using NLP to the vulnerable people using the services; that was around the time I realised I seriously needed to jack it in. One day, my boss started shouting at me and I just walked out.

What is NLP in this context??

It's pretty much just NLP, except for profit rather than self-help. Essentially, they were planning on using words/phrases/conditioning to make people buy certain books, foods, etc. Not all was NLP, some was just blatant - "Yeah, you're dead wife thinks you should buy these new Nike trainers"

Holy shit! What products did you recommend to people??

None. None at all. The products were nothing outstanding or noteworthy, mostly books and related merch.

Riiiight. I was confused about that because NLP in my world means Natural Language Processing, and is a computer science research topic. I came across this version of it recently, in an ad for some shitty seminar thing offering to teach NLP for a fee.

Good thing he didn't say CBT then...

What are you getting at? I only know that as cognitive behavioural therapy, and AFAIK its a legitimate thing?

NSFW Wikipedia entry CBT

Oh wow. Didn't need to wake up to that. You got me there, touché.

Do you ever feel guilty about being a fraud?

I think that's a fair question.

Overall? Yes. I'm not proud of having done it, I don't like to share that part of my employment with co-workers or friends, because it demonstrates a side to me that really only existed because of necessity; it doesn't represent who I am as a human being or as a person. People will instantly judge me because of it, without consideration to other parts of my life or my current work, where I'd say I generally make a positive impact in the world.

Specifically, I said in an earlier reply; as much as I hated doing it, I wouldn't change the fact that I've done, simply because I did learn so much in the time I spent; not the fraud part, but cold reading, awareness, maturity, etc. I think I'm also pretty resentful that such a thing exists in our society, but sadness too, because I also know there's not much that can be done about it; there will always be some form of exploitation, illegal or not.

Thanks for answering. I can understand necessity creating this opportunity for you.

Another question: Do you feel that there are any form of psychic abilities which are valid or real?

Absolutely not. I just wrote a reply that might express it in more detail here. Either people are consciously aware that they are exploiting other people or they have serious mental issues that need to be addressed with a mental health professional.

I appreciate this AMA because I feel most "psychics" who work for big companies are Cold Readers.....However myself and relatives have had enough uncanny experiences that I still do feel there is an aspect to life that is beyond convential explanation all the time. I would agree though that most are quicker to exploit that kind of belief in other people, often for bad purposes..... ETA I just moved this under this post you made 3 minutes ago....We were thinking the same thing apparently...lol

That's an interesting perspective. So, obviously you have a certain belief, so I'm going to try not to be a dick about it; there are just some things that I'd like to address.

I feel most "psychics" who work for big companies are Cold Readers

I worked for a company that had about 15 employees, including accountant, IT, HR and the actual psychics. They accounted for about 80% of the non-TV advertising in the UK and about 10% of America. People would contact different adverts with the same questions, looking for different responses and it would go through to the same variation of six or so people. There are no mega-corporations in the game, but it is a game.

However myself and relatives have had enough uncanny experiences that I still do feel there is an aspect to life that is beyond convential explanation all the time

This is your belief and it's great that you have something. I think it's just teetering to the right direction; because you're obviously skeptical of "some", but have yet to look into it enough to just give you that push over the edge into realising that there really is no such thing. The idea that "Some are fake, but some are real" is enthralling. Everything that you have experienced is explainable in such a way that it is dull.

Just briefly, let's say that a 1 - 1,000,000 thing happens. One in one million chance. We're thinking "shit! That's amazing! It's a miracle!", yet the reality is, that's underestimating the number of things that could happen and have happened at any one time in history. On your fingernail, there are billions of individual cells. One molecule, just one out of billions, just so happened to be in that place at that specific time; it could have been in 100,000,000,000,000 other places every second that has ever happened in the last 100,000,000,000,000 years in at least 100,000,000,000 dimensions of reality.

When you think about it - think about what the ultimate chance of that one molecule ending up on your fingernail is - too many zeros to type - but still, it did. That's exactly where it ended up. When you step back and you think about it, having a one-in-a-million chance is chump change. Yes, these numbers are beyond our tiny minds comprehension; and still, "uncanny experiences", no matter how unlikely, have already been eclipsed billions and trillions times over simply by the shape of your fingernail. Infinitesimal odds take place all around and inside you, all of the time and guessing a name, age, anything like that; in comparison, is not impressive at all.

So your saying those books I...er my friend bought on how to kill someone with your mind are a fraud?

Oh well then can you recommend what ordinary office equipment would be best for cracking a human skull?

Use the book. It's the best use you'll get out of it.

If you had eleven fingers, how would you use your eleventh finger to your advantage??

My typing speed would increase by about 10%!

Did anyone ever question you? Did you ever tell any of your clients the truth?

Did anyone ever question you?

Question the psychics? Yeah, quite a lot. Some people would do it for the sake of taking the piss when they were bored, some people would want 'proof' before they would take you seriously.

Don't hate me for this, but the latter was rarely a problem. Truth be told, I was good at it. People who are 'testing' you believe in it, so you're not trying to convince somebody that doesn't believe. Believers who are 'skeptical' are just as vulnerable to being exploited, because that belief is there and as long as you know what you're doing, it's no an obstacle. I'd estimate that 8/10 people who wanted proof, would be satisfied with the 'test' questions.

Did you ever tell any of your clients the truth?

Some of them knew. Most people, I found, just wanted somebody to talk to and vent. Most of what I said was just straight forward advice, rarely did I reply in a 'spiritual' manner. One women knew me by [real] name and knew my hours of work, she'd ask for me specifically and just sit texting me for hours about non-psychic things.

People turn to the spiritual and all religion when they're unsure and feel like they need an answer or some guidance; from my experience, an objective take on their situation was often good enough, it didn't need to be spiritual.

Did you stay in contact with the lady that knew you by name after you left?

Me and a coworker from there that I stayed in touch with Facebook'd her and sent her a message. She replied a nice message, because we had quit several months earlier; but that was that really. I didn't want to start a personal relationship. It was really just to explain what happened and why everybody just went away; the company went bust after we left, but she wasn't to know that.

