Editing Psychic

{{Short description|Person claiming extrasensory perception abilities}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Paranormal|state=expanded|image=PsychicBoston.jpg|caption=Storefront psychic [[Fortune-telling|fortuneteller]] in [[Downtown Crossing|Boston]]}}

A '''psychic''' is a person{{Efn|The word "psychic" is also used as an adjective to describe such abilities.}} who claims to use powers rooted in [[parapsychology]], such as [[extrasensory perception]] (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal [[sense]]s, particularly involving [[telepathy]] or [[clairvoyance]]; or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, such as [[psychokinesis]] or [[teleportation]]. Although many people believe in [[List of psychic abilities|psychic abilities]], the scientific consensus is that there is no proof of the existence of such powers, and describes the practice as [[pseudoscience]].

Psychics encompass people in a variety of roles. Some are theatrical performers, such as [[Magic (illusion)|stage magicians]], who use various techniques, e.g. [[Sleight of hand|prestidigitation]], [[cold reading]], and [[hot reading]], to produce the appearance of such abilities for entertainment purposes. A large industry and network exist whereby people advertised as psychics provide advice and counsel to [[client (business)|clients]].<ref name="nisbet">{{Cite journal|author=Matthew Nisbet|author-link=Matthew Nisbet |date=May–June 1998 |title=Psychic telephone networks profit on yearning, gullibility |journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_/ai_20615402 }}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Some famous psychics include [[Edgar Cayce]], [[Ingo Swann]], [[Peter Hurkos]], [[Janet Lee (Psychic)|Janet Lee]], [[Miss Cleo]],<ref name="ftc">{{Cite web|title=FTC Charges "Miss Cleo" with Deceptive Advertising, Billing and Collection Practices|publisher=[[Federal Trade Commission|FTC]]|date=February 14, 2002|url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/accessresource.htm|access-date=October 6, 2008|archive-date=August 28, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828180436/http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/accessresource.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[John Edward]], [[Sylvia Browne]], and [[Tyler Henry]]. Psychic powers are asserted by [[psychic detective]]s and in practices such as [[psychic archaeology]] and even [[psychic surgery]].<ref name="Flim-Flam!">{{Cite book|author=James Randi|author-link=James Randi|title=Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions|publisher=Prometheus Books|pages=173–195|year=1982|isbn=978-0-87975-198-2
}}</ref>

Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or to self-[[delusion]].<ref name="Gracely">{{Cite web |last=Gracely, Ph.D. |first=Ed J. |title=Why Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof |work=PhACT |year=1998 |url=http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/extraproof.html |access-date=2007-07-31 |archive-date=2013-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115045852/http://quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/extraproof.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nova">{{Cite episode | title = Psychic Debunking | series = [[Nova (American TV program)|NOVA]] | network = [[PBS]] | airdate = April 15, 1993 | season = 19 | number = 3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=She Told Them Boy was Dead. Crystal Ball Fails Psychic in MO. Kidnap|newspaper=[[NY Daily News]]|date=January 18, 2007|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/01/18/2007-01-18_she_told_them_boy_was_dead_crystal_ball_.html|location=New York|access-date=2008-10-07|archive-date=2008-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207174902/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/01/18/2007-01-18_she_told_them_boy_was_dead_crystal_ball_.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Shooting crap:Alleged psychic John Edward actually gambles on hope and basic laws of statistics.|author=Shari Waxman|date=June 13, 2002|work=[[Salon.com]]|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/people/feature/2002/06/13/probability/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014609/http://dir.salon.com/story/people/feature/2002/06/13/probability/index.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> In 1988, the [[U.S. National Academy of Sciences]] published a report on the subject, which concluded that there is "no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of [[Parapsychology|parapsychological phenomena]]".<ref name=NAS>{{Cite book|editor1=Druckman, D. |editor1-link=Daniel Druckman |editor2=Swets, J. A.|year=1988|title=Enhancing Human Performance: Issues, Theories and Techniques|publisher=National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.|page=22|isbn=978-0-309-07465-0}}</ref> In 2012, a study attempted to repeat recently reported parapsychological experiments that appeared to support the existence of [[precognition]]. However, efforts to replicate the results, which involved performance on a memory test to ascertain if post-test information would affect it, "failed to produce significant effects", and thus did "not support the existence of psychic ability" of this kind.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Ritchie SJ, Wiseman R, French CC |title=Failing the future: three unsuccessful attempts to replicate Bem's 'retroactive facilitation of recall' effect |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=e33423 |year=2012 |pmid=22432019 |pmc=3303812 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0033423 |bibcode=2012PLoSO...733423R |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Psychics are sometimes featured in [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy fiction]]. Examples of fiction featuring characters with psychic powers include the ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise, which features "[[Force (Star Wars)|Force]]-sensitive" beings who can see into the future and move objects telekinetically, along with ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' and some of the works of [[Stephen King]], amongst many others.

