The world is filled with scammers. People pretending to be your bank or credit card servicer, people selling things online but actually aren't, princes from Nigeria who need financial help - the list goes on.
Just like any other industry, the metaphysical community has its fair share of scammers and fakes. It has caused a lot of distrust of those who claim to have gifts or sensitivity to thinks that are difficult to comprehend or things we can't see. But when it comes to mediumship, I can give you a few tips on how to spot the fakes from the real deals.
Hot Readings
Scammers employ various methods of deception to convince you that they are real. "Hot Reading" is one of those methods. Hot Reading is when a "reader" places plants in their audiences who have already given them accurate, personal information, or have members in the crowd solicit this information from unsuspecting guests and then feed it back to them. Generally, this information is either memorized, or more often fed to the reader through an earpiece that is well concealed. These readers have an accuracy rate of 100%, inspiring awe in those who watch them, convincing the audience that they are indeed connected to a divine power to know such intimate details.
But that is the key to identifying these readers. In the words of physical medium Amy Allen on an episode of The Dead Files, "No one psychic is ever 100% right, and if they are, you better ask why". And Amy is a prime example of a medium who is fallible, often being fooled or manipulated by spirit into believing something that isn't true throughout her time on the show.
Some readings go smoothly and you do hit on every detail with accuracy. Other times, spirit isn't clear or the symbols are misinterpreted - other spirits can even muddy messages as they try to get their two cents in. If a medium seems to never fail or misinterpret or in some way not get things right, you're probably dealing with a Hot Reader.
Cold Reading
Cold Reading is another method fake readers use to convince a crowd or person that they are indeed connected to spirit. These readers generally start of with vague but likely common information. For example, "I am getting a male with a 'J' name - John, Johnny, James, Jim...". Notice how these names are incredibly common male names. Someone in the audience is bound to know a John or James that has passed. Then they use another vague but common ailment like, "I am getting something with the heart, a heart attack or some kind of heart disease...". Again, heart problems are prevalent ailments people face. So to find someone with a John or James name that had a heart condition has a high probability of resonating with someone.
Then they begin to extrapolate information based on what the audience member gives them. They allow them to say things like "That was my grandpa, he died suddenly of a heart attack." From there, the reader might say, "He is acknowledging that his sudden passing caused a lot of grief and shock amongst the family. Is that right?". Again, the audience member will be allowed to speak and give even more context from which the reader can extrapolate more information.
This technique is very common, especially amongst gallery readers. One example of a reader who has been accused of using this method is John Edward. His show, Crossing Over, rose to popularity in the early 2000's, where he mystified viewers and audience members with his uncanny ability to always connect with someone on the other side with an almost 0% fail rate. If you watch him giving readings to his audiences, you can see the uncanny similarities between his process and cold reading. Those who have mastered the technique are sometimes hard to identify, but if you pay close enough attention, you can still see the signs.
Real Reading
So now you might be wondering, "Well, how can I tell if I am getting a legit reading?". The biggest hint is that none of the above techniques are in play. Your reader may ask for a single name or type of relative, such as grandma, that you want to connect with, but this is not information you necessarily have to give. As they give the reading, they may say things like, "Does that make sense?", or, "Does that resonate with you?", to make sure they are on the right track and that another spirit is not contaminating the reading for you.
Real mediums will also tell you specific details they could not have known. This can include hair color, the types of clothes they wore, personality traits, and/or their specific cause or location of death. More importantly, they will want you to tell them as little information as possible during the reading, as it contaminates what they are doing. If you do, then they can't be sure if what they are getting is from spirit or because you told them and now they know. After the reading, if you feel so inclined, you can tell the medium what points were right on and how, which I generally encourage as it offers validation to the reader.
I hope this gives you some helpful tips to understand and to look out for the tricks that fake mediums use to convince clients of their legitimacy. I despise that people are making a profit off people's emotions and grief through lies.
If you are ever unsure of a reading you received, please send me your questions, and I would be more than happy to help.
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