What was the craziest experience that you've had as a "psychic"? Did you follow a particular script?

There was no script or pre-written messages, everything was ad-hoc; it has to be. Obviously, there are lots of vague statements that would come up over and over, because people generally ask the same questions.

Crazy experience? When a world-renowned psychic came into the office in order to pick up some scripts he had ordered (these are generalised profiles that they will memorise and recall on command during a group reading). 99% of anybody 'famous' knows it's bullshit. The other 1% have mental health problems and they believe they are.

I want that to be Derek Acorah.

Derek is a prick.

Which psychic was it?

Nice try, different fake psychics lawyer.

Did that experience help you to date girls ? Do you use your knowledges in this domain nowadays ?

Erm, for me personally? No. There's a lot of psychic-poon to be had, people would throw themselves at you in the hope of getting closer to you; which isn't really my thing and I thought was pretty despicable. These days, it's too manipulative to use when flirting/dating. I think there's a fine line and it's a very, very creepy one to cross.

I work for a large online psychic website doing CS, and everything revolving around this line of work..is crazy. The amount of insane frauds, crazy gypsy scams(seriously), downright addicted single mothers, crazy old Russian ladies, promotion abusers, crackheads, people calling from DEEP in the Ozarks...man. Shit is intense. OP you're insane for talking to these crazy people.

edit : spells

I'm sorry - CS?

Sorry, should have clarified. I work phones doing customer support for a large psychic website based in the US.

Ahhh I see. Thing is, most of the people I worked there knew the whole thing was a scam. Others still believed it ("well, we might be lying, but there are people who are really psychic!") and management would fight to the death in front of them that they were right, whilst in front of the people like myself who were clearly aware it was a scam, would laugh about it and indulge in ways they've exploited people doing it.

Most people though, they were pretty normal - just a job to support their kids, whatever. It's the customers that are badshit crazy. A lot of people just wanted a bit of advise and support, 3% of them wanted to know when their dead dog was going to come back from the grave in human form to begin a romantic relationship.

3% of them wanted to know when their dead dog was going to come back from the grave in human form to begin a romantic relationship.

It's scary that this made-up number is so high.

There was perhaps some exaggeration of the specific number of people that wanted that exact situation to happen.

I don't blame you for giving the job a go, but, having seen all this first hand, do you think it should be illegal to charge money for so called 'psychic' services? I know I do. I equate it to false advertisement and con artistry.

Absolutely. I would make all forms of quackery illegal where money is exchanged; unless there is actual, scientific evidence that it is more effective than a placebo or such thing actually exists. No more holistic medicine. No more Chinese herbs. Parent's who don't get their child vaccinated are investigated by Child Protection for endangerment. I would create channels for people to 'report' cons and using the fines imposed to fund counseling for anti-cult organisations.

If somebody believes in it and they go to a spiritualist church, where no donations or money charged, then that's their right as human beings in a free world. However, I would not allow for money to be exchanged, as that is the cause of the manipulation in the first place. People can exercise their beliefs, but would (hopefully) remove the financial attraction of doing so; protecting the vulnerable, which is what any 'psychic' ultimately does.

Thats kinda stepping on people's rights. besides alot of western medicine has evolved out of holistic crap(yes, i think most of it is crap) I believe asprin was originally derived from willows bark, they was using that shit in like 400 BC. Bees venom has just been proven to destroy HIV. Alot these herbs have acctually medicinal value, just not quite the miracle drugs they are hyped up to be.

Thats kinda stepping on people's rights.

I'm not saying that I'd be a great dictator.

I believe asprin was originally derived from willows bark

Very much so - but we're at least at point in science and technological advancement where we know that they're functional and have an effect. As long as it stands up against a placebo, that's all good in my book. If people want placebos, they can have as many as they like; it's about the money that gets exploited from other peoples vulnerability that annoys me.

I agree some of the proposals would step on people's rights.

However, I am sure there are laws which could be written that strengthen a persons right to sue a company like this man worked at.

In addition the laws on the books might very well make this practice illegal. Perhaps if the police were to thoroughly investigate this mans former employer they might unconver some laws being broken.

My former statement leads me to question if the employees at this horrible business had a script they needed to follow, and if they deviated from that script what were the repercussions? Additionally I wonder what their lawyer budget was...

Had a script they needed to follow, and if they deviated from that script what were the repercussions?

No script - everything was written ad-hoc. In fact, we'd get in trouble if we ever said the same thing twice.

I wonder what their lawyer budget was...

The phrase "for entertainment value only" was their friend.

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How did you get people to believe what you said?

The thing is, Timber, what is said isn't untrue; but there are twists. It's called Cold Reading. They look at what you, listen to what you've said and twist vague statements that fit the situation. You come in and your shirt isn't ironed? Yeah, you have problems with professionalism and it might hold you back. Perfectly ironed shirt? You can be too uptight sometimes, so don't be afraid to relax. You've been crying? Well, sometimes you can get very emotional and this is a good thing, because you've got such a big heart and people love you for it.

You're a bit chunky? There's at least one member of your family that died of a heart attack - and they look similar to you, at least in some facial features. You've never met them? Oh, then it's your great-great grandad, but don't worry; oh hey, have you looked at jobs recently? Because there's one out there for you and you're going towards it, just keep going and you'll come across one. The ones you don't get? Nah, don't worry - that wasn't the one for you.

See? It's easy. It's observation. Focus on the hits. Quickly move on from the misses. Let people fill in their own blanks ("There's somebody looking after you, - he died quite a while ago, but wants you to know that he's watching out for you", "...Is it Paul?" "Why yes, yes it is" etc). What is said is true, but it doesn't come from a higher authority. Sometimes, they'll make outlandish guesses and that's either hot reading (somebody has told them beforehand) or because statistics are on their side.