==History==

===Etymology===
The word "psychic" is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''psychikos'' ("of the mind" or "mental"), and refers in part to the human mind or psyche (ex. "psychic turmoil"). The Greek word also means "soul". In [[Greek mythology]], the maiden [[Cupid and Psyche|Psyche]] was the deification of the human [[soul]]. The word derivation of the Latin ''psȳchē'' is from the Greek ''psȳchḗ'', literally "breath", derivative of ''psȳ́chein'', to breathe or to blow (hence, to live).<ref>Henry George Liddell; Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=yuxh/&highlight=psyche entry for psyche] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023003900/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=yuxh/&highlight=psyche |date=2021-10-23 }}</ref>

French astronomer and [[Spiritualism (movement)|spiritualist]] [[Camille Flammarion]] is credited as having first used the word psychic, while it was later introduced to the [[English language]] by [[Edward William Cox]] in the 1870s.<ref name="Melton1">{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology|chapter=Psychics|last=Melton|first=J.G.|publisher=[[Thomson Gale]]|year=1996|isbn=978-0-8103-9487-2}}</ref>

===Early seers and prophets===
Elaborate systems of [[divination]] and [[fortune-telling]] date back to ancient times. Perhaps the most widely known system of early civilization fortune-telling was [[astrology]], where practitioners believed the relative positions of [[celestial bodies]] could lend insight into people's lives and even predict their future circumstances.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Astrology |url=https://www.britannica.com/summary/astrology |website=Britannica |access-date=March 30, 2025}}
</ref> Some fortune-tellers were said to be able to make [[predictions]] without the use of these elaborate systems (or in conjunction with them), through some sort of direct apprehension or [[Vision (religion)|vision]] of the future.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} These people were known as seers or [[prophet]]s, and in later times as [[clairvoyance|clairvoyants]] (French word meaning "clear sight" or "clear seeing") and psychics.

Seers formed a functionary role in early civilization, often serving as advisors, priests, and judges.<ref name="Melton1" /> A number of examples are included in biblical accounts. The book of [[1 Samuel]] (Chapter 9) illustrates one such functionary task when [[Samuel (Bible)|Samuel]] is asked to find the donkeys of the future king [[Saul]].<ref name="bible">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt08a09.htm|title=1 Samuel 9 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre|website=www.mechon-mamre.org|access-date=2021-12-23|archive-date=2021-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223213102/https://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt08a09.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The role of prophet appeared perennially in ancient cultures. In [[Egypt]], the priests of the sun deity [[Ra]] at [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]] acted as seers. In ancient [[Assyria]] seers were referred to as ''nabu'', meaning "to call" or "announce".<ref name="Melton1" />

