March 29, 2010

Dear Orion,

I was originally thrilled that your paper wanted to cover the subject of psychic ability. However, I think you really missed the mark regarding the subject matter. The article does not accurately address psychic ability, but seems to perpetuate stereotypes based on carnival fortune tellers found in works of fiction. I understand the stereotypes and perception of what being psychic is in our country. As a professional Psychic-Medium, I work very hard to properly educated people on the subject matter. It is important to understand what being psychic is and is not. Unfortunately this article does not enlighten people on the subject matter but reinforces the old myths and ways of thinking.

First I would like to address the statement, “Psychic claims cannot be supported by evidence.” In actuality, much research has been done on the subject. Some of the best information out there is by Gary E. Schwartz PhD and the VERITAS Research Program at Arizona State. He has done extensive research and testing of psychic abilities to separate fact from myth. The program studied people like Allison DuBouis, a Psychic-Medium, the TV show Medium is biased on. Ms. DuBouis is known for working with Arizona’s law enforcement agencies and uses her psychic abilities to aid them in solving cases.

Linking psychic and magic together is another complete myth. They are two entirely different schools of thought and should not be lumped together as if they were identical. This tendency only serves to highlight the gross misunderstanding most people have of psychic abilities.

Unfortunately, there are some bad psychic’s out there. Just as you will find bad professionals such as Doctors, Lawyers, Dentists and Therapists, you will find bad psychics. However, to define a profession by its quacks is grossly insulting. Thankfully with education and de-mystifying the subject of psychics, those who claim to be psychic and take advantage of gullible people with insecurities are on the decline.

As far as psychics predicting the future; The first thing I say to someone when they sit down for a psychic reading is, “I am not here to predict your future or the rest of your life.” My job is to help someone get above their life’s drama or circumstance and see their life from their spirit’s or soul’s perspective. Acknowledging the spirit is something traditional therapies avoid. In our western culture, we treat the mind and body, but neglect the spirit. People can have breakthroughs in one psychic reading that can take months in accomplish in traditional therapies. As a psychic, I go straight to your source, and that’s your spirit. We look at your life from your spirit’s point of view. Two things most people say after a reading. “That makes a lot of sense.” and “You confirmed what I knew inside.”

The reality is that we are all psychic and simply misinterpret the word. We are not five sensory human beings. We actually have six. Another name for it is “intuition” and everyone is capable of tapping into it. Most people have had psychic experiences and just don’t know to call it that. If you have ever had a gut feeling and acted on it, that’s a psychic experience. In addition, the scientific community has recently labeled the stomach as our second brain, validating what the spiritual traditions have said for centuries. There is a guidance system located in our gut or “third chakra”. The spiritualists call it “Clair-sentance” meaning clear sensing. Science now calls it our second brain. Either way you label it, is one of our psychic receivers.

Science and spirituality are intersecting now in so many ways. If you want to understand yourself as a sixth sensory human, I recommend Jill Bolte Taylor Ph.D’s book My Stroke of Insight. It chronicles a brain scientist that had a stroke and studied how the brain works from the inside out. Another great source is Power vs Force - The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David Hawkins. However, if you want a clear overview, start with Earth School 101 by Alan Arcieri. Any of these works would provide a better understanding of psychic abilities and hopefully dispel uneducated stereotypes.

Blessings,

MaryKay Winterstein