[deleted]

You, reading this right now. You're a bit socially awkward sometimes. You're a smart guy, but sometimes you don't really know where to place yourself in situations that you're not used to. In your circle of friends, you're usually the glue that holds them together, because you're flexible and easy going; although sometimes, out of that situation, you can land in trouble and there have been at least two occasions where you've said something and instantly regretted it.

You're a proud person when it comes to things you care about; your hobbies and interests, you take great pride in, but your mistake is sometimes you don't realise that not everybody has the same interests and you can get carried away talking about it. Obviously though, that passion is something that will get you very far and take you to good places when you learn to tame it and focus it towards the right people.

You dream big, but sometimes you get too caught up in the reality and you can lose focus on them. Instead of saying "Yeah, lets go for that" which will open up doors for you, you say "No, let's stay where I know I'll succeed". You miss that risks are a big part of life and of course, there will be times where you fail, but the successes will be worth every failure, a million times over. Successes and failures are subjective. Sometimes what seems like a failure, will lead to a bigger success and only when looking back will you appreciate it.

Don't be scared of getting older, either, or you'll become that guy who acts all desperate in order to fit in and that's something you've always wanted to avoid. You've got your own niche and you should keep filling that niche, where you'll always fit right in.

Edit: 08/03/2013- Sorry guys, I really can't give everybody a psychic reading, because they just take too long. However, if you you donate some money ($5 will do it) to JREF (of which I am not associated), then I'm sure I'll spend some time coming up with something for you.

[deleted]

Haha, good to know that I still have it... I think. I did a very quick glance at your post history. I saw references to car based subreddits, a submission to /r/adviceanimals and a reference to Pokemon. That's what I went from, instead of being able to read your face/features/clothes, etc.

Everything in that was generic stuff (Who doesn't end up boring people at some time or another?) but with the occasional twist that fitted what I'd assumed/seen of you based on your post history. Anybody can do it.

And I thought you were just reading for a generic Redditor.

Haha, I was; that's the beauty of it. I went with the passion thing, because of the number of car posts; which he's obviously interested in. Anybody with any hobby, that applies to. The dreams thing, was because I saw he'd said something about a car he wanted being $300k (or something). That's the thing about readings though, if you do it right, you can never really be wrong; it applies to everybody, but I took 'inspiration' of what to say, based on a quick glance about his person/profile, because they will hold more importance to him - and if they were wrong assumptions, they're still so general that they'll apply to him in some way regardless.

Edit: I was going to do a quick one for you, but came across this post in your history -

I had an extremely realistic dream last night that I had two dicks, perfectly proportioned, one right above the other. I spent the dream A) measuring them, and B) trying to convince an amorphous girl to do double penetration. In the dream, I was not able to utilize these dicks in the desired manner, and the top dick was slightly bigger than the bottom one. That is all.

And that's something I'm seriously not qualified to address.

Bro, you just described 90 percent of reddit.

And only 1 downvote.

This is awesome hahaha!

Accurate? It should apply to quite a few people, but I did throw a few things in that should hold specific weight with Timber.

Sounds generic. I could con myself into believing that.

Haha, yeah because it is generic - but people do con themselves into believing it, when they're under the impression it's from a source of authority. People that do genuinely believe in this stuff will really take anything you say as 100% true, it can be scary.

my sisters went to a psychic last week and came back with a lot of specific information about our family. a "prediction" came true within the next day, was it just a coincidence?

This was my take on another persons experience. Write your stuff up if you'd like and I'll give you my opinion. Coincidence? No. It was probably true, but it was either an educated guess or statistically likely.

it was about my sister's boyfriend getting a job in construction and he got a call the next day to interview for a construction job that he ended up getting

That's a total coincidence; but what she said wasn't.

90% certain that she already knew "construction" was the field of employment, so it probably came up somewhere else in passing. If she didn't know what his field of work was in, either it was a lucky guess that could have been based on anything (even just that she established your sisters financial situation and took a guess at a likely job for her partner based on that) OR she said something like "Your partner will be getting a job in his particular field soon" and then your sister has kinda filled in the blanks when repeating the conversation.

As far as actually getting the job goes, eventually, in that field, people will get employment somewhere; even if it's hanging around outside Walmart with some Mexicans. If he applied for enough, he's going to get a call eventually. The timing of the call was just a coincidence. If it had been in three weeks time, it's still confirmation of what was said. Given the situation, there was no way that she could be wrong; but not because she had spiritual knowledge.

ok cool, they totally must have gotten some kind of info from my sisters to make that prediction then

Possibly, but it's not something that will be remembered well; so it might have been for example -

I sense you're having money worries?

Well, my boyfriend hasn't been in work for a while, but the construction industry is dead these days so it's hard

Ah yes, I can feel that it's had a strain on your relationship too?

Sometimes

Well, blah blah blah relationship stuff

10 minutes later

I also think he'll be getting a call from a building site soon...

But because the conversation moved on quickly, to something of more interest, the per-cursor is forgotten so it seems like a correct 'hit', even though she didn't actually predict or know anything. It's just manipulation that people don't realise they're being put through.

Did anyone ever confess anything illegal to you? Were you obligated to contact authorities?

Ooph, another tough one. Yes and no. Some people would hint - because they felt guilty or wanted to know if they'll get away with it. One that I remember was simply "Does my mum know that I took her money?" and I read it and just thought "Shit, how the fuck am I going to deal with this one?", made a brew and tried to guilt trip them into returning it.

Thing is, it's hearsay; we have limited information. The example above was just that; no history, no name, nothing. Just a mobile number. Any admission of guilt could just be a friend fucking around on their phone or any number of situations. We had to call the police/ambulance a few times, because people were killing themselves, etc.

Ah, I see. But nothing too serious? No murderers/rapists?

I do not doubt that I have spoken to and very possibly justified a crime for another person, but unfortunately, it's not something that I'm aware of.

How do you think The Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo, gives such specific information when she allegedly doesn't know the name of the person before she does a reading?

I've never heard of her before, but after looking her up and seeing that it's also reality TV, I have no doubt that this is hot reading (as opposed to cold reading, where you make guesses based off appearance, etc. hot reading is when you know beforehand).