The [[Delphic Oracle]] is one of the earliest stories in [[classical antiquity]] of prophetic abilities. The [[Pythia]], the priestess presiding over the [[Oracle]] of [[Apollo]] at [[Delphi]], was believed to be able to deliver [[prophecy|prophecies]] inspired by Apollo during rituals beginning in the 8th century BC.<ref name="Morgan">Morgan 1990, p. 148.</ref> It is often said that the Pythia delivered oracles in a frenzied state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that she spoke gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo, which priests reshaped into the enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature. Other scholars believe records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke intelligibly, and gave prophecies in her own voice.<ref>
*{{Cite book|title=The Delphic Oracle: Its Responses and Operations|last=Fontenrose|first=Joseph|year=1978|pages=196–227}}
*{{Cite journal|title=The Voice at the Centre of the World: The Pythia's Ambiguity and Authority|last=Maurizio|first=Lisa}} (in {{Cite book|title=Making Silence Speak: Women's Voices in Greek Literature and Society|last1=Lardinois|first1=Andre|last2=McClure|first2=Laura|pages=38–54|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|year=2001}})</ref> The Pythia was a position served by a succession of women probably selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. The last recorded response was given in 393 AD, when the emperor [[Theodosius I]] ordered pagan temples to cease operation. Recent geological investigations raise the possibility that [[ethylene]] gas caused the Pythia's state of inspiration.<ref>*{{Cite journal|doi=10.1081/CLT-120004410|title=The Delphic Oracle: A Multidisciplinary Defense of the Gaseous Vent Theory|last1=Spiller|first1=Henry A.|last2=Hale|first2=John R.|last3=de Boer|first3=Jelle Z.|journal=Clinical Toxicology|volume=40|issue=2|year=2000|pages=189–196|pmid=12126193|s2cid=38994427}}
*{{Cite journal|doi=10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0707:NEFTGO>2.0.CO;2|title=New Evidence for the Geological Origins of the Ancient Delphic Oracle|last1=de Boer|first1=J.Z.|last2=Hale|first2=J.R.|last3=Chanton|first3=J.|journal=Geology|volume=29|issue=8|year=2001|pages=707–711}}
*{{Cite magazine|title=Questioning The Delphic Oracle|author1=John R. Hale|author2=Jelle Zeilinga de Boer|author3=Jeffrey P. Chandon|author4=Henry A. Spiller|magazine=[[Scientific American]]|date=August 2003|volume=289|issue=2|pages=66–73|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0803-66|pmid=12884540|bibcode=2003SciAm.289b..66H}}
*{{Cite web|title=The Prophet Of Gases|author=Betsy Mason|work=Science Now|date=October 2, 2006|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/prophet-gases|access-date=June 30, 2022|archive-date=August 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825104702/https://www.science.org/content/article/prophet-gases|url-status=live}}</ref>

One of the most enduring historical references to what some consider to be psychic ability is the prophecies of [[Nostradamus|Michel de Nostredame]] (1503–1566), often [[Latinization (literature)|Latinized]] to Nostradamus, published during the [[French Renaissance]] period. Nostradamus was a French [[apothecary]] and seer who wrote collections of [[prophecy|prophecies]] that have since become famous worldwide and have rarely been out of print since his death. He is best known for his book ''[[Les Prophéties]]'', the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Taken together, his written works are known to have contained at least 6,338 [[quatrain]]s or prophecies,<ref name="chevignard">{{Cite book|title=Présages de Nostradamus|last=Chevignard|first=Bernard|year=1999}}</ref> as well as at least eleven annual calendars. Most of the quatrains deal with disasters, such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, and battles – all undated.

Nostradamus is a controversial figure. His many enthusiasts, as well as the popular press, credit him with predicting many major world events. Interest in his work is still considerable, especially in the media and [[Nostradamus in popular culture|in popular culture]]. By contrast, most academic scholars maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus' quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power.<ref name="lemesurier">{{Cite book|title=The Unknown Nostradamus|last=Lemesurier|first=Peter|year=2003}}</ref>

Englishwoman [[Mother Shipton]] demonstrated psychic abilities from her youth and foresaw historical events in the 16th century.<ref name="Porche Vaughan 2005 p. 31">{{cite book | last1=Porche | first1=J. | last2=Vaughan | first2=D. | title=Psychics and Mediums in Canada | publisher=Dundurn Press | year=2005 | isbn=978-1-77070-167-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c-FNbSjucn4C&pg=PA31 | access-date=2023-05-30 | page=31 | archive-date=2023-05-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530013652/https://books.google.com/books?id=c-FNbSjucn4C&pg=PA31 | url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to the belief that some historical figures were endowed with a predisposition to psychic experiences, some psychic abilities were thought to be available to everyone on occasion. For example, the belief in prophetic dreams was common and persistent in many ancient cultures.<ref name="Melton2">{{Cite book|last=Melton |first=J. G. |title=Dreams. In Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology |publisher=[[Thomson Gale]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8103-9487-2}}</ref>

===Nineteenth-century progression===
[[File:Cayce 1910.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Edgar Cayce]] (1877–1945) was a psychic of the 20th century and made many highly publicized predictions.]]
In the mid-nineteenth century, [[Spiritualism (religious movement)|Modern Spiritualism]] became prominent in the United States and the United Kingdom. The movement's distinguishing feature was the belief that the spirits of the dead could be contacted by [[mediumship|medium]]s to lend insight to the living.<ref name="Carroll1">{{Cite book|last=Carroll |first=Bret E. |title=Spiritualism in Antebellum America |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-253-33315-5}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=September 2010}} The movement was fueled in part by anecdotes of psychic powers. One such person believed to have extraordinary abilities was [[Daniel Dunglas Home]], who gained fame during the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] period for his reported ability to levitate to various heights and speak to the dead.<ref name="Podmore">{{Cite book|last=Podmore |first=Frank |title=Mediums of the Nineteenth Century |publisher=University Books |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-253-33315-5}}</ref>

