The other day, I watched an episode on Dateline as Chris Hansen investigated the psychic business. I was aghast, infuriated, besmirched, and outraged all at the same time.
In the 3-part (online) series, employees of Dateline visited psychics - the ones with the bright neon signs in the window offering readings - and secretly recorded the sessions.
The two "psychics" who were interviewed said essentially the same thing; that the client was "surrounded by negativity," were "cursed" and that "someone is jealous of you."
The "psychics" went on to tell the Dateline clients that they could remove the curse and negativity and all wonderful things would then happen: the client would meet the man of her dreams....get a great job...move to Paris...become a super model...etc. All for a mere...$500!!!
As I sat and watched, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I was outraged. Dateline finally pinned down one of these "psychics" and she admitted that she had no psychic skills whatsoever.
I have been doing tarot/psychic readings for over 20 years. I've never counted, but my guess is that I have done several hundred. NEVER have I said to a client, "You are surrounded by negativity/curses/jealousy" and asked for more money to remove the evil forces (never mind that I don't believe in curses in the first place.) Legitimate, ethical, honest psychics don't say this. In fact, many of my readings have been boring and mundane. In one reading to a co-worker recently, I asked her if she had beige carpeting in her house. "I see you vacuuming!," I said. She concurred, saying that she does indeed have beige carpeting in her house and she's constantly vacuuming! Gee....guess I could have asked for $500 and told her that I could arrange it so that she'd never have to vacuum again.
What outrages me most is that these people are giving those of us who take their craft seriously a bad name and lumping us all together. Just as not all lawyers are crooks, not all psychics scam people out of their hard-earned money. I keep my prices low to make my services accessible. When someone asks how often they should come for a reading, I usually say, "Every few months." My goal is to ensure the client leave happy and encouraged. If there are "Uh-Oh" cards in the reading, there's a way to gently say so.
So, how does on go about finding a legitimate psychic? I recommend the following:
1. Avoid the neon signs at all costs.
2. Ask your friends - someone in your circle knows someone who knows someone.
3. Do it yourself. Yes, you can learn!