I would say there is a producer or a researcher, who does a pre-interview (i.e., "who do you want to contact, etc.?"). The research then shares this information with the crew, including the staff / assistant of the Medium, who in turn feeds it back. The producer may even casually leave the pre-interview notes unattended for denability.

It is not unheard of for Mediums to bug the lobby or lounge of their performance and have researchers listen out for conversation for beforehand, whilst using plants to walk around and encourage people to open up underneath the microphone.

whilst using plants to walk around and encourage people...

I realize that "plants" refers to someone that has been planted there by the psychic.

At first though I was thinking of Scooby Doo style sneaking. Just a guy behind a palm tree asking people to open up.

It's basically the same thing though!

You'll be sat chilling behind the lobby Yukka plant, and a family walks past - you overhear "Oh I hope grandma come through!" as they walk past. BAM. There's your first hit, take that and roll with it. Then make a huge sandwich.

How much money did you make? How much money was the company you worked for making?

I'd keep about 30% of each pound I made, plus a base rate that was an alright amount over minimum wage. In a month, my working rate would average out at about $18 p/h (that's about right, that's a $ estimate, rather than £).

Eighteen dollars per pound-hour, got it

-an Murican

This was the first thing I read when I woke up and I must have read it four times trying to understand what it meant, before I realised, that was the point.

How do you tell someone when they are going to die? Is there a list of possibilities or do you just get creative with it?

Predicting something like that, at least in the UK, opens yourself up to a lot of legal issues so the conversation would be diverted whilst vaguely addressing the death question. Would you like an example of what I'd have said in response to the question?

An example would be appreciated.

Something like -

You must understand that although we see death as the loss of a loved one, that there is no ultimate end; should somebody depart this plane, they simply move to the next and continue to exist in our world, in our hearts and our minds. Essentially, they will live forever within us.

I'm curious about your skills of reading people and extrapolation - may we play a game?

Given only of the following information can you identify (guess):

• my nationality?
• my favourite book series?
• my degree subject?

(you could also look through my comment history, but where's the fun in that?)

So!

• I'm a 19 year old male
• I am ginger
• I play video games as a hobby, and upload them online for people to watch (let's play, the hobby is known as)
• I enjoy attention - I perform improvised comedy, and hold social committee positions
• I daydream frequently
• I regularly design and plan video games, card games, board games and almost started writing a book series centered on magic destroying the earth.
• I really love to read, but scarcely have time anymore. (Or at least, that's what I tell myself) but I love a good storyline and comedy.
• I am in a relationship that's lasted 11 months so far.

I know that this isn't really what psychics do, but I imagine you build up a knowledge base after a while in the job.

Okay, so I really promise you, I've not checked your post history.

That last statement might be evident, depending on how accurate it turns out to be. I'm trying to be as specific as possible and avoiding generalisations that would apply to many people. I'll be checking out your post history as soon as I press save, but I'll specify any edits I make to the post.

Nationality - UK, possibly Irish (NI or RoI)

Favourite Books - LOTR / GoT

Degree Subject - Media or something related; my guesses are

• a. Journalism (maybe a career aspiration)
• b. Video game design (lame guess)

Extra things -

• This is your second relationship.

• She/he broke up with you, suddenly.

• Possibly cheated on you.

• Same-sex relationship, maybe.

• You didn't have many friends in high school.

• You have several groups of friends; one circle for games, one for comedy, etc.

• Always thought of yourself as unable to fit in or being the odd one out

• You want to be able to play the guitar.

• Tried to play a guitar, got bored of it.

• You enjoyed Children of Men (or you will if haven't seen it)

• Own an android phone

• You want a SGS3, if you could afford it.

• You don't have a kindle, but you want an e-reader.

• You'd vote Lib-Dem, if you didn't despise politicians.

• Possibly on the overweight side of things

• But you've lost weight over the last year or two

• Skyrim - 100+ hours

Edit #1 - added bulletpoints, correct spelling mistakes.

Nationality - UK -Yep

Favourite Books - LOTR / GoT -Terry Pratchett's Discworld, but GoT is a close second

Degree Subject - Media or something related; my guesses are

• a. Journalism (maybe a career aspiration)
• b. Video game design (lame guess)

- Video game design was a good guess, actually xP

I'm a computer science student, going into computer games!

Extra things -

• This is your second relationship. -Yes, although I wasn't invested in the first one.

• She/he broke up with you, suddenly. -'Fraid not; mutual.

• Possibly cheated on you. -If she did, I haven't heard about it xD

• Same-sex relationship, maybe. -Nope. I will always like breasts :)

• You didn't have many friends in high school. -Very true until year 11, then I don't know what counts as 'many'

• You have several groups of friends; one circle for games, one for comedy, etc. -Bingo was his name-o

• Always thought of yourself as unable to fit in or being the odd one out -I personally (you can ask the gf if you want a second opinion!) am proud I fit in well to... everywhere :P

• You want to be able to play the guitar.

• Tried to play a guitar, got bored of it. -No ta. My elder brother plays; it'd be like treason to him if I ever tried. Never really wanted to.

• You enjoyed Children of Men (or you will if haven't seen it) -I MUST WATCH THIS IMMEDIATELY.

• Own an android phone -Not yet, I plan to when my Blackberry contract runs out.

• You want a SGS3, if you could afford it. -Embarrassingly, I had to google that. Shiiiney....

• You don't have a kindle, but you want an e-reader. -I don't have a kindle, but I prefer a good book. I have been tempted, but not yet swayed fully.

• You'd vote Lib-Dem, if you didn't despise politicians. -Lib-dem until the Nick Clegg debacle, but I don't care about politics on the most part, so I don't have a party anymore.

• Possibly on the overweight side of things

• But you've lost weight over the last year or two -Nope. I'm 184cm/82kg of muscle with only a hint of flab since I stopped climbing and running.

• Skyrim - 100+ hours *-Yep. Have you ever heard of the elder strolls?

That's some sexy extrapolation from what I gave you (and true for approximately 80% of my coursemates), and thank you very much for your time. Although now I must ask: would you share your thought process with us?