As the Spiritualist movement grew, other comparable groups arose, including the [[Theosophical Society]], which was co-founded in 1875 by [[Blavatsky|Helena Blavatsky]] (1831–1891). Theosophy coupled spiritualist elements with [[Eastern mysticism]] and was influential in the early 20th century, later influencing the [[New Age]] movement during the 1970s. Blavatsky herself claimed numerous psychic powers.<ref name="Melton3">Melton. Chapter "Theosophical Society"</ref>

===Late twentieth century===
By the late twentieth century, psychics were commonly associated with [[New Age]] culture.<ref>Diane Daniel [http://cache.boston.com/globe/calendar/features/psychics/printable.shtml What's in the cards Just how well do the seers see?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927092203/http://cache.boston.com/globe/calendar/features/psychics/printable.shtml |date=2011-09-27 }} ''The Boston Globe'' (Calendar cover story cache 1999)</ref> [[Psychic reading]]s and advertising for psychics were common from the 1960s on, as readings were offered for a fee and given in settings such as over the phone, in a home, or at psychic fairs.<ref>Wendy Haskett [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-15-vw-44-story.html Psychic Fairs Aim for Aura of Fun in Mind Reading]  ''LATimes.com'', August 15, 1987</ref>

==Popular culture==

===Belief in psychic abilities===
In a 1990 survey of members of the National Academy of Sciences, only 2% of the respondents thought that [[extrasensory perception]] had been scientifically demonstrated, with another 2% thinking that the phenomena happened sometimes. Asked about research in the field, 22% thought that it should be discouraged, 63% that it should be allowed but not encouraged, and 10% that it should be encouraged; [[neuroscientist]]s were the most hostile to [[parapsychology]] of all the specialties.<ref name="mcconnell">McConnell, R.A., and Clark, T.K. (1991). "National Academy of Sciences' Opinion on Parapsychology" Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 85, 333–365.</ref><ref name="stokes">Douglas M. Stokes, [https://archive.today/20120710155103/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n3_v56/ai_13771782/pg_5 Research in Parapsychology, 1990: Abstracts and Papers from the Thirty-Third Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association], Journal of Parapsychology, Sept, 1992, Retrieved July 4, 2009</ref>

A survey of the beliefs of the general United States population about paranormal topics was conducted by [[The Gallup Organization]] in 2005.<ref name=gallup>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/16915/Three-Four-Americans-Believe-Paranormal.aspx |title=Three in Four Americans Believe in Paranormal |author=David W. Moore |date=June 16, 2005 |publisher=[[The Gallup Organization|Gallup News Service]] |access-date=2008-10-08 |archive-date=2017-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919195101/https://news.gallup.com/poll/16915/three-four-americans-believe-paranormal.aspx |url-status=live }}<br>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070202054056/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_5_29/ai_n15400020 Gallup poll shows that Americans' belief in the paranormal persists], Skeptical Inquirer, accessed October 28, 2006</ref> The survey found that 41 percent of those polled believed in [[extrasensory perception]] and 26 percent believed in [[clairvoyance]]. 31 percent of those surveyed indicated that they believe in telepathy or psychic communication.

A poll of 439 college students conducted in 2006 by researchers Bryan Farha of [[Oklahoma City University]] and Gary Steward of [[University of Central Oklahoma]], suggested that college seniors and graduate students were more likely to believe in psychic phenomena than college freshmen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allthingspsychic.com/PsychicBeliefPoll.html|title=Paranormal Belief Poll|website=www.allthingspsychic.com|access-date=2021-12-23|archive-date=2021-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223213103/https://www.allthingspsychic.com/PsychicBeliefPoll.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Twenty-three percent of college freshmen expressed a belief in paranormal ideas. The percentage was greater among college seniors (31%) and graduate students (34%).<ref>Britt, R.: [http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/060121_paranormal_poll.html "Higher Education Fuels Stronger Belief in Ghosts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714192645/http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/060121_paranormal_poll.html |date=2007-07-14 }} LiveScience, January 2006, Retrieved September 18, 2007.</ref> The poll showed lower belief in psychic phenomena among science students than social science and education students.

