Psychic Abilties: Source, Medium And Power

The word psychic is a broad term that has been applied to a wide category of paranormal mental abilities. Psychic abilities, known also as psionics or psi abilities, is defined by the Parapsychological Association as "interactions that are qualitatively different from our normal ways of exchanging with the world [beyond] verbal and nonverbal communications, sensations, [and] bodily movements.”  With such a broadly defined term, psychic abilities umbrellas many different forms of alleged psychic abilities and phenomenon. The long list of psychic abilities includes feats such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic readings, psychic healing, remote viewing, and precognition.

Despite the number of parapsychologists studying the paranormal origins of psychic power, the psychic source of psychic abilities is as diverse as the number of individuals claiming psychic abilities. Although many cite congenital inheritance as the psychic source, some with psychic abilities suggest their psychic power is the result of a traumatic physical or emotional childhood experience. In other cases, some claim their psychic abilities emerged following a physically or emotionally traumatic incident in adulthood, such as an alleged near death experience. Others suggest that psychic abilities are present in all sentient beings as a sixth sense. In the case of humans, that sixth sense, referred to categorically as extrasensory perception, is a lost sense in need of finding, tapping, and harnessing.

Clairvoyance is the most common and most familiar example of psychic abilities. The most famous are media circuit favorites Sylvia Browne, John Edwards, and James Van Praagh. Although all three have their believers, who see them as 'true psychic mediums' capable of everything from "[seeing] the future, [diagnosing] illness, [finding] lost children, and [communicating] with the dead" they have drawn considerable criticism from skeptics. For those who question a psychic's ability, they are viewed as nothing but charlatans and hucksters, and in some cases guilty as the purveyors of the highest fraud: emotional exploitation. To the skeptic, alleged psychic medium relies on nothing more than "stage tricks such as 'cold reading' to simulate psychic abilities and [prey] on the grieving, the ill and the spiritual needy.” Their criticism, although harsh, is not unwarranted. To this date, there has been no hard, steadfast, reliable evidence that proves or even suggests psychic abilities.

A great deal of time and resources have been dedicated to researching and studying psychic abilities. A committed field of parapsychologists, academic institutions such as the Parapsychological Association, and even government sponsored programs such as the  Stargate Project have sought evidence that can undergo the rigors of scientific scrutiny in support of paranormal psychological abilities. Aside from a few, infrequent statistical anomalies, no substantial proof has been garnered to support claims of psychic abilities.

Although criticism from a skeptical academic and scientific community is leveled at what has been deemed to be a pseudoscience, the Parapsychological Association has earned and maintained membership in the AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Perhaps its credibility as a legitimate science is a reflection of a poll by the National Science Foundation, cited by the Parapsychological Association, that "60% of Americans 'agree' or 'strongly' agree that some people either possess psychic abilities or sensory perception.” Unfortunately for skeptics, parapsychology and its muse, psychic abilities, owe their existence to consensus rather than fact. In the words of the character Fox Mulder of the X-Files, "they want to believe."

Perhaps the most vocal skeptic and outspoken critic of those claiming psychic abilities is James Randi. A former magician, he has dedicated his career to calling out those he deems as scam-artists and deluded promoters of nonsense who represent a "very real, and dangerous harm" in that they can lead "[the victim into] pursuing more dangerous, expensive and often health-related scams.” Although he admits "blind belief can be comforting,” it can "easily cripple reason and productivity, and stop intellectual progress.” As benefactor of the James Randi Educational Foundation, the organization's mission to debunk the "paranormal, pseudoscientific and the supernatural" through education, he has offered a $1,000,000 prize to anyone that can "[demonstrate] a paranormal power under satisfactory observational conditions". To this day, the $1,000,000 prize lays unclaimed.


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"What is the PA?” Parapsychological Association. 1997-2007. 20 Feb 2007 <
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Varvoglis, Dr. Mario. "What is Psi? What Isn't?” Parapsychological Association. 1997-2007. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.parapsych.org/what_is_psi_varvoglis .htm>.
"FAQ.” 2007. James Randi Educational Foundation. 20 Feb 2007 <http://www.randi.org/research/faq.html>.
"Home-Main Page.” 2007. Robert S. Lancaster/ Stop Sylvia Browne. 20 Feb 2007. <http://www.stopsylviabrowne.com/home/>.
Reed, Dr. Henry. "The Source of Psychic Ability.” 2006. Creative Spirit Network. 20 Feb. 2007 <http://www.creativespirit.net/henryreed/edgarc ayce/document2.htm>.
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