What did you guess, calculate or just roll with on statistical evidence?

(tl;dr - not bad, although almost certainly bang on the money for my course-mates. And thank you very much for playing along with some random dick on reddit - can I bother you for your reasoning on these answers?)

Wuvs <3

EDIT: I just read your comment above about further questions - if you want to keep going, feel free! I have nothing worth hiding xD

Haha, it really wasn't meant to be specific for your coursemates, I suppose it shows Barnum Statements exist even when they wouldn't. I'll give you a quick run-down of the logic, because I have a few things I need to do today and can't spend all day typing.

This is your second relationship. -Yes, although I wasn't invested in the first one.

She/he broke up with you, suddenly. -'Fraid not; mutual.

Possibly cheated on you. -If she did, I haven't heard about it xD

Same-sex relationship, maybe. -Nope. I will always like breasts :)

You said "11 months, so far", which I took "so far" as meaning you weren't expecting it to last long or it was your longest relationship to date, because you added the time element to the wording. You mentioned about comedy/acting/theater, also you use very emotion-centered words when it comes to talking about yourself/other people you care about, so my gaydar twitched a little bit.

You didn't have many friends in high school. -Very true until year 11, then I don't know what counts as 'many'

Ginger, reader and computers. Not always social able interests. I kid about the ginger part.

You have several groups of friends; one circle for games, one for comedy, etc. -Bingo was his name-o

Generally, people that play Magic The Gathering wouldn't be too interested in comedy nights, etc. so to be able to have those hobbies/interests, you need several groups of friends.

Always thought of yourself as unable to fit in or being the odd one out -I personally (you can ask the gf if you want a second opinion!) am proud I fit in well to... everywhere :P

Computer, gaming cards, etc. plus an insecurity I had (wrongly) figured from the relationship thing.

Tried to play a guitar, got bored of it. -No ta. My elder brother plays; it'd be like treason to him if I ever tried. Never really wanted to.

Validation; everyone thinks it's cool to play the guitar, so I figured you would have gone for it.

You want a SGS3, if you could afford it. -Embarrassingly, I had to google that. Shiiiney....

Ha, do you want one now?

You don't have a kindle, but you want an e-reader. -I don't have a kindle, but I prefer a good book. I have been tempted, but not yet swayed fully.

Technology enthusiast + reading, simple.

You'd vote Lib-Dem, if you didn't despise politicians. -Lib-dem until the Nick Clegg debacle, but I don't care about politics on the most part, so I don't have a party anymore.

I wanted to clarify that a little more, because my wording wasn't great, but I'd still consider that a 'hit'; conservatives don't have a sense of humour and given your age, you have no interest in it and/or your pissed off about the tuition rises, unable to get a job and the rise in unpaid internships.

But you've lost weight over the last year or two -Nope. I'm 184cm/82kg of muscle with only a hint of flab since I stopped climbing and running.

Insecure + technology suggests overweight stereotype, but you've had one girlfriend at least and generally people lose weight when they're in a relationship.

Skyrim - 100+ hours *-Yep. Have you ever heard of [1] the elder strolls?

Popular fantasy game.

a. Journalism (maybe a career aspiration) - b. Video game design (lame guess)

Journalism from the YouTube videos (it would have been video game journalism), because you obviously like talking about it, etc. or yeah, video game design for the same reason. I couldn't decide.

tldr - stereotyping, basic deductions (I'm certainly no Sherlock) and going with the popular / majority.

That was fun.

This, I will give a shot at, but it'll have to be tonight, when I can write something full.

Are you familiar with Ian Rowland and his book "The Full Facts book of Cold Reading"? He also teaches an 'Applied Cold Reading' class/seminar...

Hmm, I'm not actually. I just gave him a Google and I don't think I recognise him. Cold Reading, once you get used to it, is so amazingly simple; the risk though is that you end up doing it without realising it, so you no longer need to think "He looks scruffy, so he's probably not very professional", you train yourself to do it on instinct. When that happens, the big risk is that you end up believing that you're actually psychic.

On the flip side, it is kinda Sherlock Holmes-ian to be able to analyse people very quickly.

It's a good skill to know, just when applied properly.

I'm sorry, but I can't just overlook the fact that you abused vulnerable and damaged people, tricking them into false hope and out of their cash. The "I needed money argument" doesn't stick - plenty of people need cash and make an honest living.

You're right and I expected more people to have the same opinion as yourself. I have no reservations about it; it was an inherently wrong thing to do, regardless of situation and to enable the industry was probably worse than my own individual impact. Everybody has plenty of ways they justify things to themselves. Like I say, money was my own reason for doing it; there was no enjoyment or pleasure involved. People do crazy shit for money.

I work with a woman who claims to be a 'prophet'. She calls herself "Prophetess Lady of Wisdom" and is a member of christian gifted psychics. I never believed in her bull, but it's all she talks about. If I wanted to call her out, what would be the best way to do so?

Wow, that's levels of crazy. Sometimes, calling people out and giving them a platform only entrenches their believes and is often counter productive. Basically, you need to tell her: if she's forcing it on you, that she jacks it in, because letting her is also enabling her.

The military employs psychics http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/12/15/us-military-psychic-spy-manual/

Historically they're known for making wise, informed choices and not pissing away money on anything. Nope. Nope.

I've heard of people who get married simply because a psychic or a dead relative through a psychic told them to. What's your opinion on this?

That honestly doesn't surprise me, even though it should. There were plenty of people who believe in it so devoutly, that if I would have suggested they needed to suffocate their children, they genuinely would have done. It's no different from any other religion or belief.

How well have your "psychic" skills helped you in other jobs?

I can't get into too many details about current/past work other than the psychic thing, but I mentioned about Cold Reading being a really useful tool for anybody. Essentially, I'm now pretty much able to understand/relate to somebody within a few minutes of seeing them, because I habitually analyse their features, expressions, words, etc.