Some people also believe that anyone can have psychic abilities which can be activated or enhanced through the study and practice of various disciplines and techniques such as meditation and divination, with a number of books and websites being dedicated to instruction in these methods.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chauran|first=Alexandra |title=So You Want To Be a Psychic Intuitive|publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide|year=2012|isbn =978-0738730653 }}</ref> Another popular belief is that psychic ability is hereditary, with a psychic parent passing their abilities on to their children.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Psychics – myths & misconceptions|url=http://www.hark.net.au/articles/psychics_info.htm|access-date=April 25, 2007|archive-date=April 16, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416104517/http://www.hark.net.au/articles/psychics_info.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Science fiction===
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2017}}
Psychic abilities are common in [[science fiction]], often under the term "[[psionics]]". They may be depicted as innate and heritable, as in [[Alfred Bester]]'s ''[[The Demolished Man]]'', [[A. E. van Vogt]]'s ''[[Slan]]'', [[Anne McCaffrey]]'s [[Talents universe]] series or setting, and the television series ''[[Babylon 5]]''. Another recurring [[trope (literature)|trope]] is the conveyance of psychic power through [[psychoactive drug]]s, as in the ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' novels and indirectly in the ''[[Scanners]]'' films, as well as the ghosts in the ''[[StarCraft]]'' franchise. Somewhat differently, in [[Madeleine L'Engle]]'s ''[[A Wind in the Door]]'' and [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'', psychic abilities may be achieved by any human who learns the proper [[discipline|mental discipline]], known as ''kything'' in the former work. Popular movies include ''[[The Initiation of Sarah]]''. Psychic characters are also common in [[superhero comics]], for instance [[Jean Grey]], [[Professor X]] and [[Emma Frost]] as well as many others from the Marvel Comics' [[X-Men]]. More characters include the characters Raven Baxter and Booker Baxter from the [[Disney Channel Original Series]] ''[[That's So Raven]]'' and its spin-off ''[[Raven's Home]]''. The Disney Channel Original Series ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]'' features recurring characters Cara and Sara, who are twin psychics claimed to be the descendants of the [[Oracle of Delphi]], their visions also contrast their personalities (Cara is a [[goth subculture|Goth]] that sees only positive visions, while Sara is always in a good mood despite only seeing negative visions).

==Criticism and research==
[[File:Ganzfeld.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Participant of a [[Ganzfeld experiment|Ganzfeld Experiment]] whose results have been criticized as being misinterpreted as evidence for [[telepathy]]]] [[Parapsychology|Parapsychological research]] has attempted to use [[random number generators]] to test for [[psychokinesis]], mild sensory deprivation in the [[Ganzfeld experiment]] to test for [[extrasensory perception]], and research trials conducted under contract by the U.S. government to investigate [[remote viewing]]. Critics such as Ed J. Gracely say that this evidence is not sufficient for acceptance, partly because the intrinsic probability of psychic phenomena is very small.<ref name="Gracely"/>

Critics such as [[Ray Hyman]] and the [[National Science Foundation]] suggest that parapsychology has methodological flaws that can explain the experimental results that parapsychologists attribute to paranormal explanations, and various critics have classed the field as [[pseudoscience]]. This has largely been due to a lack of replication of results by independent experimenters.<ref name=NSF2006>{{Cite journal|title=Science and Engineering Indicators 2006 |publisher=[[National Science Board]] |year=2006 |url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c7/c7s2.htm#c7s2l3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/5902/20150818094952/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/c7/c7s2.htm |archive-date=2015-08-18 }}</ref><ref name=Hyman>{{Cite journal|last=Hyman |first=Ray |author-link=Ray Hyman |title=Evaluation of the program on anomalous mental phenomena |journal=The Journal of Parapsychology |volume=59 |issue=1 |year=1995 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n4_v59/ai_18445600 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709142606/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n4_v59/ai_18445600 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-09 |access-date=2007-07-30 }}</ref><ref name=Akers>{{Cite journal |author=Akers, C. |title=Methodological Criticisms of Parapsychology, Advances in Parapsychological Research 4 |publisher=PesquisaPSI |year=1986 |url=http://www.pesquisapsi.com/books/advances4/7_Methodological_Criticisms.html |access-date=2007-07-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223348/http://www.pesquisapsi.com/books/advances4/7_Methodological_Criticisms.html |archive-date=2007-09-27 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
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 |archive-date=2007-09-27 
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wiseman |first=Richard |author2=Smith, Matthew |title=Exploring possible sender-to-experimenter acoustic leakage in the PRL autoganzfeld experiments – Psychophysical Research Laboratories |journal=The Journal of Parapsychology |year=1996 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n2_v60/ai_18960809 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709230555/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2320/is_n2_v60/ai_18960809 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-09 |access-date=2007-07-30 |display-authors=etal }}</ref>

