How to Spot a Fake or Incompetent Psychic Medium

Something happened to me again this week that always gets me going! I received an email stating that during a group Mediumship reading, a woman was told that she could not be "read" because she had a demon attached to her home that was affecting her husband and children.

Honestly, this really gets me! Not only is it unethical behavior, but it suggests that the Medium in question is either incompetent, meaning he or she cannot actually connect with Spirit, or it means that a scam to remove the curse or demon is being set up. Even worse, the recipient of this information is purposely scared and put in a position of fear for themselves and their family members. It's just inexcusable!

So I thought I would spend some time outlining things that should tip you off that the Psychic Medium, Psychic, Spiritual Counselor or Healer you've asked to do a reading might not be legitimate or, at the very least, might be incompetent.

First, I'd like to address the claim that you are cursed or have a demonic attachment. As a paranormal investigator, I can tell you that demons are very rare. Curses are another interesting thing, as they are only effective if you believe in them. So if someone tells you that you are cursed and you believe it, well then you will soon see everything as being evidence of having been cursed. In either case, this is often a setup to offer you curse or demon removal "services," most of which are hundreds of dollars (I have met someone who was quoted $900 to remove a curse, so no small fee!). In the case of my recent email, no removal was suggested - my guess would be that this was a way of excusing the Medium's not being able to "read" this person. A real Psychic or Medium would be honest and tell you that they were not able to read you. It happens. Some find they are not able to connect with a client, while others may not feel well or have other issues blocking their being able to connect or perform a reading at that time. Telling you that they can't read you right then is what an ethical, professional reader would do!

Another hint that a Psychic Medium isn't a professional is that they will claim to be able to do everything - most of us that are gifted have specific abilities and our abilities function in ways that are individual to each of us. A real Psychic Medium will be very clear up front and tell you what kind of reading they do, how the information comes to them or presents itself, and what to expect during a reading. If they connect with loved ones that have crossed over, they will say so. If they read tarot or oracle cards or use other divination methods as part of their reading, they will tell you. If they specialize in working with or rescuing earthbound spirits, that is what they will be doing. Some may specialize in spirit guide readings or doing past life regression - no matter what it is that is their gift, they will explain it to you before they do a reading. What to watch out for is someone that claims that they do all of these things, especially because those that tend to make this claim are more likely to "fill in the blanks" (meaning, make up information) when asked a question about an area they really know little about. For example, if I am giving a reading for someone and they ask me about their past lives, there is nothing wrong with me saying that I'm sorry, I don't do that type of reading, or it's not my specialty. Granted, at that moment I might get some information related to a past life, which I would share with them, but there is absolutely nothing wrong if a Psychic Medium tells you that is not their area of expertise! Another example I am aware of is a local Psychic that did not specialize in earthbound spirit communication that volunteered to assist in a paranormal investigation. The Psychic in this case claimed that an individual was haunting a location because they had been murdered there. Follow-up research did not find any evidence of this and when I visited the site, I connected with a Spirit that was simply protective (in a good way) of a home that she loved. But the damage was done, because some already believed (and believe to this day) that a terrible event took place there.

One issue that I have noticed is a trend to give readings that are always positive, where spirits are all loving and happy once they have crossed over. What do I mean? I had someone read me recently (she was "practicing" on me) and she proceeded to tell me about my loving mother that was around me. She went on about all of the wonderful things my mother was gushing about and our wonderful, loving relationship. I specifically said to this practicing Medium, no, that's not my mother (interestingly, that didn't dissuade her - she just kept repeating it). Why is this an issue? You see, Spirits have personalities. Each one is different, just as they were different when they were alive. My mother would have made a joke, or said something critical, or made an observation about my life. In other words, she would have had at least some of the personality, sense of humor, etc., that she did when she was alive. If you have a reading, take note of the descriptions of the spirits the Medium communicates with - if every spirit they describe sounds the same, they aren't communicating with Spirit...they are telling you what they think you want to hear. Make no mistake - most folks that have crossed over are happy and loving, but they still have individual personalities. Don't jump too fast to say "that's my Mom" or fill in a lot of information for the person doing the reading - listen and allow the information to come out. A Medium that is truly communicating with Spirit will be able to bring out information that is unique to your relative, not just general info about how happy they are on the other side!

One major issue to watch out for is the Psychic Medium that spends most of the time allotted for the reading giving you unverifiable information. Examples are talking about your spirit guides, past lives, ancestors, or relatives that died well before you were born (or those that you were too young to know) - basically any information that you would not be able to recognize as valid or truthful. Now, don't get me wrong, there certainly are Psychics and Mediums that can tell you this information or at least some of it; some even specialize in these types of readings. But if you go to a reading to connect with loved ones (for example), and most of what you are told falls into other areas that aren't connecting for you, then I would question whether the person doing the reading actually is gifted. Certainly, they could be inexperienced or perhaps they really aren't connecting with you (which they should clearly state and refund your money), but you should be getting at least some verifiable information. On the other hand, Mediumship does require that the reader interpret a lot of information that Spirit is giving them and, sometimes, they misinterpret. That's not what I'm talking about. No reader is 100%, even famous ones you see on TV. What I'm talking about is getting a reading where very little or no information seems "legit."

And one last tip! If you go to a reading bound and determined to fool or mislead a Psychic or Medium just to "test" them, please DON'T. I have encountered lots of "testers" in my years of doing readings and it's a very frustrating experience. Sure, if you go into a reading stubbornly resisting the process and then find that the reader is giving you almost nothing - I think you are getting exactly what you asked for! (*smile*) Being open to the reading is essential and allows the reader to more deeply connect with you. Blocking like this can be very effective, but it doesn't actually tell you if the reader is gifted or not...it may tell you you're very good at blocking, though! Granted, if a reader is asking you endless questions, that is a sign that they are not actually reading you. However, if that's happening because you're being uncooperative, then you shouldn't blame them. When this happens to me, I will admit that I am not able to read them on that day and either reschedule or end the session without charging them. If that's some kind of a victory for them, so be it. But I would just consider what it would be like if your supervisor at work called you into their office, asked you to sit down for a one-on-one meeting, and then crossed his or her arms and said, "Now tell me why you're here" (...insisting you answer them without offering any hint as to why they called you in). It happens to me pretty frequently and maybe this example helps you understand why it isn't fun. :)

Well, I've gotten that off my chest! I hope this has been helpful and look forward to hearing from you if you have feedback for me.

Carol

Dr. Carol Pollio

Director, Intuitive Investigations®