It means that, I develop a good rapport with a wide range of people; from top to bottom of society and backgrounds, because I'm able to understand their perspective but I'm also very aware of peoples 'buttons'; what's uncomfortable for them, what they enjoy, which topics to avoid, which topics to carry on with.

A big part of my now-job is about understanding how people will react, picking up on inconsistencies and relationship building between lots of different people from massively different backgrounds. I would happily include Cold Reading in general education if I could, because it's not about manipulating, it's about learning how to empathise and understand another point of view, which is something the world desperately needs more of.

can't get into too many details about current/past work

A big part of my now-job is about understanding how people will react, picking up on inconsistencies and relationship building between lots of different people from massively different backgrounds.

CIA interrogator?

Haha, not that elaborate, no.

How did you learn to do this?

I think I've always been pretty good at reading people, most likely as a self-defense mechanism during school or something; specifically though, it's something that was picked up over time, assisted with a few books laying around.

I'm certainly not considering it as a career, but what sort of figure were you making a year?

If you're good and you marketed yourself well, you could net about $80,000 / £40,000 a year.

Signing up to be a telepsychic.

There is a lot of money to be made. You could basically find yourself three rich clients and make that same money working three times a month, or you could do lots of little, non-committal readings for the same price. There's a huge scope of profit to be made; but you've got to be a certain type of person to willfully get into it.

Did anyone ever call you out?

I literally just finished typing a reply to that very question, here.

Ah sorry to bother. Thanks though!

Not a problem, you weren't to know.

Actually he would if he was psychic. (Sorry couldn't help myself). :)

As I pressed "save", I thought "ahh shit, I should have said that".

Have you always been a skeptic, or has it happened over time? Any people in particular (either people in your life or famous people) who've swayed you towards skepticism (note, I am also a skeptic, so take this as a friendly question)?

Have you always been a skeptic, or has it happened over time?

I was raised a Catholic, went to a Catholic high school - I don't remember the point where I 'stopped' believing, I don't think I ever did. Spiritualism of any kind is a religion, it's a belief. I've never believed in any of it in a serious way since Santa, the Wizard In The Sky that actually gave me stuff; the Church just takes money away.

Any people in particular who've swayed you towards skepticism?

No famous people, but there have been one or two people in my personal life and current work-life where I've had to crack open my old fake-reading skills to prove a point (that she should stop ignoring her husband because a 'psychic' told her that her partner would have an affair in the future). I work in a very professional environment now days, so I try my best to avoid talking about my old employment unless it's for something like that.

Hi there! A really good friend of my family (the person have known my mom since they were kids and I have known the person since I was a kid) claims to be psychic. I have always known the person as very trustworthy person that always wanted the best for everyone, and the person generally possess a happy person. I have never discussed this with the person, and I'm not even sure my parents have (although the person did check our house for ghost and stuff at one point) but I'm pretty sure it is bullshit. I only recently (within the last 5 years) discovered that the person "is" psychic and can somehow communicate with the dead, which is seriously hard to believe. I guess my question is how would/should you react to something like this?

Before I worked there, I had friends who's family believe they were psychics and all sorts of ridiculous stuff. There are two types. People either know that it's a con and do it for the money, like I used to, or there are people who genuinely believe they have some magic powers and it's the same as any other religion or belief.

1. She's faking it - she's not going to admit it, she'll fight you hand and teeth if you call her out and potentially, she'll end up convincing herself that she does have powers, because she can't handle the cognitive dissonance; eventually, she'll start thinking "hey, these people keep saying I'm right.. so maybe I am psychic and what I'm 'picking up' is actually real" and it's downhill from there. She might not go down that route, she might just keep convincing herself that she is helping people so lying to them is kind of worth it.

2. She really believes - then it's the same thing as trying to convince a devout Morman that God doesn't exist.

Honestly? I don't think you should do anything. Morally, if you want to distance yourself from her because you've lost respect for her, then do that. If you can handle it, then there's no reason to distance yourself. Let her do what she wants to do, but like you have been doing, don't indulge her; don't talk about it, don't recommend her, don't discuss it. It's either her choice or her belief and as fucked up as it is, the worst thing you could do is entrench her in the belief. How do you stop racism? How do you stop extremism? Stop giving them a platform to operate on.

I know it's all just social manipulation, but have you ever encountered a fellow fraudster who you couldn't figure out what tricks they used?

Have you ever encountered a fellow fraudster who you couldn't figure out what tricks they used?

From a psychic/reader/medium? No. It's the same variation of 10 or so different techniques. There are certain specifics, like "How EXACTLY did she know XYZ"?. The basic answer might be that she knew beforehand; that she'd been told, spied on them, etc. but there are infinite possibilities on how that was achieved; where the microphone was placed, who told her and such.

General fraudsters & magicians? I'm amazed by The Real Hustlee, because there are so many things that I can't figure it out until it's explained to me. Magicians creep me out, although I am in awe of the skill and talent, but I think it's because I find it unsettling how easily I can be manipulated.

How can you tell that people have died in someones life without knowing. For instance, my mother called a place for a psychic reading and they told her that two people wanted to come through and talk to you. How does this work. If you could answer this question plus more information about psychic reading that would be awesome!

Basically, I'll say "somebody is coming through, it's a female who died a few years ago" and the other person will say "is it my mum?" and then you just go with the mum line. People fill in their own blanks. It sounds stupid written down, but that's the way it works.

I find it interesting that towards the end of both their careers, the authors Sir Conan Doyle and Michael Crichton became enthralled with psychic readings. Both were ostensibly quite logical and science minded, but even they were duped. Not a particularly good question, I realize, but any thoughts on that?

Thanks for the AMA.

I think yours is my favourite comment, so far; because it touches on a few things.

Both were ostensibly quite logical and science minded, but even they were duped.

Because everybody can be duped; it's easy for people in this thread to laugh at some of the 'believers' and it's it's easy for /r/atheism to act as if they are above other people, but the fact is, they buy into the exact same logical fallacies and buy into the same tactics and strategies that are used in mediumship, except instead of spiritualism, it's media, propaganda, advertising.