The evidence presented for psychic phenomena is not sufficiently verified for scientific acceptance, and there exist many non-paranormal alternative explanations for claimed instances of psychic events. [[Parapsychologists]], who generally believe that there is some evidence for psychic ability, disagree with critics who believe that no psychic ability exists and that many of the instances of more popular psychic phenomena such as [[mediumship|mediumism]], can be attributed to non-paranormal techniques such as [[cold reading]], [[hot reading]], or even self-[[delusion]].<ref name=critandcont1>EBauer, berhard (1984) "[http://www.psy.gu.se/EJP/EJP1984Bauer.pdf Criticism and Controversy in Parapsychology – An Overview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621043016/http://www.psy.gu.se/EJP/EJP1984Bauer.pdf |date=2007-06-21 }}", Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, European Journal of Parapsychology, 5, 141–166 (2007-02-09)</ref><ref name=mediumship1>O'Keeffe, Ciarán and Wiseman Richard (2005) "[http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk/wiseman/papers/MediumBJP.pdf Testing alleged mediumship: Methods and results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207093521/http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk/wiseman/papers/MediumBJP.pdf |date=2007-02-07 }}", British Journal of Psychology, 96, 165–17</ref> Cold reading techniques would include psychics using flattery, intentionally making descriptions, statements or predictions about a person vague and ambiguous, and surreptitiously moving on to another prediction when the psychic deems the audience to be non-responsive.<ref>{{cite book |last = Wiseman |first = Richard |author-link = Richard Wiseman |date = 2011 |title = ''Paranormality'' |pages=36–38}}</ref> [[Magic (illusion)|Magicians]] such as [[James Randi]], [[Ian Rowland]] and [[Derren Brown]] have demonstrated techniques and results similar to those of popular psychics, but they present physical and psychological explanations as opposed to paranormal ones.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

In January 2008 the results of a study using [[Functional magnetic resonance imaging|neuroimaging]] were published. To provide what are purported to be the most favorable experimental conditions, the study included appropriate emotional stimuli and had participants who are biologically or emotionally related, such as twins. The experiment was designed to produce positive results if [[telepathy]], [[clairvoyance]] or [[precognition]] occurred, but despite this, no distinguishable neuronal responses were found between psychic stimuli and non-psychic stimuli, while variations in the same stimuli showed anticipated effects on patterns of brain activation. The researchers concluded that "These findings are the strongest evidence yet obtained against the existence of paranormal mental phenomena."<ref name=MK>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Moulton ST, Kosslyn SM |title=Using neuroimaging to resolve the psi debate |journal=Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=182–92 |date=January 2008 |pmid=18095790 |doi=10.1162/jocn.2008.20.1.182 |url=http://www.creativespirit.net/psiresearch/neuroimagepsi.pdf |access-date=2017-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812011925/http://www.creativespirit.net/psiresearch/neuroimagepsi.pdf |archive-date=2017-08-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[James Alcock]] had cautioned the researchers against the wording of said statement.<ref>Science contradicts Psi, Skeptical Inquirer, July/August 2008</ref>

A detailed study of [[Sylvia Browne]] predictions about missing persons and murder cases found that despite her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct, "Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case".<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Shafer | first1 = R | last2 = Jadwiszczok | first2 = A. | year = 2010 | title = Psychic defective: Sylvia Browne's history of failure | url = http://www.csicop.org/si/show/psychic_defective_sylvia_brownes_history_of_failure/ | journal = [[Skeptical Inquirer]] | volume = 34 | issue = 2 | pages = 38–42 | access-date = 2010-05-13 | archive-date = 2012-12-23 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121223092014/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/psychic_defective_sylvia_brownes_history_of_failure/ | url-status = live }}</ref>  Concerning the television psychics, [[James Underdown]] states that testing psychics in a studio setting is difficult as there are too many areas to control: the psychic could be getting help from anyone on the set. The editor controls everything; they can make a psychic look superior or ridiculous depending on direction from the producer.  In an [[Independent Investigations Group]] ''exposé'' of [[John Edward]] and [[James Van Praagh]] they discovered that what was actually said on the tape day, and what was broadcast to the public were "substantially different in the accuracy. They're getting rid of the wrong guesses... Once you pull back the curtain and see how it's done, it's not impressive at all."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/09/21/putting-psychics-to-the-test/ |title=Putting Psychics to the Test |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=2011-09-21 |access-date=2011-09-12 |archive-date=2012-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007044842/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-09-21/news/0709210538_1_psychics-james-van-praagh-reality-tv |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Richard Saunders (skeptic)|Richard Saunders]], Chief Investigator for the [[Australian Skeptics]], and producer and presenter of ''The Skeptic Zone'' podcast sought to answer the question “Can self-proclaimed psychics predict unlikely future events with any greater accuracy than chance?”<ref name="Palmer">{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Rob |date=March–April 2022 |title=The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project: Pondering the Published Predictions of Prominent Psychics |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/02/the-great-australian-psychic-prediction-project-pondering-the-published-predictions-of-prominent-psychics/ |access-date=29 January 2023 |website=Skeptical Inquirer |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201191853/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/02/the-great-australian-psychic-prediction-project-pondering-the-published-predictions-of-prominent-psychics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> To answer that question he launched "The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project". Over the course of 12 years, Saunders and then Saunders and his international team of skeptics - Michelle Bijkersma, Kelly Burke, [[Susan Gerbic]], Adrienne Hill, Louis Hillman, Wendy Hughes, Paula Lauterbach, Dr. Angie Mattke, Rob Palmer, and Leonard Tramiel - searched through Australian published media for individuals making psychic or otherwise paranormal predictions.<ref name="Palmer" />

The goal of the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project was to collect and then vet the accuracy of every published psychic prediction in Australia since the year 2000. The team analyzed over 3800 predictions made by 207 psychics over the years 2000 to 2020. While a few of the psychic predictions were about events outside of Australia, the predictions primarily focused on celebrities, scandals, natural disasters, weather patterns, sports, and real estate trends.<ref name="Saunders">{{cite web |last1=Saunders |first1=Richard |title=The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project |url=https://www.skeptics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/magazine/The%20Skeptic%20Volume%2041%20(2021)%20No%204.pdf |publisher=The Skeptic |access-date=29 January 2023 |archive-date=6 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106165737/https://www.skeptics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/magazine/The%20Skeptic%20Volume%2041%20%282021%29%20No%204.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

The results of the analysis of the predictions found that psychics were correct 11% of the time, wrong 35% of the time, and that some predictions were too vague to characterize (19%) or the predicted outcome was so obvious it was to be expected (15%). Two percent of the predictions were unable to be categorized.<ref name="Saunders" />

The main conclusions of the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project were:<ref name="Palmer" />  <br>“Psychics are appallingly bad at predicting future events.” <br> “Most predictions were too vague, expected, or simply wrong.” <br> “Most of what happens is not predicted, and most of what is predicted does not happen.”

The Project confirmed that even when considering the margin of error, it is difficult to come to any other conclusion except that people who claim to see into the future cannot do so with a rate of success better than that of educated guesswork, chance, or luck.<ref name="Saunders" />

==Psychic fraud==
In an article reported by Pat Foran in [[CFTO-DT|CTV News-Toronto]], an Ontario woman, known as Marie Jean, depressed after having to sell her home, began seeing a psychic who went by the name of Maha Dev. Marie Jean reported that Dev claimed she was surrounded by "evil spirits" and that "(her) life could be in danger and (her) sons could lose their lives." The initial payment requested was $10,000 to remove the spirits, but in subsequent visits Dev indicated that the spirits were "too strong" and more money was needed.  In total, the woman paid $46,000 before deciding she had been "duped."  After Marie Jean reported the incident to CTV News, CTV News contacted the psychic.  While Dev did not admit to knowing the woman, the money was refunded in full the next day.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Foran |first1=Pat |title='I feel used': Ont. woman hands over nearly $50K to psychic who promised to cleanse her of evil spirits |url=https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/i-feel-used-ont-woman-hands-over-nearly-50k-to-psychic-who-promised-to-cleanse-her-of-evil-spirits-1.6935519?ICID=ref_fark |website=CTV News |date=20 June 2024 |access-date=29 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621183624/https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/i-feel-used-ont-woman-hands-over-nearly-50k-to-psychic-who-promised-to-cleanse-her-of-evil-spirits-1.6935519?ICID=ref_fark |archive-date=21 June 2024}}</ref>