I'd like to know how many people on /r/atheism prefer Android to Apple - because it doesn't matter who has the higher number, what matters is the number of people that value it, the number of people who think "which is best" matters and how many would defend [whichever operating system] to the point of rage.

Cold reading takes place all the time; same thing. Car salesmen suggest a car, because they look at you, guess a budget, guess a requirement (kids? space? speed? etc) because the more accurate their suggestion and the words they use when they present it to you means that they get more money. It's all exactly the same thing.

We are all, every single one of us, a bunch of monkeys in shoes.

1. Did anybody actually call you out on bullshitting. Like let you go on about how their dead uncle misses them and then tell you there is no dead uncle or something like that? How did you handle it?

2. Did you ever accidentally upset somebody with one of your "readings"? Like make someone really angry or confrontational?

Edit: fixing grammer

Did anybody actually call you out on bullshitting. Like let you go on about how their dead uncle misses them and then tell you there is no dead uncle or something like that? How did you handle it?

As much as you'd expect that to happen, it rarely would. As long as you do it right, you're never wrong. Unless you're at least 95% certain about something, you'd never make an outlandish statement - everything else is fairly generic stuff. There are two types of people who are catching you out -

1. People who don't believe in it - didn't come across these very often, because very few people would waste $7 on something like that.

2. People who were testing to see if you were 'real' before asking their actual question - because they already believe, they still 'go for' the regular cold reading, vague and general stuff.

Occasionally, you'd get people asking for very specific stuff to test you out and if you know that's what they're trying to do, I used to call them out on it - "Look, I know you don't care about what you're asking, you're trying to establish if I'm 'real'. Why don't you just tell me what's on your mind?"

Did you ever accidentally upset somebody with one of your "readings"? Like make someone really angry or confrontational?

A lot of the time, yeah. Often, people give you the whole story and background to what's going on and I was very straight forward; I was basically just blatantly giving them advice with no mention of spirits or shit. So when somebody would say "My husband left me and ran away with his assistant, will he realise his mistake and come back to me?", I couldn't lie to them more and say "Hey, everything's going to be okay because he loves you", so I'd say "No, no he's not and that's a good thing, because he's a dick and he isn't worth your time. Suffer and cry for a while, get it all out, get drunk with your friends and punch walls, but then it's time heal and move on with your life".

Some people take it very well because that's what people in that situation need to do, others freak out because that's not what they want to hear. I was a tough-love psychic.

Have you ever seen Sacha Baren Cohen's Da Ali G Show. Specifically where he visits a psychic that gives him a reading on his character. I think that's when I stopped believing all together , I was 14ish at the time.

Edit: sorry I did intend to ask a question.... I guess I'll ask, did you find it accurate/entertaining if you've seen it?

Edit Edit: clip, http://youtu.be/gvpl0qvTVlA

Now, I find 99% of anything related to spiritualism repulsive; but I have to admit, this particular one was hilarious. Thank you for the link, I haven't seen it in years.

What do you think you could say to your former clients that would convince them psychics are frauds and/or scams?

Good question - basically, nothing. It's the same as going to a Mormon, showing them documents and information that contradict the teachings and discredit them; that's not going to work, that just entrenches belief. The best anybody can hope for is to plant a seed and make the information they available to them, so it can grow.

Have you ever seen the episode of Penn & Teller:Bullshit! where they debunk people who claim they can talk to the dead? Actually, more than debunk, they tear 'em a new asshole. I'm pretty sure it's season 1, episode 1.

Season 1, Episode 1 - Penn's monologue about his mother made me tear up the first time I saw it.

And then there's this asshole.

While in the business, did you ever meet other "psychics"? Did you pretend you had actual psychic powers to each other?

I've met TV psychics who were buying "scripts", which are generic profiles they memorise to recite during group readings. They have a very, very clever persona and an even stronger legal team that keeps these sort of activities on the very quiet. Most know it's a con, some started out in the con but grew to believe themselves and others have genuine delusions about their 'power'.

Are you Patrick Jane? Was your family murdered? How does that make you feel?

I suppose I'm going to have to watch this show, aren't I?

How many fingers am I holding right now?

None, you're hand is on your mouse and your other hand is on your keyboard.

You're scrolling down using the arrow keys.

Actually one, I was using my phone touch screen :p

I was going to say here "Ah but you're not really holding it up", but then I re-read what you said and technically -

How many fingers am I holding right now?

You are holding zero fingers. Hopefully. If you are holding fingers, who's fingers are you holding?

Damn, you got me.

God-damnit, I'm good.

No really?!

Bet you didn't see that coming, and if you did you're not a fraud. You would be liar though.

But seriously, what kind of people fall for this stuff? Do they just need someone to talk to or do they really believe you're psychic?

Ha, that made me laugh.

Do they just need someone to talk to or do they really believe you're psychic?

Both. Believing in this is the same as any religion - it offers safe, convenient answers, and whilst being reassuring, also relieves people of any personal responsibility over their own lives. Everybody who speaks to a psychic has something on their mind that they want advice on. Very occasionally, you might get a person that just wants an "update", which is the same as writing a horoscope.

So do you try to get repeat business? Can people ask for you specifically?

Have you seen the Family Guy episode where Peter becomes convinced he's a psychic? It's hilarious.

I never really "tried". In a way, I didn't want them to come back to me, I wanted to be terrible, so they'd stop wasting their money; but at the same time, if I was continually bad at it, I'd have lost my job. It was a catch-22. I did get in trouble quite a few times with management, when I'd abuse my system admin access to ban people from the system.

People did come back though; I explained my general attitude here and because most people just want some advice and somebody to talk to, many people found my 'style' of no-BS (somewhat ironic, I know) they found appealing. They would ask for us specifically, some thought they were texting just one person, others knew they weren't, others would recognise your voice, writing style, etc. Only one or two customers ever learned my real name, though; there were way too many crazy people to risk giving them that.

I've worked telemarketing jobs before so I know how shitty it is to have to act deceptively towards people all day. You sound like a good person. I'm glad you're in something better now. Being constantly reminded of how pathetic humanity is every day isn't good for anyone.