Falling for a psychic scam can result in a loss of one's entire life savings. In an example given in an article by Rob Palmer<ref name="Harm">{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Rob |title=Belief in Psychics: What's the Harm and Who's to Blame? |date=9 April 2019 |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/belief-in-psychics-whats-the-harm-and-whos-to-blame/ |publisher=Skeptical Inquirer |access-date=17 November 2022 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117235555/https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/belief-in-psychics-whats-the-harm-and-whos-to-blame/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a woman gave a psychic $41,642 over a period of 10 weeks. The woman had contacted Palmer for help, who put her in contact with [[Bob Nygaard]], a private investigator who specializes in psychic fraud cases. Palmer had previously written articles about Nygaard and the work he was doing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Rob |title=Introducing Psychic-Busting Private Eye Bob Nygaard (Part 1) |date=15 August 2018 |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/introducing-psychic-busting-private-eye-bob-nygaard-part-1/ |publisher=Skeptical Inquirer |access-date=2022-11-18 |archive-date=2018-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823204858/https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/introducing_psychic-busting_private_eye_bob_nygaard_part_1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Rob |title=Introducing Psychic-Busting Private Eye Bob Nygaard (Part 2) |date=22 August 2018 |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/introducing-psychic-busting-private-eye-bob-nygaard-part-2/ |publisher=Skeptical Inquirer |access-date=2022-11-18 |archive-date=2022-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118001059/https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/introducing-psychic-busting-private-eye-bob-nygaard-part-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

It is apparently difficult to get cases of psychic fraud prosecuted as a crime. Palmer states "when someone reports to law enforcement that they are a victim of this type of fraud, they are often turned away and told it is a civil matter." Palmer goes on to discuss [[Thomas John (medium)|Thomas John]] and other famous "psychics" who were proven to be frauds.<ref name="Harm"/> Investigator [[Ben Radford]] states that "scammers use various psychological principles to ensnare their prey". Their state of mind, belief in psychic abilities, unhappiness with something happening in their lives and looking for answers. The psychic will instruct the client not to tell their friends or family as they know they may be warned away from the psychic.

With curse removal, the psychic may say that the magic will not work or get worse if they do tell anyone about their involvement with the psychic. The con games from psychics, according to Radford, can "play out over the course of weeks, months, or even years." The psychic is playing the long game and looking to extract as much money as possible. Radford claims that when a victim realizes they have been scammed, often they are too embarrassed to come forward.<ref name="Radford 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Radford |first1=Ben |author-link=Ben Radford|title=Psychic Arrested in Exorcism Scam |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |date=2017 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=12–13 |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquirer}}</ref>

[[Skeptical movement|Skeptical activist]] [[Susan Gerbic]] has summarized a number of techniques, which she says are used by psychics to create their effects.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gerbic|first1=Susan|author-link=Susan Gerbic|title=Ten Tricks of the Psychics I Bet You Didn't Know|url=https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/ten_tricks_of_the_psychics_i_bet_you_didnrsquot_know|website=CSI|date=23 March 2018|publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry|access-date=23 March 2018|archive-date=24 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324101552/https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/ten_tricks_of_the_psychics_i_bet_you_didnrsquot_know|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also== <!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[List of psychic abilities]]
* [[List of topics characterized as pseudoscience]]
* [[Spirit photography]]
* [[Ann O'Delia Diss Debar]]
* [[Bob Nygaard]]
* [[Harry Houdini]]
* [[Mentalism]]
* [[Omen]]
* [[Palmistry]]
* [[Panpsychism]]
* ''[[Psychic Blues: Confessions of a Conflicted Medium]]''
* [[Psychic Friends Network]]
* [[Psychic reading]]
* [[Séance]]
* [[Psych]]
}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|psychic}}
{{Commons category-inline|Psychics}}
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==External links==
*[http://www.americanassociationofpsychics.com American Association of Psychics]
*[http://www.p-e-a.org Psychic Entertainers Association]
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{{Parapsychology|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Psychics| ]]
[[Category:Paranormal terminology]]