Oh man, I genuinely don't know which one I'd least like to work in; telemarketing or being a psychic again.

I'm certainly in a better job now. I did have a good, decent job before the psychic one, it was just an unfortunate year where I had no other choice. It's interesting really, because I am obviously very ashamed of doing it, but I don't think I'd change doing it, because I really did learn a lot about myself, other people and cold reading, which is actually a really useful skill when you're not lying to people about doing it.

Your kind words are appreciated, of course.

So real question here; as opposed to my few other bullshit ones:

My mom saw a psychic some time ago, like, before my sister and I were born. When she was currently married to someone other than my father. And living in canada.

From what my Mom tells me; so far the predictions that her psychic gave her have all come true. these include:

-Getting a divorce and remarrying

-Having two kids, a boy and a girl (yes, that specific)

-moving "far away from home" (this one is kind of generic, but she did move from montreal quebec to san jose california)

-daughter would grow up and do something in the medical field (my sister is a child psychologist; recently finished her masters in psych.)

-son would be in the high tech industry (I do data analysis/IT work/database work for a high tech company in silicon valley)

and a couple other things that I do not remember.

She also specifically said told my mom that she would pass away at age 67 during an overnight heart attack. From what I understand this is information that my mom specifically asked; and the psychic warned her that she does not like telling people the answer to the death question because it can have a large impact on how they choose to live out their lives.

Anyways, my mom is now 62, and thought I would not say that she is living differently or in fear of 67, she totally believes that this will happen.

I do NOT believe in psychics; but holy damn all of the above things that came true, seems pretty crazy right? what are your thoughts on that?

From what my Mom tells me

This is the first flag. People fill in their own blanks.

Getting a divorce and remarrying

Most marriages fail. Everybody knows somebody who has been through that, it's easy to turn around if the person hasn't been through it themselves ("Oh, it must be somebody close to you..")

Having two kids, a boy and a girl

Hmm, possibly a shot in the dark ("Two girls? Is one a bit of a tomboy?") or picked up from somewhere else, that your mother mentioned in response to an earlier question; or even that she was referred by a friend and the friend has inadvertently passed that information on.

Daughter would grow up and do something in the medical field

Son would be in the high tech industry

Making a statement about the distant future, people would forget about that. Also, it's likely that somebody who believes in spirituality would push their children towards that field and make it come true. The psychic said that she'll be in the medical field, so the parent encourages science subjects. Bonus, it's a statistical win, because "medical" is a very broad term. She could have been a receptionist in a clinic and it would have been 'accurate'. Also, who doesn't interact with computers? That's not huge.

Told my mom that she would pass away at age 67 during an overnight heart attack

Average age of a female and the #1 killer in the western world? That's just a pure numbers game.

picked up from somewhere else, that your mother mentioned in response to an earlier question; or even that she was referred by a friend and the friend has inadvertently passed that information on.

The readings were done prior to my even being born; or my sister.

Making a statement about the distant future, people would forget about that.

My mom did not forget, she wrote everything down, and has showed me what she wrote many years ago. granted SHE wrote it down in her own words, so it may not be the words of the psychic, but she wrote that shit down before I was born. it was dated 1985. I was born 87.

Also, it's likely that somebody who believes in spirituality would push their children towards that field and make it come true.

I would not say I was ever pushed in any direction, however my father having been a software engineer at HP for 30 years and growing up with my own computers to play with as young as I could remember may have had an influence. However, let me remind you the readings were done before my mom and dad even met.

"medical" is a very broad term.

true.

Average age of a female and the #1 killer in the western world? That's just a pure numbers game.

fair enough.

Like I said; I don't believe in it, but DAMN those are some crazy ass coincidences.

The readings were done prior to my even being born; or my sister.

Ah I see, then in that case, the worst that could happen is to be 50% wrong - but more importantly, 50% right.

My mom did not forget, she wrote everything down

How much of what was written down was incorrect? Even remotely incorrect?

However, let me remind you the readings were done before my mom and dad even met.

Still, it doesn't matter. IT was a growing field. She'd probably read something about the up-and-coming future of the internets and went with that.

Like I said; I don't believe in it, but DAMN those are some crazy ass coincidences.

This is the thing, it's just so easy to do and it's everything that people want to know wrapped up in a nice little bow, that's why it's so appealing to so many people. Here's something for you -

You're going to have money problems. They're not going to ruin your life, but they will be hanging over you for a while and sometimes, you'll need to pay out when you have nothing going in, especially for your late-20s, early 30s. Other months, you won't even notice that it went out. Your future partner will be unlike you in many ways, but there will be something that you can't quite put your finger on that sparks the interest, having met in an usual and unexpected way; it'll be a story that'll entertain your family.

Kids? Nah, not for a while. You want to enjoy your life a little bit more first; you'll care for children and when the time is right, although it'll be tough and you'll struggle, you'll make an excellent parent; in the mean time, enjoy your youth because you have time to spare. Don't rush into anything, you have a habit of missing key information and jumping in feet first.

Please answer the question that you've predicted I'm going to ask.

I think there will be options available to you in the future, that will allow you to combine your current career choice and your childhood dream. Don't be so quick to dismiss ideas.

Is there some "network" that connects professional psychics?

Not really, not that I'm aware of. I think a lot of it is just networking, like any other generic industry.

Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?

Shit.

How much did you charge?

It varied. SMS cost about $7 a message and I was paid a bonus on each one, face-to-face could go from anything from free to several hundred; I rarely did face-to-face, because I couldn't stand it. I kept my distance.

Jesus Christ.

Yeah, it was obscene. Some people used to send several hundred SMS' a month. The highest cost I ever saw for a single reading was discounted £3,000 - about $4,500.

how were you exposed?

I was never really exposed. I quit in the end.

Why would even consider such a profession? I mean, I believe sometimes there are jobs you should just not do; no matter what.

I think Reddit is being silly displaying comments, for me, at least.

I answered a similar question here - basically, I needed a job.